Tuesday, September 16, 2003 by The Brown Daily Herald

T U E S D A Y SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 72

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

www.browndailyherald.com

Hate crimes are cause for debate and concern on Brown campus

UDC ushers in reform; system will be more transparent

BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ

BY ZACH BARTER

There are hate crimes that leave physical marks, and then there are ones that can be removed with an eraser. Though neither is commonly reported on Brown’s campus, hate crimes and noncriminal acts of hate remain a source of concern and debate for administrators and fear for some students. Following the Sept. 6 assault of a Brown junior that the Department of Public Safety is investigating as a potential hate crime, this is particularly true. A hate crime is commonly defined as a criminal act motivated by specific kinds of bias, including homophobia and racism. Many of the non-criminal acts casually referred to as hate crimes technically fall under the larger category of bias incidents, which encompass acts motivated by bias, including hate crimes. The line between a bias assault and a bias assault also considered a hate crime is often fuzzy, and this is as true for University administrators as it is for anyone else, according to Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene. “I’m worried we’re all talking about hate crimes, when I think writing on a white board, for instance, is not a hate crime, in all likelihood,” he said. This particular issue has come up at least twice so far this semester, following two reports that hateful messages had been written on message boards in Keeney Quad. Unless the content of these messages threatened the safety of individuals, they most likely could not be classified as hate crimes. Yet these incidents, part of a general pattern of three to five reported bias assaults per semester, represent one of the most difficult and most ambiguous chal-

developments, it is integral to “save capitalism from itself,” he said. “The corporate world is stealing money from the public treasury, which leaves $487 a month for a mother and her two children.” Kennedy also expressed concern over the nation’s low voter turnout rate. “It’s hard to sustain a democratic system without participation of the citizen body,” he said. In terms of environmental protection, “this is the worst administration,” Kennedy said. “(They’ve rolled) back

Cases involving students charged with minor offenses will now be resolved by an all-student board under recently implemented changes to the University’s nonacademic disciplinary code. Those accused of more serious crimes can now choose between appearing before the University Disciplinary Council, composed of students, administrators and faculty, or having an administrative hearing before a dean. The long-awaited revisions should give the system more flexibility and increase student involvement in all aspects of the process, according to deans in the Office of Student Life. “We believe having students involved in setting the standards and helping uphold the principles of our community on campus is very important,” said Margaret Jablonski, dean for Campus Life. The changes, which were approved by the Corporation at its May 2003 meeting, took effect with the new academic year. The newly created Peer Community Standards Board, composed of 10 undergraduates, will hear cases involving minor, first-time offenses and residence hall violations. The new system also includes provisions for student organizations charged with an offense to receive a hearing before a dean. Jablonski estimated the system handles approximately 300 cases per year, only a few of which involve cases at the most serious level, where the outcome could involve suspension or expulsion from the University. Some offenses may be handled by both the University’s disciplinary system and local courts. Calls for disciplinary reform gained steam after several high-profile cases in the late 1990s. Student critics claimed the system operated without sufficient student input and lacked accountability. The movement to revamp the code began in March 2001, when Sheila

see KENNEDY, page 5

see UDC, page 3

see HATE CRIMES, page 5

Channel 12 culinary finalists are Brown students BY JONATHAN HERMAN

Steve Kaell ’04 and Cole Bolton ’04 have finally found a college shenanigan even grandma can be proud of. “We have a forecast for you,” Bolton told Channel 12’s weatherman Tony Petrarca during a live broadcast on Friday. “Our recipe calls for a 90 percent chance of deliciousness.” Kaell and Bolton, the self-proclaimed tag team chefs of Brown, were one group of eight selected to appear on Channel 12’s “Backyard Barbecue” contest — a series of segments on the popular Eyewitness News program presenting winning recipes. The students’ recipe was an extemposee BBQ, page 3

Sorleen Trevino / Herald

Rep. Patrick Kennedy spoke Monday afternoon to a crowd in the Taubman Center.

Bush is damaging long term future of U.S., Kennedy says BY JOANNE PARK

Unchecked capitalism in the United States will be the cause of its undoing, said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., who issued broad criticisms of the Bush administration in his Monday afternoon talk at the Taubman Center for Public Policy. Kennedy, who was re-elected to a fifth term in 2002, represents the First District of Rhode Island, which includes Brown’s campus. He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1994. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and has chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Kennedy criticized the Bush administration for its lack of checks on corporations and its failure to provide social welfare safety nets. Controls for capitalist systems are approaching dangerously low levels, Kennedy said. He cited the prevalence of child labor in Mexico, where children work for 13 to 14 hours a day for little more than pennies an hour. “When you look, many of these are American companies (employing children), some from Rhode Island, too,” Kennedy said. He said swift movements in the direction of unbridled capitalism could lead to a destabilized nation. “Where wealth is so concentrated, a society gives birth to demagogues, like Father Coughlin blaming Jews and foreigners,” Kennedy said. Taking into consideration these

METRO NEWS

Providence residents face tax raise BY ELLEN WERNECKE

Brown is picking up part of the city’s bill, but Providence residents are still going to pay the balance in an effort to eradicate the city’s $60 million deficit. Providence residents will face an 8 percent higher tax rate in the next fiscal year, despite a $48.5 million agreement with four of its private universities that asks Brown to pay $1 million over the next year to the city. The city made some “very difficult” budgetary and management decisions, Providence Mayor David Cicilline ’83 told The Herald, but was left with a $15 million gap that could not be closed in this fiscal year without raising taxes.

I N S I D E T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 3 Gunners make useless comments but add to Brown’s “diversity,” says Andrew Stein ’06 column, page 7

Ketaki Gokhale ’05 says not to embrace your ethnicity just to feel less insecure column,page 7

W. cross country gets revenge on Harvard, beating the team at its first meet of the season sports, page 8

“We inherited a budget with a huge deficit and a legacy of mismanagement, of decades of corruption,” Cicilline said. “There’s no question that taxes are too high in this city,” he added. “We’re working hard to fix what we inherited.” Richard Spies, executive vice president and special advisor to the president, said he regretted the tax change, but that the deficit was “a tough problem.” “Obviously, students who live in nonuniversity housing, as well as faculty and staff will be affected by it,” Spies said. “But I’m the last one who can tell the see TAXES, page 5

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Starting off the season, M. water polo loses three of four matches at an invitational sports, page 8

Sloppy ball handling and defensive breakdowns lead to 32-0 loss for the rugby team sports, page 8

showers high 76 low 59

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris

W E AT H E R TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

High 76 Low 59 showers

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

High 71 Low 60 wind

High 75 Low 59 showers

High 75 Low 57 partly cloudy

GRAPHICS BY TED WU

Three Words Eddie Ahn

MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Black Bean Soup, Beef Barley Soup, Grilled Tuna Sandwich with Cheese, Pasta Spinach Casserole, Corn Cobbets, Cherry Tarts with Bavarian Cream, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Icing, Lemon Meringue Pie.

V-DUB LUNCH — Vegetarian Liz’s Great Vegetable Soup, Chicken Gumbo Soup, Chicken Fajitas, Vegan Taco, Vegan Refried Beans, Mexican Succotash, Cherry Tarts with Bavarian Cream.

Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Greg Shilling and Todd Goldstein

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Measures for Emeril: Abbr. 5 Casper, e.g. 10 Singer Perry 14 Similar 15 Crush in a Cuisinart 16 Once more 17 Silver’s straddler, with “the” 19 Believe 20 First name in cosmetics 21 Danny of “White Christmas” 22 Disapproving sounds 23 Captain Marvel’s magic word 25 Bahamas capital 27 Pitchers’ stats 29 Doorway shelter 32 Walked heavily 35 Kennel cries 38 Up and about 39 Fleming of fiction 40 Partnerless performance 42 Yale student 43 Pilfer 45 Freshwater duck 46 Get ready for surgery 47 Caster’s pole 49 Raisin rum cake 51 Renege 54 Locations for bracelets 58 Canyon comeback 60 Toledo’s lake 62 Role model 63 Common street name 64 How students often line up 66 Capri or Wight 67 Fault-finding 68 Doing mil. meal duty 69 “Sanford and Son” actor Foxx 70 The ones here 71 Take a break

DOWN 1 Yarns 2 Tiny bit, slangily 3 1492 vessel 4 Reacted to pollen 5 Coll. statistic 6 He-man 7 Hurdy-gurdy, e.g. 8 “So long!” 9 Vocalist Brewer 10 Lounging garments 11 Small garment bag 12 Overly submissive 13 Avian symbols of wisdom 18 Rise up, like Trigger 24 BLT spread 26 Hostage situation acronym 28 Pepper’s partner 30 World’s longest river 31 Golfer’s concern 32 Minor misunderstanding 33 Racetrack fence 1

34 Kid with no siblings 36 “The Tell-Tale Heart” writer 37 Swedish auto 40 Boutique 41 Lobster limb 44 Sang like Crosby 46 Bought 48 “That __ make sense”

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Hopeless Edwin Chang

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Y E T U P P S I T C A A R T R E C D O O S T A

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xwordeditor@aol.com

D M I E M A L U T R O E P L I R E T A L Y A P H P O U M S E R A O N B E

My Best Effort Andy Hull and William Newman

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: S P A S M

50 Soft cheese 52 Heep in a Dickens story 53 Shade 55 Rouen’s river 56 Chitchats 57 Reposed 58 Islamic title 59 Big beer buy 61 Frittata ingredients 65 Caustic potash

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Jero Matt Vascellaro

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09/16/03

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 3

UDC continued from page 1 Blumstein, then interim president of the University, appointed a 16-member committee of students, faculty and administrators to review the disciplinary system and suggest ways to make it more effective. The committee, chaired by Associate Professor of Comparative Literature Meera Viswanathan, presented its findings to President Ruth Simmons in a 34-page report in February 2002. Jablonski said she was confident the changes had taken everyone’s concerns into account. “This was an extraordinarily inclusive process,” Jablonski said. “Over the course of the last few years, we visited dozens of groups on campus for their input. Every level of every government’s body was consulted on the changes.” The vast majority of the recommendations to come out of the review committee were accepted and implemented, she said. But Carl Takei ’02, who served on the review committee, said the new code departs in several ways from the group’s recommendations. Takei said that though the committee recommended the standard of proof in student hearings be raised to “clear and convincing” evidence of guilt, the new code defines the standard as the “preponderance of evidence,” a standard which Takei called too weak. Furthermore, while the new code includes a clause compelling students to appear as witnesses when summoned to a hearing, Takei said the clause fails to provide adequate protections for witnesses. “The committee recommendations were very clear that students testifying as witnesses should be able to refuse to answer individual questions without consequence,” Takei said. Takei also said the University failed to adopt the committee’s proposed revisions of the code’s intimidation and harassment offense, which Takei said essentially constitutes a hate speech code. The motivation behind an incident should be considered separately from the non-academic disciplinary process, Takei said. On the whole, however, Takei said he believes the changes represent a major step forward. He said the change allowing the Undergraduate Council of Students to appoint UDC members without University approval,

as well as a provision requiring a review of the process every three years, would greatly increase accountability in the system. “It’s very important that students play a role not just in handling individual cases, but in determining what the disciplinary process will be,” he said. “I look forward to seeing what future generations of students will come up with when wrestling with these issues.” James Stascavage, assistant dean for campus life, said another major change to the system involves a renewed emphasis on student mediation to settle disputes. The change, Stascavage said, reflects the belief that when students sit down to resolve their own disputes, “the outcome will be more satisfying to everyone involved.” Stascavage said the new code also seeks to remove some of the confusion surrounding the old disciplinary procedures. “There was some great concern about lack of clarity in the procedures for students. They weren’t really accessible. They were hard to understand,” Stascavage said. “There were a few offenses in particular that were unclear or described as overly broad.” Among other revisions, the new code does away with the oftcriticized clause proscribing behavior that “shows flagrant disrespect for the well-being of others.” The new code is based on a statement of principles that applies to all members of the University community. The old code of conduct, the “Tenets of Community Behavior,” applied only to students. “(This statement) is an articulation of values that stretch into all of the areas of the University, and therefore should apply to all of our community members,” Stascavage said. He added, however, that there will still be separate disciplinary procedures and regulations in place for faculty, students and staff within the framework of those shared principles. Stascavage said his office has now turned its attention to educating students about the changes to the system. All students received a pamphlet detailing the new procedures and principles in their mailboxes, and counselors and programmers in the residence hall system have been trained to assist students, he said. In addition, Stascavage said his office will reach out to groups on campus and discuss the changes with them. Herald senior staff writer Zach Barter ’06 can be reached at zbarter@browndailyherald.com.

BBQ continued from page 1 raneous creation the team made for the first time only two days before the broadcast. Recipes were selected at random from almost 100 entries and then judged on appearance, detail and how quickly they could be prepared on a grill, said Joses Holloway, Channel 12 account executive. Those wellsuited for the show were actually put on-air. The winner of the eight finalists will be announced during the channel’s Friday broadcast. The winner will receive a grill and patio furniture set. Votes can be cast at www.wpri.com in the section labeled “Backyard Barbecue.” The two friends decided to enter the recipe on a whim. “I think we were watching the U.S. Open or something when the ad for (Backyard Barbecue) came on. Certainly we weren’t watching the news,” Bolton said. Sitting in their off-campus apartment, Kaell and Bolton recalled the creation of their first and only original recipe. “We just decided on mango salsa, and then went to (the channel’s) Web site and saw previous winners,” Bolton said. With an idea of a recipe for a “fruity burger,” as Kaell described it on air, the two artists looked for cooking temperatures and measurements for their recipe on the Internet. The students entered their untried concoction and learned earlier this month they had won a chance to be featured in a segment of Eyewitness News’ broadcast. “I’m surprised they let us on because they knew our age and knew we were college students,” Bolton said. Kaell and Bolton decided to keep their mischievous story unknown. “Only our closest friends knew. We were paranoid that if we told other people it might get to the channel and we could be disqualified,” Bolton said.

“I think we were watching the U.S. Open or something when the ad for (Backyard Barbecue) came on. Certainly we weren’t watching the news,” Bolton said. Kaell, an applied math concentrator, and Bolton, an economics concentrator, are Brown’s new culinary masters with absolutely no cooking expertise. “I make mac and cheese all the time here. I’m some serious culinary genius when I cut up hot dogs and put them in it,” Bolton said. Kaell and Bolton found out only four days before the broadcast that they would be on the air. “We practiced talking like TV chefs” for the few days leading up to the show, Bolton said. Rachael Truchil ’04, one of 12

Brown students the two brought along to taste their creations, said, “It was funny to watch them on TV. It was magical. It was a little surreal. But these guys were awesome.” Eyewitness News anchor Kristin Johnson praised Kaell and Bolton, running over to the Backyard Barbecue’s studio to congratulate the team chefs on one of her breaks, Holloway said. Their recipe “Summer Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Glazed Sweet Potatoes” was “Thanksgiving” inspired and is on WPRI’s Web site, Kaell said. The turkey burgers are topped with a slice of white cheddar cheese and a circular slice of Granny Smith apple to “maximize surface area,” he said. “It was good. I liked the sweet potatoes. They get high marks in my book,” Holloway said. According to Holloway, Channel 12 had received more than 600 votes by Monday night with no clear leading recipe. Bolton said the two are confident of their chance of wining and have promised to host a party for their friends serving only their turkey burgers if they win.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Taxes

Hate crimes

continued from page 1

mayor what he should have done.” “Those of us who have to pay it will have to pay it,” he said. The mayor said he doesn’t expect the tax change to be permanent. “I believe very strongly that changes in revenue diversity and legislative changes from this past year will allow us to stabilize the tax rate,” Cicilline said. “We just have to do this differently,” he said. “The future and the financial viability of our city are at stake.” The University is taking a financial hit along with the neighbors. The June agreement with taxexempt Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown will generate more than $40 million over the next 20 years from the four private colleges. The agreement also contains a provision under which the universities will pay gradually decreasing taxes on newly acquired properties so the city can adjust to the tax loss over 15 years. Cicilline applauded the universities for recognizing their obligations to the city. “These institutions contribute to the city in so many ways,” the mayor said. Spies called the pact between the universities and the city of Providence “a very excellent agreement with everybody.” “I think it’s a good outcome and that one of the tests of that is that no one is completely happy with every aspect of it,” Spies said. He said Brown’s contribution would replace the University’s annual donation to the nonprofit Health and Education Leadership for Providence coalition, as well as drawing from general contingency funds. “We’ll be spending a little bit less on a whole set of things, and some indirect costs would be a little higher,” Spies said, but he said he didn’t anticipate major costs to students and faculty as a result of the agreement. “We’ll just have to accommodate it as we would insurance or utilities costs,” Spies added. Besides negotiating with the universities, the Cicilline administration reduced its management by 15 percent and re-evaluated the health plan for all non-union staff to include a 10 percent insurance co-pay and a one-year wage freeze. “Every non-union worker in the city took a pay cut,” Cicilline said, “including me, because I feel we have to lead by example.” The mayor said he is in the midst of negotiations with the city’s six unions, whose contracts expired June 30 of this year, for new contracts “affordable to the citizens of this city.” “I asked the unions to do the same thing I did with my management,” he added. “If the unions had agreed to make those changes, we would’ve had a budget surplus for this fiscal year.” Cicilline’s administration also explored other ventures for gaining revenue, including increasing parking fees downtown and installing cameras on red lights to catch errant motorists, to help close the gap.

lenges the Office of Student Life faces, according to Director of Student Life Jean Joyce-Brady. In most cases, it is impossible to determine who is responsible for hateful messages and graffiti, Joyce-Brady said. And in a more philosophical sense, it can also be difficult to discern where free speech ends and biased speech begins, according to Greene. In order to clarify this issue, the Office of Student Life began drafting a document last spring that defines biased speech and University protocol for handling it. Once completed and vetted to the Corporation in October, the document should facilitate rapid and consistent responses to bias incidents and the report of these incidents to the Brown community, Greene said. Still, the question of what to define as biased speech remains a complex one. And in instances where the perpetrators remain unknown, a letter, like the one Joyce-Brady sent to Keeney residents condemning the hateful whiteboard messages, may be the most recourse the University can offer. Following more successful investigations of student-perpetrated bias assaults, the University generally disciplines responsible parties through the Student Conduct system or with an educational response, depending upon the severity and circumstances of the incident, Joyce-Brady said. Extensive support services are also offered to bias assault victims. In adherence with state law, DPS follows a separate set of procedures. Anytime a crime is reported that is evidently motivated by bias, DPS officers submit a bias incident report as well as a standard police report to the Rhode Island State Police. Noncriminal bias incidents also mandate a bias incident report in addition to an incident report, according to DPS Special Services Manager Cheryl Ferreira. How much of these reports is released to community members in crime reports remains under the University’s discretion. “One of the things we always try to balance is the need of the community to know what happened with the rights of the individual to privacy,” Greene said. “Another thing we also try to balance is the need of the community to know with the ability to

Herald senior staff writer Ellen Wernecke ’06 can be reached at ewernecke@browndailyherald.com.

maintain the integrity of an investigation. The context of the incident is as important as the substance of the incident.” Following a crime report issued about the Sept. 6 assault, which many complained downplayed the gravity of the crime, the University has considered changing the language used in crime reports, Joyce-Brady said. In future reports of similar incidents, a statement may be added that reads, “This incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime,” she said. “In order to draw the ultimate

Kennedy continued from page 1 every environmental regulation made in the last 35 years.” Lax treatment of the environment endangers health and the economy of the future, he said. “That’s what corporate America does every day, dumping trash on our doorstep.” Drastic cuts in budgets for special education and the

conclusion that something is a hate crime, there has to be an investigation,” Joyce-Brady added. But in order for an investigation to occur, the incident has to be reported in the first place. Although Joyce-Brady estimated that three to five non-criminal bias assaults are reported each semester, she and student leaders agree that a far greater number go unreported. “I think there are a lot of small cases where people don’t consider the more serious implications,” said Jason Lambrese ’06,

enforcement of Proposition 187, which allows schools to question the legality of their students, are indicators of a “country really falling apart at the seams.” Overall, Kennedy said he predicted a grim future for the United States. “What I see coming with this administration is not a country we want to live in,” he said. “They are mortgaging our future, and all of us will be sent the tab.” Kennedy included ris-

one of the student coordinators of the Queer Alliance. “In some cases, people don’t want to deal with the process of an investigation, and I think in some cases, people think, ‘I can just erase it and forget about it.’ “If everything was reported, I think there would be a lot more action coming from the administration,” he said. Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz ’05 edits the campus watch section. She can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com.

ing crime rates and falling standards in education as potential downfalls. Whereas it was not a hopeful view, he said it was through action that current trends could be reversed. “I don’t think the present Washington, D.C., environment is geared toward doing what needs to be done,” he said. Herald senior staff writer Joanne Park ’06 can be reached at jpark@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 · PAGE 6 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Clear and convincing? Long-awaited reforms to the University Disciplinary Council, though not what everyone hoped for, have finally come to fruition. Through establishing an all-student board and setting in place a review cycle, the University has created opportunities for increased student participation and accountability. But these improvements only tell part of the story. Disregarding some of the suggestions put forth by the UDC review committee, the University has failed to guarantee basic rights for witnesses and Brown students accused of an offense. Call for reform came after several high-profile cases in the late 1990s left students feeling they had little input in UDC’s decisions. Many also criticized the organization’s lack of transparency. In March 2001, then-Interim President Sheila Blumstein appointed a 16-member committee of students, faculty and administrators to review the disciplinary system and suggest ways to make it more effective. They presented a report of their findings to President Ruth Simmons in Spring 2002. But, in the recently announced reforms, a key element of the committee’s proposal was neglected. The group had recommended raising the standard of proof in student hearings to “clear and convincing” evidence of guilt. The University has opted for the milder “preponderance of evidence,” a standard that leaves too much discretion up to those presiding over the hearings. The changes also fail to include the ability for witnesses to “plead the fifth.” At the time the reform process began, many students had hoped the disciplinary system would one day resemble the American judicial system, if more secretive to acknowledge the sensitive nature of many offenses on a close-knit campus. But while the University has granted the basic right of being tried before a jury of peers, it fell short in other areas that would have made trials fairer to the accused. We got student involvement; accountability is still lacking.

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 Rachel Aviv, Arts & Culture Editor Jen Sopchockchai, Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Carla Blumenkranz, Campus Watch Editor Juliette Wallack, Metro Editor Philissa Cramer, RISD News Editor Jonathan Skolnick, Opinions Editor Jonathan Meachin, Sports Editor Maggie Haskins, Sports Editor

BUSINESS Jamie Wolosky, General Manager Joe Laganas, Executive Manager Joshua Miller, Executive Manager Anastasia Ali, Project Manager Jack Carrere, Project Manager Lawrence L.Hester IV, Project Manager Bill Louis, Project Manager Zoe Ripple, Project Manager Peter Schermerhorn, Local Accounts Manager Elias Roman, Local Accounts Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Elyse Major, Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager

PRODUCTION Zachary Frechette, Chief Technology Officer Marc Debush, Copy Desk Chief Yafang Deng, Copy Desk Chief Grace Farris, Graphics Editor Andrew Sheets, Graphics Editor Sara Perkins, Photo Editor

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 Micah Salkind, Features Editor Ellen Wernecke, Senior Editor Doug Fretty, Film Editor Jason Ng, Music Editor Colin Hartnett, Design Editor

ANDREW SHEETS

LETTERS Herald misrepresents Yale not alone in aspects of S. Asian pursuing sustainable Women’s Collective food options To the Editor:

To the Editor:

Re: “Students protest racial profiling since Sept. 11,” (Sept. 15). 1. South Asian Women’s Collective has a 78-person mailing list and 21 women attended the first meeting this year. I’m not sure what is meant by the “30-member group” mentioned in the article. 2. Although racial profiling of minorities may generally fall within our purpose, we met from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday specifically to raise awareness of the mistreatment, detentions and deportations that have disproportionately affected Muslims, Arabs and South Asians since Sept. 11, 2001. The headline is misleading. 3. I was misidentified as Neha Mehrotra ‘05, and the statements in the article attributed to her express only my opinions. Neha participated in the protest but was not quoted in the article. 4. The words “protest” and “demonstration” and “protesters” and “demonstrators” were used interchangeably in the article. I had emphasized to the reporter both in a phone interview and in person that this was a demonstration, not a protest. I appreciated the large full-color photograph of the demonstration on the front page, but I personally prefer accurate reporting over flashy photos and headlines.

Re: “Yale’s delicious revolution has students happy” (Sept. 15). I appreciate the interest The Herald is taking in the Yale Sustainable Food Project, but I want to correct a number of points that were addressed in the article. To suggest that “Brunonians are piling up on charred hot dogs and greasy grilled cheese” lacks appreciation for Brown’s University Food Services’ current dining program. Brown’s own associate director of dining services, Virginia Dunleavy, has attended meetings at Yale to discuss sustainable college dining programs, and she is working to establish relationships with local farmers. The Herald reported these efforts in February of this year. Bowdoin, Bates, Cornell, Dartmouth, Vassar, Wesleyan and Williams are among the many other Northeast schools that, like Yale, are implementing their own sustainable dining programs. The success of each of these programs depends on supportive, enthusiastic responses from dining services. Yale Dining Services has been central to developing the SFP. As we go forward in this work, we want to recognize and applaud our fellow change makers: students, dining services management and staff, college administrators and farmers from around the Northeast.

Medha Devanagondi ‘05 Member, South Asian Women’s Collective Sept. 15

Melina Shannon-DiPietro Sept. 15

Renzo Piano, Night Editor Marc Debush, Copy Editor Senior Staff Writers Zach Barter, Danielle Cerny, Dana Goldstein, Lisa Mandle, Monique Meneses, Joanne Park, Meryl Rothstein, Ellen Wernecke Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Hannah Bascom, Carla Blumenkranz, Philissa Cramer, Ian Cropp, Jonathan Ellis, Stephanie Harris, Hanyen Lee, Julian Leichty, Allison Lombardo, Jonathan Meachin, Sara Perkins, Melissa Perlman, Eric Perlmutter, Cassie Ramirez, Lily Rayman-Read, Zoe Ripple, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Adam Stern, Stefan Talman, Joshua Troy, Schuyler von Oeyen, Juliette Wallack, Jessica Weisberg, Brett Zarda, Julia Zuckerman Accounts Managers Laird Bennion, Eugen Clifton Cha, In Young Park, Jane C. Urban, Sophie Waskow, Justin Wong, Christopher Yu Pagination Staff Lisa Mandle, Alex Palmer Photo Staff Marissa Hauptman, Nick Mark, Alex Palmer, Cassie Ramirez Copy Editors Emily Brill, George Haws, Katie Lamm

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. ADVERTISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement in its discretion.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 · PAGE 7

Gunning down The Gunner Elevating his hand, not the level of discussion IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME: YOU’RE IN Cianci was re-elected as mayor in 1990. class and you’re interested in the lecture. Now you may be wondering what kind of Something about medieval sex. But each person would vote for a convicted felon?” Gunner: (Waves hand frenetically.) time the professor asks a question, there’s Professor: “Uh, yes?” one hand that pops up as readily as a Bob Gunner: “The kind of person who lives in Seger song on a strip club jukebox. The Providence!” same hand. Every single time. Hold up, sistahs. I don’t mean Right or wrong, this guy has ANDREW K. STEIN to imply Gunning is a man’s got an answer for everything. GUEST COLUMNIST game, that Y-chromosomes This is the “Gunner.” The Gunner is the guy who practically struts into class with his hand already raised. He’s there, he’s done the reading and he wants everyone to know. So it’s only natural he has a crack at any and all of the prof’s questions. It’s only right that what he lacks in quality, he makes up in quantity. And it’s only the most annoying thing in the world. On the first day, the professor mentions something vague about including class participation in the final grade. Hearing this, the Gunner resolves (1) to get as much participation credit as possible; (2) to talk at every viable opportunity; and (3) to give his arm more airtime than “Simpsons” reruns. Ever since he got a gold star in preschool for knowing most of the alphabet, the Gunner has been hooked on approval and attention. It gets him high. It makes him happy. He needs his fix. Fact: Gunners have been known to answer rhetorical questions. Professor: “After he was convicted of beating up his wife’s alleged lover, “Buddy”

Andrew K. Stein ’06 hails from Atlanta, Ga. He is looking to start a Gunner Fantasy League.

have a monopoly on this sort of thing. Interestingly enough, both men and women excel. Gunning is both equal opportunity and exceedingly obnoxious. In addition to its Title IX compliance, the dystopia of Gunning is surprisingly diverse. Gunners come in five handwavin’, mouth-flappin’ flavors: Top Gunner The Top Gunner is only interested in showing off. “See how smart I am,” he says with a smirk. And in case you missed it the first time, he shows you again. Like Tom Cruise, Top Gunners are often short or are otherwise compensating for something. Outgunner At first, the Outgunner seems a strange breed; he is initially silent and unassuming, often sitting towards the back of class. Although you don’t even notice him, beware, for he is but biding his time. Once you speak, the Outgunner pounces, belittling your remark at length. To survive, he must show you that he’s right and you’re wrong. The Outgunner lives a sad, parasitic existence, feeding off the imperfection of others.

The Shotgunner raises his hand, speaks and keeps firing, hoping that something will hit. Conspiracy theories. Current events. Coolio’s latest album. Nothing is off target. Shotgunner When using a shotgun, the one thing you don’t need is accuracy. In this vein, the Shotgunner raises his hand, speaks and keeps firing, hoping that something will hit. Conspiracy theories. Current events. Coolio’s latest album. Nothing is off target. Machine Gunner When the Machine Gunner is called on, no one else will likely get a chance to talk for a while. If you hear “I have a couple of points,” or “It seems to me,” or “One of the things we have to keep in mind,” it’s time to start playing Snake on your mobile. Son of a Gunner A necessary evil, the Son of a Gunner’s contribution to academia consists of one phrase, “Will this be on the test?” To be sure, his repetition is annoying, but for a certain percentage of us who zone out, the answers he gets are invaluable. Dare I say that the Son of a Gunner is tolerable? Surprisingly, I’m not going to tell Gunners not to do what they do. By no means will I inform these academic knaves that I rue their existence. It’s not my right to infringe upon their right to piss me off. After all, I’m a nice guy.

You may now be asking yourself, “Self, am I a Gunner?” This is normal, healthy introspection. So stop. Take a deep breath. Look around you. If you see that your hand is in the air, then perhaps you are a Gunner. It’s okay. Self-knowledge is the first step towards recovery. Yet, don’t change your behavior just because I say so. Don’t try to reinvent yourself. If this smidgen of self-analysis tells you you really are a Gunner, embrace your fate! Take solace in the fact that you add to Brown’s “diversity.” You, sir or madam, are an integral part of the Great Scholastic Snack Bar. For us non-Gunners, we have ways to cope. I recommend a simple game from University of Michigan Law School called “Gunner Bingo.” You and your friends make Bingo boards before class with the names of suspected Gunners. During class, you can cross off a name when he or she speaks. In order to win after completing a row, column or diagonal, you must get the floor and then use “Bingo” in whatever you say. For example: “You take the integral of the velocity vector and, bingo, you’ve got it!” We’ve all seen and experienced Gunners; now we know what to call them. Go forth, my children, enlightened and equipped with a label maker.

Ethnic identity doesn’t guarantee a sense of belonging Ethnic labels can’t take the place of feeling secure with who we are MY PARENTS CAME TO THE UNITED Bollywood film, you know how mortifying States from India in 1980. I have lived in an epithet “filmi” is. My own parents both India and America. I visit India every question my Indian-ness. They call me two years. For the duration of these visits I “rootless” and bite back laughs at my, oh become consummately Indian — babbling let’s just say very creative, take on Hindi. in Marathi, wearing only salvaar kameez, When everyone — Americans, Indians, being impervious to the surrounding even your loving parents —tell you in poverty and wretchedness. Then I come some way or another you are a misfit, it’s hard to believe otherwise. back to California, or to Brown, Some sense of this unand even my accent changes belonging is present in most and I start going to protests and KETAKI GOKHALE GUEST COLUMNIST people of hyphenated ethcandle light vigils and things. It seems like the recipe for an identity crisis, doesn’t it? Well, surprisingly enough, I’ve never had an identity crisis. But I have been insecure. It is my belief that “questioning your identity” is a pretty way of saying insecure. There is no shame in insecurity. It is a problem, to different degrees, for most of us. As a first generation American-resident it is a big problem. I spent some years early in my life in southern India. I returned to America and my first grade teacher thought my newly acquired accent was a speech impediment. And Indians consider me equally outlandish. When I go to India and wear traditional garb they comment on how “filmi” I look. The implication being that I don’t look like a real Indian, but more like an Indian from a Bollywood film. If you’ve seen a

Ketaki Gokhale ’05 was one of the kids with the smelly lunches.

nicity. It has inspired numerous panels and forums and discussions of this thing called “identity.” I think such forums are misguided. Discovering one’s identity does not bring a sudden sense of belonging. And it is belonging we look for in discussions. Why else would the most frequentlyheard expression in any gathering of American-raised Indians be “Oh my god, me too!” The search for belonging is much more arduous than the search for ethnic identity. Ethnic identity is a mere label, a box to be checked. I can call myself Asian or Asian American, but these labels hardly change who I am or give me a sense of security in day-to-day life. Ethnic identity is a mere summary of my roots: Indian, American or Indo-American. It says nothing of me. The search for belonging, on the other hand, makes me ask myself probing questions — questions that often have unsavory answers. Questions like:

What sort of person am I? Why do I want to belong? Why do I fear not belonging? This quest takes me into the recesses of my own mind and of my various cultures. It takes me on a journey that is difficult and may have no satisfying conclusion. Maybe that is why all us folk of hyphenated ethnicity choose to avoid it, taking refuge instead in banal questions like, “If I eat samosas and go to the temple on weekends and rock concerts on weeknights, what is my ethnicity?” The answer to this question varies from person to person and makes no difference in the way one lives one’s life. Yet, this very superficial issue of ethnicity has taken a front seat in the discussions of my generation of Indo-Americans. The issue of ethnic identity has created two distinct problems in our community. First, the emergence of a rather frivolous genre of art and literature that deals primarily with the search for ethnicity. These works depict the ridiculous angst of affluent teenagers who have weird, smelly Indian lunches in their brown paper bags and are ashamed of their culture. Tanuja Desai Hidier, a writer of obvious talent, recently produced a work of this ilk entitled “Born Confused.” The main character discovered her inner Indian-ness and thereby discovered herself. In real life, this process is usually reversed. It irks me that the talented Indo-American writers of my generation are wasting their gifts on

shallow subjects instead of probing deeper into the source of our generation’s insecurity — an investigation that has the potential to reveal much about, not only us, but all human beings. The second problem created by the focus on ethnicity is a stifling self-segregation. It is a case of the misfits uniting to feel less like misfits, and it is a shallow solution indeed. It is a desperate imitation of the social structure that seems to have left us out. Instead of emulating, why not question, why not critique? While it is nourishing for us to come together from similar backgrounds, to reinforce and to support each other, it is also important for our horizons to broaden and for us to see beyond the ethnic and cultural lines our lives have been so defined by. The main task that lies before first generation Americans is not defining ethnic identity, but overcoming insecurity — overcoming a debilitating insecurity so as to become productive members of society as well as being members of a smaller ethnic community. The focus of our discussions should move away from the dead-end avenue of ethnic identity. We must inquire of ourselves and of each other: Why don’t we fully belong to any culture? Why do we want to belong to a culture? Can we ever? What good can come of our lack of belonging? What are the pitfalls of our condition that we must avoid?

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 · PAGE 8

Harvard offense too much for Brown ruggers

W. XC avenges loss to Harvard BY MELISSA PERLMAN

In its first meet of the season, the women’s cross country team has already gotten revenge. With an impressive thirdplace finish at Boston’s Franklin Park Friday, the Bears beat out seven other teams, including Harvard. Last year in the championship season, Harvard beat Brown at both the Heptagonal Championships and NCAA Regionals. On Friday, the Bears fought back. “It was important to show that what Harvard did to us last season was a fluke,” said Coach Rick Wemple. “It did not mean that they’re better than us. We have the better talents and we proved that.” The Bears’ 71-point score placed them only eight points behind Boston College and 40 behind powerhouse Providence College. Connecticut and Harvard finished in fourth and fifth. Wemple attributes the team’s success to patience and pack running. Brown went into the meet with a plan to run in two packs of six and eight runners, each with a targeted pace. The women were given explicit directions by Wemple not to go with the front-runners but rather to wait. “I didn’t want them to get caught up with the top girls from Providence College,” Wemple said. “I told them, ‘You don’t have to blazon this race out in the first mile.’” The Bears followed Wemple’s directions and by mile one found themselves within 10 meters of Harvard’s best runner. Harvard’s top athletes had gone out with the front pack and were hurting as a result. “Harvard got caught up and paid the price for it,” Wemple said. “We played the patient game and it worked.” Brown’s top finisher, Anna Willard ’06, ended up beating the top Harvard runner while the next four Bears finished ahead of Harvard’s second runner. Willard completed the race in 18:14, which was good enough for 8th place. “She had a tremendous race,” Wemple said. “Her time was 14 to 15 seconds faster than what she ran a month later last year.” Willard, who had a breakthrough track season last year, still has a lot of untapped potential, according to team Captain Kristin Ware ’04. “It didn’t look like she was running as fast as she was,” Ware said. “And then you see her finish with the top runners. She was just really smooth.” Willard was closely followed by teammates Meredith Crocker ’05 and Julie Komosinski ’05 in 14th and 15th place, respectively. Rachel Kitson ’05 and Anya Davidson ’06 rounded out the Bears’ top five with 16th and 18th place finishes. Wemple said it was the patience of Kitson and Caci Cambruzzi ’04 as well as the strength of Komosinski that really impressed him. Cambruzzi, the only senior running for the Bears at the meet, finished in sixth place. “Patience was such a huge part of this meet,” Wemple said. “I really think that is why they did so well.” Within the larger race, an annual dual meet with Harvard was scored, with Brown claiming the victory. The Alden Award, which was originally donated by Vernon Alden, is given to the university with the best score after combining both men and women. The women did their part by beating Harvard by 22 points. Herald staff writer Melissa Perlman ’04 covers women’s cross country. She can be reached at mperlman@browndailyherald.com.

BY JOSH BRANDT

dspics

Goalie Jay Fatone ’06 made seven saves in Brown’s win over no. 13 Queens College, 5-4.

Men’s water polo unable to sink opponents over the weekend BY JINHEE CHUNG

Launching the new season this weekend, the Brown men’s water polo team came away with a win and three losses at the North/South Invitational held at Princeton. After four action-packed games, the Bears brought their record to 1-3. Brown’s opening game on Saturday matched the Bears up with Johns Hopkins. Graeme Lee-Wingate ’06 and Sean Tiner ’06 led the offense, each scoring two goals. Despite additional scoring by Co-Captain Doug Grutzmacher ’04 and Andy Wiener ’06, the Blue Jays prevailed, 7-6. “We definitely had opportunities to win it. We were just a little bit off,” Head Coach Todd Clapper said. “We missed two penalty shots as well as opportunities out of the set position, and that hit hard. Whenever something like that happened, we had a hard time finding the goal in that game.” Otherwise, Clapper said, it was a very close, solid game, and the team played well defensively. The second game of the day, against No. 13 Queens College, proved to be another close match. But this time the Bears triumphed. Tiner led the scoring again with two goals, helping Brown to catch up to the Queens team who had been ahead at half-time. With only half a minute left in the game, Queens scored its last goal of the game, bringing the final score to 5-4. “We thought we played well,” Clapper said. “We had a stronger team overall, but their goalie definitely kept them in the game and allowed them to play more of a zone, drawn-back defense, forcing us to make difficult outside shots for the most part.” The third and final game of the day against Princeton, ranked 16 nationally, proved to be one of the toughest. In spite of eight goals, three of which were scored by Thomas Payton ’07, and various man-up opportunities drawn by the offense, the Tigers dominated, resulting in a 14-8 loss for the Bears. “It was a pretty fast-paced and physical game,” Clapper said. “We didn’t come out playing the defense that we needed to play. As a result, we weren’t

very aggressive defensively and that was the biggest problem.” The fourth and final game held on Sunday afternoon against Navy proved to be the best game of the weekend, despite the final score. The Bears stepped up and played aggressively on both offensive and defensive ends. Pat Sandys ’05 and Tiner each scored two goals in addition to one apiece by Paul D’Avino ’05, Wiener, Payton and Alex Cripe ’07. Going into the fourth quarter, Navy trailed the Bears 7-4, but came back with a strong counterattack and power plays, resulting in an eventual loss for Brown, 9-8. “We made a few mistakes, and they were able to counter us and scored on some power play opportunities,” Clapper said. Navy, ranked No. 10 nationally, has trained all summer long and has played more games than the Brown team. “We definitely could and should have won it,” Clapper said, “but in terms of how we played, it was our best game of the weekend and one of the strongest we’ve played.” Despite its ups and downs, the tournament has prepared the team for the league games that start next weekend and helped the players realize what they need to focus on for the rest of the season: power plays on offense during man-up, and an aggressive defense. The team that we had and the team that finished the weekend are two different teams,” he said. “We learned that we have to come out very aggressively in every game we play. The team also got a sense of what they can accomplish. Navy was the runner-up at ECAC last year, and is one of the top teams this year, so being able to play with them after not playing well on Saturday night was very good.” Overall, Clapper and the team are very pleased with the way they finished the weekend. “The guys are definitely hungry for next weekend to build on what we’ve accomplished this weekend,” Clapper said. The team’s next match is a league game against Queens College and Iona on Saturday, Sept. 20, in New York.

The Brown men’s rugby team dropped their season opener to Harvard 32-0 on Saturday. The Bears were unable to overcome sloppy ball handling and defensive breakdowns that led to a somewhat misleading final score. The young Brown side opened the match in strong fashion. The first 10 minutes showed that the team was neither impressed nor intimidated by Harvard’s number two finish in last year’s National Tournament. The forward pack was able to maintain consistent possession as fly-half Jon Morales ’05 directed a fluid backline attack. But three dropped passes and a number of untimely penalties prevented Brown from taking advantage of any of their scoring opportunities. “Our inability to handle the ball early really hurt us,” said Head Coach Jay Fluck ’65. “We should have scored at least two tries right at the start.” Brown’s fortunes began to turn 15 minutes into the first half when Harvard’s superior experience began to take its toll. Finally able to maintain solid possession, the Crimson worked the ball down the field to score its first try and take a 5-0 lead. But they weren’t finished, as a number of missed tackles and a pair of defensive miscommunications led to two long breakaway tries, giving Harvard a 17-0 lead at half-time. The second half results were the same. They were consistently victimized by their own inexperience, leading to breakaway tries of 50 and 60 meters. But the Bears continued to push the Harvard pack forward all over the field. The Crimson was never able to win consistent balls out of the scrum or halt Brown’s powerful line-out drives. Still, Brown was unable to score. “I really thought I was going to put one in,” said center Matt Gelb ’06, who was seeing his first action on the A side. “But then I fell flat on my face when my hip flexor gave out. It was pretty embarrassing.” After Gelb’s near try, Harvard scored once more for a final score of 32-0. Later Brown’s B side took the field to try to claim at least partial victory for the Bears. They failed, falling 12-5. The Bears’ biggest highlight came late in the first half when erstwhile center and starting number eight Max Valverde ’06 sprinted 40 meters off of a quick penalty for Brown’s only try of the afternoon. “I didn’t want to embarrass myself like Gelb did,” Valverde said. “So when I saw my opening, I took advantage of it. And then I threw up all over the field.” Valverde’s condition was caused by a combination of dehydration and poor fitness. He was unable to return to the game. Despite his heroics, and passionate play from a number of rookie players, the Bears’ B squad fell short. The Bears take on Army next Saturday. The game will be the first game played on brand new Marvel Field across from Brown stadium. Joshua Brandt ’04 is a member of the men’s rugby team.

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