T U E S D A Y OCTOBER 7, 2003
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 87
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
The quiet success of cheerleading at Brown
URI graduate student union supported by school, state BY SARAH LABRIE
The movement for the unionization of graduate students at universities across the country hit Brown close to home recently when the graduate student union at the University of Rhode Island received formal recognition from the state. In an effort to gain power within the Brown administration, graduate teaching assistants at Brown began campaigning for a union in 2001. The Brown movement reached a stalemate when the University countered with an appeal to the National Labor Relations Board in December of that year. Unlike Brown, faculty members at URI provided full support for the union effort. Professors at URI are unionized under the American Association of University Professors, and the unionization of students allowed the school to improve graduate education because of an increase in stateprovided resources, according to one union representative. Andrea Cecconi, secretary of URI Graduate Assistants United, said it was harder to get URI students involved with the movement because there was less resistance at URI than there is at other schools. “Most universities had to fight ridiculously hard,” Cecconi said. Members of the union at URI were granted tuition waivers and health insurance as
BY ELLEN WERNECKE
see UNIONS, page 4
Suspects in Bowen robbery still at large BY ZACH BARTER
Two suspects remain at large in the robbery of a male Brown student Saturday night. The robbery occurred at 8:15 p.m. near the intersection of Hope and Bowen streets. The campus community learned of the incident in an e-mail from the Department of Public Safety Monday. The letter asked those with knowledge of the incident to contact the Brown University Detective Unit. The student reported that two men see CRIME, page 8
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Judy He / Herald
The Brown cheerleading squad has no rigid cut policy.“If you can attend mandatory practices and football and basketball games, as well as physically handle our practices and exemplify school spirit, then you will have a spot on the team,” Coach Kent Stetson ’01 says.
DPS Special Victims Unit assists victims of sensitive crimes BY LELA SPIELBERG
The Special Victims Unit is a relatively new branch of Brown’s Department of Public Safety that provides extra assistance for victims of particularly sensitive crimes, including domestic abuse, rape and hate crimes. The May 2002 Bratton Report inspired the new division, which reviews safety on college campuses nationwide. SVU Director Cheryl Ferreira said the department offers a myriad of services, most of them legal in nature. Victims can receive legal counseling about their specific cases, and SVU employees can help them obtain restraining orders, secure transportation to court or to the hospital and can accompa-
ny them to appointments with lawyers and detectives. The SVU also works in conjunction with deans and the Office of Psychological Services to provide emotional counseling or any other support victims may need, Ferreira said. This is the first semester the program has been in full gear, and Ferreira said she hopes anyone who needs these services will feel comfortable seeking them. She said only a few people have used SVU’s services so far. Ferreira is available during the week on the third floor of the Department of Public Safety building and at the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center on Mondays from noon to 1:30 p.m.
It’s the end of the second week of practices, and the pompoms are coming out. On a cloudy fall day, the 17 members of the Brown cheerleading squad gather in the freezing-cold gymnastics room on the second floor of the Pizzitola Sports Center. The team has two weeks to prepare for its first conference game and, with over half of its members new to Brown, there’s a lot of work to be done. Coach Kent Stetson ’01 waits at the door, handing out bright new uniforms. Loosening up before practice starts, team members chatter about classes, roommates and papers. From the sound of their voices, they could be any group of Brown students, as diverse in geography and opinion as the student body itself. “A lot of people think cheerleaders are a bunch of girls in skirts running around trying to get attention,” says Liz Muscarella ’07. Yet there are no skirts to be seen here. The team is collectively dressed in shorts and t-shirts advertising everything from Billabong to Brown summer studies. And, proving another old chestnut wrong, brunettes well outnumber blondes on the squad. At 2 p.m. sharp, Stetson approaches the mat and the team rises as one. Bare feet hit the mat in unison for the beginning warmup, done to music from the Beastie Boys to Christina Aguilera. “You’ve got the groove!” Stetson shouts as the team moves in unison. Stetson leads his team through jumping jacks, splits and a variety of stretches. They stretch everything, he says, especially wrists and ankles, which can be particular points of strain for cheerleaders. And they do abdominal work — an average of 400 crunches before each practice — which Stetson said is crucial to cheering. “People tend to use their lower backs when their stomachs aren’t as strong,” Stetson says. “Whether they’re basing or flying, the team needs strong abdominal muscles.” In between workouts, team members discuss shoulder stands and swap war stories about uniform care. They tend toward inexperience, and Co-Captain Jackie Buchwald ’05 calls this “a growing year” for the Brown team. “There’s only one senior and two juniors on the squad,” she says. “More than half the squad is freshmen, and a lot of them don’t have any experience cheerleading.” Still, Buchwald says she is optimistic. “I think (the team) is going to be great down the line,” she says. After a couple of minutes, the team returns to the mat to work on their sideline dance. Preparing for a practice with the Brown Band, they run through their moves to a tape of the band playing “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” “Think about your expressions today,” Stetson says. “Today’s (three-hour) practice see CHEERING, page 4
I N S I D E T U E S D AY, O C T O B E R 7 , 2 0 0 3 University considers RIPTA bus pass only if it alleviates car crowding on campus metro,page 3
City Council member David Segal pursues overnight parking in Providence metro,page 3
Sarah Chiappinelli ’06 laments the construction of nail clippers these days column, page 9
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Conservative Calif.’s race-blind Prop. 54 based on ignorance, says Stephen Beale ’04 column, page 11
W. soccer gains two victories with freshman goalie’s first showings on the field sports, page 12
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