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F R I D A Y OCTOBER 31, 2003

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 104

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

www.browndailyherald.com

Presidential hosts get paid to schmooze BY JUSTIN ELLIOTT

Students trying to make money around campus know their basic options. Serve pizza at the Gate. Swipe cards at the Rock. Or attend parties with President Ruth Simmons and visiting dignitaries at the president’s house. The presidential hosts program, a littleknown job opportunity, offers students a chance to do just that. The University Events Office coordinates presidential hosts for a wide range of duties, including attending alumni events, parties thrown by Simmons during Corporation visits and official ceremonies and lectures. Marisa Quinn, assistant to the president, described the hosts, who are currently all upperclassmen, as “a group of students that really get called upon to be ambassadors for the University.” At the Governor’s Cup football game between Brown and the University of Rhode Island, Simmons held an open house for members of the community and elected officials. The presidential hosts made nametags, provided directions to the stadium and mingled with guests. As host Brienne Walsh ’04 explained, “we sort of schmooze the whole time.” Another host, Katherine Bacuyag ’04, said the program, which started in 1998, has gone from “pretty much taking coats” a year ago to having “a stronger sense of purpose today. “We now have the responsibility to be up-to-date on what’s happening on campus to adequately introduce visitors to Brown,” Bacuyag said. Students face a rigorous application process to gain a spot in the program, Quinn said. A dean or member of the faculty must first nominate the student. The University Events Office staff then conducts two rounds of interviews before final decisions are made. Besides mingling with prominent guests at University events, the job has other perks, like unrivaled access to the president as an undergraduate. The hosts ate lunch with Simmons in September and, when they attend functions at the see HOSTS, page 5

Liz MacLennan / Herald

Presidential Host Katherine Bacuyag ’04 has worked her charm with President Ruth Simmons, visiting dignitaries and others in one of Brown’s cushier student jobs.

Elizabeth MacLennan / Herald

GIRL POWER: The Brown Tae Kwon Do club demonstrated its moves onstage at SPEC's Live on Lincoln Thursday night.

UCS creates excellencein-teaching awards BY ELISE BARAN

The Undergraduate Council of Students will recognize four professors for their contribution to undergraduate education with the first UCS Awards for Excellence in Teaching. The Council decided it was important for Brown to recognize certain faculty members at a time other than graduation, said Charles Cummings, chair of the Academic and Administrative Affairs committee. It is also important to UCS that the award comes from the students, not the administration, he said. Four professors will be honored at a dinner in early December. Two professors will be honored for their excellence in lecturing and two for being outstanding seminar leaders. Cummings said UCS wanted to make sure the instructors who teach smaller classes will be honored as well as those who lecture to a larger audience. Professors will receive small gifts and recognition for their work. A student not affiliated with the Council will give a speech to honor the recipients. Both President Ruth Simmons and Dean of the College Paul Armstrong have been extremely supportive of the Council’s endeavor, Cummings said. Armstrong said the award is “a wonderful idea” and “very much a Brown thing.” He said it was important that the student-given awards recognized both seminar leaders and lecturers. “There is no other award for this kind of distinc-

tion,” he said. Next week, all students will have the opportunity to nominate professors. The AAA committee is defining a lecture class as a class that has more than 40 people and a seminar class as a class with less than 40 people. The ballot explains the purpose of the honor: “To be awarded to those teachers who most epitomize the values of a Brown education, emphasizing learning for learning’s sake, displaying an outstanding ability to communicate with

Pulitzer Prizewinning poet W. S. Merwin pays homage to Welsh poets arts & culture, page 3

Cecilia Kiely '04 wants you to join in on the scrum this weekend column, page 7

BY SHEELA RAMAN

Biology students hoping to engage in rewarding research with faculty might be out of luck this summer. Undergraduate research opportunities in biology may be jeopardized by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s decision to not renew its grant to the University in 2002. Brown administrators attributed the decision to a change in the HHMI’s leadership. The HHMI invites universities to apply

see AWARD, page 4

see GRANT, page 5

Brown investment clubs shoot high BY ALEXANDRA BARSK

The members of Brown’s student investment clubs may not be walking around campus in business suits and carrying briefcases, but that doesn’t mean their heads aren’t brimming with thoughts of stocks, market sectors and P-E ratios. Invest Together, also known as the Brown Investment Club, was founded in 1999. The University gave the club between $45,000 and $50,000 of Brown’s endowment to invest in the stock market. Today the club has about $42,000 invested, said Andrew Sheets ’04, Research Director of the Brown Investment Club and a Graphics Editor

I N S I D E F R I D AY, O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 0 3 John Hay Library exhibition celebrates 125 years of Brown football arts & culture, page 3

Loss of Bio grant puts research, programs in doubt

for The Herald. When it began in 1999, the Brown Investment Club invested over half of its money in stocks of the members’ choosing and held approximately $10,000 in cash. They invested the remaining money in stocks that mimicked the S&P 500 and NASDAQ and would therefore fluctuate with the market. Sheets said the club’s loss in holdings “was just a reflection of bad timing.” When the market cratered in 2000, “immediately a bunch of stocks we bought fell dramatically,” Sheets said. see INVESTMENT, page 4

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Sarah Chiappinelli '06 thinks you need to focus on the treats this Halloween column, page 7

Men’s cross country prepares for heptagonal championship in New York sports, page 8

mostly sunny high 66 low 49

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris

W E AT H E R FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

High 66 Low 49 mostly sunny

High 72 Low 44 partly cloudy

High 63 Low 48 partly cloudy

High 73 Low 51 partly cloudy

GRAPHICS BY TED WU

Three Words Eddie Ahn

MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Vegetable Soup, Rhode Island Quahog Chowder, Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Apple, Rice & Raisin Casserole, Spinach with Toasted Sesame Seeds, Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Cream Pie

V-DUB LUNCH —Vegetarian Broccoli Cheese Soup, Roasted Corn Chowder with Bacon, Chicken Fingers, Stuffed Shells with Sauce, Whole Kernel Corn, Sugar Cookies

DINNER — Vegetarian Vegetable Soup, Rhode Island Quahog Chowder, Fried Scallops, Cider Glazed Turkey, Manicotti Piedmontese, Cranberry Wild and White Rice Pilaf, Mashed Butternut Squash, Italian Green Beans, Pueblo Bread, Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Cream Pie

DINNER — Vegetarian Broccoli Cheese Soup, Roasted Corn Chowder with Bacon, Roast Loin of Pork, Mexican Cornbread Casserole, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Cauliflower in Dill Mustard Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas, Pueblo Bread, Chocolate Cream Pie, Candied and Caramel Apples

Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Girl at Party

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 It may be vanillaflavored 6 Pollution problem 10 Fruit-bearing tree 14 Spent 15 O’Neill’s daughter 16 City NNW of Virginia City 17 F-4, for one 19 Business gps. 20 Tailor’s need 21 Sandwich cookie 22 Part of a pose, maybe 23 “__ girl!” 25 Bean covers? 27 Student body builder? 31 Bailiwick 32 “Giselle,” for one 33 Fall back 36 Immediately usable 38 Contemptible sort 39 Ownership unit 41 Put in 42 Eaglets’ abodes 45 Vast land mass 46 Keystone State senator 48 Long-horned grasshopper 51 Gathering tool 52 “A Lesson from __”: Fugard play 53 It comes to a head 55 Hitter’s stat 58 Via del Corso locale 59 Elms, e.g. 62 “__ Were Expendable”: 1945 war film 63 Ambience 64 “Respect for Acting” author 65 Freelancer’s encl. 66 Swarm 67 Uneasiness DOWN 1 “A Chorus Line” producer Joseph 2 Like a school supplies mkt.

3 Not leave things to chance 4 Sermon topic 5 Entirely 6 A few 7 Charm 8 Only partner 9 Felon’s weapon 10 Inspire 11 Spooky 12 Perspective 13 Lover’s purchase 18 Toothbrush choice 22 Deck components 24 Pond denizen 25 Symbols indicating similarity, in math 26 Lode load 27 Poet Teasdale 28 Kind of balance: Abbr. 29 Revered 30 Unadorned 33 Spring basket item 34 Cheese with a rind 35 Grizzly, say 1

37 Ale holders 40 Maligned writer 43 He’s coming, in a Laura Nyro song 44 Lively outing 46 Deck acknowledgement 47 Kitt of song 48 Small racers 49 Parting of the Pacific

Dirty Brown by Scott Yi & David Petruccelli

32 37

46 49

21 23

Hopeless Edwin Chang

10/31/03

xwordeditor@aol.com

My Best Effort Andy Hull and William Newman

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: C C R D A M A G E S V I M A R I A L A M O D E O R E C O T P U T A L I D O N I T S G T P I N E E X E R T E O N S O L A F N O T A N O T H E R P E E P U G H S I R E N S A R A H T R I S R O A R S N A P A B L O O P T A L S E R T A S T I F L E Y O U R S E L F E R T E T R E K N O E S G A P C E A S E M U M S T H E W O R D C A N O T T S M E A R E D N O G G E S T U R E E S E S H H

50 Large volumes 53 Sexy, perhaps 54 Dutch cheese 56 Quilters’ gatherings 57 “__ Life Strange”: Moody Blues song 59 Met 60 Vietnamese port 61 Managed

40 45

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boo.

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ARTS & CULTURE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003 · PAGE 3

Hay exhibit “ever true” to Brown football BY DANIELLE CERNY

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the echoes of cheering fans escaping from the black and white photos in the John Hay Library’s exhibition, “Celebrating 125 Years of Brown Football.” The commemorative display is a patchwork of photography, cartoons, banners, ticket stubs and game-winning balls that condense 125 years of growth into two small rooms. The presentation itself unfolds like a fairytale that began on October 14, 1878 when the University Foot Ball Association received an invitation to play Amherst. The challenge was accepted and the date of Nov. 13 was chosen for Brown’s inaugural game. The only problem was that Brown had no football team. All students had were informal scrimmages and interclass contests that had taken place on campus since the early 1860s. Using the Amherst challenge as a catalyst, a practice field was fashioned on the Back Campus — now the Main Green — and normal practices began for the “Fifteen,” as the team was then called. An original cartoon of Brown’s first game, which is displayed in the exhibition, depicts a disorganized group of pad-less boys frolicking after a football. Despite this rocky start, Brown has since evolved into a reputable name in college football. The exhibit showcases this development by honoring legendary teams, coaches and players of the past. Among these relics of teams long gone, is a photo of Brown’s famous “eleven” of 1915 who launched the

Poet reads prose, pays homage to “mishmash” BY MASHA KIRASIROVA

Photo courtesy of Brown News Service

Brown football got its start in 1878, when the University Foot Ball Association received an invitation to play Amherst.This drawing from the period is on display in the John Hay Library’s exhibition, "Celebrating 125 Years of Brown Football." Rose Bowl games. The group of men was one of the best teams in the history of Brown football and was labeled the “champions of the East.” After this, Brown continued to enjoy national prominence into the early 1930s. The exhibit showcases this tradition of excellence through a 1932 photo of the “Cinderella” team, which consecutively beat seven previously undefeated teams. A major turning point in Brown football history occurred when the University settled into place among the other Ivy League teams. The annual games were initiated by a 1945 proposal to formalize the Ivy Group. This proposal eventually led to official round-robin play 11 years later, a time-honored tradition that still go on today. The original copy of this influential proposal is included in the exhibit. The first Ivy League Game took place on September 29, 1956. Proving it deserved its impressive

reputation, Brown defeated Columbia 20-0. The victory ball is preserved within the display cases of the library. A 1924 photo shows a line of tractors and horse-drawn plows preparing to clear “Cat Swamp” in preparation for Brown’s new stadium, the football team’s home ever since. Brown has played more than 1,000 football games since its inception 125 years ago. This progression from haphazard scrimmages to its current standing as an important contributor to the tradition of American college football, is currently condensed into the display at the John Hay Library for all to enjoy. The exhibit is sponsored by The Edward North Robinson ‘1896 Collection of Brown Athletics and will be on display until Nov. 7. Herald senior staff writer Danielle Cerny ’06 can be reached at dcerny@browndailyherald.com.

While more than worthy of laurels of his own, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W. S. Merwin began his reading Tuesday night in Lower Salomon by paying tribute to great medieval Welsh poets. “Theirs was a truly great language, not like this Teutonic mishmash we’re so lucky to be able to speak now,” he quipped, causing members of the English department to explode with laughter. Merwin, a prolific master of such mishmash, has produced more than 20 books of translations, several collections of prose, and numerous collections of poetry, including the “Carrier of Ladders,” for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970. His extensive list of credentials boasts awards like the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, the Bollingen Prize for Poetry and the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. His poems frequently appear in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation and The New York Review of Books. An adamant antiwar activist in the 1960s, Merwin warned about the difficulties of writing political poetry. “The hardest thing about writing political poetry is that you know too much about it,” he said. “You know what you think is right, and you try to persuade somebody.” “Most political poetry doesn’t turn out to be poetry in the long run,” he said in an interview with the Wooster College-based literary magazine Artful Dodge. “You know what its message is going to be. If it arises out of a real feeling for rage or oppression or something that’s close to visceral experience, then it saves itself, it becomes a real poem, not a piece of propaganda.” In one poem he read, “Avoiding News by the River,” Merwin expresses his political frustration. “If I were not human I would not be ashamed of anything,” the poem ends. In another poem, “Fly,” the speaker confesses to having been cruel to a fat pigeon because he would not fly. The pigeon dies, causing the speaker to question his faith in words. Much of Merwin’s early poetry is formal with medieval overtones; the poetry is influenced by his work see POET, page 4

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003

Investment continued from page 1 He said that because the market has not risen to the level it was when the group originally invested, they have not yet regained the money they lost. “The main goal of the club is to beat the S&P 500, to beat the broader market,” Sheets said. The University gave students the money with the intention that they will generate a greater profit from it, he said — a goal they are currently achieving. “We’re up from the broader market, the S&P by over 10 percent. We’re outperforming the vast majority of professionally managed, large-cap mutual funds,” Sheets said. The Brown Investment Group, which was founded in the 1980s, also has a similar goal. The group, however, maintains two separate portfolios, which together total about $62,000. One is a members’ portfolio and the other is a portfolio containing money taken from the University’s endowment. Students haven’t contributed new money to the members’ portfolio in many years, said Samuel Randall ’04, the group’s co-president. Rather, he said, the

portfolio consists of money that was accumulated from member donations earlier in the club’s history. Although one of the goals of the group is to make a profit, they have not been very successful, Randall said. “In 2000 we were very tech-heavy, so especially the school’s portfolio took very big hits when the dot-com bubble burst,” he said. At that time, the school’s portfolio decreased in value from about $50,000 to $20,000, Randall said. He said, however, that the portfolios have risen more than 30 percent in the last year and a half and that the school’s portfolio has almost regained its starting value. “I don’t think (the University) expected the portfolio to do as badly as it has done. But, from the school’s standpoint everything involved gets a lot out of us being in the group. So it’s money well spent,” Randall said. Since the crash, the group has reallocated their portfolio. They are no longer as dependent on NASDAQ and technology stocks and have diversified into the retail industry, Randall said. Members of the Brown Investment Club and the Brown Investment Group do not benefit monetarily from profits generat-

ed by the club. The money controlled by the clubs is strictly for investment purposes. Both groups are required to meet with the Brown Investment Office once a semester in order to regulate their activities. Before buying a new stock a member of the Brown Investment Group does research and gives a presentation on that stock to the rest of the group. They explain what the company does and its strengths and weaknesses. The group then votes on whether or not to invest, Randall said. When choosing where to invest its money, The Brown Investment Club follows a similar process. It tries to instill in its members the vast difference between a good company, and a good company to buy, Sheets said. “We’re looking for stocks that are hopefully a little bit out of favor in the market, where we as Brown students can bring a unique, long-term view and see something that the rest of the market doesn’t see,” he said. The Young Minority Investment Club doesn’t invest any money, but it does teach students how to invest, said Brady Thomas ’04, one of the group’s co-founders. The group’s goal is to provide tangible financial literacy to students while stressing

the importance of pouring investment into minority communities. The Young Minority Investment Club is currently a Category I student group. The group does not receive University funding with which to invest in the stock market. “If we were investing money we’d probably lose it all in about a week and a half. The expertise is not really there yet,” said Thomas, who has spent the group’s first meetings providing its members with a basic foundation of the knowledge needed in order to invest in the market. “We want people to feel comfortable about making investments rather than just be consumers their whole lives, living on credit and debt,” Thomas said. The Brown Investment Club and the Brown Investment Group also stress the educational aspect of their activities. “We invest in a way that allows for our members to come along for the ride and to learn about what investing in the stock market requires,” Randall said. Sheets said that the most exciting thing about membership in the Brown Investment Club is that “it gives you access to something that, at this stage in your life, most people can’t do.”

Poet continued from page 3 as a translator. In his later compositions, though, he moved toward simpler vocabulary, and he relinquished punctuation along with several other structural conventions. Some of the later work Merwin read included more comical pieces like “To My Teeth,” which compares the aging narrator’s teeth to Ulysses’ fallen heroes.

Award continued from page 1

The week after the nominations, students will vote online among the most nominated professors. students and possessing not only a sound knowledge of their field but extending a passion for the exploration of that field to their students.” The week after the nominations, students will vote online among the most nominated professors. One of the students who nominated each award recipient will speak at the dinner. The AAA committee will decide which students among those who nominated the award recipients will speak. Herald staff writer Elise Baran ’07 can be reached at ebaran@browndailyherald.com.

Standing with a glass of red wine at the creative writing reception following the reading, he explained that punctuation is just written protocol of prose and nothing more than a formal requirement. “I had come to feel that punctuation stapled the poems to the page whereas I wanted poems to evoke the spoken language,” he explained with characteristic reserve. “Poetry has existed long before speech,” he said. “When we think, we do not use punctuation, but natural stops with breath.”

MXC

“I think that Tarpy

continued from page 8

and I are a stronger

competition within the next two years. Yale has the potential to receive its first top four-team finish at the Heps since 1996. Lucas Meyer looks to up his eighth-place finish last year, and harrier David Napper is predicted to run the best freshman time for the Ivy League. Princeton is coming off a great showing at the pre-national meet, and has an excellent one-two punch with runners Tristan Colangelo and Austin Smith, both top 10 finishers at last year’s Heptagonals. Princeton, a very slight favorite, will be the toughest competition for Brown. The Brown team, returning as last year’s fifth-place finisher, will use its experience as an advantage. Patrick Tarpy ’05 and Jeff Gaudette ’05 both have the talent to out-place the Princeton tandem. Captain Matt Emond ’04 and Michael DeCoste ’04 will provide depth, giving Brown the strength it will need to overtake Dartmouth. “I think that Tarpy and I are a stronger one-two punch than

one-two punch than Congelo and Smith,” Gaudette said. Congelo and Smith,” Gaudette said. As a result, “the title will be decided with the fourth and fifth guys,” he said. “(Brendan) O’Keefe ’04 will be the x-factor if he stays with Decoste, and (Erik) Churchill ’04 will be giving everything he has since this will be one of his last races.” Head Coach John Gregorek said in a statement posted on Ivyleaguesports.com. both Tarpy and Gaudette have the talent to compete for the individual title. “Anybody can take it,” Gaudette said. “Of course, Sundell is the favorite, but if we are feeling awesome, we can vie for the win.” Herald Staff writer Grant Smith ’07 covers men’s cross country. He can be reached at gsmith@browndailyherald.com.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Grant continued from page 1 for its grant competition every four years and selects recipients from this applicant pool. For the past 14 years, the institute has awarded Brown a grant. The last competition, in 1998, rewarded Brown with $1.4 million for use in undergraduate biological research. Although the Institute has agreed to give the University a one-year, no-cost extension on its 1998 grant, the extension may not be enough to fund undergraduate biology research opportunities this summer, including undergraduate teaching and research assistantships, said Dean for Science Programs David Targan. HHMI’s decision also threatens innovative Brown programs like Women in Science Education and the National Science Program, he said. The decision came as a shock to Brown administrators, Targan said. The $2.2 million proposal Targan drafted this summer with Professor of Medical Science Peter Shank and Associate Dean of Biological Sciences Marjorie Thompson, among others, was “probably our best proposal yet in terms of the ideas and the way they were articulated,” he said. “When we learned that the money would not be renewed, we were so surprised that we asked HHMI for the reviewer critiques,” Shank said. After examining the critiques, Targan said most stated no specific fault with the proposal. Those that did questioned why the program seemed to be run by deans instead of faculty, he said.

“When we learned that the money would not be renewed, we were so surprised that we asked HHMI for the reviewer critiques.” To Targan, these criticisms show a crucial misunderstanding of Brown’s philosophy. “As deans at Brown, we are active faculty members who are immersed in teaching,” he said. “To someone familiar with large state universities, a policy like ours is unheard of.” Targan and Shank attributed this misunderstanding to a change in leadership at the HHMI. During the 14 years Brown received funding, the HHMI was run by the same administration. In 1999, however, a new president, Dr. Thomas R. Cech, and a new set of administrators took over the institute. For the 2002 competition, the people evaluating proposals were less aware of the specific character of Brown, Targan said. “Through professional connections, the people before knew us better,” he said. “When there’s a change in leadership it’s difficult to explain the uniqueness of our school.” Mary Bonds, program assistant for undergraduate science education at HHMI, said the

institution used the same criteria it always has in evaluating the 2002 grant requests. Schools were judged by the effectiveness of their research programs in giving students opportunities and advancing science, and by the rationality of their money request, she said. Tighter funding in the 2002 competition, however, prevented the HHMI from awarding grants to more than 44 schools, a relatively low number, Bonds said. According to Targan, this money shortage, as well as the success of Brown’s science research programs, could also have contributed to the institute’s decision. “It may be time to give the money that is so limited in today’s economy to universities that are still developing programs like WISE and UTRA,” he said. “However, it is frustrating because at the same time, we need to continue them.” To solve the University’s financial dilemma, Shank said administrators are seeking grants from companies and organizations such as the National Science Foundation. As of yet, no concrete agreements have been reached, he said. “We may have enough money from existing sources to eke by next year, but we need to find other alternatives for the long run,” he said. Targan said he will try his best to guarantee that the HHMI decision does not impact students. “We will do something,” he said. “We will put our heads together as administrators and faculty to make sure students are not affected.”

Hosts continued from page 1 president’s house, they arrive early, just to talk, Walsh said. Last year, Walsh said she told Simmons about a friend who had already signed a lease on an apartment when the University began denying permission for off-campus housing. “I was talking to Ruth about it,” she said, and “two days later my friend got an email” restoring the off-campus permission. Walsh said she particularly enjoys talking to the president about issues important to students — perspectives Simmons might not hear otherwise. Another perk, Walsh said, was that she and another host are sometimes allowed to read in the garden at the president’s house. “Being exposed to the inner side of the University is a really

exciting thing to watch,” said host Jonah Cohen ’04. At a retirement party for former Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Laura Freid at the president’s house, he said, “the mayor came, talking about Brown and what it means to him and the world — it was really uplifting.” Often, the guest of honor at an event is so “consumed” the hosts only get a handshake, Cohen said. But Walsh said being a host is still an opportunity for networking. “I’ve had long conversations with (Director of Admission) Michael Goldberger, who is a good person to know,” she said. Several students echoed that being a host was worthwhile. Each time Bacuyag works at an event, she said, “I have to stand back a little and say, ‘Wow, I’m glad I had this opportunity.’” Herald staff writer Justin Elliott ’07 can be reached at jelliott@browndailyherald.com.

Troy continued from page 8 years in retirement, a la the Dick Vermeil. Here, you collect the most candy in the world, even more than the person in the costume that costs three times more than yours. Unfortunately, because of the wear and tear on the costume, you may not remember your victory next Halloween. As for the NFL, here are this week’s picks: Giants (-2) over the JETS RAVENS (-7) over the Jaguars Raiders (-2.5) over the LIONS (LOCK OF THE WEEK) CHARGERS (+2.5) over the Bears Colts (+3) over the DOLPHINS BUCCANEARS (-8) over the Saints Redskins (+4) over the COWBOYS Panthers (-5.5) over the TEXANS Bengals (-3) over the CARDINALS SEAHAWKS (-4) over the Steelers Eagles (-5) over the FALCONS Rams (-2.5) over the 49ERS VIKINGS (-4.5) over the Packers Patriots (+2.5) over the BRONCOS Joshua Troy ’04 plans to be Buttercup, the Powerpuff Girl, for Halloween.

T h u r s d ay, N o ve m b e r 6 C a r m i c h a e l A u d i t o r i u m 7 : 3 0 p. m

the brown daily herald L E C T U R E

S E R I E S

“Cracking the Code: Journalism in a World of Secrets”: Marie Brenner talks Reporting

marie brenner

Currently a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair, Brenner was a staff writer at The New Yorker and a contributing editor at New York. Her work has appeared extensively in Vogue. Her explosive article on Jeffrey Wigand and the tobacco wars, one of the longest and most compelling reports in Vanity Fair’s history, became the basis of the1999 feature film, The Insider, starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. Her investigation into the Enronscandals made

national news when Senator Peter Fitzgerald used it to question witnesses testifying before a Senate committee. “The Enron Wars” will be a film, which Sydney Pollack will direct. Brenner is the author of five books, including the New York Times extended paperback bestseller, Great Dames: What I Learned From Older Women, and the best-selling House of Dreams: The Binghams of Louisville.

c o - s p o n s o r e d b y t h e s a r a h d o y l e w o m e n’s c e n t e r

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003 · PAGE 6 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Diamonds and coal A diamond to Halloween. Those sweet mini Snickers and Milk Duds are the only things keeping us going at this point. A diamond to the makeshift headless horseman on Lincoln Field. Marcus Aurelius never looked so good whole. A diamond to the tasty popcorn/hot chocolate with marshmallows combo (go sweet and salty!) at Live on Lincoln. But coal to students who elbowed each other out of the way to get to the pumpkin pie. It’s good, but not that good. Coal to the transcript office for ruining the career prospects of seniors with the seven-day processing rule. You need to “send away” for the printouts? To the CIT? Ah, bureaucracy. A diamond to Thayer Street musicians and their original atonal pieces for keyboard. Coal to disciples of www.southerncaucus.org. Do you really bombard every anti-confederate Yankee with hate mail? The war’s been over for 130-odd years, man. But a diamond to Dixieland. We love your Faulkner, grits, manners and inferior industry.

ANDREW SHEETS

A diamond to the founders of Lost International Student Program for confessing they started the group as a joke. If only more student organizers would admit the same. A diamond to the California fires, because coal would just make them bigger. Coal to people who have horrible, cyclical conversations about childhood T.V. shows. “Oh my God! You watched Rainbow Brite too? Who would’ve guessed?”

LETTERS Herald misconstrues UCS’ relationship with UFB

But a special diamond to Mathnet. We couldn’t resist.

To the Editor:

A cubic zirconium to the University for its recent handling of shuttle/escort issues. We’re glad you realize safeRIDE sucks. But safeRIDE sucks.

We, the Undergraduate Council of Students Executive Board and the Undergraduate Finance Board, were disappointed that The Herald interpreted recent dialogue between the UCS and the UFB as antagonistic ‘politicking (“Diamonds and Coal,” Oct. 24). This implies that our focus is on petty arguments, when in fact, our primary goal is to effectively address the concerns of the student body. In fact, this year, unlike years past, the UCS and the UFB have enjoyed a strong and positive working relationship. Currently, the UCS and the UFB are working toward further collaboration to better serve the student body and ease the funding process. Recently the UCS assisted the UFB in advocating for University funding to refurbish the infrastructure of the darkroom in Faunce House, making sure that the greatest possible amount of UFB funds are kept

Coal to “Born Rich” Luke Weil ’02. “My family can buy yours?” Then why didn’t you buy your way into Princeton?

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 Jonathan Skolnick, Opinions Editor Philissa Cramer, RISD News Editor Maggie Haskins, Sports Editor Jonathan Meachin, 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, Project Manager Elias Roman, Human Resources 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

POST- MAGAZINE Alex Carnevale, Editor-in-Chief Dan Poulson, Executive Editor Morgan Clendaniel, Senior Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Senior Editor Micah Salkind, Features Editor Ellen Wernecke, Features Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Doug Fretty, Film Editor Jason Ng, Music Editor

available for student events. Likewise, the UFB is currently aiding the UCS in developing a mechanism to help an even greater number of students in the planning and financing of community events. Projects like these fall in line with our shared vision of accountability and concrete cooperation with the Brown community. We will continue to work together in our complementary responsibilities of governing and financing the undergraduate student body and hope that in the future these efforts are given a thorough and sincere examination. Rahim Kurji ’05 Dan Le ’04 Diana Jeffery ’04 Craig Washington ’04 Tilli Dias ’06 Matthew Haar ’06 Joel Payne ’05 Edward Ahn ’05 Charles Cummings ’06 Charles Montz ’05 Sonia Gupta ’06 Ari Savitzky ’06 Timothy Bentley ’04

Adam Deitch ’05 Gabriela Gargano ’05 Luke Meier ’04 Xaykham Khamsyvoravong ’06 Samuel Hodges ’04 John Nichols ’04 Justin Sanders ’04 Katharine Shuster ’05

happy halloween from your spooky friends at the brown daily howlald

Peter Henderson, Night Editor Becky “Sweeter than Sweetland” Abraham, 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, Elise Baran, Hannah Bascom, Carla Blumenkranz, Robbie CoreyBoulet, Philissa Cramer, Ian Cropp, Sam Culver, Jonathan Ellis, Justin Elliott, Amy Hall Goins, Bernard Gordon, Krista Hachey, Jonathan Herman, Sarah LaBrie, Hanyen Lee, Julian Leichty, Kira Lesley, Allison Lombardo, Chris Mahr, Jonathan Meachin, Sara Perkins, Melissa Perlman, Eric Perlmutter, Cassie Ramirez, 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, Eugene Clifton Cha, In Young Park, Jane C. Urban, Sophie Waskow, Justin Wong, Christopher Yu Pagination Staff Lisa Mandle, Alex Palmer Photo Staff Gabriella Doob, Benjamin Goddard, Marissa Hauptman, Judy He, Miyako Igari, Allison Lombardo, Elizabeth MacLennan, Nicholas Neely, Michael Neff, Alex Palmer, Yun Shou Tee, Sorleen Trevino Copy Editors Lily Bernheimer, Emily Brill, George Haws, Katie Lamm, Anne Rabbino

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 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003 · PAGE 7

Ten tricks for treating When it comes to Halloween planning, focus on the candy and leave the costume for later IT’S THE LAST DAY OF OCTOBER, THE offering? The best approach to such This Halloween is about reincarnating the success moon’s almost out, and you still don’t questions is a little backtracking to the know what to “be” for Halloween. Eh, don’t days of yore when your only Halloween sweat it. You’ve had years of experience task was to ring the doorbells. Think back and burying the mistakes of those who came before in dressing yourself, your creative capac- to the orange plastic McDonald’s Jack-oity is at the superhuman level only lantern buckets of yesteryear, the half- you as they pass on the cobweb-dragging torch of crunch time can inspire, and just down eaten candy apples and to those six the hill, enshrined within the proud walls Halloweens in a row when you refused to treat-giving. of Providence Place, lies a bounty of con- be anything but a — well, for me it was a sumer opportunities to meet your every cat, but everyone’s entitled to their own 7. Christmas cookies from plastic tub need (where, because you know how repeat costume. When you dumped the the candy bowl. Memorable for sure. But malls are, all the Halloween stuff is evening’s booty onto the kitchen counter, does Nutrigrain really say Halloween like discovered in desolate pantry during obvious last minute search. If you’re already marked down). The night is what did each piece say to you? Because a Reese’s? Pair the two, perhaps. 3. A popsicle. Yup, it’s happened. And going to scrounge, drop the whole “comyoung; you are young; you’ll think of it’s that time of year to put a seasonal something. Be it “Pikachu” or “The spin on the Golden Rule: Trick-or-treat as don’t get me wrong, popsicles have got to pulsory edibility” thing. What you find be one of the best foods on the planet, just might not be edible anymore. Modern Art Era,” merely state your cho- you would like to be tricked-or-treated. 8. Popcorn ball in sandwich bag. An This Halloween is about reincarnating but when you’ve got 20 more houses to sen guise and the city will provide you with your banana-yellow jumpsuit or the success and burying the mistakes of visit before you can make it home ... it’s a “A” for effort; but save this one for the family. Nothing spookier on Halloween Campbell Soup screen tee faster than those who came before you as they pass simple matter of melting point. 4. Don’t know ‘cause they left the bowl than homemade goodies from a stranger. you can say, “Yous guys are the best.” on the cobweb-dragging torch of treat9. Plaster-of-Paris castings of ghosts. giving. What constitutes success or fail- out on their porch, and the first kid to Done deal. But what to give on Halloween? Now, ure? Allow me to draw from my most reach it was no Even Steven. I guess it Again, the crafty thing is a nice way to that you may need to seek counsel on. memorable door-to-door acquisitions, works out just fine if you’re the first- personalize the holiday, but not when come, first-serve kid. But hopes of equal you don’t know the recipients personally. for better or worse, as examples: After all, staying home to hand out the 10. BMW Z3. Oh, come on. What’s 1. Handful of assorted “fun size” distribution on the basis of a note statcandy is one thing, selecting the brand name candy bars. Nothing ing, “Happy Halloween! Take One,” no Halloween-ish about the roadster? No candy to be handed out is another, wrong with the mini-bars. matter how many times you underline kid in her right mind would accept this, and residential independence Nothing original, either. the word “One,” is never going to work nor have any way to get it home. An from the ‘rents means you must Probably the safest bet — but out quite as harmoniously as envisioned. insulting offer we’ve had to refuse since fill both shoes this holiday sea5. King-sized candy bar. It’s all propor- ’96. will you be remembered? Or son. Okay, so maybe a college In sum, now that you’re in the posijust a faceless provider tional. Size of candy bars is indirectly dormitory on a Friday night of generic chocolates? It related to anticipated total number of tion to give, simply note the nuances, is not the most popular all depends on whether trick-or-treaters. Every kid has to have at ambiguities and consequences of your Halloween stop for the pilsarah the ability to distinguish least one under-visited house to get choice of Halloween cheer. In preparalowcase toting toddlers of chiappinelli tion for tonight’s visitors, as you debate the gift as yours is spoiled by. Could that be you? Rhode Island, but surely a chocolate 6. The “goodie bag” complete with whether to hit up the Thayer Street conimportant to you as the hallmate or two will drop chiap skeleton keychain, black cat pencil, venience stores, overstuff a cafeteria togiver. by with unsaid hopes that 2. Apples, raisin boxes Frankenstein yo-yo, wax lips. ... It takes go box, or raid the ever-promising dorm you’ve got goodies to spare and other good-for-you some effort. But that’s the price you pay room fridge, don’t be afraid to be critical. for any and all masquergoodies. My Mom’s all- to be the neighbor all the kids’ll talk The costume can fend for itself. The aders. candy — it needs your time. time favorite submission to about on Monday. But what candy to give these festive beggars? And is candy the only acceptable Sarah Chiappinelli ’06 grew up in a rural town where you have to drive house-to-house to go trick-or-treating.

Nice cleats, wanna ruck? A personal invitation from the women’s rugby team I’M BETTING THAT YOU’LL WANT TO not going to the football game by going all come cheer the Brown women’s rugby the way down to the stadium and then walkteam on to a victory in their NRU quarter- ing right across the street to the rugby field. final match against Vassar tomorrow. I can If you’ve learned nothing else, going to do this because I’m not an NCAA athlete, Brown should have taught you that protesting is fun. so I can bet on anything I Dilemma #2: You dress up as a want. I also know I’ll win the CECILIA KIELY rugby player for Halloween and bet since tonight is COLUMNIST wake up feeling guilty about Halloween, which means that appropriating the dress of a tomorrow you will undoubtsubculture that you do not edly face one of the following dilemmas, and the solution to all of them belong to. It was an easy costume: no need for makeup, except to apply smudges to is clear — go to the rugby game. Dilemma #1: You pretend to be a “Brown your legs — dirt or a bruise? Either is Student with School Spirit” for Halloween. appropriate, so you can’t lose. But your Trying to make up for the fact that you Gap rugby shirt trivialized our sport. You couldn’t find a costume, you get carried used the scrum cap as just another stylish away with the acting, and you wake up the accessory, ignorant of its cultural signifinext morning (or afternoon) and have the cance. But come cheer for us and we’ll forurge to attend an important Brown sporting give you. Dilemma #3: You wake up not rememevent. You want to see players tackle each other trying to gain possession of an oval- bering what you dressed up as for shaped ball. You want to spend a few hours Halloween. You are sure, however, that you on Saturday on the sidelines of a grassy field were, at one point, dressed. You weren’t with white chalked lines and uprights at wearing a rugby uniform, though, because either end. You want to yell “Go Bruno!” But had you been wearing a mouthguard, you you obviously can’t go to the football game would most likely not find yourself in such because that is not non-conformist enough. an awkward situation, a situation which So go watch the women’s rugby game has no easy solution except to bring your instead. Make a public statement that you’re new “friend” to the rugby game. Since rugby is a fairly confusing sport for the first-time spectator, watching a rugby Cecilia Kiely '04 always wears her mouthmatch will serve as a perfect way to disguard.

tract him or her from trying to make awkward conversation. He or she might ask you why the ball keeps getting passed backwards, but while he or she is trying to figure out what is happening in the big blob of players (it’s called a scrum), they won’t get around to asking other questions. Dilemma #4: You are wrestling with none of the aforementioned dilemmas. No worries — there are still several reasons why you should come to the game. First of all, you probably know someone on the team. Are you taking “Burden of Disease in Developing Countries?” So is half the rugby team. Have you ever gone to Pulse? Chances are you’ve seen a rugby player. You’ve probably bought a muffin from a rugby player (or at least someone vaguely associated with the rugby team) at the Blue Room. Eat in the Ratty? The girl with the bruises on her arms sitting at the table next to you — she plays rugby. And the “Love Your Body Day Streaker,” the girl identified only as “Legs and Eggs,” who ran a lap around the Main Green at noon — yeah, she’s a rugger, too. You may underestimate how many rugby players you actually know because if you ask someone on the team if they know your friends that play rugby (Rebecca and Lindsay), they might say no. But that doesn’t mean that Bec and Tonka aren’t

two valuable members of the team. Some rookies don’t know that PJ’s real name is Megan or that Spech is just a nickname, a shortened version of her real name— Special K. But don’t just do it for us — the rugby players you know, rugby players you think you know, rugby players you worship from a distance — come to the game because rugby is fun to watch. Rugby is similar to several sports that you may be familiar with, only better. It’s like football, but with no pads. It’s like basketball, only you aren’t penalized for throwing opponents to the ground when they have the ball. It’s definitely better than cheerleading, even when they do cool things like throwing people in the air. Cheerleaders always toss up some ridiculously small girl, whereas we hoist 6foot former volleyball players into the air by their shorts. A typical rugby game consists of 80 minutes of rucking, mauling and scrumming down. And what rugby is all about is girls tackling each other and wrestling in the mud, but in an empowering way, of course. So come to the game tomorrow. The rugby field is located directly across from the stadium parking lot and kickoff is at 2 p.m. And don’t worry about showing up to a game now after not supporting us all season. We love a fan in fair weather, because you’ll come again.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS FRIDAY OCTOBER 31, 2003 · PAGE 8

Still looking for a costume? THESE PICKS HAVE BEEN MADE AGAINST the Skybook odds and, as always, are for recreational purposes only. This week’s picks are unfamiliar with how you do it in Orange County. (Home team in CAPS): Last Week – 10-4 Season – 65-47-4 Lock of the Week – 7-1 However, rather than my weekly picks column, I present to you, for the fourth consecutive year, the best Halloween costumes the sports world has to offer. Regrettably, several JOSHUA TROY costumes are SPREADING THE LOVE unavailable this year, including the Boston Red Sock and Chicago Cub, as they are hazardous for children because they can cause choking, and the Michael Vick, which has been recalled because of faulty parts. The Grady Little – With this costume, you go to the first seven houses on your block and collect candy at each house. Yet when you reach the eighth house, you stand outside debating about whether or not to ring the doorbell. By the time you decide, all of the candy in the house is gone, Halloween is over and your family has moved to a new neighborhood without you. The Shaq and Kobe – This costume is designed for two people who pretend to be friends, but in actuality, hate each other. For three years, you team up and collect more candy then anyone else in the neighborhood, but when you come up short in the fourth year, the tensions are revealed and you are forced to add to other All-Star candy collectors. Accessories include “The Art of War” and a decorative contract with an opt-out clause. (Costume not recommended in Colorado.) The NHL player – In this costume, you earn a lot of candy, but, unfortunately, it comes with no recognition. Your friends dressed as basketball players, professional bowlers and world poker champions all earn more respect then you. Fortunately, the person dressed as a New York Ranger pays you to trick-or-treat for him, and you have no obligation to be successful at it. The Marc Bulger – As Marc, you upstage other highly paid candy collectors, especially the kid in the Kurt Warner costume. He is forced to carry the pumpkin you put your candy in, while his wife yells in his ear complaining about how Kurt should be the starting candy collector. The LeBron James – This is a great costume for brand new trick-or-treaters. The legend of your amateur candy collecting ability has spread across the neighborhood, and some neighbors are willing to give trucks full of candy before you even start going door-to-door. The only question is whether the hype will live up to your candy total. The Brandi Chastain – Intended for mature audiences only, this costume features a removable jersey with a Nike sports bra underneath. After receiving Twix or Skittles from a house, you run out to the end of a driveway, throw your hands in the air and rip off the jersey. The lone drawback is that you will be remembered more for this moment than for your trick-ortreating ability. The Jack McKeon – This costume has returned to trick-or-treating after several see TROY, page 5

Strong showing for Falconi ’06 at ITA Regionals BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET

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Patrick Tarpy ’05 (above) and Jeff Guadette ’05 form the duo that could help lead Brown against a strong field in today’s race.

Men’s cross country prepares for Heptagonal Championship BY GRANT SMITH

A season of debuts and records climaxes this Friday as the men’s cross-country team travels to Van Cortlandt Park, N. Y. to participate in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship. Here’s what they’re up against: Dartmouth has won the last three Heptagonal meets and has the potential to chalk up another title, with the talent of returning individual champion Jarrod Shoemaker and a serious threat in freshman standout Ian Marcus. However, the Big Green will be forced to compete without its top two runners, who quit before this season. Columbia will be led by senior Steve Sundell, the meet favorite for the individual title, and the first man to place in the top five at the Heps four consecutive times. But, with the exception of Sundell, the Lions tend to be inconsis-

tent and lack depth in their fourth and fifth runners. UPenn relies on a close pack, with their top five usually finishing within a 17-second split. Penn’s impressive placing early in the season shows they have the ability to compete. Harvard will run more of a personal improvement race, looking to better the placing of top runners Tim Galebach and Reed Bienvenu, who finished 23rd and 24th last year, respectively. Alaisdair McLean-Foreman, who outran Yale star Lucas Meyer earlier this season, looks to make his Heptagonal debut with a top 10 finish. Cornell’s team is young, and hoping to gain experience from the race. With three of its top five performers with freshmen, Big Red should be tough see MXC, page 4

WINTER SPORTS MEETING The sports section will be handing out winter sports assignments on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Herald. New writers are welcome.

Stephanie Falconi ’06 affirmed her position as a premiere player on the Brown women’s tennis team with a strong showing in the fiercely competitive ITA Regional Championships this past weekend. As the only Brown player to participate in the tournament, held at Virginia Tech, Falconi capped off an impressive fall season marked by her emergence as the team’s singles leader. Her 8-2 fall singles record has captured the attention of regional competitors and tournament directors, resulting in a no. 17 seed, the first seeding granted to her all year. “I expect that she will be on the pre-season Eastern ranking list this fall,” said Coach Norma Taylor. Falconi was also scheduled to participate in ITA regionals doubles competition, but her team withdrew after her partner, Captain Victoria Beck ’04, sustained an injury, Taylor said. After arriving at the tournament, Falconi learned that her seeding afforded her a bye through the first round of the 96-player draw. This led to a second-round match-up with Rutgers’ no. 1 singles player Andrea Weckstein, a player Falconi was familiar with from last season. In last year’s Brown-Rutgers match, Weckstein secured the lone point for her team with a win over then-no. 1 singles player Beck. At the ITA Regionals, Weckstein was seeded above Falconi, in the 9-16 range. “I guess she thought she was going to destroy me,” Falconi said of Weckstein this year. “I gathered she self-destructed after she realized she wasn’t going to win.” After dominating over Weckstein in a 6-0, 6-1 victory, Falconi faced Mariko FritzKrockow, who now plays no. 1 singles for the University of Virginia after transferring from UCLA. In a close 6-4, 6-3 defeat against the no. 9 seed, Falconi lost several key points that could have reversed the outcome of the match. “She won all the big points … other than that, we had an extremely close match,” Falconi said. “The whole match was determined by a few loose points that I played and one or two tough breakpoints that she managed to save.” Since her debut at no. 1 singles during Dartmouth’s Volkl Invitational, Falconi said she has grown accustomed to her position as Brown’s leading singles player. “At the Dartmouth tournament, playing that many matches gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. “Beating no. 1 players from other schools and playing no. 1 for the first time made the tournament a success for me.” In addition to her personal improvement, Falconi said she believes the team has grown closer throughout the fall season, something that helps it consistently perform at a high level. The smaller size of this year’s team has also fostered a unity that exceeds that of last year’s squad, she said. Falconi’s goals for the spring season include selection to the All-Ivy team, as well as a berth in the NCAA Tournament, a distinction offered to the top four players in the region. “I think that’s a pretty attainable goal… it’s all relative to how hard you work,” she said. The ITA Regionals marked the conclusion of the fall tennis season. The final team practice takes place this Friday, after which players will participate in individual tournaments and personal training exercises before competitive play resumes in midFebruary. Herald Staff writer Robbie Corey-Boulet ’07 covers women’s tennis. He can be reached at rcorey-boulet@browndailyherald.com.