Wednesday, November 5, 2003 by The Brown Daily Herald

W E D N E S D A Y NOVEMBER 5, 2003

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 107

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

Southerners at Brown proud of heritage

Master Plan and capital campaign discussed at meeting

BY KIRA LESLEY

With former Southern specialties like Krispy Kreme donut shops opening in locales from Portland, Ore., to Cranston, R.I., the MasonDixon is becoming less and less of a dividing line for American culture and cream-filled pastries. But Brown students with southern roots say they strongly identify with the culture of Coca-Cola and “Gone with the Wind.” The number of Americans who consider themselves “southern” has decreased over the past decade, according to a recent Vanderbilt University study. The study found that from 1991 to 2001, the number of people living in the South who identified themselves as “southerners” decreased 7.4 percent, to 70 percent. But many Brown students who hail from the southern states are bucking this trend. When asked if he would describe himself as a southerner, Kent Haines ’07 of Birmingham, Ala., said without pause, “Definitely.” Joshua Cohen ’07 of New Orleans, also responded enthusiastically. “I certainly would. I think it’s nice,” he said. Many Brown students from southern states claim that being a southerner is a way of life, and Haines said beyond geographical boundaries, being southern means having “an emphasis on decorum and being polite.” Cohen says southern identity is made up of “a lot of little things,” like traditional manners and pace of life in daily activities. “Up here, people move faster. They walk at a faster pace, even if they don’t have anywhere to go,” Cohen says. Some students who strongly identify with southern culture also recognize variations in this identity. Quinney Harris ’06 of Holly Spring, Miss., says that as an AfricanAmerican southerner, he’s had a different experience from that of white southerners. African-American southerners experience what author W.E.B. Du Bois called a “double consciousness,” meaning they are always aware of their identity both as African Americans and as southerners, he said. Vidya Putcha ’07 said her experience as a minority in the South was different from the experiences of her white friends. Some southern students say they encounter regional stereotyping at Brown. Putcha said people at Brown are often surprised to find out she is from the South. Non-southerners expect people from the South to be slow, uneducated and naive, she said. Harris said that in some ways being a southerner on campus is like being a minority because “if you’re a southerner, you have to prove yourself.” But not all the stereotypes southerners encounter at Brown are negative ones. Haines says he enjoys being thought of as a “good southern gentleman.” Many southern students say New Englanders lack an awareness of southern culture and southerners are equally unfamiliar with New England culture. “No one — very few people — knew where Brown was” at his high school, Cohen

www.browndailyherald.com

BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ

Trustman’s question was one of the lighter moments in a debate where candidates addressed issues such as racism, gay rights and the continued role of the United States in Iraq. Several of the candidates used the event to continue to pressure front-runner Howard Dean regarding a statement that appeared in the Nov. 1 Des Moines Register that he wants to be “the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks.” “You are not a bigot, but you appear to be too arrogant to say, ‘I’m wrong,’

The leadership of Brown’s capital campaign has secured several major gifts and will announce them within the next month, said President Ruth Simmons Tuesday at a faculty meeting. Simmons and other campaign leaders have been meeting with potential donors "on a daily basis," she said, necessitating constant travel on her part. The process has been "taxing but exhilarating," Simmons told faculty members, especially after she confirmed a particularly substantial gift this week. "I was walking on air," Simmons said, of leaving the donor’s office. "I think this is going to be a great, great campaign." Also in Simmons’ report to the faculty was news of last month’s Corporation Weekend. The Corporation approved architect Frances Halsband’s Master Plan, which lays out basic principles for the University’s physical growth. The plan, which will be on the Brown Web site within the next two weeks, according to Executive Vice President for Planning Richard Spies, suggests in particular the return of houses owned by the University to their original use, Simmons said. Of the 233 buildings Brown owns, over 100 of them are houses, she said, and many of them remain unused. A number of these houses may be available for sale to faculty and staff in the near future, Simmons said, with provisions that the University may also buy them back. The Corporation also approved plans for the Life Sciences Building and for the recently purchased 70 Ship St. building, both currently under construction. Discussion in the Corporation’s

see KERRY, page 6

see MEETING, page 7

Krista Hachey / Herald

After the America Rocks the Vote Democratic forum in Boston, Brown students got some face time with presidential candidate John Kerry.

Pot and PCs: Presidential candidates debate BY KRISTA HACHEY BOSTON — Macs or PCs? Brown’s contri-

bution to the CNN-sponsored America Rocks the Vote Democratic forum in Faneuil Hall, featuring eight presidential candidates, may already be destined for the sort of infamy once reserved for the “boxers or briefs” grilling Bill Clinton took in 1992 at a similar forum. “Handheld, wireless,” Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut replied with a grin to Alexandra Trustman ’07, as other candidates chose one or the other before moderator and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper moved on to weightier issues.

Prof. examines radical faith BY JANE TANIMURA

Paul Buhle, senior lecturer in American civilization, urged students to consider the political and spiritual potential of radical faith at the convocation of Faith in Action month, sponsored by the Faith-Based Activism Coalition. Buhle opened the convocation, held in Faunce House, by playing a song by reggae artist Jimmy Cliff. The simplicity of Cliff’s music belies its great spiritual energy, which is also at the core of all religions, Buhle said. In his lecture, Buhle examined the dominance of the “American empire” and its influence on religion. “An empire doesn’t just want money and power. It also wants our souls,” he said. Later on in the discussion, Buhle predicted that faithbased organizers will have a larger societal role in the future because the secular left is not doing well. Buhle also examined the institution of religion from the High Middle Ages to the present. He noted the significance see BUHLE, page 7

Sara Perkins / Herald

“It may be that spirituality is not the guidance for most of you,” said Paul Buhle, senior lecturer in American civilization, at the convocation of Faith in Action month. But he still urged students to,“think about it, work on it, talk about it.”

see SOUTH, page 7

I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 5 , 2 0 0 3 Racist quote rocks Brandeis; newspaper editor resigns in protest campus watch, page 3

A $1.8 million mistake: Boston University fires new president campus watch, page 3

The United Nations useless and hurts U.S. interests, Beale says column, page 11

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Underage drinking should not be top priority of Providence Police column, page 11

Men’s cross country pulls off historic win at Heptagonal League Championship sports, page 12

light rain high 63 low 53

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris

W E AT H E R WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

High 63 Low 53 light rain

High 61 Low 40 showers

High 55 Low 34 partly cloudy

High 44 Low 24 sunny

GRAPHICS BY TED WU

Three Words Eddie Ahn

MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Garlic Soup, Beef Vegetable Soup, Polynesian Chicken Wings, Tofu Parmesan, Mandarin Blend Vegetables, Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing, Chocolate, Cake with White Icing, Ricotta Pie

V-DUB LUNCH — Vegetarian Cream of Tomato, Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup, Tortilla Casserole, Vegan Tofu Raviolis with Sauce, Green Peas, Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing

DINNER — Vegetarian Garlic Soup, Beef Vegetable Soup, London Broil, Salmon Provencal, Quesadillas, Mushroom Risotto, Fresh Vegetable Sautee, Greek Style Asparagus, Oatmeal Bread, Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing, Chocolate Cake with White Icing, Ricotta Pie

DINNER — Vegetarian Cream of Tomato, Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup, Southern Fried Chicken, Spinach Pie Casserole, Red Potatoes with Chive Sauce, Italian Green Beans, Stir Fry Vegetable Medley, Oatmeal Bread, Ricotta Pie

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

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 With 68-Across, title of this puzzle 5 Puréed-peas eater 9 Snared, as a steer 14 Jazzy Anita 15 Peeve 16 Test type 17 Beggar’s request 18 Test type 19 Pan-fry 20 1998 Brad Pitt drama 23 Many many mos. 24 Tack on 25 Subtle difference 29 Jazzy Getz 31 Sharpen 33 Geologic period 34 Turndown 37 Real riot 38 1964 Peter Sellers comedy, with “A” 41 Shower 42 Big name in ratings 43 Trauma ctrs. 44 Word after blind or double 45 Words to an old chap? 48 Feudal figure 50 URL ending 52 Theater funding gp. 54 1996 Helena Bonham Carter farce 58 Trusty mount 61 Violist’s clef 62 Go back into the service 63 Support for an artist 64 Ranking player 65 “M*A*S*H” man 66 Granny Smith, e.g. 67 Skater Lipinski 68 See 1-Across DOWN 1 Gillette product 2 Layabouts 3 Like the most unlikely excuse

4 Computer adventure game 5 Group of chicks 6 Broadcast 7 Talk too much 8 Cheer 9 Crash boat mission 10 Honshu port 11 Nittany Lions’ sch. 12 Nosh 13 Hair treatment 21 Swimmer Evans 22 They may be right 26 In the neighborhood 27 Party popper 28 Conclusion 30 Elvis’s middle name 31 Cosmetician Lauder 32 Wonka’s creator 35 Conclusion 36 One of a kind 37 Lets go 38 Lee whom nobody doesn’t like 39 Snake’s sound 1

40 Condescend 41 Gun, as an engine 44 Dillydally 46 Ali’s trainer Dundee 47 Violinist Menuhin 49 Drum material, perhaps 50 Playful swimmer 51 Title role for Valerie Harper

53 Bond trader’s phrase 55 Go the distance 56 Spot on Spot, maybe 57 Persia, today 58 Red or Dead body 59 Cane’s sound 60 Sixth sense, briefly

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

34 38

Dirty Brown by Scott Yi & David Petruccelli

49 54

Hopeless Edwin Chang

11/05/03

xwordeditor@aol.com 5

My Best Effort Kate Klonick and William Newman

50 55

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD, INC.

11/05/03

ganwyn loves flesh baton.

Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is published Monday through Friday during the aca-

Business Phone: 401.351.3260

demic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and

Elena Lesley, President

once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box

Kerry Miller, Vice President

2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195

Jamie Wolosky, Treasurer

Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web:

Joseph Laganas, Secretary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

CAMPUS WATCH WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 3

Fury at Brandeis over BU pays president to leave racially-charged column BY JUSTIN ELLIOTT

BY LELA SPIELBERG

A racially-charged column in The Justice, Brandeis’ weekly paper, recently caused a campus backlash against the student newspaper and prompted several editors to resign from their positions. In the Oct. 21 edition of The Justice, sports columnist Dan Passner ended his column about Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker by quoting another Brandeis student as having said, “The only thing Baker has a Ph.D. in is something that starts with an N and rhymes with Tigger.” Passner’s column caused controversy immediately after it was printed. The student-run newspaper held a public forum to apologize for the comment, but the forum was disrupted by members of the Brandeis Black Student Union, who walked out when Justice Sports Editor Rob Siegel began to speak. “We didn’t deliberately publish the comment,” Siegel said at the forum, he told The Herald. “It was becoming this big deal and it shouldn’t have been.” Siegel said he regretted that The Justice printed Passner’s column, and attributed the paper’s mistake to careless error. A copy editor had circled the quote, but Siegel said he did not read the column before the paper was sent to the printer. Following the forum, The Brandeis administration asked Passner and Siegel to resign. Three other student writers and editors, including Editor-in-Chief Stephen Heyman, resigned as well, some in protest of the administration’s involvement in the affairs of the independent paper, Siegel told The Herald. “Brandeisians should not attempt to rip apart The Justice for mistakenly printing reprehensible sentiments in our pages, but should demand to know from each other why such sentiments exist in our community,” Heyman wrote in his letter of resignation, which he printed in The Justice. But the resignations and forum failed to end the controversy. On the evening of Oct. 28, students gathered outside the newspaper’s office for several hours, shouting “down with The Justice!” and “racists,” Siegel told The Herald. Siegel said the staff “stood behind” him and the editor-in-chief throughout the conflict. Several editors have publicly said that the administration has meddled with the

paper’s independence. “We … have not been treated as journalists, but rather as muses for social justice,” former editor Yana Lovitsky wrote in her letter of resignation. But Brandeis officials said they felt they had to take some action on such a sensitive issue. “Brandeis takes seriously its commitment to social justice. We must renew our commitment, making sure our actions always match our rhetoric,” Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz said in a public statement last week. University officials, The Justice staff and other students agree on one thing — Brandeis must work to build a community to avoid incidents like this one happening in the future. Brandeis public relations representative Dennis Nealon said the university is developing programming to discuss issues of racism and equality. Herald staff writer Lela Spielberg ’07 can be reached at lspielberg@browndailyherald.com.

Boston University settled on a $1.8 million severance package for its incoming ninth president, Daniel Goldin, last Friday. Goldin had not reported to a single day of work. Goldin, the former head of NASA, signed a five-year contract in August after BU’s Board of Trustees offered him the presidency by a unanimous vote. But the board’s decision Friday to rescind its offer and approve the pay-off marked an about-face only one day before Goldin was to take office. The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Aram Chobanian, dean of BU’s medical school, the university’s interim president. The board also accepted the resignation of John Silber, who was president of BU from 1971 to 1996, and chancellor for the past seven years. The first public sign of trouble came on Oct. 25, when The Boston Globe reported that the executive committee of BU’s Board of Trustees had voted to review Goldin’s appointment. Herbert Voigt, chairman of the BU Faculty Council, told The Herald he reacted with “outrage and surprise that I was

hearing through the newspapers. “I wasn’t the only one of course, I got phone calls and e-mails wanting to know essentially what the hell was going on,” Voigt said. Last week marked the formation of The Faculty Committee for the Future of Boston University, which circulated a petition urging the Board of Trustees to install Goldin as scheduled. One of its founders, Professor of Spanish James Iffland Ph.D ’77, said the petition, which was delivered to the board Friday morning, includes 3,190 signatures. “No matter what one thinks of Mr. Goldin as a potential president of Boston University, you clearly can’t support the idea of creating a national scandal by breaking away from those commitments,” Iffland said. There has been much speculation on what went wrong between Goldin and the Board of Trustees, with little response from the University. A joint news release from BU and Goldin states that “neither party will discuss this matter further.” Voigt, who participated in a meeting see BU, page 7

RWU paper loses funding over “mean-spirited” articles BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET

Articles attacking the “homosexual agenda” in the Hawk’s Right Eye, a paper published by the Roger Williams University College Republicans, led the administration to temporarily freeze the paper’s funding last month. The controversy has administrators and students questioning whether the paper’s content violated civil discourse, and its editors insisting the administration infringed on free speech. Outcry was specifically directed at an article entitled “Banana-Rama,” originally featured on the online news service World Net Daily. The three-paragraph article uses explicit language to detail a violent homosexual rape that occurred in Arkansas in 1999. Editor-in-Chief Jason Mattera published the article to supplement his own piece, “The Thought Police,” in the Hawk’s Right Eye Sept. 30 issue. “Homophobic stories are always dwelt on, but when homosexuals are the culprits, the news is swept under the

rug,” Mattera wrote. Other articles throughout the issue present similar arguments. In a news piece, Mattera decries the presence of Judy Shepard, mother of hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard, at Roger Williams during new student orientation. On Oct. 9, University President Roy Nirschel, sent a campus-wide e-mail classifying the paper’s content as “pornographic in nature, puerile” and “mean-spirited.” On Oct. 14, the university froze purchase orders of the paper. Nirschel said he believes the university-imposed punishment was appropriate, given the paper’s transgressions, he wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “They are being held accountable to exactly the same standards as all other organizations and student publications at Roger Williams — nothing more, nothing less,” Nirschel wrote. The conflict was ultimately resolved during an Oct. 24 meeting with College Republican leaders when Provost Edward Kavanagh ironed out an agree-

www.browndailyherald.com

ment that allows the paper’s publication to continue. Editors now must submit the paper’s content to their supervisor, Professor of Political Science June Speakman, a rule that had rarely been enforced before. “In what you put in print and how you portray others, there’s a certain level of civil discourse that we expect,” Kavanagh said. “This is the first time we’ve really said, ‘OK, we’re really going to have to sit down and codify things.’” Kavanagh added that he understands how a conservative organization may feel underrepresented at a largely liberal, northeastern institution. “But it’s not an excuse to cross the line in civility,” he said. But Mattera told The Herald that administrative reaction to the articles proves the liberal bias on Roger Williams’ campus. “Those who preach tolerance do not afford tolerance to those that they dissee RWU, page 7

co-sponsored by the sarah doyle women’s center

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 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.Brenner is the author of five books, including the New York Times extended paperback best-seller, Great Dames: What I Learned From Older Women,and the best-selling House of Dreams: The Binghams of Louisville.

marie brenner P’04

T H U R S D A Y , N O V . 6 , 7 : 3 0 P. M . , C A R M I C H A E L

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WORLD & NATION WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 5

Terror suspect details deporting, then torture TORONTO (Washington Post) — A Canadian citizen who was

detained last year at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as a suspected terrorist said Tuesday he was secretly deported to Syria and endured 10 months of torture in a Syrian prison. Maher Arar, 33, who was released last month, said at a news conference in Ottawa that he pleaded with U.S. authorities to let him continue on to Canada, where he has lived for 15 years and has a family. But instead, he was flown under U.S. guard to Jordan and handed over to Syria, where he was born. Arar denied any connection to terrorism and said he would fight to clear his name. U.S. officials said Tuesday that Arar was deported because he had been put on a terrorist watch list after information from “multiple international intelligence agencies” linked him to terrorist groups. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Arar case fits the profile of a covert CIA “extraordinary rendition” — the practice of turning over low-level, suspected terrorists to foreign intelligence services, some of which are known to torture prisoners. Arar’s case has brought repeated apologies from the Canadian government, which says it is investigating what information the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gave to U.S. authorities. Canada’s foreign minister, Bill Graham, also said he would question the Syrian ambassador about Arar’s statements about torture. In an interview on CBC Radio, Imad Moustafa, the Syrian charge d’affaires in Washington, denied that Arar had been tortured. Arar said U.S. officials apparently based the terrorism accusation on his connection to Abdullah Almalki, another Syrianborn Canadian. Almalki is being detained by Syrian authorities, although no charges against him have been reported. Arar said he knew Almalki only casually before his detention but encountered him at the Syrian prison where both were tortured. Arar, whose case has become a cause celebre in Canada, demanded a public inquiry. “I am not a terrorist,” he said. “I am not a member of al-Qaida. I have never been to Afghanistan.” He said he was flying home to Montreal via New York on Sept. 26, 2002, from a family visit to Tunisia. “This is when my nightmare began,” he said. “I was pulled aside by immigration and taken (away). The police came and searched my bags. I asked to make a phone call and they would not let me.” He said an FBI agent and a New York City police officer questioned him. “I was so scared,” he said. “They told me I had no right to a lawyer because I was not an American citizen.” Arar said he was shackled, placed on a small jet and flown to Washington, where “a new team of people got on the plane” and took him to Amman, the capital of Jordan. Arar said U.S. officials handed him over to Jordanian authorities, who “blindfolded and chained me and put me in a van. ... They made me bend my head down in the back seat. Then these men started beating me. Every time I tried to talk, they beat me.” Hours later, he said, he was taken to Syria and there he was forced to write that he had been to a training camp in Afghanistan. “They kept beating me, and I had to falsely confess,” he said. “I was willing to confess to anything to stop the torture.” Arar said his prison cell “was like a grave, exactly like a grave. It had no light, it was 3 feet wide, it was 6 feet deep, it was 7 feet high. ... It had a metal door. There was a small opening in the ceiling. There were cats and rats up there, and from time to time, the cats peed through the opening into the cell.” Steven Watt, a human rights fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights in Washington, said Arar’s case raised questions about U.S. counterterrorism measures. “Here we have the United States involved in the removal of somebody to a country where it knows persons in custody of security agents are tortured,” Watt said. “The U.S. was possibly benefiting from the fruits of that torture. I ask the question: Why wasn’t he removed to Canada?” A senior U.S. intelligence official discussed the case in terms of the secret rendition policy. There have been “a lot of rendition activities” since Sept. 11, the official said. “We are doing a number of them, and they have been very productive.” Renditions are a legitimate option for dealing with suspected terrorists, intelligence officials argue. The U.S. government officially rejects the assertion that it knowingly sends suspects abroad to be tortured, but officials admit they sometimes do that. “The temptation is to have these folks in other hands because they have different standards,” one official said. “Someone might be able to get information we can’t from detainees,” said another. see TERROR, page 6

L.A. Times

A charred vehicle lies amid fire-ravaged Middle Fork, Calif., in the San Bernardino National Forest. Officials say firefighters were thwarted by the enclave's location on a canyon stream in an overgrowth of trees and scrub.

Bush visits fire-ravaged areas EL CAJON, Calif. (L.A. Times) —

President Bush toured the charred forests and communities of San Diego County on Tuesday, as forecasts of weekend rain intensified concerns about possible mudslides in the more than 740,000 acres stripped bare by Southern California’s fires. “When people see the scope of the fires, the historic nature of the fires, they’ll realize what a superhuman effort you all put in to save lives,” the president told firefighters in Alpine. “We’ve seen the worst of nature” but the “absolute best of mankind.” Bush, Gov. Gray Davis and Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger viewed the destruction of the massive Paradise and Cedar fires from the presidential helicopter before touching down in the seared community of Harbison

Canyon, east of San Diego, to comfort families whose property had burned. The president listened as a woman told him how she had lost all the treasured belongings in her home. Trying to console her while controlling his own emotions, Bush reminded her that she still had “the most precious things” in her life: her husband and her daughter. “The best thing I can do is to listen and hug and empathize as best as I can empathize,” a moist-eyed Bush told reporters at the end of a 40-minute walking tour of Harbison Canyon. The president acknowledged that he had brought no additional federal fire aid for Southern California. The federal government has promised about $3 million in assistance, which is about $1,000 for each of the

more than 3,400 homes that burned. The president said he had come here to “answer questions as to whether or not the help that is available is being delivered. Hopefully, I get the truth. I mean, if there is a frustration at the federal level, I need to know about it.” Above all, Bush said, he came to determine “whether or not the help that is available is being expedited.” After hearing from fire officials and other government representatives, Bush pronounced himself satisfied. Firefighters fully contained the Cedar fire, the largest of the wildfires, Tuesday morning and expected to contain the four others by Wednesday morning, thanks largely to continued see FIRE, page 6

Dean returns to internet to poll supporters on key decision (L.A. Times) — Former Vermont

Gov. Howard Dean, who has used the Internet to raise much of his campaign cash, is returning to cyberspace to poll supporters on a crucial strategic decision: whether to forgo public financing for the presidential primary season. The campaign prepared a dispatch for posting Wednesday on Dean’s official Web site, inviting backers to voice their sentiments over a 48-hour period. The balloting will take place Thursday through Saturday. A decision to opt out of the system could dramatically reshape the Democratic race by allowing Dean, the party’s fundraising leader, to raise and spend unlimited sums in pursuit of the nomination. The move could also set off a spiral of campaign spending by encouraging other

Democrats — chief among them Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts — to opt out of the system as well. President Bush already has pulled out, as he did in 2000. Last week, while campaigning in California, Dean told potential supporters he had already decided to forgo public financing, according to people who attended the closed-door sessions. A strategist at Dean headquarters insisted, however, that the candidate’s mind was not made up. “This is a binding vote,” the strategist said Tuesday night. “Whatever our supporters decide is what this campaign is going to do.” If Dean opts out, he would become the first Democrat to decline federal matching funds

since the program was started in 1976, during the political reform era that followed the Watergate scandal. The move would also fly in the face of statements Dean made earlier in the campaign, long before he became the fundraising leader among the nine Democrats seeking the White House. His Democratic rivals have already criticized Dean for saying he was thinking of pulling out of the system. Advocates of campaign finance reform were more forgiving, however. “My preference would be for the candidates to stay in, but there are extenuating circumstances that have been caused here by President Bush’s decision,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a Washington organization that works for political reform.

PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003

Kerry continued from page 1 and go on,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said. But Dean stood by his remark. “We’re not going to win this country, and even worse, Democrats, if we don’t have a big tent,” he said. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio took a strong stand against the war on Iraq and supported the need for a replacement of U.S. influence in the region with a greater U.N. presence. “We have to acknowledge that the U.S. made a grave mistake in the first place in going in there,” he said. Lieberman expressed his desire to eventually let “the Iraqis control Iraq” but said that his support for the war was derived from his desire to see their nation freed of a “homicidal maniac.” All of the candidates were eager to prove they knew what it would take to win the youth vote. “Every young person is disappointed by politics,” said Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. “I’ve lived with the experience of being a young person trying to make a difference when it seems like nothing that happens is real. I fought in the civil rights movement and against the war, I blew the whistle on Oliver North; I took on Newt Gingrich. I will be a president with a proven record of tak-

ing on special interests.” Three candidates even admitted they had tried marijuana, an issue that dogged Clinton throughout 1992 after he said he once smoked marijauana but “didn’t inhale.” Dean, Kerry and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina all said they had used the drug. Lieberman, Sharpton, Kucinich and retired Gen. Wesley Clark said they had not, while former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois declined to answer. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri was campaigning in Iowa and was the only candidate to miss the forum. An audience member asked Rev. Al Sharpton to describe his thoughts the first morning he wakes up in the White House. “I would make sure Bush has all his stuff out and would lock the doors so he wouldn’t come back,” Sharpton quipped. MEETING THEIR IDOL Outside Faneuil Hall before the forum, amid the mayhem of thrashing campaign signs and avid political activists, a screaming band of Brown students rallied for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. By the end of the night, their efforts came to fruition when they got to meet the man himself. With transportation provided by the Kerry campaign, the unofficial campus group met up with Kerry supporters from all over

New England. At one point during the rally, a small legion of Bush supporters pushed through the crowd and made their presence known. “Oh dear, Republicans,” said Jenn Thomas GS, coordinator of the trip. Thomas has been working closely with Kevin Patterson GS to create a campus organization for students interested in the Kerry campaign. “Brown is a great activist campus,” she said. “Students are progressive and committed to doing things. When we go try to organize going to events like this, we don’t encounter as much indifference as some campuses do. We coordinate people who come to us.” The chant “Bush is scary, we want Kerry,” erupted as former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen shook the hands of eager supporters, many of whom were college students from the Northeast. Shaheen was shortly followed by Kerry himself. Youth visibility at the rally and forum emphasized the political potential of the youth demographic, said Christina Tsafoulias ‘04. “College students and youth in general play a tremendous role that is not really being maximized,” said Tsafoulias, who interned for Kerry at his Boston office over the summer of 2002. “In 1992, the youth vote mattered, and because Clinton

engaged the youth of America, he was able to swing the votes his way,” she said. “Student activist groups would do very well to reach out to the apathetic and learn how to mobilize each other.” Franklin Ross ‘07 said students should take advantage of their restlessness. “We’re young, we’re loud,” he said. “I was just watching TV today when I realized I should go to this. It’s important to pay attention to things that influence our lives even if that influence doesn’t seem direct.” After the debate, Kerry met with his supporters, urged them to continue their efforts and thanked them for their loyalty. “We have 86 more days,” he said. “I have three words for you that will make you want to go out and work like hell: the Supreme Court.” Herald staff writer Krista Hachey ’07 can be reached at khachey@browndailyherald.com.

Terror continued from page 5 Syria, where use of torture during imprisonment has been documented by the State Department and independent human rights organizations, maintains a secret but growing intelligence relationship with the CIA, according to intelligence experts. Jordan has strong and long-standing ties with U.S. intelligence. “The Syrian government has provided some very useful assistance on al-Qaida in the past,” said Cofer Black, former director of counterterrorism at the CIA who is now the counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department. One senior intelligence official said Tuesday that Arar is still believed to have connections to al-Qaida. The Justice Department did not have enough evidence to detain him when he landed in the United States, the official said,

Fire continued from page 5 cool, damp weather, which poses a threat of its own: mudslides. Officials say any substantial rainfall could cause slides on denuded hills, and the National Weather Service warned Tuesday that a storm was expected to hit Southern California on Friday night. “Rainfall totals with this system certainly look impressive enough to keep a close eye on, especially near burn areas where mud and debrisflow problems could develop,” the Weather Service said in an advisory. Forecasters said the rain should continue intermittently through Sunday, with “easily as much as two inches” in most of the burn areas of Southern California, including Harbison Canyon.

and “the CIA doesn’t keep people in this country.” With those limitations, and with a secret presidential “finding” authorizing the CIA to place suspects in foreign hands without due process, Arar may have been one of the people whisked overseas by the CIA. In the early 1990s, renditions were exclusively law enforcement operations in which suspects were snatched by covert CIA or FBI teams and brought to the United States for trial or questioning. But CIA teams, working with foreign intelligence services, now capture suspected terrorists in one country and render them to another, often after U.S. interrogators have tried to gain information from them. Renditions are considered a covert action. Congress, which oversees the CIA, knows of only the broad authority to carry out renditions but is not informed about individual cases, according to intelligence officials.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Meeting continued from page 1

After Simmons’ and Zimmer’s reports, the approximately 40 faculty members in Lower Salomon approved nominations to faculty

Academic Affairs Committee addressed the best ways to assess the University’s academic progress, particularly in light of academic investments mandated by the Initiatives for Academic Enrichment, Simmons said. Possible metrics for measuring academic success include the depth of faculty engagement with students and the nature of faculty publications, Provost Robert Zimmer told the faculty. At the same time, Simmons said the Corporation’s Campus Life Committee met with architectural firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, which will present recommendations for the renovation of campus life spaces at the Corporation’s February meeting, Simmons said. The committee also discussed creating 24-hour study spaces and satellite fitness centers. Zimmer updated faculty on the searches for a new dean of biology and medicine and dean of the faculty. A recently hired search firm met this week with the search committee for the dean of biology and medicine, while a search committee for the dean of faculty will be assembled this year, Zimmer

said. Both positions, when filled, will take "more strategic roles," he said, aggressively promoting the University rather than simply reacting to day-today problems. After Simmons’ and Zimmer’s reports, the approximately 40 faculty members in Lower Salomon approved nominations to faculty committees made by the Faculty Executive Committee, and one nomination to the FEC itself. The faculty also approved a recommendation to the Board of Fellows to change the name of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing to the Graduate Program in Literary Arts. “Creative writing” implies a distinction from critical writing, and connotes a "cute, curious quality," but "literary arts" reflects the innovative quality of the program, according to the motion.

RWU

Buhle

continued from page 3

continued from page 1

agree with,” he said, referring to clubs that claim to support an environment that is “antihate.” Speakman, an active Democrat and self-described “radical” supporter of free expression, currently supervises the publication. Although she briefly resigned amid this latest controversy, Speakman said her belief in freedom of speech compelled her to renew her agreement with the paper. In the future, Speakman said she hopes for “restraint by students, or anyone who writes on campus, that respects the feelings of the reader and adheres to certain commonly accepted standards of decency.” Speakman personally objected to the aggressive nature of the articles, and previously suggested that the paper lighten its tone, although the suggestion was not acted upon. Although Mattera disagrees with administrative disciplinary actions against the paper, he said he believes the controversy may promote an active dialogue between liberals and conservatives on campus. “The intellectual debate and inquiry has risen,” he said. “It’s made more people focus on politics and they are more willing to debate politics. I think this creates an environment where people want to express their views.”

of religious movements in the 1950s and 1960s, which were accompanied by the decline of communism and atheism in the Soviet Union and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Buhle commented that although Martin Luther King Jr. sympathized with communists, he still realized the need to communicate his message through religious metaphors. “It taught white radicals a lesson,” Buhle said. “Religion had power that secular radicals didn’t understand.” After the death of King and the rising momentum of the

Herald staff writer Robbie Corey-Boulet ’07 can be reached at rcoreyboulet@browndailyherald.com.

committees made by the Faculty Executive Committee, and one nomination to the FEC itself.

BU continued from page 3 with four trustees last night, said the board “was absolutely convinced that Goldin was going to come in and wreak havoc on Boston University.” “They assured us that they were acting in the best interest of BU,” he said. Goldin had informed the board that he intended to overhaul the power structure built up by Silber over the past three decades, The Boston Globe reported Sunday. The Globe also reported that Goldin had raised conflict of interest of questions about trustees who had business ties to BU. At a news conference, Robert Popeo, a lawyer for the trustees, questioned whether Goldin’s temperament fit the job. Voigt said part of the blame for

“We’re not interested in the genre divisions,” said Program Director Forrest Gander at the meeting. The faculty also approved a motion to change the summer academic calendar, submitted by Dean of Summer Studies Karen Sibley. The change in schedule, which moves the start of Summer Session from the first to the third week of June, was made to accommodate the predominant national high school calendar, according to the motion. After the approval of Sibley’s motion, and with about 40 minutes remaining in its two-hour time slot, Tuesday’s faculty meeting adjourned. Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz ’05 edits the campus watch section. She can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com.

Vietnam War, “a deep sense of uneasiness” grew in American cities, Buhle said. Although people tend to associate the 1960s with “drugs and sex, materialism and miniskirts,” Buhle claimed this period was also a “dawning of peace and understanding where materialism and possession became less important.” After discussing and analyzing the history of religion in America, Buhle asked the audience to consider spirituality with more depth and understanding. “It may be that spirituality is not the guidance for most of you,” Buhle said. But he still urged students, “think about it, work on it, talk about it.”

the reversal lay in the “rushed process” of finding a new president. “Earle Cooley, chairman of the search committee, said he blew it, and he’s taking responsibility for it,” Voigt said. Of the BU community, Iffland said “people are upset, depressed, and have been left wondering what is going to happen next. “High quality candidates for the job of President will be extremely wary of dealings with the Board of Trustees,” he said. BU students, however, seemed less concerned. As sophomore David Delmar said, “it’s just a changed name. Nothing in our lives is actually going to change too soon. “It doesn’t really involve me that directly,” he said. Herald staff writer Justin Elliott ’07 can be reached at jelliott@browndailyherald.com

South continued from page 1 said. Harris notes that in his hometown, people are not as familiar with New England schools as they are with prestigious southern schools, such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Emory University. But although many southerners at Brown have pride in their heritage, students say that in general Brown lacks a large southern cultural presence. Because the “southern identity” is comprised of many different traditions and customs, increasing campus awareness of this presence can be difficult, students say. Still, some students say they think New Englanders are beginning to accept more aspects of southern culture than ever before. Judging by the recent addition of the Cranston Krispy Kreme only 15 minutes away, they just might be right. Herald staff writer Kira Lesley ’07 can be reached at klesley@browndailyherald.

ah! my eye!

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003

Zarda

The stars of the show

X country

continued from page 12

— not the ones in the

continued from page 12

You won’t see any waves or hear any fight songs, but you’ll see the foundations of sportsmanship. There are no soccer moms or little league dads, and no one passes an offering plate asking for donations. There are just family, friends and a smile for those foreign to their surroundings. The stars of the show — not the ones in the pants — sit quietly unaware. Like ice skaters, they warm up by lapping the course, crossing by their competitors without mocking, taunting or committing personal fouls. They could do a 4.3 forty in their sleep but instead walk, trot and canter their way to fame. Some are tall, some are short, some are mean, some are sweet. Some look like cows, some sound like birds and most smell like manure. They go by Pip and Timmy, not Shaq and Kobe. They’re pampered with warmers, warned to behave and spoken to as if they’ll respond. Still grasping? You’ve come this far — don’t give out on me now. There are no performanceenhancing drugs or recruiting violations. The contestants wear fitted pants (had I mentioned that?), pleated jackets, dress shirts and knee-high boots. There are numbers, but no names, women, but no men, competition, but no animosity. There are no coaches scolding players, or players choking coaches. There are just contestants hoping a sixth sense will provide a line of communication where directions are under-

pants — sit quietly

“I don’t think I could

unaware. Like ice

have imagined it any

skaters, they warm

more perfect than

up by lapping the

the way it ended

course, crossing by

up,” he said.“We’ve

their competitors

worked so well

without mocking,

together this year,

taunting or commit-

and that is exactly

ting personal fouls.

how it ended up in

They could do a 4.3

the race.”

forty in their sleep but instead walk, trot and canter their way to fame. stood. In the end, it’s tough to point out exactly what made the trip worth my time and worthy of a return. Some would guess it had something to do with women in tight pants. They’d be wrong. If you get why my trip to the barn was worthwhile, then get out there and watch some equestrianism. Just be sure to wipe your feet before coming back. Brett Zarda GS hails from Gainesville, Fla. and sometimes dresses up in tight pants.

culmination of four years of hard work and team effort. “I don’t think I could have imagined it any more perfect than the way it ended up,” he said. “We’ve worked so well together this year, and that is exactly how it ended up in the race. This has been a dream of ours since our freshman year.” Ahead for the Bears is the Northeast NCAA Regional Championships on Nov. 15, held at Franklin Park in Boston. Brown will look to use its winning momentum in its quest to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Herald staff writer Melissa Perlman ’04 covers women’s cross country. She can be reached at mperlman@browndailyherald.c om.

Attn: Student groups and Departments

The Brown Daily Herald L E C T U R E

S E R I E S

Interested in co-sponsoring a lecture as part of The Brown Daily Herald Lecture Series? The Herald is committed to bringing speakers to campus to talk about issues relating to journalism, the media, civil liberties, and current events. UPCOMING LECTURES: NOV.6: Vanity Fair writer Marie Brenner P’04 (cosponsored by the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center) NOV. 13: Professor of Economics Herschel Grossman NOV. 19: South Asian journalist and documentary filmmaker Anita Pratap (co-sponsored by South Asian Identity Week)

TBA: Steven Brill P’06, founder of Brill’s Content and COURT TV TBA: Post- Magazine presents:“Get Your War On” cartoonist David Rees and Ben Greenman of The New Yorker and McSweeney’s TBA: Jeff Shesol ’91,“Thatch” cartoonist and former Clinton speechwriter

If you have a speaker in mind you think will fit with our mission, e-mail executive editor Kerry Miller at herald@browndailyherald.com

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS EXTRA WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 9

Stop conflating religion and patriotism Why the Supreme Court should strike the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance I agree with Dr. Newdow, as did the 9th “I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO MY FLAG and to the Republic for which it stands: Circuit Court of Appeals, that the words one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and “under God” are an unnecessary infusion of religion into the public school system. I Justice for all.” The original wording of the Pledge of agree with the ruling for two reasons, the first historical and the second Allegiance is credited to constitutional. It seems to me Francis Bellamy, a socialist, that very few people underex-Baptist minister and magastand the specific context in zine editor in Boston at the which the words “under God” end of the 19th Century. In were added to the Pledge, and 1923, the words “my flag” were I am confident that many will changed to “the flag of the be surprised to hear the truth. United States of America” to As for the constitutional quesavoid ambiguity. In 1954, the tion, both the wording and words “under God” were intent of the Constitution added after the phrase “one seem to be enough to conNation.” MICHAEL vince any reader of the The Supreme Court has LITTENBERGunconstitutionality of the agreed to hear the case from BROWN COLUMNIST phrase in question. the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of The words “under God” Appeals after the Appellate were added to the Pledge of Court refused President Bush’s request to reconsider its ruling in favor of Allegiance in 1954 for the sole purpose of removing the words “under God.” The exposing supposedly godless communists case was brought by Dr. Michael Newdow, at the height of the Cold War communist the father of a student in the Elk Grove, scare. In case there is any uncertainty California, public school system. Dr. about the exact purpose of the addition, Newdow brought the lawsuit because he here is exactly what Congress signed into is an atheist and says that the words law: “The inclusion of God in our pledge “under God” not only offend him but are therefore would further acknowledge the dependence of our people and our unconstitutional. Government upon the moral directions of the Creator. At the same time it would Michael Littenberg-Brown ’04 refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary serve to deny the atheistic and materialistic concepts of communists” (H.R. 1693, and middle school.

83rd Cong., 2nd Sess. 1954). There are two major ideas within this quotation (which is now law) that should make us all extremely uncomfortable. The first objectionable idea is that every single citizen must share a system of morality that comes directly from God — this seems to run counter to the very notion of individuality the lawmakers were trying to prevent communism from undermining. The second, and more relevant point to this discussion, is the explicit attempt to deny atheists a right to pledge their allegiance to the flag, regardless of whether their atheism stems from their belief in communism or from a myriad of other reasons. To all those readers who find the above quotation absurd, and more importantly, irrelevant in today’s world, it should be clear that the removal of the phrase “under God” from the pledge will not weaken it in any way and may actually make it stronger. Whether the Supreme Court should remove the words because they are unconstitutional is another important question. The 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ... ” The idea of a “wall of separation” between Church and State does not actually come from the Constitution, although it was written by one of the framers of the

Constitution, Thomas Jefferson. I would argue that, regardless of the extent of a “separation” between Church and State, the Constitution states very clearly that the government shall not promote any one religion over another (“no law respecting an establishment of religion”). Yet, when the words “under God” were inserted into the Pledge, the government was explicitly promoting religions that believed in a God over other religions that did not believe in a single God, or any God for that matter. Thus the phrase “under God” is unconstitutional precisely because it promotes some religions over others, and especially over atheism. The Pledge of Allegiance as it stands now, including the words “under God,” serves only to conflate the idea of patriotism with God. According to the Pledge as written, one cannot pledge allegiance to the United States if he or she does not believe in God or believe in an alternative conception of spirituality. The Pledge, as it is worded now, serves only to alienate untold numbers of Americans, individuals who are uncomfortable with religion but who are by no means unpatriotic. What is more American than people having different conceptions of life and religion? I hope the Supreme Court recognizes how unnecessary it is to infuse religion into the Pledge and upholds the unconstitutionality of the words “under God.”

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 10 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Elephant in the corner Wyoming? North Dakota? Mississippi? What comes to mind when many residents of the coasts meet people from these far-off places? Unfortunately, more often than not, images of desolate trailer parks populated by gun-slingin’, tobacco-chewin’, Toby Keith-lovin’ rednecks. Brunonians are no exception to this rule. While our campus at least attempts to discuss and dissect race, gender and sexual orientation, classism and regional stereotyping, which are often connected, garner less attention. Even worse, in many circles at Brown, they’re blatantly accepted and promoted. Who doesn’t love a good white trash joke? Students who don’t hail from the East Coast or California often find themselves confronted with a barrage of stereotypes when they arrive on campus. One southern student told The Herald that people at Brown are surprised to find she’s from the South because “nonSoutherners expect people from the South to be slow, uneducated and naïve.” Another commented that “if you’re a southerner, you have to prove yourself” at Brown. Why this rampant discrimination on campus? Regional stereotyping and classism originate for many of the same reasons other forms of bigotry do — lack of exposure. The Brown population is dramatically slanted toward the higher end of the socioeconomic spectrum and many students who regularly vacation in Europe proudly proclaim they’ve been “South of the Mason-Dixon Line” or admit they don’t travel “West of the Mississippi.” Their assumptions are more often based on ignorance than ill will. The University should begin to address this blatant omission in its prized “discourses.” Sure, classism is always listed with other “isms” on activist leaflets, and the term’s thrown around in panels from time to time, but very little genuine discussion of its day-to-day existence on campus takes place. Regional stereotyping is addressed even less often. Yet everyone gets a good laugh out of rifle-toting hunters in Idaho and slack-jawed fast food workers in Alabama. New England is a lovely place. But so are Alabama, Kansas and yes, even Wyoming.

Correction

NICK SCHADE

LETTERS New library chairs are worth their (discounted) price To the Editor:

In Tuesday’s story about new research the purchase price for 70 Ship Street was incorrectly reported. Brown bought the property for $14.6 million.

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

I’ve noticed some comments in The Herald about the supposed cost of the new Aeron chairs in the library, most recently in one of the comics. I write to correct this misimpression and also to explain our decision to use University resources in this way. Libraries ought to be comfortable places where people are content to spend as much time as they need for their work. Obviously concentration is easier when your back (or any other area) isn’t hurting! Unfortunately, many of the chairs in the Rockefeller and Sciences Libraries are original to the buildings (1964 and 1971, respectively) and for years students and faculty have complained about how uncomfortable they are, often via our suggestion box. Moreover, from time to time the library conducts user surveys, and over the last several years our users in each of these surveys brought up the need for improved ergonomic seating. We’ve wanted to

replace the chairs for a long time, but good reading room chairs are expensive — they must be built to take a beating and last over decades — and we simply didn’t have the funds. Through the generosity of President Simmons, who has said, “The library should be the most comfortable building on campus,” we were given funds to improve study areas within each of the libraries. Many improvements were made, and a high priority for us was new seating in the Rockefeller, Sciences and John Hay Libraries. We’ve had many positive comments from students and faculty alike on the new chairs as well as on the “soft seating” we’ve added in some places. We wish we had more such amenities to enable folks to concentrate on their work in pleasant surroundings. The Aeron chairs, because they were bought in quantity and with an educational discount, did not cost $1,000 each. They will last the libraries a very long time and offer the ergonomics needed to provide a comfortable and healthy environment for our patrons. Barbara Schulz Head of Library Business Services Nov. 4

write letters.

Peter Henderson, Night Editor Emily Brill, Marc Debush, Leslie Kaufmann, Copy Editors 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, Michael Ruderman, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Lela Spielberg, 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, Leslie Kaufmann, 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 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 11

Providence Police need to get their priorities straight Violent crime, not underage drinking, should be the number one priority for the Providence Police AS I WAS READING THROUGH TUES- that all three were roughly within a one- wheel of a car — but remember, he’s given begs the question: How can DAY’S issue of The Herald during my mile radius of my dorm — one was, in underage — most likely a freshman or a Providence’s police resources be used lunch hour at the V-Dub, like many other fact, literally around the corner from me. sophomore. All freshmen and most soph- most effectively? I would be willing to readers I came across a headline at the Now I’d really love for someone to cor- omores don’t have their cars on campus. posit that the downtown Providence top of page three that read, “Max’s rect me if I’m wrong here, but if last week Even if they do, chances are they’re not community would be much safer if the Upstairs site of underage drinking sting” is any indication, it’s not underage drink- going to go all the way over to Brown cops stopped this puritanical crusade of (Nov. 4). When I finished the ing but, instead, crime that’s Stadium to get their car and drive back trying to arrest college students and went article, I kept thinking about really the number one prob- over to Max’s when they can walk there in after real criminals who are hurting real DONALD TRELLA GUEST COLUMNIST this story, and the more I lem in downtown Providence. five to ten minutes, depending upon people. If the goal is to keep alcohol out thought, the more upset I Let’s do a little a risk analysis where on campus they live. Besides, of the hands of underage college stugot. The line in the article — what is causing more harm they’d have to find parking on Thayer, and dents, here’s a news flash — it’s not going that really made my blood boil was the to our community: underage drinking or we all know those motorcycle dudes have to work. If freshmen and sophomores quote from Providence Police Sergeant felonious assault and robbery? that turf staked out at 4:00 in the after- want booze, they can have their junior Peter Costello when he observed, “It Okay, so we have a young man — we’ll noon. If they’re freshmen or sophomores and senior friends go buy it for them, (Underage drinking) is the number one call him Josiah Carberry — and he’s a 19- from Providence College or Johnson & even if they can’t get into a bar. problem downtown.” Number one, huh? year-old Brown freshman. It’s Friday Wales, they’ll probably either hop on the Now I’m not advocating selective Well I don’t know if the sergeant lives in night, he’s just finished a 10-page trolley for a dollar or hail a cab. But any- enforcement of the law — that’s dangerdowntown Providence, but with all due research paper, and now he wants to go how, an average underage drinker from ous, and all laws ought to be enforced. respect to the officer, as a resident myself I beg to differ. The downtown Providence community would be much safer if the cops stopped this Last week I recall receiving some very disturbing e-mails from the Department puritanical crusade of trying to arrest college students and went after real criminals of Public Safety concerning crime on our campus. Now just to make sure my memwho are hurting real people. If the goal is to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage ory was serving me correctly, I went back into my “old mail” folder and I counted three separate attempted robberies just college students, here’s a news flash — it’s not going to work. last week. In two of these attempts, the felons were successful and one of these out with a couple of his friends for a few Brown like our friend Josiah will end walk- However, when your objective is to prorobberies even resulted in the victim drinks. We’ll say he has a fake ID. So he ing home, and usually a decent friend will tect law-abiding citizens, you need to figrequiring emergency medical treatment goes to Max’s or wherever his ID works, assist a person in that endeavor if he or ure out what constitutes the biggest at Rhode Island Hospital. In all three and he enjoys a few beers. Okay, for argu- she is unable to do so alone. threats to the safety of those citizens and cases, no suspects were apprehended. ment’s sake, we’ll even say that poor To be honest, as a citizen of this city then focus your efforts on neutralizing What makes this even scarier is the fact Josiah has a few too many beers. Then he I’m a hell of a lot more afraid of encoun- those threats. leaves. tering a guy who wants to beat me up and So my message to the Providence What possible harm does Josiah pose to rob me than a lush like our friend Josiah. Police: Stop going after us college kids Donald Trella ‘07 does machines ... that’s our community? The clearest and most Hell, I might even get a few laughs from and go get the guys who are beating the a fact. obvious harm is if he gets behind the the drunk. So I think this scenario I’ve crap out of us and taking our money.

The United Nations is unnecessary National sovereignty should pre-empt international solidarity THE WAR WITH IRAQ HAS POSED THE has a mixed record as an international on the united nations: greatest challenge to the legitimacy of the peacekeeper, it has proven itself inimical United Nations in at least a generation. to the national interest of the United When Bush I commenced the first war States. Shashi Tharoor, a U.N. undersecreagainst Saddam Hussein, he enjoyed the tary for public relations, argues that it It is an international club for demagogues, despots and explicit support of the United Nations. uniquely serves U.S. interests because mass murderers that is in need of drastic reform. Operation Desert Storm coincided with defining “U.S. action in terms of internathe end of the Cold War and the inaugura- tional law universalizes American interests accordance with a special agreement or to 1815, warfare continually consumed tion of what President Bush celebrated as and comforts potential allies.” Yet interna- agreements, armed forces, assistance and Europe, often involving vital U.S. interests. a “new world order.” Thus, in the earliest tional norms, values and principles will facilities.” And in 1998, the United Nations In each case, Presidents Adams, Jefferson moments of the post-Cold War era, the inevitably collide with American interests. assumed judicial functions when it creat- and Madison successfully navigated the United Nations emerged as the “indispen- In such situations, the national interest ed the International Criminal Court — a nation out of war. America’s status as an sable global organization for a globalizing cannot be sacrificed on the altar of inter- clear violation of the Constitution. industrial and military power in 2003 only Although the Bush administrated has makes it easier to ensure our independworld.” More than a decade later, the war national harmony. Ultimately, the proper relationship withdrawn the U.S. signature from the ence from foreign wars. This position is on terror has endangered the very existence of the United Nations. The organiza- between the United States and the United international treaty that established the not synonymous with isolationism — tion was founded in 1945 to “take effective Nations depends on the constitutionality court, the incident merely illustrates that rather, it merely requires skepticism collective measures for the prevention and of the former. This issue in turn revolves the United Nations is a constant threat to toward organizations such as the United Nations. removal of threats to the peace.” Its suc- around whether the United Nations is a our national sovereignty. And now the war with Iraq has raised Is this not what Thomas Jefferson cess in this mission is uncertain. Recent treaty. It is highly unlikely that this classifievents have prompted the foreign policy cation applies to the United Nations in any meant when he warned against “entan- new questions about the viability of the meaningful sense of a “treaty.” According gling alliances?” In fact, the Declaration of United Nations. President Bush’s response elite to rush to its defense. In the to legal tradition, a treaty is simply a Independence cites similar action on the to the Security Council’s recalcitrance Foreign Policy Journal, former formal agreement between independ- part of King George III as one of his offens- suggests that the United Nations will Secretary of State Madelein ent states. In contrast, the Charter of es: “He has combined with others to sub- either be a tool of U.S. imperialism or the Albright meticulously recites the the United Nations more closely ject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our con- stomping grounds of anti-Americans. United Nation’s accomplishments resembles the constitution of a stitution and unacknowledged by our Moreover, an organization in which Syria — Namibia, El Salvador, government, claiming powers laws.” The Framers envisioned an inde- sits on the Security Council, Libya chairs Cambodia, Slavonia, usually reserved for states. For pendent America separated by an “ocean the Human Rights Commission and Iraq Mozambique and Cyprus. example, Article 43 states of fire” from Europe’s incessant warfare. was recently invited to chair the U.N. The United Nations, stephen Conference on that “(a)ll Members ... in Liberal internationalists counter that such International however, has failed to beale order to contribute to the extreme unilateralism is no longer possi- Disarmament cannot continue to mainavert some of the more right maintenance of interna- ble in the age of globalization. Yet we were tain credibility as an advocate for human notable tragedies in words tional peace and security, never more connected with the rest of the rights and conflict resolution. It is an recent years — ethnic undertake to make avail- world than the day after we declared our international club for demagogues, cleansing in Kosovo, able to the Security independence from Great Britain — and despots and mass murderers that is in genocide in Rwanda Council, on its call and in by extension Europe itself. And from 1792 need of drastic reform. In the meantime, and perpetual instabiliPresident Bush should withdraw the ty in the Middle East. United States from the United Nations. While the United Nations Stephen Beale ‘04 is the editor of The Brown Spectator.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2003 · PAGE 12

Women in Tight Pants (and horses)

M. water polo finishes 6th at Northerns

I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT EQUEStrianism. Yet, given the chance to witness the event live, I jumped at the offer to add to the list of sports I know more about than the Average Joe. So, what was it that I saw on my day at the barn? Women in tight pants, for one BRETT ZARDA thing, and that’s SPORTS COLUMNIST not all. There aren’t any games, sets, quarters, periods or matches; there’s a show. It’s an odd conglomeration of events that brings to mind something between iceskating and track and field, only there’s no ice and no people, at least, on their feet. “Like golf, it’s really mental, you just have the added factor of a four-legged animal that gets moody,” one contestant said. There are no 300-pound men, but there are plenty of 300-plus-pound horses. There were no spurs, no lariats, no country music and only one cowboy hat. It’s not a rodeo, it’s a horse show. Still don’t get it? Hold on, we’ll get there. There weren’t any MVPs, statues, trophies or cups, but, if you performed well, you received a color-coordinated ribbon. There’s no seventh inning stretch, no flying eagles, no F-16 fly-bys and no overblown renditions of “God Bless America.” However, the show did start with a National Anthem, thankfully sung by a contestant rather than a pop star. And yes, she was wearing tight pants. You won’t see double plays, or power plays, but you will see plenty of horses jumping. The intricacies and difficulties of controlling a horse in such a refined manner are astounding. Hitting a major league fastball or crushing a 300-yard drive down the fairway requires practice and natural ability, and teaching a horse to obey your command demands the same. There is an attention to detail, form and posture that requires time, talent and a tame beast willing to cooperate. It’s not just whether you and your partner make it over the fence, it’s how you look while you’re doing it. Some say that, in sports, it’s better to look good and lose than look bad and win. In equestrianism, looking bad and winning are mutually exclusive. Which may explain the women in tight pants. Did I mention they ride horses? You won’t find miles of benching, tiers of box seats, or businessmen in suits stuffing their faces and ignoring the game. If you’d like to sit, you’ll need to provide for yourself, be it a beach chair, a picnic bench, or an old comforter. The grass is sparse, trampled, and without logos. You won’t see buildings in the backdrop or blimps in the sky, just ample tree-cover on three sides and a barn on the fourth. It’s a small piece of country, away from the world, away from the contracts and away from the commercials. But — that’s right — not away from women in tight pants. The fans don’t take pictures, cell phones are sparse and signs with acronyms of network initials are nonexistent. You’ll never have beer spilled on you from two rows above, but you may be offered a warm cup of cider, a snack, or a sandwich. Often by a woman, wearing tight pants, who just got off a horse.

BY JINHEE CHUNG

see ZARDA, page 8

Chad Faber / Herald

After 60 years of waiting, the men’s cross country team celebrates its first Heptagonal win.

Men’s cross country wins Ivy League championship BY MELISSA PERLMAN

The Heptagonal League Championship has eluded Brown year after year, turning the Ivy League title into a trophy untouchable for over six decades. But all of that changed this weekend in the hills of Van Cortlandt Park in New York City, when the men won the championship for the first time in Brown’s history. The Bears outdistanced the field by placing all five scorers among the top 16 finishers. Brown’s score of 60 points was nine better than runner-up Columbia’s and 25 ahead of Yale’s. “We had all these feelings about how great it would be to win, but we didn’t talk about it and we didn’t think about what had happened in the past, because talking too much builds up the pressure and people tend to choke under pressure,” said Brendan O’Keefe ’04. “We just got down to business, got out and got it done.” “Getting it done” for Brown was a core group of juniors and seniors at the front of the field. Jeff Gaudette ’05 led the way, finishing fifth overall with a time of 24-minutes, 15 seconds for the 8K. Gaudette, who sat out most of the season with a calf injury, remained in top shape by cross training on the bike and in the pool. Running in only his second race of the season, Gaudette improved his performance from last year’s Heptagonal Championship by 46 seconds and earned himself First Team All-Ivy honors. Gaudette was followed by a close pack of Brown runners that included Pat Tarpy ’05 in 12th and Matthew

Emond ‘03, Mike DeCoste ’04 and O’Keefe in 13th, 14th and 16th respectively. Tarpy, Emond and DeCoste all earned Second Team All-Ivy honors. But it was O’Keefe’s 16th place finish that clinched the title for Brown. O’Keefe finished 13 places ahead of Columbia’s fifth runner in a race decided by only nine points. Coach John Gregorek’s race plan sent the top five Brown men out in three groups, all of them expected to run at the front of the race. The Van Cortlandt course requires a fast start to establish a good position before the challenging back hills. “Historically, things don’t change after the 5K point in the race,” Gregorek said. “It is a combination of the way the course is set up, and also that people tend to run the race going out fast and coasting the last two miles.” As Gregorek had predicted, the Brown men’s positioning hardly changed after the first mile. All five scorers were among the top 20 runners in the field at the mile mark, and all five kept their placing through the finish line. Gregorek attributed the team’s success to its upperclassmen leaders. “Their leadership this entire season has been invaluable,” Gregorek said. “The seniors showed the team how to train and how to live away from training, and set a very good example for the younger guys to watch.” O’Keefe said he sees the meet as the see CROSS COUNTRY, page 8

The men’s water polo team wrapped up its season last week with a sixth-place finish at the Northern Division Championships and an overall record of 10-12. The first game of the tournament, held at Harvard, pit the Bears against Iona for the second time this weekend. Though the previous match-up resulted in a 10-7 victory for Brown, Iona defeated the Bears 43, winning a spot at the Eastern Championships this week. “The score was a testimony to the defensive effort,” said Tri-Captain Keith Stanski ’04. “We held them to four goals, which was an accomplishment, but offensively we just couldn’t put the ball in the cage.” Brown’s three goals were scored by Tricaptain Doug Grutzmacher ’04, Thomas Payton ’07 and Andy Wiener ’06. Jay Fantone ’06 stopped seven shots in goal. Despite the loss of a bid to the Eastern Division Championship, Brown rebounded from its defeat quickly, and soundly defeated Connecticut College the following day, 18-4. This time, the offense stepped up with a 28 minute scoring spree. Grutzmacher led the way, netting an impressive six goals for Brown, in addition to three scored by tricaptain Dan Spencer ’04. Stanski, who played goalie for three of the four quarters, also made an appearance as an offensive player in the last quarter, and scored his first goal of the season. The younger members of the team performed as well, tallying eight of the ten points on the scoreboard. John Bourne ’07 scored four goals, Alex Cripe ’07, two, and Stu Thompson ’07 and Greg Harm ’06 added one each as well. In its final game of the weekend, Brown went head-to-head with Harvard for the third time this season. But after two wins, the Bears dropped a close game to Harvard, with a score of 8-7, and consequently placed sixth in the tournament. “The Harvard game was disappointing,” Stanski said. “The defense was not intense, and our shots didn’t fall.” Brown also had to play without the offensive strength of Sean Tiner ’06, who was out due to a shoulder injury, and team members Pat Sandys ’05 and Paul D’Avino ’05, both of whom were ejected from the game for technical reasons. Despite the disappointments of the weekend, the team has taken great strides over the past months, a credit to its younger members, Stanksi said. “There are some really impressive people in the Brown water polo program,” he said. “It’s an up-and-coming team, and bound to be successful in the coming years.” Herald staff writer Jinhee Chung ’05 covers men’s water polo. She can be reached at jchung@browndailyherald.com

write sports.