F R I D A Y FEBRUARY 6, 2004
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 8
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
Annual fund organizers hope senior class giving spurs other alumni donations BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET
In an attempt to bolster alumni contributions to the University’s endowment, the Brown Annual Fund and senior class officers are aiming to maintain recent high level of donations from seniors. Approximately 66 percent of seniors have donated to Brown in the past two years, a figure the Annual Fund hopes to increase slightly this year, said Kate Rohnstrom, assistant director of student programs for the Annual Fund. Alumni participation remains below 30 percent, a number the University is actively seeking to raise, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior advisor to the president. Part of the problem is the past inconsistency of alumni solicitation programs, Spies said. “We went for periods of time without asking people to donate,” he said, adding that people lose interest when they lose contact with the University. Senior Class Co-President Arjuna Kuperan ’04 said he agrees. Unlike schools such as Princeton University, which has a strong tradition of alumni giving, Brown’s Annual Fund does not have much of a foundation to build on, Kuperan said. “What the Annual Fund is trying to do with the seniors is foster that in some way,” he said. The University hopes the high level of support from seniors will translate into renewed interest and increased donations from older alumni, Spies said. “When alumni hear that two-thirds of the senior class has made a gift, they think, ‘Wow, something’s right,’” Spies said. “I think what the students don’t understand is how clearly that message gets through to alumni, parents and friends of the University.” The trend has already translated into substantial increases in overall donations, Spies said. He estimated that Brown saw a 16 percent increase in donors last year, which converted into a 17 percent increase in total dollars. This year’s contributions are up 20 percent comsee GIVING, page 4
Jonathan Herman / Herald
Students gathered in Wilson 101 Thursday evening for a forum titled “Black American Princess, or Bourgeois, Arrogant, and Pretentious?”. Participants said the term Black American Princess in not necessarily derogatory.
Forum participants: “Black American Princess” label stigmatizes success BY SHEELA RAMAN
Finally, there’s a solution to every student’s 4 a.m. pizza craving — two large, red machines that recently arrived on campus to satisfy the late-night munchies. The hulking new machines, installed Tuesday, are WonderPizza vending machines that distribute nineinch pizzas for $5 and within two minutes of ordering. According to a Brown University Dining Services representative, the machines will most likely be operational early next week. The pizzas are currently shipped frozen from Italy to the U.S., stored refrigerated inside the machine and then heated inside the machine’s high-intensity oven, according to Jay Conway, a WonderPizzaUSA salesman. The company is currently trying to find an American producer for the pizza, he said.
things society offers, such as a good education, a successful career and economic prosperity. The students said their own positive BLACK HISTORY view strongly diverges from the view MONTH • 2004 mainstream media projects in fluffy, materialistic characters such as Dionne in the movie “Clueless.” If black women redefine BAP in their own terms and discard the common negative stereotypes associated with it — including excessive materialism and snootiness — they can have greater self-respect, most students said. But it is not wrong to value having nice things, said a student from the University of Rhode Island, who attended the forum along with members of the Johnson and Wales and Brown communities. She said she is proud to be a black woman who is not only educated and ambitious, but also well dressed. BAP is not a derogatory term, she said. Yet the negative connotations of the term BAP cannot be ignored, said Associate University Chaplain Sakena deYoung-Scaggs. “BAP is just a continuation of the many derogatory terms given to black women who pursue their goals,” she said, citing “diva,” “mami” and “sapphire” as others. “We need to reclaim all these words by defining them for ourselves instead of letting others define them.” The discussion then shifted to BAPs as an elitist group belonging to exclusive institutions such as country clubs, Ivy League schools and Jack & Jill of America, Inc., a social organization for black families. Most students agreed there is nothing wrong with blacks joining such exclusive establishments if they also recognize their African ancestry and encourage black people who aren’t as privileged.
see PIZZA, page 4
see FORUM, page 6
There’s nothing wrong with being a Black American Princess, according to most students at Thursday’s forum titled “BAPs: Black American Princess, or Bourgeois, Arrogant, and Pretentious?” held in Wilson 101. When forum participants, who were mostly black women, were challenged to define what BAP means to them, most students said it represents any black female, regardless of wealth, who values and strives for the best
Vending machines dispensing pizza from Italy inspire curiosity BY ALEXANDRA BARSK
Jonathan Herman / Herald
Students check out one of two newly arrived Wonder Pizza vending machines.This one is outside the VerneyWoolley Dining Hall, and the other one is inside Josiah’s.
I N S I D E F R I D AY, F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 0 0 4 New book examines Brown’s importance to “Cheaper by the Dozen” arts & culture, page 3
New online textbook exchange opens for business, thanks to Daily Jolt and UCS campus news, page 5
Arta Khakpour ’05 says the deaths of Iraqi citizens are being ignored column, page 11
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Jason Forte ’05 is the primary force behind the men’s basketball team sports, page 12
Men’s tennis sees success in recent competitions, thanks to doubles teams sports, page 12
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