W E D N E S D A Y FEBRUARY 25, 2004
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 19
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
Dexter ’06 dies of Hodgkin’s Disease BY LISA MANDLE
Nick Neely / Herald
Bystanders watch a fire engine pass the corner of Lloyd and Hope streets after a fire alarm interrupted the second period of Saturday afternoon’s women’s hockey game against Union College, forcing the evacuation of Meehan Auditorium.
Roger Williams U. group awards whites-only scholarship BY ZACH BARTER
The College Republicans of Roger Williams University have never been strangers to controversy. Last fall, the school temporarily froze the club’s funding after an issue of its newsletter accused a gay-rights group of brainwashing students into homosexual sex. But when the club awarded a whites-only scholarship as a statement against affirmative action last week, it found itself at the center of a national media frenzy. To be eligible for the $250 scholarship, applicants had to submit a recent photo “to confirm whiteness.” Applicants were also asked to write an essay describing “why you are proud of your white heritage” and “what being white means to you.” The scholarship, funded by the College Republicans and two outside donors, was awarded Feb. 18 on the university’s Bristol campus. But after having second thoughts, Adam Noska, the award’s recipient, decided to donate the money to a fund for victims of the Station nightclub fire. see RWU, page 4
University will replace aging dorm furniture BY DANA GOLDSTEIN
Many students will find more than just new neighbors when they move into their dormitories in the fall. Four dorms — Hegeman, Caswell, Metcalf and Miller — will be renovated and refurbished this summer, President Ruth Simmons told students in her Feb. 10 Presidential Address. Rooms in several other dormitories will be refurbished but not renovated, said Director of Housing Rich Bova. “We are going to refurbish 600 bed spaces,” Bova said. “We are approaching our critical renewal cycle for student rooms.” The “renewal cycle” lasts about 12 to 15 years, the maximum amount of time the University expects to use any set of student furniture, Bova said. A typical set of furniture contains a bed frame, a closet, a desk, a desk chair and one or two sets of drawers. To ensure that student rooms and common spaces receive more regular refurbishment in the future, even when major renovations are not taking place, a new fund has been established by Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene, with the approval of the University Resources Committee. The fund, which will be created over the next one to two years, will earmark money for furniture, Greene said. The Office of Residential Life is cur-
rently working with Residential Council and Undergraduate Council of Students committees to determine which dorms’ furniture is in the worst condition, Bova said. There is a strong possibility that Graduate Center will be refurbished, Greene said. The plan to refurbish 600 student rooms will come at a significant price for the University, which expects to buy in bulk and pay about $1,000 for each set of see FURNITURE, page 6
African Sun changes focus from news to creative expression BY SARAH LABRIE
The African Sun, Brown’s only publication specifically focused on African American expression, has undergone a drastic change in image, and editors hope the new format will increase awareness of the magazine on campus, said Editor Thomas Lax ’06. The Sun, first founded in 1979 and revived two years ago, was originally known for its focus on news items pertinent to the black community. The monthly publication was printed on newsprint and included articles addressing issues such as racial profil-
I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, F E B RUA RY 2 5 , 2 0 0 4 Tufts researchers’ euthanization of dogs draws criticism from student group campus watch, page 3
Crimson study finds high rate of depression among Harvard students campus watch, page 3
New Jersey Coalition forms, striving to offer support for those from the Garden State campus news, page 5
Masha Dexter ’06 — activist, writing fellow and Queer Alliance leader — died Tuesday morning of complications from Hodgkin’s Disease. At Brown, Dexter was an economics concentrator, but she also had a strong interest in gender studies, said Dexter’s former roommate Zoe Billinkoff ’05. Dexter was a Meiklejohn advisor, a writing fellow and a leader within the Queer Alliance, she said. She was very socially conscious, in a catchy way that made the people around her want to do good things, Billinkoff said. Dexter was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease during her freshman year at Brown, Billinkoff said. Despite having to take time off — she left Brown partway through the Fall 2003 semester — “all she wanted was to be a Brown student,” Billinkoff said. Dexter was a “professional get-betterer, not a professional patient,” and some of her close friends did not even know she was sick, Billinkoff said. “She was a vibrant and valued member of the Writing Fellows community, although she was only with us for a few months this past fall,” wrote Director of College Writing Programs Rhoda Flaxman in an e-mail to writing fellows. A memorial service will be held Friday at 11:30 a.m. at Menorah Chapel in Millburn, N.J., Billinkoff said. A separate memorial service might also be held at Brown at a later date. Carla Hansen, associate dean of the Office of Student Life; James Stascavage, assistant dean of the Office of Student Life; Jennifer Rankin, associate director of the Chaplain’s Office; and Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, met at the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center Tuesday night with students and other members of the Brown community who knew Dexter. The gathering was sponsored by the Office of Student Life and the Chaplain’s Office. Students who wish to speak to someone individually are encouraged to contact Psychological Services, the Chaplain’s Office or deans in the Office of Student Life.
ing and affirmative action. The current Sun, developed over the course of the last year and first distributed last semester, is a full-color magazine produced once a semester and dedicated almost exclusively to poetry and other creative works. Lax said the new format has resulted in a surge of submissions and greater enthusiasm for the publication among students. “The goal of the magazine is to provide a space for black people to feel see AFRICAN SUN, page 4
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Nick Noon ’05 tells Roger Williams University that white privilege is real column, page 11
M. wrestling recovers from recent losses to beat Harvard in season’s last match sports, page 8
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