T H U R S D A Y MARCH 4, 2004
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 25
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
UCS discusses meal plan changes, housing lottery scavenger hunt
Inflation outpacing library’s budget, limiting acquisitions BY KATE CONSIDINE
important issue facing all generations,” said Jeff Yoskowitz ’07. Fink, in an entertaining six-minute speech, held that the hamentasch was more “freeing” than its latke challenger, because it can be filled with anything from prunes to poppy seeds. The hamentasch also boasts “design flexibility” since it can be folded in a variety of ways, he said. “(Purim) is a holiday of liberation, and the hamentaschen is a symbol of that,” Fink said. In support of the latke, Bienenstock gave a Power Point presentation on the significance of the “johnny cake.” In a series of humorous slides applying the latke to neurological and mathematical
The disparity between rising book costs and the Brown’s library budget has created a budget crunch limiting the library’s ability to purchase new materials. The cost of library materials has gone up faster than the prices of other consumer goods, meaning libraries’ budgets must be stretched to pay for expected inflation and the increased material costs, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning. In recent years, Brown’s library system has received an annual budget increase of between 1 and 3 percent, but a $1 million one-time increase in 2003 didn’t have a large effect on the libraries’ ability to make new acquisitions, according to Bill Monroe, head of the collection development department. “This situation is not unique to the Brown library. Every university struggles with this, but we have been slower than some places to recognize this,” Spies said. No single factor led to the chronic underfunding of the library, he said, though the recent economic downturn is partly to blame. It is only when the University provides a budget increase big enough to cover inflation that the libraries can begin to think about increasing the size of their collections, according to Pat Putney, head of acquisitions. “The library has been trying to deal with inflation and to build the collections and provide faculty and students with the resources they need,” Putney said. For this fiscal year, the library’s acquisitions budget was held flat during the regular allocation cycle, meaning that it received the same amount of money it did last year. Still, “the library did better than most” departments in the regular budg-
see DEBATE, page 4
see LIBRARY, page 6
BY KRISTA HACHEY
Gretchen Willis and Virginia Dunleavy, director and associate director of Brown Dining Services, met with members of the Undergraduate Council of Students Wednesday to discuss imminent changes to dining at Brown. By the first semester of next year, “meal zones,” the specific times set for breakfast, lunch and dinner, will be eliminated to increase flexibility of the meal plan, Willis said. “This is something the student body has wanted (that UCS) has also been fighting on their behalf for a long time,” said UCS President Rahim Kurji ’05. Willis also announced plans to extend late-night dining service. By next year, BuDS hopes have adequate staffing to extend hours for Josiah’s and the Gate to 2 a.m., Willis said. “Labor is among the toughest nuts to crack,” she said. Dunleavy also highlighted recent BuDS projects, including an expanded community harvest program supporting the local farm industry. She said she plans to solicit student feedback regarding expanded menus, the new pizza vending machines and cooperative efforts with local businesses like Dunkin Donuts and Ben and Jerry’s. Dunleavy also envisions an “aesthetic facelift” for certain aspects of the dining halls, she said. UCS Associate Member Emily Blatter ’07 raised the possibility of using meal credits in the Blue Room, but Willis said it isn’t feasible. “If we allowed 3,700 students to potentially use their credit there, it would not be able to function. Until we move to a larger venue, we’d just get pummeled,” she said. see UCS, page 6
www.browndailyherald.com
Nick Neely / Herald
Shalom and Shira Krinsky raise their hands in favor of latkes, supported by debator Eve Bienenstock, professor of applied mathematics.The vote, however, resulted in a 13-13 tie.
Hamentaschen portrayed as liberators, latkes as logical in Hillel-sponsored debate BY MELANIE WOLFGANG
Nostalgia, existentialism and triumph were among the topics discussed at Wednesday night’s Latke-Hamentaschen Debate, sponsored by Brown Hillel. The event, which added a little flair to typical college forensics, featured Professor of Applied Mathematics Elie Bienenstock arguing for the superiority of the latke and RISD Professor of English Michael Fink championing the hamentasch. Hamentaschen are triangular pastries that often have fruit filling and are traditionally served during Purim, a holiday celebrating the Jewish victory over the evil royal advisor Hamen. Latkes, on the other hand, are composed of grated potatoes and are typically eaten during Hanukkah. “I think it was a fair-balanced look at an
Commentary arises through research and relevance, artist says BY STEWART DEARING
Mark Cho / Herald
Professor and artist Michael Ray Charles discussed the confluence of politics and aesthetics in his work at a Wednesday night lecture in List Auditorium.
By combining art and historical research, Michael Ray Charles, associate professor of art at the University of Texas-Austin, said he makes his work effective as social commentary. Charles researches imagery of African Americans throughout history and tries to look at the images in a new way and explain them in his own work, he said in a lecture Wednesday afternoon in List Auditorium.. “My work is about communicating certain ideas about blacks — stereotypes of relationships between whites and blacks, advertisements, pop culture and word play,” he said.
I N S I D E T H U R S D AY, M A RC H 4 , 2 0 0 4 RISD President Roger Mandle hears student feedback on $2.5 million budget deficit risd news, page 3
RISD students still frustrated by lack of information on lab fees risd news, page 3
Rachel Marshall ’04 says women’s abortion rights might be on the way out column, page 11
Charles began his work in graduate school at the University of Houston by studying 19th-century advertisements for minstrelsy. Minstrelsy “contributed to a lot of concepts of blackness and our perception of them in the entertainment business,” he said. These early advertisements, especially those made after the end of slavery in the United States, frame what an adult black male was supposed to be in society, Charles said. He showed several 19th-century advertisements for the circus, which he see CHARLES, page 4
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Religion is not a good reason to ban gay marriage, according to Laura Martin ’06 column, page 11
Gymnastics takes third place out of four teams in Ivy League competition sports, page 12
showers high 51 low 34