W E D N E S D A Y FEBRUARY 16, 2005
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXL, No. 16
www.browndailyherald.com
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
SPLITSVILLE Command performance by injured grappler Mike Pedro ’06 pins a win in a tough weekend S P O R T S 12
Admission office, athletics cooperate to find student-althetes who balance work and gameplay FOCUS 3
TODAY
TOMORROW
showers 52 / 27
sunny 38 / 17
Professors embrace ‘smart’ classrooms BY ELIZA LANE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Technologically advanced “smart” classrooms are cropping up on university campuses all over the nation, and Brown is no exception. While a handful of students, faculty and administrators at the University remain doubtful about the potential upside of the costly technology, the majority considers the developments to be a welcome tool that aids the learning process. “These classroom improvements are invaluable,” said Ronald Dunleavy, manager of Media Services at the University. Media Services is responsible for purchasing the new equipment and for installing it in selected classrooms. There are currently 150 smart classrooms sponsored by Media Services, although some argue that the real number is much smaller, around 75. “Smart” is a flexible term that can be used to describe a wide range of classrooms, Dunleavy said. At the low end of the spectrum, smart classrooms feature basic audio-visual equipment: a DVD/VHS combination unit and a data projector. The standard equipment in larger smart classrooms, such as lecture halls and auditoriums, also includes an integrated microphone and sound system. The most impressive smart classrooms on campus — such as those in Sayles Hall and Smith-Buananno — have all the standard equipment, as well as touch-screen panels to control lighting and window shades. Technology found in individual classrooms may also include a video see SMART, page 6
BY BEN LEUBSDORF SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Gabriella Doob / Herald
Professors compete for room assignments in “smart” classrooms such as SmithBuannano 106 that enable them to take advantage of advanced audio-visual technology in their lectures.
Cartoon Network? Fox News? Poll solicits channel replacements BY SONIA SARAIYA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Answering general complaints about unpopular “educational” channels, the Undergraduate Council of Students is conducting a poll to see what channels students would like to see instead, said Brian Bidadi ’06, chair of the UCS Admission and Student Services committee. “UCS wants to substitute two other channels available for more desirable programming,” he said. “Two of the channels are really inadequate for the students. Also, they’re highly replacable,” Bidadi said, referring specifically to the NASA channel and Russian Television Network. He cited the availability of NASA content online, which he said renders the present channel unnecessary. Bidadi said he thinks students are more interested in channels such as Cartoon Network, the Discovery or History channels, Fox News and the New England Sports Network, which according to Bidadi would be popular on campus because it carries Boston Red Sox games. Many students agree with Bidadi. Morgan Brewster ’06 and Amanda Parker ’07 both said they would eliminate RTN, and Parker added she would
UCS aims to bring kegs back on campus
also get rid of the NASA channel. “I think we should have a Discovery Channel or a History or (The) Learning Channel … and Cartoon Network. That’s all I watch,” said Nanette Milner ’06. But some professors disagree. RTN is used as part of class assignments for Russian language students, said Svetlana Evdokimova, professor and department chair of Slavic studies. Upon hearing that the replacement would be determined by the students, she said, “The problem is (RTN) is important for students, especially important for concentrators. … We would rather leave it in place.” The NASA channel is important to the Department of Geological Sciences, said Deborah Glavin, coordinator for the Planetary Data Center. The loss would be “catastrophic for us,” she said, because of the University’s standing with NASA as one of nine institutions in the country that shares significant data with NASA for current missions, has a library dedicated to planetary information and offers a Ph.D. in planetary geology. Glavin said the University is the
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C A B L E B OX
Channels already paid for by the University but not currently broadcast to dorms: Bloomberg Television C-SPAN 2 Cartoon Network CNN Headline News ESPNEWS ESPN Classic Fox News Channel Game Show Network Lifetime MTV 2 Nickelodeon TBS USA Network The Weather Channel Source: Computing and Information Services
see CABLE, page 4 195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Some students are seeking to restore what many consider an icon of college life after its absence from campus for over a decade. The Undergraduate Council of Students will introduce a resolution today calling for the University to lift the ban on kegs and instead regulate their use on campus. Kegs were banned from campus during the 1990-91 academic year, according to Robin Rose, current director of leadership programs and former dean of campus life. Brian Bidadi ’06, chair of the UCS Admission and Student Services committee, said a draft resolution calling for an end to the ban will be introduced at the UCS meeting tonight and will be debated and voted on Feb. 23. A question about the ban on kegs has been included in the WebCT poll accompanying the instant runoff voting referendum this week. The resolution cites several arguments for allowing kegs on campus, including their lower cost versus canned beer and the environmental benefits of drinkers using one cup versus many cans of beer. The resolution calls for “the University to investigate methods of facilitating safe social events … while giving students the freedom and responsibility of making wise, individual life decisions.” It specifically mentions measures such as marking students’ hands each time they receive a drink from a keg and using a standard 12ounce cup size to help students keep track of the number of drinks they consume. Frances Mantak, director of health education, said there are legitimate health concerns about the use of kegs “because of the way the beer is provided.” She cited the practice of “topping off” a cup as a way students could lose track of the number of drinks they had consumed, and named “keg stands” as a risky behavior that could lead to alcohol poisoning. Mantak said her main concern was that students would feel the need to finish off a keg at the end of a party, leading to greater and perhaps unsafe alcohol consumption. Rose said concern about students losing track of their alcohol consumption when drinking from kegs was the main force behind the ban. Kegs are “unsafe,” Mantak said, and are “banned or closely regulated at most college campuses.” Bidadi argued that even though kegs have remained available at off-campus parties not regulated by the University, no Brown student has ever died of alcoholrelated causes, which he attributed in part to the work of Brown Emergency Medical Services. He also said concerns about kegs representing a source of cheap bulk alcohol, which experts say is linked to binge drinking and alcohol poisoning, are moot in the face of University regulations allowing registered parties to serve punch up to 80 proof, equivalent to many hard liquors. “It’s almost hypocritical of the administration to allow one and not the other,” Bidadi said. The resolution text notes that see KEGS, page 4 News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com