Thursday, March 10, 2005

T H U R S D A Y MARCH 10, 2005

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXL, No. 30 AID FOR ELIS Yale ups the financial aid ante by eliminating family contributions for sub-$45k incomes C A M P U S WATC H

www.browndailyherald.com

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

3

FENCERS FOILED Brown goes to Northeast regionals, but no Bears emerge with national championship invites S P O R T S 12

DREAM SLOB Ian Cropp ’05 is hunting for a job in sports — and looking in some unusual places S P O R T S 12

TODAY

TOMORROW

mostly sunny 32 / 22

wintry mix 39 / 32

Number of minority faculty up

Student use of WebCT can be monitored by instructors

BY JANE PORTER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

BY ARI ROCKLAND-MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A tracking feature built into WebCT allows instructors to monitor student use of their course’s page, unbeknownst to many students and even some professors. With the introduction of an updated version of WebCT at Brown next year, instructors’ capabilities for surveillance will become even more extensive.

Of the professors and teaching assistants who take advantage of this tracking feature, the majority uses it simply to assess WebCT as a teaching tool.

However, a small minority of instructors has used WebCT to evaluate their students’ level of commitment and class participation. On rare occasions, professors have even used WebCT tracking to help determine a student’s grade.

According to Stephanie Birdsall, lead communication specialist at Computing and Information Services, course instructors can track student use of WebCT in a section called “Manage Course.” There, they can see the first time a student logged in to that course’s WebCT page, each student’s most recent time of login, cumulative hits and the number of times he or she has posted on the discussion board or read other students’ posts. However, instructors cannot track the exact pages a student has navigated to on the web page.

Currently, the only way an instructor can obtain more comprehensive information about each student’s use of a course’s WebCT page is by setting up a content module, a more complex process that few professors have shown interest in. Once a professor or TA creates a content module, he or she can see how many times a student has clicked on every page within a WebCT site, the average amount of a time a student has spent viewing each page and the total see WEBCT, page 6

Brown has the highest percentage of tenured faculty members who are black in the Ivy League, according to a recent study reported in the New York Times. But expanding and hiring a more diverse faculty is still a forefront issue for the administration, and there is no easy solution.

Of Brown’s 628 faculty members 190 are women (30 percent) and 99 are minorities (16 percent). Asians represent the majority of this 16 percent, with blacks comprising 4 percent of the faculty and Hispanics representing around 3 percent.

In the past five years, the proportions of women and minority faculty members have each increased by 2 percent.

“This ratio is, relatively speaking, very high,” said Dean of the Faculty Rajiv Vohra P’07. “This is not something that happens overnight.”

Faculty diversity is department-specific. Though women represent 47 percent of Brown’s faculty in the humanities, the number drops down to only 9 percent in the physical sciences, with 15 women see FACULTY, page 4 Chris Bennett / Herald

College Hill convenience stores offer customers a variety of goods at varying prices.

Store24, CVS cheapest among local convenience stores

BY TARYN MARTINEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

College Hill boasts many options for students to satisfy their late night hunger pangs, but it could cost them — local convenience stores vary widely in their pricing, from the relatively cheap Store24 and CVS to the far more expensive Campus Market.

So where are the best bargains? The Herald conducted a comparison of four typical college student buys — a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, a 20-ounce VitaminWater, a 10-ounce box of CheezIt and a bowl of Betty Crocker Bowl Appetit — at five local convenience

Howie Day to play Spring Weekend Singer-songwriter Howie Day will perform at the Saturday concert on the Main Green during Spring Weekend, the Brown Concert Agency confirmed Wednesday.

The Bangor, Maine, native will open for Ben Folds at the April 23 show, said John Chernin ’06, a BCA representative.

Day is known for his improvisational live performances, which make each performance unique. A fan-created Web site allows enthusiasts to swap recordings of Day’s concerts, with his blessing.

Chernin said he did not know exactly how much Day will cost to bring to campus. But, he said, “there is essentially no money left now” in the BCA budget.

BCA had $20,000 left out of its $105,000 budget after securing Folds, The Shins and Talib Kweli for the annual spring concerts. Kweli and The Shins will perform at Meehan Auditorium on Thursday night. The Shins will bring an

opening band, currently unknown to BCA, as part of their fee, said BCA chair Randi Siegel ’05.

BCA hopes to get one more, smaller band for Saturday’s concert, Chernin said. “We have enough options that one more band will definitely work out,” he said.

BCA’s next step is to recruit volunteers. They will be holding recruitment meetings for security, stage crew and publicity on March 22 and 23, and will be posting flyers with details soon, Siegel said. “Now our job is setting up logistics, reserving Ben Folds’ piano, things like that,” Siegel said.

“I’m just totally thrilled about this lineup. I haven’t heard a single bad thing about any of the four bands. The Brown community is really happy with the lineup and that’s all that matters,” Siegel said.

— Ben Leubsdorf

Editorial: 401.351.3372 Business: 401.351.3269

stores: Store 24, CVS and 20-oz. 1 pint Ben 10-oz.

1 bowl Betty Metro Mart on Thayer Street, Vitamin & Jerry’s box of Crocker Bowl Eastside Mini-Mart on Brook Water ice cream Cheez-It Appetit Street and Campus Market, which is run by the CVS N/A $3.99 $3.19 $1.79 University and accepts Campus FlexPoints. $2.25 $4.50* $3.55 $3.75 Store 24, a popular loca- Market tion for late-night munchie East Side $1.69 $3.99 $3.65 $2.25 runs, proved to be the Mini-Mart cheapest source for Ben & Metro $1.59 $4.99 $3.79# N/A Jerry’s ice cream, which cost Mart $3.89 without tax. A bottle of $3.89 $3.29 $1.89 VitaminWater is available Store 24 $1.49 * = Ben & Jerry’s is sold at The Gate # = Metro Mart sells Cheese Nips for $1.49, a box of Cheez-It costs $3.29 and a Bowl Appetit goes for dime more than what Store24 charges.

VitaminWater is $1.69 and a box of $1.89.

“Our prices are comparable, and in Cheez-It is $3.65. The Bowl Appetit was most cases lower, than supermarkets’,” $2.25.

Eastside Mini-Mart’s produce — some said Store 24 General Manager Joe Maraia. “Our prices have come down of it organic — comes from Rocks, a Rhode Island-based distributor. quite a bit.”

“Prices are strong in some areas and Store 24 carries produce, which is bought from a market in Boston twice a high in others,” said Eastside Mini-Mart week. It is also the only carrier of Krispy Manager Dave Faria. “You have to average them.” He pointed to the store’s low Kreme doughnuts on College Hill.

While patronage by Brown students milk prices “below supermarket price” as hasn’t been as good as usual lately, “we an example.

Metro Mart, a more recent addition to still love ’em”, he said.

A short walk up Thayer Street, at the area, has a small selection and tendCushing Street, is CVS. The drug store ed to be pricer. Ben & Jerry’s here was stocks snack foods at low prices: Cheez- more expensive than even at the Gate, at Its were $3.19, a Bowl Appetit were a low $4.99 a pint. VitaminWater was $1.59. A $1.79, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s was 13-ounce box of Cheese Nips was $3.79. $3.99. CVS didn’t, however, carry produce Metro Mart does not carry Bowl Appetit or produce. or VitaminWater.

However Campus Market, the Eastside Mini-Mart is on Brook Street across from Barbour Hall. The store car- University-run store in Faunce House, ries a larger selection than several of its was the most expensive of the five stores.

Campus Market does not stock Ben & competitors, but prices here ran a bit Jerry’s, though pints are sold at the Gate higher than Store24 and CVS. A pint of Ben & Jerry’s at Eastside Mini-Mart costs $3.99 without tax — a see FOOD, page 9

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

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THIS MORNING THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 · PAGE 2 Coreacracy Eddie Ahn

WORLD IN BRIEF Dan Rather exits as CBS anchor as only he would THE BALTIMORE SUN “Courage” — that was Dan Rather’s final message to viewers Wednesday night after 24 years at the anchor desk of the CBS Evening News.

After moving through the majority of his final newscast with an air of professionalism and surprising control, Rather returned to using the single-word signoff that had become emblematic of his sometimes eccentric and overly emotional anchor-desk demeanor.

Wednesday night, he seemed to be

speaking in defiance of the many critics this week who denied him the accolades and kind words typically accorded previously departing anchormen such as NBC’s Tom Brokaw in November — or Walter Cronkite, whom Rather succeeded in 1981.

“Not long after I first came to the anchor chair, I briefly signed off using the word ‘Courage.’ I want to return to it now in a different way,” Rather said, setting up his final words in the broadcast, rated third in network news.

Jero Matt Vascellaro

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS ABAYUDAYA: THE JEWS OF UGANDA 7-9:30 p.m. (Brown Hillel, 80 Brown St.) — A discussion of shared experiences showcased through photographs and words. The talk will be followed by the opening reception at 8:30 p.m

IRAQ WAR VETS SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE WAR AND OCCUPATION 7-9 p.m. (Salomon 001) — Jim Talib and Patrick Resta recently returned to the United States after spending most of 2004 serving in Iraq.

They are members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Talib and Resta will speak about their experiences in Iraq, why they are opposed to the war and occupation and the work of IVAW.

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Grilled Ham and Swiss Sandwich, Savory Spinach, Cheesecake Brownies, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Vegan Tofu, Raviolis with Sauce, Artichoke Pepper Calzone.

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Fagoli Soup, Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, Hot Roast Beef on French Bread, Vegan Tofu Raviolis with Sauce, Summer Squash Cheesecake Brownies.

DINNER — Roast Turkey with Sauce, Mashed Sweet and White Potatoes, Stuffing, Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic, Carrots Vichy, Italian Bread, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting.

DINNER — Vegetarian Fagoli Soup, Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, Italian Meatloaf, Vegan Ratatouille, Vegan Rice Pilaf, Zucchini, Carrot and Garlic Medley, Mandarin Blend Vegetables, Italian Bread, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting, Carribean Rum Cake.

How to Get Down Nate Saunders

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Droop 5 Popped 10 When tripled, a WWII film 14 Roquefort hue 15 Fencing swords 16 Mother of Chas.

17 Astronaut Shepard 18 Dodge 19 Geom. shape 20 Make an offer 23 Pa. plant in 1979 news 25 Slithery catch 26 Greek column style 27 Union member 32 Treetop ornament 33 Through 34 Corn core 37 Tricky maneuver 38 Country singer Tucker 40 Zippo 41 Roget wd.

42 Bud on the trail 43 Hudson and Jackson 44 Publisher’s pursuit 47 Refuel 50 Have a bite 51 That, in Tabasco 52 Tournament favorite 57 Cool quaffs 58 Openly admits 59 Writer Hubbard 62 Tee off 63 “Heavy” genre 64 His last word was “Rosebud” 65 Riga denizen 66 Words before and after “for,” in the Bible 67 Otherwise DOWN 1 Pugilists’ gp.

2 Under the weather 3 Pressuring 4 Yellowfin, e.g.

5 Not avoid 39 Jackie’s second 48 War hero detection 40 Badger Murphy 6 Defend, as 42 Love-crazy Le 49 Process, as ore 53 Incarnation of against criticism Pew 7 Horse halter?

43 Flier on a string Vishnu 8 Withered 44 Squares, vis-à54 “Emeril Live” 9 Clucks of vis fixture disapproval quadrilaterals 55 Staff entry 10 Brat 45 Bargaining need 56 Paul’s “The 11 Common 46 Contend, Prize” costar triglyceride colloquially 60 Switch positions 12 Christina of 47 Twist into knots 61 Born “Sleepy Hollow” ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 13 Montezuma, e.g.

S O A P E M U S P E A K S 21 Bite, maybe R A R E A N G I E E T T A 22 Jetty R H I N E S T O N E E T O N 23 Pitfalls I S A A D O R N S A N 24 Virile A W A C S R S T U Y I P S 28 Florida Z E E W A L L S P A C E attraction 29 Acting family O U I J A A G E N T name A G E S A N D A G E S 30 Growth on S W I S S N I V E N campus P A R S E V E N I R O N 31 Field T A R O D E U C E A X L E 34 Wren creation I D E A L R C A B T U 35 “Golden Boy” M O A T V A N I L L A I C E playwright A W E D R U N E A L E C K 36 Opera villain, often M O D E I T E R C A R T E 38 It paves the way xwordeditor@aol.com 03/10/05 1

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CAMPUS WATCH THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 · PAGE 3

Yale announces financial aid increases

BY ROBIN STEELE STAFF WRITER

Yale University will eliminate the family contribution for families with incomes of less than $45,000 as part of a new undergraduate financial aid policy to take effect in the 2005-06 academic year.

The policy, which was unveiled last week by Yale President Richard Levin, will also reduce the tuition payments for families making between $45,000 and $60,000 by about 50 percent. This will be applicable to both incoming and returning students. Yale also intends to provide greater support for summer programs and internships, and international students will now receive four paid round trips home during their time at Yale, instead of one.

“The motivation of the changes is to ensure that Yale remains accessible and affordable to students of limited or modest means,” said Tom Conroy, deputy director of public affairs at Yale. According to Conroy, Yale hopes these changes will encourage students in lower income categories to apply, but cannot predict how many will be accepted and choose to attend.

Prior to these changes, Yale had a longstanding need-blind admission policy and was committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of admitted students, Conroy said.

The announcement of the financial aid policy changes came after actions taken by several student see YALE, page 7

BC refuses to adopt sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy despite student support

BY ERIC BECK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Boston College students voted overwhelmingly last week to add sexual orientation to the school’s nondiscrimination policy, but the school’s administration says it will not act on the vote because the change would violate the Catholic principles of the institution.

Nearly half of the undergraduate body at BC voted, and about 84 percent of voters — 3,402 students — supported the referendum to amend the university’s nondiscrimination policy “to include equal protection against discrimination for people of all sexual orientations.” Only 651 students cast a vote against the proposal.

Nick Salter, a BC sophomore and co-sponsor of the referendum, told The Herald that the turnout was the highest of any student vote at BC. BC’s current policy, which covers employment, housing and education practices, including admission, prohibits discrimination based on “race, sex, age, national and ethnic origin, religion, disabilities, marital or parental status, veteran status or personal history.”

The policy also reads, “in addition, in a manner faithful to the Jesuit, Catholic principles and values that sustain its mission and heritage, Boston College is in compliance with applicable state laws providing equal opportunity without regard to sexual orientation.”

All but eight of the country’s 28 Jesuit colleges and universities formally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to the Heights, BC’s student newspaper.

The referendum was non-binding and was designed only to reflect student opinion. BC officials say they do not plan on changing the policy.

“Unfortunately, it became a referendum on discrimination — which we all oppose — as opposed to a referendum on the rights of religiously-affiliated institutions to

preserve their protection provided in state law,” said Jack Dunn, director of public affairs at BC. Though Massachusetts law requires sexual orientation to be included in nondiscrimination policies, Dunn said, it also provides an “exemption clause” for religious institutions such as BC. “Chapter 151B of Massachusetts state law provides protection to all religiously-affiliated institutions that prevents them from taking actions in conflict with religious beliefs and values,” Dunn said.

“As a religious institution, we feel that adding the words ‘sexual orientation’ to this list could have very negative consequences for the university as it tries to live out its Catholic commitment,” he said.

According to the Heights, the addition of sexual orientation to BC’s nondiscrimination policy would cause the university to relinquish the protection of the exemption clause, allowing lawsuits to be brought against it in civil court by gays claiming to have experienced discrimination.

Dunn said the university nonetheless “opposes discrimination and harassment in any form, including sexual orientation.”

But many students who pushed for the referendum are not satisfied with the administration’s response.

“People are very disappointed that the administration isn’t considering what students and faculty have said.

Their response has been to full-out reject our request,” Salter said.

Luke Howe, a BC junior and president-elect of the undergraduate government, called the administration’s response “quick” and “abrupt.”

Though BC officials said the institution fully opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation, many stusee BC, page 4

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005

Faculty continued from page 1 serving as regular faculty and nine as tenured faculty.

“When you take a humanities class, what percentage of the class is male? And yet you have less than half your faculty are female,” said Catherine Dubé P’05 P’06, senior lecturer in the Department of Community Health and chair of the Committee on the Status of Women. “We really have a long way to go across the board.”

There is no minority faculty in the Institute for Community Health Promotion, where Dubé works.

Brenda Allen, associate provost and director of Institutional Diversity at Brown, said the lack of a diverse hiring pool is the biggest setback to assembling a diverse faculty. “When the pools aren’t there, it’s going to be a tougher nut to crack.”

“You have to be aggressive in order to uncover all the people that are out there,” Allen said. “We don’t just place ads in the papers.”

The Office of Institutional Diversity, established a year and a half ago, is geared towards the issue of hiring and maintaining a more diverse faculty. “It allows us to look at this issue in the context of the University as a whole,” Vohra said.

The Target of Opportunity program allows for more flexibility in terms of hiring and involves a more rigorous search process, Allen said. The program allows Allen to target women in the physical sciences, for example, without the constraints of having to fill a particular job opening by a certain date. “We need to look at every opening as a chance to diversify,” Allen said.

The plan works in conjunction with Brown’s Plan for Academic Enrichment, which is expanding the faculty size by 20 percent.

Around 20 to 25 of the 100 incre-

mental positions offered as a result of the plan are specifically geared towards Target of Opportunity candidates.

But the plan is not designed with particular quotas in mind, Vohra said, and diversity does not just mean women and minorities.

“It’s important to think in more aggregate terms,” he said.

“We are not trying to fill the slots we have,” Vohra said. “We are expanding.” With the addition of 50 new faculty members this past fall, the faculty size is the biggest it has ever been and is growing still.

As of last month, 34 percent of the faculty hired through the plan have been women, 27 percent have been minorities and 10 percent have been minority women.

But hiring a more diverse faculty is not where the issue ends, Allen said. “It’s not enough to just get people to your campus,” she said. “You need to see them through.”

Dubé, a single mother of two, has worked at Brown since 1986 and struggled with balancing her career and her family life for many years, an issue she believes holds many women back from careers in academia.

“There is nothing easy about being a woman at Brown except for the fact that we have a woman president,” Dubé said. “There is not a single woman chair in (any) clinical department,” Dubé said, which makes it very difficult for entering faculty in the field to find role models.

The Faculty Development Advisory Board was established this academic year to help all new faculty get a grip on their professional careers at Brown, Vohra said. He hopes the board will learn more about the particular needs of faculty and will provide workshops and programs to help meet these needs.

The first of these workshops will focus on mentoring and will take place on April 21, Allen said.

“It’s an issue of professional development — what they should

be doing to move forward in their field,” Vohra said, emphasizing that the workshops are for all faculty, not just minorities and women.

But minority and female faculty often do face additional burdens in their professional lives, ones they should be properly trained to deal with, Allen said.

“Women and minorities are often disproportionately called on for community service,” she said.

With low representation in particular areas, many faculty are called on to serve as role models for students or to participate in various minority or gender groups that can often take up a significant portion of their time.

“I am on sabbatical and here I am working on the (Committee on the Status of Women),” Dubé said.

It is a challenge to find women at Brown willing to volunteer their time to work on the committee, she said.

The Faculty Development Advisory Board is one way Vohra is hoping this issue will be addressed to “provide a more systemic way of looking at this issue,” making department chairs aware that this extra burden is a university-wide issue and not just an individual one.

Diversity within the faculty is also an issue that starts with the students, Vohra said.

“Success here in the long run is how successful we are in training students to go into these fields,” Vohra said. This targeting of young people is what Allen calls the pipeline effect.

“I don’t think we’ve done enough to pay attention to the pipeline,” Allen said, emphasizing the importance of encouraging female and minority students to enter the field of academia.

“Issues need to be raised in a more systematic way,” Allen said.

“Now — in the past year and a half — we have been doing that more … not just dealing with it as a crisis, but developing programs that have long-term significance.”

BC continued from page 3 dents argue that the school’s true commitment can only be shown by changing its official position.

“It’s very symbolic to have those words included in the policy,” Salter said.

But Dunn argues that the university’s stance on discrimination is made clear by its actions.

“I would hope that people realize that Boston College is a most open and tolerant place and that our actions speak louder than words in a policy,” he said.

Mike Yaksich, a BC senior and director of GLBT Issues for the undergraduate government, said he thinks the overwhelming support of the referendum will change BC’s reputation as a place unwelcoming to gays — an image he said he has not found to be true.

“It was really uplifting to have what I’ve been saying all along be validated. … I thought the referendum was a way for the student body to voice its opinion on the issue and show support for gays and lesbians on campus,” he said.

Before the referendum made it onto the ballot, organizers collected over 2,100 student signatures and received endorsements from some 200 faculty members, Salter said.

Howe said he intends to look at how other Catholic institutions have included formal protection for gays without violating church teachings. Both Georgetown University and the University of Notre Dame include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies, he said.

BC has topped headlines before for issues surrounding discrimination of gays. In April 2004, a search to fill an endowed professorship in English ended in controversy after the school’s president refused to accept the

top choice of the search committee — an openly gay man.

The search committee recommended Mark Doty, a nationally renowned poet, as its first choice.

President William Leahy, who must approve of all appointments to endowed professorships, instead wanted to select a different member of the short list, Jonathon Schell. Because of the disagreement, the search was disbanded and the professorship remains vacant.

Members of the search committee suggested the possibility of discrimination after Leahy was unwilling to support Doty or Carl Phillips, another member of the short list who is also openly gay, if Schell turned down the offer.

“President Leahy’s refusal to commit to making a second or third offer to either of our top two choices, combined with the lack of a convincing explanation, could not help but raise our concern that the president did not want an openly gay person to hold this endowed chair,” members of the search committee wrote in an April 2004 letter to the Heights.

But Dunn said the allegations are “completely unfounded.”

“Father Leahy chose Jonathon Schell because he thought he was a superior candidate who best met the needs of BC. To suggest that sexual orientation played a role is unfounded,” he said.

Still, Salter said he thinks the situation “would have had a different outcome” had sexual orientation been included in the university’s nondiscrimination policy. Many people charge the school with legally getting away with discrimination, he said.

Dunn said, “We hope that we have not reached a stage where decisions in hiring that happen to go against gay candidates automatically suggest discrimination. That is a disservice to all people.”

UCS continued from page 5 and state statutes and that the recommendations made “ended up clarifying a process we already have in place here.”

The policy makes recommendations about the processes of dealing with bias, discrimination and harassment. Allen emphasized preserving a certain level of flexibility when dealing with biasrelated issues to “deal with things that are inconsistent with the community we are trying to achieve” even if they are not determined to be harassment, as well as having individuals well trained in dealing with harassment issues.

Allen said that there would eventually be an open forum and that she wants feedback on the draft, which is posted on the Brown Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Web site.

In an internal election, UCS elected Will Cunningham ’07 its new appointments chair. Jess Maddox ’08 was appointed to the Brown Alcohol Advisory Board and Sara Damiano ’08 was appointed to the search committee for a new dean for campus life.

Currently, Margaret Klawunn serves as interim dean for campus life. The former dean, Margaret Jablonski, left Brown for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last summer.

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Brown ACLU pitches anti-Patriot Act resolution at UCS meeting

BY LAURA SUPKOFF STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students meeting last night hosted several visitors, including Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene, who said that with the housing lottery approaching, the time to voice final concerns about proposed coed optional housing in Grad Center was “going, going, gone.”

“I think it’s fair to say that there’s a pretty good consensus in this room in support” of coed housing said UCS President Joel Payne ’05.

Greene said he had encountered concern from only one individual in his talks to various campus groups on the subject.

The Brown chapter of the

American Civil Liberties Union also presented a resolution against the USA Patriot Act that it urged the council to support. “There are a lot of aspects of the Patriot Acts that have direct impact on students’ daily lives,” said EllaRose Chary ’07, vice president of the Brown ACLU. “Because Brown students are so involved, we stand to be more targeted by the Patriot Act,” she said.

“If we pass this (resolution), we’re setting an example.”

According to the Brown ACLU, 21 other universities have already passed a similar resolution, and “the national ACLU believes that other resolutions of this kind … are a reason ‘Patriot Act II’ (the Domestic Security Enhancement

Act of 2003) didn’t get passed,” Chary said.

The resolution will come up for a vote in the next few weeks.

Director of Institutional Diversity Brenda Allen came to present a draft of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Bias Policy’s nondiscrimination and harassment policy, which is a culmination of work done over the past two semesters.

The committee was created last spring by President Ruth Simmons to create “a clear policy statement and a clear set procedure,” Allen said.

She told the council that the policy is consistent with all federal see UCS, page 4

ARA dissatisfied with Simmons’ response to divestment proposal

BY CHRISTOPHER CHON STAFF WRITER

Vowing to continue to fight what it called an “environment of repression” on the campus, Anti-Racist Action on Wednesday expressed its frustration in an open letter to President Ruth Simmons over her decision last month to accept the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investing and reject ARA’s proposal for divestment from all companies doing business with Israel.

By not making her response to the proposal public, ARA wrote, Simmons failed to “comply with the basic principles of democracy: transparency and accountability.”

ARA was founded by seven students but now counts 60 members, according Dara Bayer ’08, an ARA founder. “We will not easily be intimidated or co-opted, since democracy and anti-racism mean far more to us than you can possibly imagine, anticipate or pacify with your misleading gestures,” the group said in its letter to Simmons.

“We made it clear that democratic institutions do not conduct their business behind closed doors; yet you have refrained from presenting publicly in a clear and professional manner what exactly led you (to) decide not to divest,” ARA wrote.

Simmons has not recently received any documents directly from ARA that she has had

BROWN DAILY HERALD .COM

the opportunity to review or comment on, Marisa Quinn, assistant to the president, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald Wednesday.

In a private Feb. 18 letter addressed to Bayer, Simmons relayed her decision to reject ARA’s proposal for divestment from Israel, saying she “concluded that I concur with (ACCRI’s) judgment and I will not recommend this course of action for Brown.”

Simmons suggested ARA consider different forums such as lectures or seminars to further explore and analyze the group’s “issues and ideas.” The president also encouraged ARA to submit requests to bring speakers to campus through a new University fund she established last month to “facilitate a wider variety of lectures and perspectives on the campus.”

ARA, however, dismissed the president’s explanation and suggestion. “You rejected our proposal without so much as engaging in the logic of our arguments,” ARA said in its letter to Simmons. “We will not be bought off like so many other student movements have been in the past on this campus.”

The organization was “disgusted” over what it felt was the University’s insinuation that ARA’s views are of an “extreme minority,” ARA said in its letter.

“This suggestion is untrue and is gratuitously divisive and inflammatory. Our actions are part of a national and international movement to divest from Israel.”

ARA said Israel is a “regime that functions as an Apartheid state in the frontline of American empire in the Middle East,” and that failing to divest is to “remain complicit in institutionalized white supremacy and U.S. empire.”

ARA also asked why the University does not disclose the contents of Brown’s investment portfolio and why the minutes of the ACCRI meeting at which the proposed divestment was rejected have not been made public. “Why would any democratic minded leader consult an ethics commission whose decision making process cannot, for some reason, be subject to public scrutiny?” the letter said.

ACCRI Chair and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies Harold Ward wrote in the committee’s Feb. 15 recommendation letter to Simmons that the ACCRI agreed unanimously that ARA’s proposed divestment did not meet the standards set in its Charter paragraph 1-e-vii, a part of the faculty rules and regulations.

That paragraph says divestment is only appropriate when it “will likely have a positive impact toward correcting the specified social harm and no other effective means of achieving a positive impact within a reasonable time appears to exist.”

Ward could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

ARA posted copies of Simmons’ letter and ARA’s response on its Web site, www.browndivest.org.

PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005

WebCT continued from page 1 time spent on each section of the site.

The upcoming version of the WebCT software, which will be introduced at Brown in Fall 2006, “apparently allows for much more extensive tracking,” Birdsall said. With the new software, all course instructors will easily be able to track exactly which pages a given student has viewed, and precisely how much time students have spent on every section of the site.

Georgy Artemov, a graduate student in economics, said that WebCT’s tracking feature is an extremely useful tool, but expressed concern about it being used as a method of grading. “I would not think anyone could use it in grading or student evaluation explicitly, as it’s easy to manipulate the numbers,” Artemov said.

“On the other hand, when I have a concern about a particular student, I do look at his or her access statistics. That couldn’t

influence the grade, but it might make some difference in borderline cases,” Artemov added.

Ross Cheit, an associate professor of political science and recent recipient of Brown’s “Best of WebCT 2004” award, does use WebCT’s tracking feature, and in rare cases has used the feature to help determine a student’s class participation grade. “I know there is some concern about this feature,” Cheit said, stressing that he only uses it in moderation.

In Fall 2004, Cheit’s first semester using WebCT as a teaching aid, he monitored whether or not students viewed the “Question of the Day” he asked them to ponder before class. He did this primarily to assess WebCT as a teaching aid, but admits that he also looked at each student’s aggregate number of hits when assessing class participation. However, this figure rarely made or broke a student’s grade, as “it only came into play for those with unusually low usage,” Cheit said.

This semester, Cheit is using WebCT to conduct virtual sections. “I have told the class quite explicitly that I can and will look at how many times they posted, and that I will look at that when grading them for participation,” Cheit said. However, he will only mark down those who did not meet the minimal standards, which are clearly described on the site.

But most professors with WebCT course pages do not extensively monitor student use.

“I might check periodically now and then, but I have other ways of evaluating student understanding and participation,” said Caroline Karp, senior lecturer in environmental studies, who is teaching ES 141: “Environmental Policy and Practice” this semester.

Kerry Smith, associate professor of history, was also skeptical about WebCT’s tracking feature.

“My goals with WebCT do not require that level of surveillance,” he said.

Although CIS teaches course instructors how to use WebCT’s tracking features during regular WebCT training sessions, CIS does not explicitly state that these features could be used for student evaluation. “Most faculty find (the tracking features) interesting, but they are interested more in the potential to evaluate the usefulness of WebCT as a teaching tool than in using these features to grade students,” Birdsall said.

WebCT is a commercial product used at many colleges and universities, and these tracking features are most useful for schools that rely exclusively on distance learning as a teaching method, where professors never see their students in person, she said.

However, “it is good for students to know that, in general, any kind of Web-based environment has the potential to be tracked,” Birdsall said.

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Yale continued from page 3 organizations. Josh Eidelson, a junior and a member of the University Organizing Committee was one of 15 students involved in a Feb. 24 sit-in protest at the admissions office demanding financial aid reform. Eidelson told The Herald he was pleased by the financial aid changes but said that the fight is not over. The UOC, a student organization committed to working for social and economic justice at Yale and in New Haven, has focused on reforming the financial aid policy at Yale since September, Eidelson said.

“We believe Yale needs both to attract a more diverse group of students and to give them a more equal and integrated experience while they are here,” Eidelson said. “Last week, Yale made a great step forward in addressing some of our concerns.” However, Eidelson said that Yale has yet to tackle other issues, like creating separate per-parent contributions in divorced families and reducing the required student contribution.

According to Andrew Cedar, a junior and president of the Yale College Council, YCC members have chosen to advocate financial aid reform by working with administrators. In addition, the YCC made a number of recommendations in a resolution passed a few months ago.

“I can’t speak for the whole YCC, but I think this is an excellent step in the right direction,” Cedar said. Yale will continue to examine other aspects of financial aid, including lessening the student contribution, he said.

Cedar also hopes that the administration will look at financial aid reform for often-overlooked middle-income students. He said he hopes these changes will make the school more diverse and cause high school students nationwide to realize that an Ivy League education can now be financially possible.

According to Cedar, students had mixed feelings about the sitin, which came two days after President Levin announced that financial aid changes were forthcoming. “I think overall the entire package of student advocacy between YCC and other students was a successful blend,” Cedar said.

According to Conroy, the Yale spokesman, the sit-in had no effect on the financial aid changes and student opinions had already been transmitted

through President Levin’s student forum and communications from the student government.

As for students hoping for further financial aid improvements, Yale will make changes of some kind in the future, Conroy said.

“Obviously, all students on financial aid would welcome more aid, whether they are going to Yale or Brown or any other school,” he said.

While the approximately 40 percent of Brown students who receive University scholarships would surely welcome further aid, Michael Bartini, director of financial aid at Brown, stressed that Yale and Brown are very different institutions.

The University has financial aid policies that allow students of all backgrounds to come and take advantage of the Brown experience, he said.

Bartini said that although there is room for improvement, it is more important to meet the specific needs of the University’s student body than conform to other institutions’ policies. “In other words, not everybody has to be like Mike,” Bartini said.

Although the University has been a need-based institution for quite some time, its needblind policy was only instituted recently and does not extend to all students, Bartini said. The University’s need-blind policy is similar to those of other Ivy League schools, but unlike Brown, Harvard is need-blind for all students, he said.

For those admitted need-blind to Brown, the University meets 100 percent of demonstrated need, he said. International students are admitted on a needaware basis, meaning that Brown has a limited amount of money and can only admit a certain number, Bartini said. Under Brown’s current policy, international students are eligible for one University-funded round trip home during the course of their four years and are excused from making a summer contribution, he said.

“I think that whenever an institution can do something to help students financially, it’s great,” Bartini said of the changes at Yale.

“It’s important because the students on financial aid should have the same opportunities as students not on financial aid.”

Yale’s aid increases are similar to the changes Harvard made a couple of years ago, he said.

Bartini said that Brown will still be able to compete with most other institutions for students in the lowest income group. The upcoming school year will mark the beginning of the Sidney E.

Frank Scholars Program, which will allow the University to replace the loan portion of financial aid with scholarship funds for Brown students most in need.

Even low-income students who are not Frank Scholars will still be eligible to receive generous financial aid, he said.

Bartini said financial aid is one of President Ruth Simmons’ highest priorities. Among future goals, Bartini cited the need to improve financial aid for foreign and RUE students, and provide additional resources for transfer students.

He said the ultimate goal is a need-blind policy applied to all prospective students. “But it’s hard to look at the future without underscoring the tremendous advances we’ve made in the last half a dozen years. It’s just phenomenal,” Bartini said.

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005

Cropp

Lanza

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the form of multiple Cy Young awards and current franchise players. With my negotiating stick and carrot being larger than Jason Giambi’s biceps, there isn’t any athlete or country I won’t be able to purchase.

• Curler for the United States Curling Team. When else can I yell “Harder! Harder! Faster!

Faster! More! More!?” And how else can I say I pushed snow in more lines then our president?

And you know what the team cheer is: “Do curls to get girls!”

• Bassmaster on the BASS pro tour. First off, I would wear a hat that said “Kick some BASS!” More importantly, fishing is fun, and what better way to pick up chicks then by catching them a delicious bass?

• NASCAR driver. I like fast cars, fast times and fast women.

When career services told me during one of their workshops that this job would fit my skills and personality (it was between that and I-banking), I thought my parents would be happy to know the Brown tuition would finally pay off.

So wish me luck at my interviews. When they ask me what my weakness is, I’ll tell them that I will roll up my pant leg, turn around and show them my Achilles heel.

you are not the same athlete who knocked out 22 opponents in the first round, but you are still unanimously recognized as the hardest puncher in professional boxing.

Thus, you will always have a “puncher’s chance.” After you pummeled Clifford “The Black Rhino” Etienne in Feb. 2003, I told everyone you were back, that the reign of dominance would begin anew, that the Tyson of the late 80s/early 90s was reincarnated…

But then, Danny Williams happened. A 4th-round knockout to a no-name, journeyman fighter from England threw a wrench in these comeback plans. You blamed the loss on a twisted knee in the first round that tore cartilage in several different places, and had arthroscopic surgery a few days later to repair it. What can we possibly expect now? Is your story believable? The rumors swirl in the boxing world that you rarely spar or train until just a few weeks prior to a fight, instead relying on grit and natural ability. You have been written off by every boxing expert in the country, even those who were your biggest advocates, like the empathetic Tim Graham.

As the news reports began surfacing last week that you were preparing for another comeback, we boxing fans

Sports staff writer Ian Cropp ’05 is desperate for work, but not that desperate, so don’t get any ideas

were intrigued by the details of your current status. Reports stated that you had been “training hard” in Los Angeles with Buddy McGirt and had completely rehabbed your left knee. You looked smaller and better conditioned, while boasting that you would be going to Thailand in March to train with boxing great Jeff Fenech in preparation for a June comeback. Craziest of all, you provided no quote fodder and didn’t even remotely threaten to harm anyone’s children. Instead, you seemed friendly and enthusiastic, a poor man’s Clay Aiken.

You once eloquently stated: “Yeah I’m on this Zoloft thing right? But I’m on that to keep me from killing y’all.” Get off the Zoloft, Mike. Bring back the fire and rage and that made you the most dangerous man in the ring. Age 38 may be the end of the road for a boxer, but Bernard Hopkins won his 20th consecutive title defense last week, peaking at the age of 40.

George Foreman is attempting to make a comeback at 56 years old. If these guys can do it at their ages, then you can once again be the best. Make this comeback the real deal.

Silence the haters. It’s time to prove the world wrong.

Slightly frightened but anticipating what you’ll do next, Marc Sports staff writer Marc Lanza ’06 needs Zoloft every time he sees Mike Tyson on Jimmy Kimmel.

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

Fencing

Food

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Jeremy Adler ’06 matched last season’s 15th-place finish, while Dorsky dropped nine slots this season to finish 18th out of 31 in the final tournament of his Brown career.

“The hardest thing to overcome was the extraordinarily high level of competition in our particular region and remaining focused in the potentially last competition of my Brown career,” Dorksy said.

The women’s side also had a difficult meet. In epee, AllAmerican Ruth Schneider ’06 dropped two slots from last season with an eighth-place finish. Surprisingly, Schneider, who took fifth in last year’s NCAA Nationals, failed to qualify this season. Teammate Christina Livoti ’08 finished 15th out of 36 in her Regional Championship debut.

Saberists Charlotte Gartenberg ’08 and Leah Shabshelowitz ’08 finished 9th and 16th in their Regional debut, raising expectations for next season. The news was not as good for Jennifer Hausmann ’07, Brown’s lone women’s foilist, who fell to 31st place.

“We always have expectations that we create beforehand that need to be matched with reality,” Tass said. “And the reality is that there are very strong competitors out there.

The nature of the competition is … that we have our ups and downs. It would be great going upwards, but we have to be able to deal well with the down times.”

Despite closing the season on a down note, the Bears did meet some of their goals. The improvement of the team’s middle-tier players, along with a larger number of new recruits, bodes well for Bruno’s future, Tass said.

The Bears will have to get better quickly because they will begin participating in the more competitive Ivy League rotation next year.

“I’m very happy I’m going to be able to work with them because they put in a lot of effort,” Tass said. “I’m certainly looking forward to … the start of the next year. (N)ext September will be a new challenge.”

for $4.50. A bottle of VitaminWater costs a whopping $2.25, and a box of Cheez-It is sold for $3.55. One Bowl Appetit was $3.75, more than a dollar more expensive than at Eastside Mini-Mart and more than two dollars higher than at Store 24.

Some see redemption in Campus Market, however, in its selection of organic foods from well-known brands, such as Nature’s Path and Spaa Cuisine.

Baseball continued from page 12 RBI. With a single, double and triple, he fell just short of hitting for the cycle.

Centerfielder Eric Larson ’07, who is back after taking last spring off, went 2-for-3 with five RBIs. His three-run homer in the sixth gave the Bears a 12-9 lead.

“It’s only a matter of time with our talent that we start putting up a lot of runs,” Larson said. “I feel like (this game) was a sign of things to come.”

But in the top of the ninth, still holding onto the threerun lead, the Bears made a number of costly mistakes.

Co-captain and closer Chris Davidson ’05 walked the first two batters he faced. Second baseman Christian then made an error trying to turn a double play, which allowed a run to score. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, Davidson hit the next batter with a pitch. With the bases now loaded, Adam Rosales got a pitch up in the zone and hit it over the right field fence for a walk-off grandslam. The final score was 1412.

“It kind of fell apart,” Larson said. “It’s a tough way to lose, because it wasn’t any one person’s fault, (we) just … couldn’t hold it together for the final three outs.”

While the pitching was still shaky — starter Shaun McNamara ’06 gave up nine earned runs over five innings of work, and Davidson gave

The produce there, consisting mostly of apples, is purchased from Community Fruit Land, a distributor based in Cranston.

Campus Market’s current priority is to incorporate healthier options, such as fresh foods from a farmers’ market, said Leanne Evangelist, professional manager for the Blue Room and Campus Market.

A suggestion board is up, and Campus Market will try “to fulfill those requests as much as possible,” Evangelist said.

So the next time you’re looking to score some snacks, it could pay to walk a little further in the cold.

up five runs, one earned, in two thirds of an inning — Dietz bounced back from his rocky performance in the first game to pitch three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit.

“He was a little nervous (in the first game),” Nichols said.

“But he came back the next game (and pitched well). It was nice to see him settle down. It’s good to see a young guy do that.”

In their final game against Michigan State, a 19-8 loss, the Bears dug themselves into a hole in the first three innings, falling behind 10-0.

But they showed some grit, coming back to cut the lead to 11-7 through the top of the seventh. Christian, Nichols and Hughes all had run-scoring doubles during the rally.

But the Spartans put up six in the bottom of the seventh, and two more in the eighth, to cushion their lead at 19-7.

The Bears plated one in the ninth to make it 19-8, but fell far short of the colossal comeback needed to pull out the victory.

“I think it was a wake-up call,” Drabinski said of the four losses.

The Bears will head west this weekend to play three games against Santa Clara University and one against San Jose State University.

Drabinski expects his team to play much better, and remains patient in the early going.

“I expect improvement in all three areas (pitching, hitting and defense),” he said. “I think we have the talent, so the wins will start falling into place.”

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 · PAGE 10 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Keeping an eye on WebCT First we learned Computing and Information Services could monitor dorm bandwidth use. Then the University installed video surveillance cameras in Faunce House. Now it turns out instructors can use WebCT to peer into the study habits of their students.

Most professors who use the statistics WebCT provides — how often students log in, how long they stay on the site — use them to gauge the program’s effectiveness as a learning tool and decide whether their efforts to maintain the site are worthwhile. But a small number of professors and TAs use the information to nudge up or down borderline grades or to contribute to that bane of clarity in grading, “class participation.”

These usage numbers are powerful but intensely misleading tools, and with the expected upgrade to the WebCT software, there needs to be more clarity about the use and pitfalls of this technology.

First of all, every user of WebCT should know about the existence of these statistics. In a modern world of electronic surveillance, we live under the mistaken impression that we still have privacy, while our expectation of privacy is violated every day — without malicious intent, usually.

We don’t fear a vast University conspiracy to track our every move, from studying to picking up mail. What bothers us is that students were never informed about what logging on to WebCT might entail. A simple note on the front page of WebCT explaining what exact information will be tied to students’ names would do all site users good.

Second, professors and TAs need to be carefully taught how to interpret these statistics. Even those who do not access them for the explicit purpose of evaluating student performance should have the tools available to make accurate assessments of how effectively their slaved-over sites are being used. Statistics like sessions and page hits are at best misleading and at worst wrong, depending on the quality of the servers and information processors. Especially in the case of online readings and lecture notes, students may be doing readings jointly from one user’s account or sharing printed copies.

We love the Web and its increasing use among the faculty corps. But the possibilities are balanced by some responsibilities to be honest about how much instructors will be looking over students’ shoulders.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Jonathan Ellis, Editor-in-Chief Sara Perkins, Executive Editor Christopher Hatfield, Senior Editor Lisa Mandle, Senior Editor Meryl Rothstein, Arts & Culture Editor Melanie Wolfgang, Arts & Culture Editor Justin Elliott, Campus Watch Editor Stephanie Clark, Focus Editor Kira Lesley, Focus Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet, Metro Editor Te-Ping Chen, Opinions Editor Ari Savitzky, Opinions Editor Chris Mahr, Sports Editor Ben Miller, Sports Editor Stephen Colelli, Asst. Sports Editor PRODUCTION Peter Henderson, Design Editor Katie Lamm, Copy Desk Chief Lela Spielberg, Copy Desk Chief Matt Vascellaro, Graphics Editor Ashley Hess, Photo Editor Juliana Wu, Photo Editor

BUSINESS Ian Halvorsen, General Manager Daniel Goldberg, Executive Manager Mark Goldberg, Senior Financial Officer Lisa Poon, Marketing Manager Abigail Ronck, Senior Business Consultant Rob McCartney, Senior Accounts Manager David Ranken, Senior Accounts Manager Kathleen Timmins, Senior Accounts Manager Laird Bennion, Senior Project Manager Elias Roman, Senior Project Manager Ryan Shewcraft, Chief Technology Officer POST- MAGAZINE Fritz Brantley, Editor-in-Chief Adrian Muniz, Executive Editor Sarah Gordon, Calendar Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Josh Cohen, Design Editor Marissa Hauptman, Photo Editor Ruthie Baron, Features Editor Jeremy Beck, Film Editor Paul Levande, Assistant Film Editor Jesse Adams, Music Editor

NICK SCHADE

LETTERS A Democrat sets the record ‘straight’ To the Editor: As both a former vice president of the Brown Democrats and as his roommate, I would like to respond to some misperceptions readers might get from Jesse Adams’ letter (“Same-sex marriage issue threatens to set back progressive agenda,” March 9).

I take serious issue with the implication that offering assistance to Marriage Equality Rhode Island somehow hampers the Brown Democrats’ ability to influence other progressive causes, both at the local level and overall. In addition to the consensus to continue a working relationship with MERI, the group has also helped launch the Right to Vote coalition, and is also literally in the process of deciding which of several community concerns to address. I encourage any Democrat who shares Jesse’s concerns of too narrow a focus, or just wants to help with righteous issues which potentially include health care and domestic violence prevention, to attend the next meeting of the local politics committee on Sunday evening, in Wilson 101 at 9 p.m.

As to the notion that progressives fighting for marriage equality here are being “overzealous” — when people actively support a cause, they still

may effectively apply their zeal to a broader and more “appealing” progressive agenda, both overall and issue by issue. The key judgment here is not one of national political calculation, but of righteousness and of the very inevitability that Jesse acknowledges.

During the Civil Rights era, many Democratic leaders — including heroes of mine like the Kennedy brothers — warned movement leaders and their supporters that they should slow down, that they were undermining other aspects of the progressive agenda. They didn’t listen, and not only are the Democratic Party and this nation better off for it (as RFK himself came to believe by 1965), but the ability of progressives to articulate and partly enact a broader agenda during that era was not hampered. Things are dire in Bush’s America, but progressives remain viable and on the rise overall, and pursuing that aim throughout these United States — red, blue, purple and otherwise — is decidedly not mutually exclusive from zealously supporting equality when and where we have the opportunity.

Sean Siperstein ’05 March 9

we welcome your comments our job is covering the Brown community. let us know how we’re doing. herald@browndailyherald.com 401.351.3372

Thakur Baldev Singh, Night Editor Shirley Lo, Sonia Saraiya, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Camden Avery, Alexandra Barsk, Eric Beck, Mary-Catherine Lader, Ben Leubsdorf, Jane Porter, Stu Woo Staff Writers Marshall Agnew, Justin Amoah, Shawn Ban, Zachary Barter, Danielle Cerny, Christopher Chon, Stewart Dearing, Gabriella Doob, Kate Gorman, Jonathan Herman, Leslie Kaufmann, Aidan Levy, Allison Lombardo, Joel Rozen, Jen Sopchockchai, Jonathan Sidhu, Lela Spielberg, Robin Steele, Laura Supkoff, Stefan Talman, Jane Tanimura, Anne Wootton Sports Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Zaneta Balantac, Ian Cropp, Justin Goldman, Bernie Gordon, Katie Larkin, Matt Lieber, Helen Luryi, Shaun McNamara, Chris Mahr, Madeleine Marecki, Ben Miller, Eric Perlmutter, Jilane Rodgers, Marco Santini, Charlie Vallely Accounts Managers Alexandra Annunziato, Zaneta Lei Balantac, Steven Butschi, Jennifer Kuo, Ashfia Rahman, Joel Rozen, Rukesh Samarasekera, Mitch Schwartz Project Managers In Young Park, Libbie Fritz Design Staff Geolani Dy, Deepa Galaiya, Annie Koo, Allison Kwong, Jason Lee Photo Staff Marissa Hauptman, Judy He, Matthew Lent, Nick Neely, Bill Pijewski, Kori Schulman, Sorleen Trevino Copy Editors Chessy Brady, Jonathan Corcoran, Eric Demafeliz, Leora Fridman, Allison Kwong, Katie Lamm, Suchi Mathur, Cristina Salvato, Sonia Saraiya, Lela Spielberg, Zachary Townsend, Jenna Young

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 · PAGE 11

“Orgasm” on trial GUEST COLUMN BY ETAN GREEN The fate of “Orgasm,” my film submission for the housing lottery first pick competition, became clear when “some dude” posted “YOU SUCK” on its comments page. Richard Nixon won election in 1968 on the strength of a “silent majority” that supported Nixon’s willingness to temporarily keep troops in Vietnam, much to the dismay of vocal protesters.

But no shy group of Brown students, overpowered in the arena of public opinion, would come to the rescue of “Orgasm.”

What was the voiced sentiment on a three minute exploration of the movements and fantasies of two strangers who share a couch in a doctor’s waiting room? Though not usually as vulgar as that of the random commentator mentioned above — he or she also posted “YOU LOSE” below another entry — reactions included confusion (“I mean, it was nicely done, but what?”), contextual puzzlement (“This has nothing to do with housing…”), abstract praise (“I think they are trying to point out that they deserve housing because they are about the only people not freaking out about housing. Having you(r) attention focused on the important things warrants some reward, no?”), expectations of greater effort (“How can you bring yourself to vote for a video that in all likelihood was not even made for this contest?”), crude sexual remarks (“I would pork her in a second”), angry accusations (“I’m an mcm major, look what I have created — my ‘important’ art”) and personal attacks (“This is f---ing awful, you don’t deserve any house, you(r) ass

should be out on the street, that was simply pathetic”).

Those who wondered what my submission had to do with housing were probably victims of miscommunication.

My comments explaining that I wanted first pick so that I may have a location to

meaning, “It admits the truth: college students are no more than amateur softcore porn filmmakers at heart.”

Most troubling, however, were the attacks that went beyond respectful criticism. Why was it that “Orgasm” as an entry in a housing competition drew

Why was it that “Orgasm” as an entry in a housing competition drew such scathing and hateful attacks on its creator? What boundary did I overstep in (unintentionally) spurring the belief that my “ass should be out on the street?” make more films like “Orgasm,” on the ResCouncil website and the Daily Jolt, and later a banner directly under the film, were the only ways of understanding “Orgasm’s” connection to housing.

The complaints about the high probability that I did not make this film for the housing competition were legitimate; though filming “Orgasm” was time-consuming, I shot it as an exercise in filmmaking.

Even the rare positive comments were frustrating. One that began, “You want something that isn’t stale napoleon dynamite jokes or your usual ‘oh man I hate my roomie’… vote for this,” ended with an unsavory interpretation of the film’s

such scathing and hateful attacks on its creator? What boundary did I overstep to (unintentionally) spur the belief that my “ass should be out on the street?” How did I incite so much rage in one viewer that after arguing on the Daily Jolt for a different voting system, he or she said, “That aside, I’m glad Orgasm lost.

Pretentious ass”? And what prompted someone to believe that I was showcasing the movie as “my important ‘art’?”

For all the sexual comfort Brown students claim (are we not proud of the popular FemSex and new ManSex discussion groups?), if my submission was still loosely connected to housing but not sexual, it would have generated little

more than a passing glance. But I believe that it is not just sexuality that frightens some of us — it is the fear that our sexuality can be taken out of our control, that someone can manipulate our fundamental desirous instinct. A sixth-grader must suppress his growing erection at the school dance, or he will be ridiculed. A man must not orgasm too quickly during sex, lest his masculinity be diminished.

“Orgasm” is only potentially dangerous in this respect: Choosing to view an erotic film is a voluntary submission to one’s cravings. People must knowingly and willingly surrender to sexual arousal.

But I screened “Orgasm” for an audience anticipating tame comedy. I provided little warning of sexual content, and I aroused the viewer without his or her consent.

So did I violate an unwritten rule? Was manipulating the desire of the unsuspecting wrong? Only to a hypocrite. We accept television commercials that use scantily clad models to sell soft drinks, because we are accustomed to the practice. Moreover, we place televisions in our homes, thus condoning this use of sex in our most sacred space. How can we allow sexual manipulation where we live, but vilify me for doing the same in a housing lottery contest?

“Orgasm” did not deserve to win. But it nonetheless succeeded in identifying hypocritical sexual boundaries, and then worked, perhaps in vain, to destroy them.

Etan Green ’08 voluntarily submits to his own cravings.

Diversity Shmiversity GUEST COLUMN BY CALEB KARPAY I’ll let you in on a little secret: Conservatives don’t care for intellectual diversity. They’ll never say this, but you can look to the recent censorship of Ward Churchill, a nutball professor (but a nutball professor with tenure) at the University of Colorado, for evidence. The Colorado legislature condemned Mr. Churchill in a resolution and he has had trouble booking any more speaking appearances — he has supposedly become a “security risk.”

While his comments comparing World Trade Center employees to Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann were certainly insensitive and probably more inflammatory than, say, those of David Horowitz, he still should be allowed to speak. Anyone who disagrees should read John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty.” I’ll leave the justifications for free speech to the British, who speak the language better than us anyway.

Conservatives don’t fly the “intellectual diversity” banner solely to increase the conservative presence on college campuses. Some might, and in some places it is an issue they might win. But the real reason they advocate “intellectual diversity” is because it puts liberals in a bind with regard to affirmative action.

When it comes to colleges and their policies for admitting students and hiring professors, affirmative action has two main purposes: to redress the effects of institutional discrimination; and to cre-

ate a more vibrant and dynamic campus where disagreement and dialogue can exist.

Affirmative action supposedly applies to all “minorities,” although often it is used only for “underrepresented minorities,” so Asian-Americans usually do not receive preferential treatment.

Presumably, putting black and white

what minorities should be like. Nowhere is this more evident than when a black person like Condoleeza Rice or Clarence Thomas has the audacity to be a conservative, only to be ridiculed as a traitor to his or her race. Neither conservatives nor liberals really care about free academic discourse and “diversity” as a principle.

And that’s fine, but it’s disingenuous that

Liberals don't care about diverse opinions any more than conservatives do. They care about minority viewpoints that fit their somewhat patronizing idea of what minorities should be like. faces together in a classroom is a good way to present different points of view.

Following similar logic, some conservatives advocate affirmative action for conservative professors, since this would also present different points of view.

Liberals, if they actually cared about the academic climate, would support this policy as well.

But it’s time for another secret: Liberals don’t care about diverse opinions any more than conservatives do.

They care about minority viewpoints that fit their somewhat patronizing idea of

they claim to be.

Whenever liberals criticize conservatives for their idea of “intellectual diversity” — which seems more pertinent to the mission of a university than racial diversity — liberals are backed into a corner. Affirmative action has nothing to do with improving the intellectual climate of the school. Moreover, it has nothing to do with addressing the wrongs of the past, except for the ones that haven’t been sufficiently righted, namely slavery.

This is why very few minorities other than blacks actually get preferential

treatment under affirmative action, which, again, has nothing to do with increasing intellectual diversity.

Affirmative action is a roundabout, albeit well-intentioned, way to address the problems of slavery and racial discrimination in this country. But it is rarely sold in that manner, because packaging slavery reparations in the language of diversity better appeals to all minority and liberal groups.

Whether you feel we have a legal and social obligation to people against whom this country has discriminated against in the past probably has more to do with your inherent sense of justice than some elegantly reasoned ratonale for affirmative action. I can’t hope to persuade you one way or the other. It is telling, however, that liberals sell reparation policies as something different than what they are, perhaps because they feel these policies are unpopular with most Americans.

The chorus for intellectual diversity, at least from the conservatives, is often accused of trying to stir up trouble, finding liberal conspiracies in department meetings that don’t exist. But these conservatives are making us question the validity of affirmative action, as well as recent cries of “intellectual diversity” on campus. If we knew the real answer to both questions, we might feel differently.

Caleb Karpay ’08 believes there is a vast left-wing conspiracy.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2005 · PAGE 12

Testing the sports job market

Baseball team leads off season with four losses

The prospect of graduating without a job is daunt- will become a mix between Tom Wolfe and Lil’ ing. The thought of returning back to live with my Jon, wearing impeccable white suits, and sippin’ he was unable to put hitters parents is demoralizing. The slightest notion of his Gatorade out of a “Crunk Juice” cup, while his

BY CHARLIE VALLELY SPORTS STAFF WRITER away after getting ahead of having to live in Buffalo, where the winters are opponents sip on the Haterade. (I will also be his cold and professional sports championships are new offensive coordinator.)

The baseball team began its them.

“He gave up four 0-2 hits,” • Oil boy for the Hawaiian Tropics Bikini Team. rarer than them Northern season over the weekend at the I don’t know about this one. After all, I’m not Hairy-nosed Wombat, Kennel Club Classic in Drabinski said. “That’s what a boy, I’m a man. And I’m not a mermaid, forced me to draw Jacksonville, Fla., dropping hurt him.”

IAN CROPP CASH CROPP The Bears’ offense managed but a merman. Maybe they’ll make an up a list of jobs. games to the University of exception. If not, I think I’ll try to make it While I will North Florida and Michigan only seven hits off of North as a model for the Sports Illustrated accept any job that State University, and both Florida pitching, scoring one Swimsuit Issue (I design my own leopardmeets the Fair Labor Standards Act for games of a doubleheader run in the sixth inning and print, European-style suits).

Sports (similar to the normal FLSA, except against Western Michigan another in the ninth. Hitting • North Korean National Team for the provision that protects workUniversity. Not only was it the leadoff, catcher Devin Thomas Basketball Coach. Kim Jong Il loves ers from having to help Shaq first time the Bears (0-4) took ’07 went 2-for-5 with two sinthe Lakers, the Lakers Cheerleaders make any movies), there are the field against an opponent gles. First baseman Danny and an explosive offense. While I several that are quality this year, but it was also the first Hughes ’06 also had two hits, going 2-for-3 with a single, can’t bring him Kobe, I can bring prospects. They may take me time they took the field at all. him Wilt Chamberlain and all the anywhere from Pyongyang, “We’ve been practicing double and one RBI. Slugger women he has slept with. As far North Korea, to Moose Jaw, about a month,” said outfielder Paul Christian ’06 accounted as my offensive weapons of mass Saskatchewan, and I could Matt Kutler ’05. “But the weath- for the other run with his first destruction, I thought end up losing my U.S. citier isn’t so great in February in home run of the season.

In the first game of the douabout throwing a zenship, but like chess wizProvidence. We never actually Molotov cocktail at a ard Bobby Fischer, I value got out on a real baseball field bleheader against Western Michigan, a 13-1 loss, both the Spanish soccer game sports more than my freebefore Jacksonville.” once. Maybe I can just dom.

The rust showed, as the pitching and hitting continued caddy for the glorious leader • I’ve always wanted to be the pitching and defense struggled to struggle. While the score was who shoots a 35 round of golf, person at hockey games who considerably, surrendering 56 only 2-1 after four innings, but I’d have to ask Hans Blix about opens the penalty box. What a total runs, and the Bears’ Western Michigan scored three Shane Wilkerson / Herald accepting nuclear tips. job: getting paid to watch hockpotent lineup — which returns in the fifth frame off of starter • John Chaney’s Go-To-Sleep with the Fishes ey. But with the cancellation of the NHL, I think I most of the players from last Bryan Tews ’07 and seven in the should be a scab and take a job as a replacement Guy. I may not be that tall, but I can drop (el)bows year’s team that finished sec- sixth off of Jeff Dietz ’08, Ethan NHL player. If Keanu Reeves could act as a like my name was Ludacris, break knees better ond in the Ivy League in batting Burton ’06 and Rob Hallberg replacement, I have no doubts about my ability to than John Gotti and abnegate better than the — did not get hot until the sec- ’08 to put the game out of Shakers. be a replacement. ond game against Western reach.

“We were trying to be too • “Monitor” for the Westminster Dog Show.

• Bill Belichick’s personal fashion consultant.

Michigan.

For those of you who didn’t see the pilot episode Let’s face it, dogs hump, and somebody needs to Ethan Silverstein ’07 started fine,” Drabinski said of his of Project Runway, I do have my own fashion line stop them. Bob Barker has yet to preach to all dog the first game, a 10-2 loss to pitching staff, which gave up that consists of more than Patriots Hoodies. Bill lovers, so there is a golden opportunity for me North Florida, going four eight walks in the game. “We’re here. If I somehow prevent myself from doing this innings and getting tagged for going to work on attacking the on a daily basis, why wouldn’t I be able to do the nine earned runs. But he also strike zone.”

The Bears scored their only same for dogs? Besides, I can handle my Giant recorded a career-high nine Schnauzer just fine. strikeouts, combining with run in the first when Thomas • Personal Assistant for Ricky Williams. My Alex Silverman ’08 and Clint came home on an error by third Brown degree can serve me well in many fields, Dykehouse ’07 to punch out 15 baseman Justin Carter, after reaching on a single to start the but I think it can get me an immediate job as batters on the day.

Ricky Williams’ personal assistant for “acquisi“The strikeouts show you game.

The second game was tions.” I know how to find the green he is looking what kind of stuff the pitchers Dear Mike, for, and wouldn’t mind being paid with in-kind have,” said shortstop and co- another story, as the Bears You are the most outrageous personality services. captain Jeff Nichols ’05. “They found their bats and scored 12 in pop culture, the self-proclaimed “Baddest • Scout for the New York Yankees. Although I’m can get guys out, but they made runs on 13 hits in the first six Man on the Planet.” You were the youngest innings. Designated hitter Tews a Red Sox fan, I wouldn’t mind selling my soul to too many mistakes.” heavyweight champithe devil and being a scout for the New York Head Coach Marek sparked the club, going 3-for-4 on in history, rising to Yankees. Hey, I know talent when I see it, albeit in Drabinski said that Silverstein with two runs scored and one the top at the tender MARC LANZA did not pitch as poorly as the age of 20 back in 1986.

LANZA, NOT TONY DANZA box score suggested, but that You once bit an opposee CROPP, page 8 see BASEBALL, page 9 nent’s ear off during a bout, your competitive fire so strong that you chose disqualification over suffering traditional defeat.

You’ve threatened to eat your opponent’s sentatives from other teams in the children, to stomp on the testicles of

BY ZANETA BALANTAC SPORTS STAFF WRITER toughest region in the country, and reporters’ children and to rip a man’s heart out. A few months ago, you jumped up and The fencing team had a disappointing overall we had many excellent individdown like a gorilla on the hood of a man’s car end to its 2005 season last weekend at ual performances,” said saberist Dan outside of a nightclub in Scottsdale, Ariz., the NCAA Northeast Regional Dorsky ’05.

Foilist Jeremy Zeitlin ’07, one of two just to show him who was boss.

Championships at Yale University.

I guess what I’m trying to say is: Mike, you Eight of the 13 Brown fencers who qual- Brown fencers who competed in last provide more entertainment value than anyified for the meet were ranked among season’s National Championships, did one in the public eye. Only your fights warthe top 15 in their individual events, not qualify despite moving up five slots rant a “guys’ night” and dropping $50 on breaking last season’s team record of from last season’s 15th-place finish.

Showtime. We crave the bi-polar behavior seven top-15 finishers. Unfortunately, Squadmate Ivan Goodman ’08, meanand ridiculous antics. They could, and evennone of the fencers will move on to the while, took ninth in his Regional Championship debut. tually will, publish an entire book of your NCAA National Championships.

The men’s saber squad also perquotes.

“What we need to realize and But as Jimmy Kimmel’s favorite guest, you emphasize is that to actually qualify for formed well. Dan Mahoney ’07 took are paraded around like a sideshow act. You the Regionals is an extraordinary 11th place, moving up 17 slots from last make regular appearances on the show and achievement,” said Head Coach Atilio year’s 28th-place finish. Squadmate even co-hosted for an entire week of awkTass. “The fact that we qualified 13 of wardness, allowing yourself to be the butt of 15 possible fencers is a very good result see FENCING, page 9 all his jokes and humbly responding to his already.”

SPORTS SCOREBOARD condescending questions with a meek smile At the meet, 162 fencers faced on your face. Is this tame Tyson the only one rounds of 5- to 10-person pools after WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 that we can now enjoy? Will we never see the which the top 20 overall finishers from Men’s LACROSSE: Game vs. Hartford postponed fierce savagery that made you the most riveteach round advanced. If a fencer did THURSDAY, MARCH 10 ing figure in sports? sufficiently well during both the Your skills and reflexes have declined, and Ashley Hess / Herald Regionals and during the season, then SKIING: USCSA National Championships, McCall, Idaho he or she earned a spot in the NCAA The fencing team ended its season on a Men’s TENNIS: Blue/Gray Invitational, Nationals. down note, as no fencers qualified for see LANZA, page 8 Montgomery, Ala. Women’s SWIMMING: NCAA Zones, Annapolis, Md. “The team faced off against repreNationals.

We miss you, Mike Tyson

Fencing finishes season at Regionals