Thursday, March 17, 2005

T H U R S D A Y MARCH 17, 2005

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Former Black Panther decries ‘New Age Racism’

Inaugural BUCC meeting to set new group’s agenda

BY KIM STICKELS STAFF WRITER

First discussion to focus on ‘campus climate and tolerance for open debate’

American blacks have embraced, adopted and accepted “new age racism” — the popular view of blacks as inherently criminal and responsible for their oppressed status — thereby absolving “the system” of primary responsibility for failing blacks, according to author Elaine Brown, who spoke Wednesday night in MacMillan Hall.

A founder and former leader of the Black Panther Party and the author of “The Condemnation of Little B” and “A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story,” Brown is a prominent political and social activist for the poor and the black community.

Brown used the tale of “Little B,” Michael Lewis, a 13-year-old boy from Atlanta who was charged with murder in 1997 and tried as an adult, to illustrate the concept of “new age racism.”

Lewis’ mother, a prostitute and crack addict, was declared unfit to raise him when he was 11 years old. He was put into a group home but then ran away and dropped out of school to work for a drug dealer. He was sentenced to life in prison at 14.

Lewis was called a “thug” and “superpredator” and associated with a growing movement to identify the “black criminal” as the scapegoat for problems with black America today, Brown said.

“The notion of the black criminal is part of the racist view we have begun to embrace and accept,” said Brown.

“Children should not be tried as adults, and the United States is the only country which does this.”

She contrasted Lewis’ case with that of Kip Kinkel, a 17-year-old Oregon student who killed both of his parents and three classmates in 1998. Instead of typifying young white adolescents as “thugs” and “criminals,” community members tried to

BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET METRO EDITOR

gerous mix of building materials, the inability to suppress early stages of the fire and the inadequacy of exits.

Sprinklers, which were not required in 2003, were not installed at The Station.

“We obviously know that sprinklers work. The question was how fast fires grow to outrun sprinklers,” Grosshandler said.

Armando Dias, general manager of Viva/Paragon, a popular spot for Brown students, said the report’s recommendations were reasonable.

“Who wants their building to go up in smoke?” Dias said. “A lot of things in the report — basic things like fire extinguishers, sprinklers — often end up on

While the newly selected members of the Brown University Community Council are looking forward to this afternoon’s inaugural meeting, several members say critical aspects of the council’s operations — including everything from procedural details to jurisdictional boundaries — have yet to be determined.

“The committee will have a clearer idea (regarding the specifics of the council) after the first few meetings,” said Robin McGill GS, a BUCC member and president of the Graduate Student Council.

Kate Brandt ’07, a UCS class representative who is beginning a one-year term on the council, said she agrees that initial meetings will provide the opportunity to develop a more concrete vision and agenda. “It’s exciting to be one of the first student representatives on this committee because I think it gives all of us the opportunity to really define” the council’s role in relation to the larger Brown community, she said.

The BUCC, chaired by President Ruth Simmons, is comprised of faculty, staff, administrative, alumni, undergraduate and graduate student representatives.

According to its Web site, the council will meet almost monthly during the academic year to serve as “a university-wide representative forum for discussion, debate, and advisory recommendations on a wide spectrum of issues and concerns.” In addition, the council may opt to forward recommendations “to the appropriate decision-making bodies” concerning “the overall welfare of the University.”

All members interviewed by The Herald praised the BUCC’s unique position among University organizations as a forum that represents a vast array of constituencies.

Brandt said this degree of representation may reduce the barriers to implementing policy reform by cutting down time devoted to “running around and scheduling meetings” among students, administrators and faculty.

While all interviewed members expressed enthusiasm for the BUCC’s general mission, several also indicated a desire to use their positions to address issues more directly pertinent to their own roles at Brown.

McGill said she hopes to use her BUCC position to advance concerns particular to the graduate student population.

“My interest is presenting my organization and (its) interests,” she said. These include promoting several measures intended to make life “sustainable” for graduate students, such as implementing and improving health care benefits.

“We’re going to be here for five, six or even seven years,” McGill said. “This is our job. We want to be treated like most adults

see FIRE, page 4

see BUCC, page 4

Juliana Wu / Herald

Author Elaine Brown spoke to a large audience of students and faculty Wednesday night about New Age Racism.

Student documentary examines issue of same-sex marriage

BY STEPHANIE CLARK FOCUS E DITOR

When Noah Pohl ’07 was approached by his brother Matthew, a senior at Tufts University, in May 2004 about making a documentary about samesex marriage, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

The movie, “Mission to Matrimony,” will be screened tonight at 7:30 in List Art 120. The film evolved from Matthew Pohl’s desire to document

see BROWN, page 8

Massachusetts’ legalization of gay marriage on May 17, 2004, into an examination of the larger issue of gay marriage and the stories of two samesex couples raising children.

The brothers, neither of whom had any experience in documentary filmmaking, were unsure how to realize their vision. “We really had no idea what we were doing at first,” Noah see FILM, page 7

Providence clubs consider federal fire safety recommendations

BY STEPHEN NARAIN S TAFF WRITER

A federal draft report released this month encouraged Providence nightclubs to take a closer look at their compliance with fire safety regulations and consider making recomMETRO mended — but often expensive — improvements.

The report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology is the result of a two-year investigation into The Station nightclub fire of 2003 that claimed 100 lives in West Warwick and sparked a nationwide debate over fire safety in public spaces.

The 12 recommendations include mandatory installation of sprinklers in all nightclubs and restrictions on the

use of flammables and pyrotechnics.

The report calls for continued research into the human response to emergencies.

In the $500,000 study of The Station fire, a team of fire safety experts collected data from the nightclub’s site, interviewed local authorities and used computer models to simulate the fire, according to William Grosshandler, chief of the Fire Research Division at NIST. “We found that (The Station’s) scenario was unique. There was a complicated field system where the fire quickly ignited foam in the building, and quickly moved to (the building’s) plywood,” Grosshandler said.

The NIST probe found that the main contributors to the disaster were a dan-

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THIS MORNING THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 · PAGE 2 Coreacracy Eddie Ahn

WORLD IN BRIEF Senate votes to allow drilling in wildlife refuge T HE WASHINGTON P OST

WASHINGTON — A closely divided Senate voted Wednesday in favor of opening Alaska’s arctic wildlife refuge to oil drilling, bringing a long sought goal of the Bush administration within striking dis-

tance of being realized.

The action marks the first time the Senate has signaled its support for drilling in the ecologically sensitive area since President Bush took office.

Continued on page 3.

Jero Matt Vascellaro

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS “CREATING THE VIRTUAL FUTURE, ART AND TECHNOLOGY” 1 p.m. (MacMillan 115 ) — Jaron Lanier, coiner of the term "virtual reality" and pioneer in computer science and its visionary applications will address the positive and negative influences of technology and technologists on Hollywood culture and its depictions of the future.

“THE MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM MOVEMENT: HISTORY, MEMORY, LEGACY” 7:30-9:30 p.m. (Salomon 001) — Presented by the Committee on Slavery and Justice. Panel discussion featuring David Dennis and Rita Bender. Dave Dennis was field secretary of the Congress of Racial Equality in Mississippi from 1961 to 1965 and co-director of the 1964 Freedom Summer Project. Rita Bender was an organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality in Meridian, Mississippi in 1963-64.

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Cantonese Cassarole, Kale and Linguica Soup, Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Chiken Gouda Calzone, Hot Turkey Sandwich w. Sauce, Tater Tots, Sugar Snap Peas, Pasta Bar DINNER — Mushroom Stew, Colcannon Potatoes, Pasta Bar, Corned Beef, Braised Cabbage, Kale and Linguica Soup, Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Irish Soda Bread, Tapioca, Chocolate Sundae Cake

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Mexican Bean Soup, Lobster Bisque, BBQ Beef Sandwich, Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Cauliflower, Sugar Cookies DINNER — Vegetarian Mexican Bean Soup, Lobster Bisque, Corned Beef, Vegan Roasted Vegetable Stew, Colcannon Potatoes, Braised Cabbage, Carrots Vichy, Irish Soda Bread, Chocolate Sundae Cake

How to Get Down Nate Saunders

CROSSWORD 1 Easy __ 6 Mfr.’s requirement 10 Machu Picchu resident 14 Sportscast insight 15 Actress Winslet 16 Remorseful one 17 Roy Hobbs, in a Redford movie 19 Teased 20 Green things 22 “Holy __!”

23 “The African Queen” Oscar winner 24 Cartoon trio “__ and the Pussycats” 28 Commemorative marker 30 Some ranges 32 Hematological system 33 Smoke duct 37 Green things 40 Singer Kristofferson 41 Bach’s “Mass __ Minor” 42 Tom’s infant 43 Disney World acronym 45 Not dry-eyed 46 Ineffective period 50 “QB VII” author 52 Green things 58 “Don’t rub __” 59 Returned to the country of origin 60 Westminster gallery 61 Bond foe 62 Like wolves of the genus Chrysocyon 63 No neatnik 64 Fun ending 65 Showdown opponent DOWN 1 Pituitary hormone

3 Yank, for one 4 Former European capital 5 Seafood salad ingredient 6 Grisly horror film discovery 7 Green things 8 Touchdown data 9 Joint section 10 Discount rack abbr.

11 New, in Roma 12 One giving up 13 “Give it __!”

18 Race car driver Fabi 21 Job listing ltrs.

24 Roadside aid 25 General Bradley 26 Versatile Asian garment 27 Nonaligned voters: Abbr.

29 Withdraw 31 Dry docks 33 Gala

Your Umbrella” 35 One with a password 36 Picker’s nonsense word 38 Chapel Hill sch.

39 Affects one directly 43 Devour 44 Sign of fear 46 End pieces?

position Popular chip Star in Cygnus MSN or AOL CD part: Abbr.

Algerian port “A different read on life” magazine 56 Appear 57 Current event?

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Homebodies Mirele Davis

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CAMPUS NEWS THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 · PAGE 3

Oregon vets to receive free tuition at state universities

BY CHELSEA RUDMAN STAFF WRITER

Beginning in fall 2005, no Oregon National Guard and Reserve veteran who has served in a combat zone since Sept. 11, 2001, will pay tuition at Oregon state universities.

The Oregon University CAMPUS WATCH System will enact the Voyager Tuition Assistance program in an effort to ease returning guardsmen’s transition back to civilian life by providing free access to an undergraduate education.

“Sept. 11 sort of changed the whole universe in terms of numbers being deployed to areas of combat,” said OUS Director of Communications Di Saunders. Since then, 4,870 members of the Oregon National Guard and Reserves have been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. The program is intended to be a gesture of appreciation for the sacrifices soldiers from Oregon have made — particularly guardsmen, who, Saunders said, receive fewer benefits than soldiers in the Marines or the Army. The Oregon guardsmen have suffered 31 casualties since Sept. 11.

The push to develop a statewide fee-remission program came from the Oregon legislature as well as the office of Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski, a former Marine who used the benefits provided by the federal GI Bill to pay for college. Tuition assistance programs were already in place at Eastern Oregon University and the Oregon Institute of Technology — lawmakers have simply expanded the see OUS, page 9

UCS resolution condemns Patriot Act

BY LAURA SUPKOFF STAFF WRITER

CHANNEL POLL RESULTS

The Undergraduate Council of Students passed a resolution condemning the USA Patriot Act and its infringement of the rights of students at its general body meeting Wednesday.

Several hundred students showed their support throughout the week by adding their signatures to the resolution, which “affirms (UCS’s) strong support for fundamental constitutional rights and its opposition to federal measures that infringe on civil liberties, including the PATRIOT ACT of 2001,” as stated in the text of the resolution.

UCS President Joel Payne ’05 said the resolution was created entirely by the Brown chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union without UCS influence, and said “specific suggestions for the University” contained in the resolution gained it support from the council.

“We realized that a lot of things applied to students on an everyday basis,” Payne said.

The council also passed a statement of support for a local foods initiative that seeks to bring more local foods to campus dining services and encourage awareness and education about the local foods available.

UCS members Kate Brandt ’07 and Brian Bidadi ’06, who are involved with the Sustainable Food Initiative (SUFI), have been working with what they call a “coalition of environmentally conscious students” on this project.

SUFI hopes to organize the seasonal supply of peaches, tomatoes, potatoes, beans and squash from farmers within a 200-mile radius of Brown.

According to the initiative, 5 to 7 percent of the food in the Sharpe Refectory is grown locally. Most of this food can be found in the roots and shoots line, and every Thursday morning, breakfast at the Ratty is entirely locally grown.

Members of a new student group called Town Hall also came to seek categorization as an official group. Though

In February, a WebCT poll asked : “If it would be possible to replace/add another cable channel to Brown’s cable system, what channel(s) would you like to add?” The most-requested channels were: HBO* Cartoon Network History Channel Discovery Channel TBS NESN Bravo

USA Food Network TLC Fox News The WB FX SciFi

*HBO would be prohibitively expensive, a UCS representative said.

they were denied at last week’s meeting, they were approved unanimously after representatives explained their goals and structure.

The group says it will create a Web site that will streamline campus information and discussion in order to “be the link enabling the many (currently disjointed) agents of change at Brown to work more effectively and harmoniously with one another.”

According to Alex Richardson ’07, one of the presenters for the group, the site will be made up of a home page and a forum, an activist network and a page called “Reference Room.”

The group will have the ability to “control the content of the Web site” through a “series of guidelines to maintain integrity,” Richardson said. Official campus groups will submit and verify information on the site. There will be no anonymous posts.

“I think that the value comes in our attempt to streamline the entire process” of getting information about campus groups, said C.J. Hunt ’07, another presenter. He said he hopes “the connections made here will lead to physical connections” which could include project collaboration.

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PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005

Fire continued from page 1 the back burner. We think about taking care of business instead of losing sleep about fire regulations. But (they are) important.

(They) need to be checked and inspected,” Dias said.

But Dias said getting clubs in compliance with fire codes can be an expensive undertaking that has little direct effect on the experiences of patrons.

“Fortunately, (Viva/Paragon) is in compliance so (these regulations) won’t be a huge investment. For clubs that are not in compliance, I can see how it will be a huge investment. It’s not like when you put up a new bar.

It’s not something customers can see and appreciate. That’s why I guess there would be some resistance,” Dias said.

Other area clubs said they are consistently inspected for compliance with fire safety codes.

As for the next stage in implementing the NIST recommendations, Grosshandler said much is left to the evaluation of local communities and individual nightclubs.

“The report will be available for public comment for two to three weeks, and then afterwards any factual errors will be corrected. This is still only the start of the process, and our goal is to help local communities adapt to these changes,” Grosshandler said.

It will be up to local governments to decide whether to change their fire codes to con-

form to the recommendations.

NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency.

Grosshandler also recognized the potential cost of implementation of the recommendations to club owners, but underscored that public safety should always be a priority.

“It is true that there is an expense involved and choices are left up to local communities, (but) there is a certain expecta-

BUCC continued from page 1 would be at their first job.”

But McGill acknowledged that “most of the daily life things at Brown” will fall under the community council’s jurisdiction, adding she anticipates members will address a wide array of issues.

Brandt said she hopes to introduce environmental policy measures, such as pursuing renewable energy projects and bringing more locally grown food into campus dining halls.

In addition, Brandt said she looks forward to addressing student conduct issues.

“I know particularly last semester there have been several instances of students disrespecting workers,” Brandt said, adding that her past experience serving on the UCS-sponsored Peer Community Standards Board has provided her with “a lot of insight” which can be applied toward “constructive solutions.”

These examples comprise only a few topics the BUCC may specifically address, Brandt said, adding the council’s role in representing “such a diverse group of interests” leaves few items outside its jurisdiction.

Christen Decker ’07, who was given a non-voting position not detailed in the council’s original charge by the UCS appointments committee, said she sees the BUCC as “a gateway toward solving a lot of the isolation issues that go on where people just feel like they’re missing things.”

This sense of detachment “is really not good for a community,” she said.

One way to address this issue might be to brainstorm methods in which the University can centralize information, Decker said. By developing one outlet that provides information on everything from on-campus lectures to dining hall menus, students could “feel like they know what’s going on on campus without checking 5 million different Web sites,” she said.

While some members offered specific goals they hope the BUCC will work toward achieving, other

tion the public deserves to have when in a public space, that the building is safe. … Clubs will certainly be able to make their points at hearings in the future.”

Dias underscored that given the tragedy of The Station fire, there is an obvious need to make sure all clubs are in compliance with safety codes.

“What needs to be fixed, you fix it. That’s how business goes,” Dias said. members were more hesitant to outline particular objectives.

Associate Professor of English Stephen Foley ’74 P ’04 P ’07, one of 10 faculty members who will serve on the council, said the range of topics to be covered by the council remains unclear.

“We haven’t discussed that as a group and I wouldn’t want to prejudice that discussion,” Foley said.

Virginia Dunleavy, associate director of Brown Dining Services and one of six BUCC staff representatives, said she plans to approach the inaugural meeting “with an open mind.”

“I’m kind of taking a waitand-see attitude on (what issues the BUCC may choose to target),” Dunleavy said.

“I’m not trying to go in with preconceived notions.”

Several members said they were unsure whether each individual member would have equal weight in setting the council’s agenda.

Brandt said she does not believe “many people had much input” in setting the agenda for today’s inaugural meeting, though in the future she anticipates more equitable participation.

“I imagine that we would have an equal share of influence on what goes on,” she said. “Anyone can bring an issue to the table.”

“It’s hard for me to tell how much is going to be influenced by members and how much is going to be influenced by (Simmons and Provost Robert Zimmer),” McGill said. “I’m hoping there will be both.”

The decision to center the inaugural meeting on “Campus Climate and Tolerance for Open Debate” — a topic several members described as broad and openended — may provide members the opportunity to “get a feel for general issues the committee might address,” McGill said.

Dunleavy believes this topic relates to the University’s efforts to clarity “its vision of community,” a struggle she said she has witnessed throughout her 11 years at Brown.

“It’s a great place to start,” she said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WORLD & NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 · PAGE 5

Senate votes to allow drilling in Alaskan Wildlife Refuge

BY JUSTIN BLUM THE WASHINGTON P OST

WASHINGTON — A closely divided Senate voted Wednesday in favor of opening Alaska’s arctic wildlife refuge to oil drilling, bringing a long sought goal of the Bush administration within striking distance of being realized.

The action marks the first time the Senate has signaled its support for drilling in the ecologically sensitive area since President Bush took office. And while hurdles remain, drilling advocates said they were close to achieving their decades-long drive to tap billions of barrels of oil beneath the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain.

By 51 to 49, the Senate thwarted an attempt by most Democrats and some moderate Republicans to strip a wildlife refuge drilling provision from the congressional 2006 budget resolution. By giving the drilling proposal the protection of the budget rules, GOP leaders have effectively blocked opponents from using a filibuster to block a final vote on the proposal.

Congress used a similar approach in approving the drilling as part of a budget bill in 1995 over the strong objection of environmentalists, but President Bill Clinton later vetoed the measure. This time, supporters are bolstered by a Republican president who has made drilling a key platform of his energy policy, a GOP-controlled House that has repeatedly gone on record in favor of drilling, and a Senate whose Republican majority grew by four seats in last November’s election.

Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., a leader in the fight to stop drilling, said there would be “a lot more opportunities to see DRILLING, page 9

New Iraqi parliament meets Wed.

BY CARYLE MURHPY,JOHN WARD ANDERSON AND DANIEL WILLIAMS THE WASHINGTON P OST

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Amid tight security and the sound of explosions, Iraq’s new parliament met for the first time Wednesday as Iraqi politicians and citizens alike urged lawmakers to stop bickering, form a new government and tackle the country’s numerous problems, particularly the violent insurgency.

The source of the blasts, which apparently came from mortars, was under investigation by the U.S. military. The explosions rattled windows in the auditorium inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, where lawmakers gathered at 11 a.m. (3 a.m.

EST) for the first meeting of a freely elected parliament in Iraq in almost 50 years.

U.S. helicopters hovered overhead, and several bridges approaching the Green Zone were closed because of the threat of suicide bombings, car bomb attacks and other potential insurgent strikes.

Coalition intelligence sources had received numerous reports that insurgents would try to disrupt the assembly’s opening with a major terrorist strike, and traffic in many areas of the capital ground to a halt as Iraqi police and coalition forces manned checkpoints to search vehicles and check identification papers.

In the worst violence of the morning, a cab bomb exploded near an army checkpoint in Baqubah, 35 miles north of Baghdad, killing three Iraqi soldiers and wounding eight other people.

The opening of the National Assembly was delayed twice because top political leaders wanted to have a coalition government ready to take office before parliament convened. But negotiations between the two best represented groups — a Shiite coalition with 140 members known as the United see IRAQ, page 11

Territorial dispute with Japan inflames South Koreans

BY BARBARA DEMICK LOS ANGELES TIMES

SEOUL, South Korea — If there were doubts about the passion some South Koreans feel over a group of barren islets off of their east coast, a 61-year-old grandmother likely erased them when she sliced off her little finger in protest of a Japanese claim of sovereignty over the land.

Carried out with a sushi knife for maximum symbolic effect, the amputation Monday outside the Japanese Embassy here was only the most dramatic in a series of escalating protests over the volcanic islets known collectively as Dokdo. The woman, Park Kyoung Ja, was joined in self-mutilation by her 40-year-old son as both screamed anti-Japanese slogans and threatened to send

their severed digits to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Throughout South Korea, people have been burning, defacing and stomping on Japanese flags. A man tried to immolate himself at the embassy by jumping into a heap of burning posters of Koizumi, while another protester launched a hunger strike. In the city of Daegu, local authorities arranged traffic so that commuters would have to drive over a Japanese flag.

The protests reached a crescendo Wednesday after a local assembly in Shimane, the Japanese prefecture closest to the islets, passed a resolution designating Feb. 22 as see S. KOREA, page 10

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Film continued from page 1

fill out questionnaires telling what they thought of the movie, and the filmmakers will continue to edit based on the comments they receive. After that, they plan on submitting the movie to various film festivals, and eventually trying to sell it to television and film producers, Sher said.

Noah said he doesn’t know what to expect from audience reaction, because of the subjective nature of the film-viewing experience. “We hope that people come with an open mind and leave with a mind just as open or hopefully more open,” he said.

What makes the film exceptional, according to Sher, is its heart. “People are really talking so genuinely — they’re almost in tears at some points. It’s so real.

That’s what makes the film so wonderful,” she said.

m co ld. era yh ail nd ow br ts@ or sp

said.

They teamed up with awardwinning documentary filmmaker Jerri Sher last August. Sher, whose “Soul of an Empire” has won Best Documentary Feature at two film festivals as well as various other awards, knew the Pohls through a family friend and agreed to look at their footage.

Sher said she chose to be involved in the project because of the spirit of the two brothers.

“They had a huge amount of enthusiasm,” she said. She also knew that they needed her help.

“When I saw the footage, I realized that they had a great idea but they had no idea what they were doing.”

The filmmakers received funding from a Brown research grant, which was then matched by a grant from Tufts. Though Noah declined to state the film’s total budget, he said the remaining cost of making the film was subsidized by private funds.

The trio proceeded to interview as many people related to the issue as possible. Matthew, who is gay, was familiar with the various issues and key players involved in the controversy surrounding gay marriage, Noah said. Using his knowledge and Sher’s professional clout, the filmmakers arranged interviews with many of the most prominent religious and political leaders involved. “It’s funny how two

students can get access to these figures,” Noah said.

According to Noah, the movie does not have a specific agenda.

While objectivity “is something that’s difficult to achieve,” he said the aim of the movie is to “get people talking, to get people thinking, to get people making up their own minds,” rather than to push a certain point of view.

In the spirit of the collaborative nature of the project, the filmmakers brought in Brian Lee ’06 to help with the animation in the movie. Lee was working in the media lab at Brown where Noah was editing his footage in the fall of 2004, and was “helping out here and there and looking over his shoulder, and it just kind of went from there,” Lee said.

Lee, who is a visual arts and architectural studies concentrator, was in charge of all the animation in the movie, as well as the transitions between segments. He called the experience “definitely enjoyable,” and although there were challenges of the sort that are involved in any creative undertaking, he said it was a rewarding experience because of the people with whom he was working.

With the contribution of Lee’s work, as well as music contributed by Ben Miller ’06 of the Ben Miller Band, the film has strong ties to Brown, Noah said.

The film was screened Wednesday night at Tufts and will be screened tonight at Brown, as part of what the filmmakers are calling “test screenings.” Audience members will

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005

Brown continued from page 1 understand why he had committed the crime, hanging a sign in front of the school reading, “Why Kill?” He was just “a kid who went bad that day,” she said.

“There are millions of Little B’s,” Brown said, kids who live in ghettoes where the only economy is drugs and “there are no Whole Foods, public libraries or movie theaters.”

The United States has the largest prison population in the world, 50 percent of which is black, she said. Black infant mortality is double that of whites, and blacks have the lowest rate of house ownership and earn less than 1 percent of business revenues in the United States.

“How does this go on?” she asked. “How is it that we can still be in this state in the United States of America?”

Brown criticized former President Bill Clinton as “a racist from Little Rock” for a 1993 speech admonishing black Americans for the destruction of the family and the breakdown of

values. Clinton was blaming victims like Lewis, when “the breakdown of the black family started in 1620” with the arrival of the first slaves, she said.

“We need to try to work towards a world (in which) there is an equitable distribution of wealth and resources” Brown said.

Brown chided the conventional idea of success in the black community, which she said was merely attaining a job and living in a leased house. “For me the saddest thing is how little we want,” Brown said. “All we want is a job.”

Brown said she was saddened that to succeed, blacks feel they need to become part of the U.S. consumer culture. “Our whole relationship to success has become how well we fit into a scheme we have no control over and we have not designed,” she said.

Brown responded to questions after she spoke. Asked why some blacks had voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential election, she said, “You had some Negroes that got paid out of that faith-based money to promote the Bush agenda. I think there were some sell-out preachers.”

Asked for her views on hip hop, she said it has both positive and negative aspects, but “it is the only place where young blacks have a voice.”

Rebecca Dumas ’05 said she campaigned to bring Brown to campus after reading “The Condemnation of Little B.” The lecture was sponsored by several campus groups, including Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center and the Center for Race and Ethnicity.

At the end of her lecture, Brown implored students not to sit by and allow continuing racial and economic inequality. “Sartre said hell is a place where by design, nobody gets his needs met,” she said. “America has become that hell.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

Drilling continued from page 5 make an effort to strike it.” But he acknowledged, “The Republicans have the votes in the House and they have the votes in conference.”

The Senate and House still must agree on a final version of next year’s budget, and already there are signs that the two chambers strongly disagree on the size of proposed Medicaid cuts and other key spending issues.

Drilling proponents said producing more domestic oil would help bring down energy prices, provide jobs and ease the country’s growing trade imbalance.

They also argued that modern technology would limit the area need to drill. But opponents disagreed, saying drilling would do little to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and that there would be virtually no impact on prices, which are set as a result of activity on the world market.

Using posters showing panoramic views of pristine wilderness, opponents also said that pipelines and drilling platforms would harm calving caribou, polar bears and millions of migratory bird in the ecologically sensitive area.

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the prospects for opening the refuge are much stronger than in previous years. “The chances of this happening are excellent,” he said. “There is a legislative path to getting this done. The path is passing a budget resolution that has (the refuge) in both houses.”

The key Senate vote was on an amendment championed by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., to drop the drilling approval from the budget resolution.

Three Democrats — Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Mary Landrieu, La. — joined with 48 Republicans to defeat the measure. Seven Republicans, 41 Democrats and one independent voted in favor of eliminating the drilling provision.

Opponents had hoped to win over a few fence-straddling lawmakers at the last minute, but failed. One of those, freshman Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said he voted for drilling only after receiving assurances from the White House that no drilling would occur on Florida’s Gulf Coast through at least 2012.

Oil prices set record highs Wednesday as global demand pushed production to its limits.

During a news conference before the vote, President Bush expressed concern about rising energy prices and again pressed for the opening of the refuge as part of a package of energy legislation that the administration has been pushing.

“This project will keep our economy growing by creating jobs and ensuring that businesses can expand,” Bush said in a statement after the vote. If Congress approves the Alaskan drilling, oil industry officials said it probably would take another 7 to 10 years before oil begins flowing from the ground. Oil production already occurs near the refuge on Alaska’s North Slope.

Government models forecast that oil companies would be able to pump nearly 1 million barrels a day from the refuge in 2025.

With oil from the refuge, the United States would import about 65 percent of its oil in 2025, compared to about 68 percent without the additional domestic oil, according to data from the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration.

In some previous years, drilling in the refuge was defeated because proponents could not muster the 60 votes needed to cut off a filibuster. The budget resolution cannot be filibustered and only a 51-vote majority was needed.

Once both chambers approve budget resolutions, they will go to a conference committee where GOP leaders will attempt to iron out differences. The budget would then go back to the House and Senate for final approval.

If the drilling provision remains in the budget, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the Senate and the House Resources Committee in the House would have to approve measures laying out details for drilling in the refuge. Those measures would need majority support and would not be subject to filibuster.

On other fronts of the budget battle Wednesday, the Senate rejected an effort to reinstate budget rules mandating that any tax cuts be offset by equivalent spending reductions or revenue increases. The so-called pay-asyou-go rules — in effect through the 1990s — could have jeopardized Bush’s call to make his firstterm tax cuts permanent, but it would have also complicated efforts to secure a budget resolution.

OUS continued from page 3 program’s scope to include all seven OUS universities.

Led in part by OUS Director of Enrollment Services David McDonald, the program was developed jointly by OUS financial aid directors, members of the OUS Student Affairs Council and the Chancellor’s Office.

Voyager Tuition Assistance picks up where Federal GI Bill benefits, usually amounting to $4,500, end. Based on this year’s enrollment of returning guardsmen, approximately 300 undergraduates are expected to take advantage of the program in Fall 2005 and OUS universities are estimated to absorb about $250,000 of tuition, according to

OUS calculations.

Though Oregon’s recent budget problems make the program more difficult to implement, McDonald said, it is “such a priority that we would find a way to make this work.” Funding for the program will not take away from the money allotted to students already receiving financial aid, according to Saunders.

The program is not part of an effort to bolster recruitment, according to both McDonald and Saunders. Federal benefits provided by the GI Bill take care of the bulk of an OUS tuition, which ranges from $4,300 to $5,600 a year. Voyager Tuition Assistance is “just a topping off (of financial assistance) so that there’s no barrier to these soldiers getting readjusted,” Saunders said.

Not many other states have

such fee-reduction programs, McDonald said, adding that in many states, benefits from the GI Bill may be sufficient to cover the cost of public universities.

Because OUS schools recently had to raise their tuition and fees, Oregon lawmakers “think (the program) is the right thing to do,” McDonald said.

To be eligible for the Voyager program, according to an OUS fact sheet, applicants must be Oregon residents, be degreeseeking undergraduate students, complete a FAFSA and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Demonstrated financial need is not a requirement.

McDonald said tuition assistance is just part of a statewide push to “do more to recognize and support guardsmen.” Other benefits recently granted to returning guardsmen include

PAGE 10 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005

Wolfowitz nominated for World Bank leadership

BY PAUL RICHTER AND JOHN HENDREN LOS ANGELES TIMES

WASHINGTON — President Bush nominated Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a leading administration neoconservative, as the new president of the World Bank on Wednesday, the second time this month Bush has

moved to attempt to reshape an international institution.

Coming just over a week after he nominated State Department official John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, the choice of Wolfowitz was widely seen as part of a broader effort by Bush to bring key multinational institu-

tions more in line with U.S. foreign policy goals.

Wolfowitz would replace Jamesm Wolfensohn, an Australian-born investment banker who is due to step down June 1 after a pair of five-year terms. Wolfensohn, who was chosen by former President Clinton, could have served a third term, but the administration turned to Wolfowitz instead.

In announcing Wolfowitz as his choice, Bush at a White House news conference described him as a “skilled diplomat” and a “compassionate and decent man” who would be a “strong president” of the 184-country development institution.

Although the Wolfowitz nomination drew praise in some foreign capitals and probably will be approved by the World Bank’s 24-member board, it also promised to be controversial.

Wolfowitz remains a lightning rod, especially in Europe, because of his early advocacy of the invasion of Iraq. Some foreign diplomats in Washington said they were concerned at the choice of the hawkish Wolfowitz just one week after the selection of the staunchly conservative Bolton, a longtime U.N. critic.

Wolfowitz said Wednesday that “I believe deeply” in the mission of the World Bank. But he also said he applauded moves in recent years by the outgoing Wolfensohn to step up the World Bank’s emphasis on accountability and reform of foreign governsee WOLFOWITZ, page 12

S. Korea continued from page 5 a day of celebration of Japan’s claim to sovereignty over the islets. It was on that date in 1905, during the period when Japan was asserting colonial rule over the Korean peninsula, that the prefecture had first laid claim to the islets that it governed for a time.

The Japanese occupation of Korean territory, which ended with World War II, is one of the most bitter chapters in this nation’s history. Millions of Koreans were pressed into slavery

by Japan as laborers or sex slaves.

As the local assembly approved the resolution Wednesday, South Korean television interrupted its regular programming with urgent news bulletins. The central government in Seoul sent off immediately a sharply worded letter of protest to Tokyo denouncing what it called an “infringement of our territorial sovereignty.”

“It’s like being mugged. They’re thieves!” yelled Lee Myong Jin, a 64-year-old man who was one of hundreds of protesters who rushed to the Japanese Embassy after the vote Wednesday. “South Koreans can never forgive over this issue.”

Sovereignty over the islands, administered by South Korea since 1953, has been a matter of perennial dispute between the countries. But this bout is the most heated in recent memory.

South Korea’s indignation over Dokdo is a marked contrast to the country’s muted reaction to North Korea’s announcement last month that it has nuclear weapons. In fact, the Dokdo issue has been, if anything, a point of agreement between the estranged neighbors on the peninsula.

North Korean radio on Wednesday promptly denounced what it called “actions by Japanese reactionaries … causing hostility among our people toward Japan to explode.”

For the Bush administration, which needs the cooperation of both Japan and South Korea in dealing with North Korea, the Dokdo flare-up comes at an inconvenient time. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due in the region this weekend with hopes of forging a consensus on

the issue of reining in the North’s nuclear program.

“On the face of it, this is a silly, silly issue, but it is really a needle that reaches into a very deep place in the Korean psyche,” said Michael Breen, the author of the book “The Koreans.” “There is a feeling that the Japanese still haven’t done what is necessary to distance themselves from their colonial past.”

Almost everything about the islets is contentious, starting with their name. While the South Koreans call them Dokdo, the Japanese refer to the site as Takeshima. The CIA’s “The World Fact Book 2004,” a U.S. government publication, avoids taking sides by using the name Liancourt Rocks, a reference to a French ship that spotted them in the 19th century. Even the body of water where the islets are located is a point of debate: Known to most of the world as the Sea of Japan, it is called the East Sea by Koreans.

But it is generally agreed that there isn’t much to islets. Their total land mass is about 46 acres, most of it jagged peaks, uninhabited except for a small contingent of South Korean police. Although there has been speculation that there could be natural gas reserves around Dokdo, the chief attraction at present is their fishing grounds and potential for bird-watching.

In Tokyo, the Japanese government has tried to distance itself from the action of the Shimane prefecture.

“Both sides need to deal with this in a level-headed manner with the basic tone of friendship between Japan and South Korea not swayed too much by the recent emotional conflict,” Koizumi said Wednesday.

Tempers have been hot over the islets since Feb. 23, when Japan’s ambassador to Seoul, Toshiyuji Takano, told a meeting of foreign media that “there exists a clear difference of views between South Korea and Japan over the issue of Takeshima. It is historically and legally Japan’s territory.”

The ambassador has been recalled to Tokyo for consultations. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon, meanwhile, postponed a visit to Japan last week, saying that the Dokdo issue could take precedence over relations with Japan.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 11

Iraq continued from page 5 Iraqi Alliance and a Kurdish coalition with 75 lawmakers — have bogged down.

Citizens and religious leaders concerned about the country’s political drift and security situation forced the National Assembly to go ahead with Wednesday’s session, which was scheduled to mark the anniversary of a deadly chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja, about 150 miles northeast of Baghdad, that was ordered in 1988 by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. About 5,000 people were killed in the attack.

The meeting, which was televised live across Iraq, opened with readings from the Koran and speeches from senior members of the interim government. It continued for about two hours with 275 members being sworn in.

In the absence of a coalition government, the interim Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi remains in charge. A final accord on policy goals would smooth the way for the formation of a coalition government with Ibrahim Jafari, the interim vice president who heads the Shiite Dawa party, serving as prime minister. Jalal Talabani, a key Kurdish leader, would fill the ceremonial post of president. But appointment of the government could be days or weeks away, Iraqis involved in the talks said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, one of the United States’ most ardent supporters on Iraq, said Tuesday he intended to begin withdrawing his country’s troops in September. That makes Italy the latest country to announce that it will reduce or eliminate its military contingent in the U.S.-led force.

Italy, with about 3,000 soldiers in the country, is the fourth-largest contributor of foreign military forces to Iraq, after the United States, Britain and South Korea. Following the March 4 killing of an Italian intelligence agent and the wounding of a freed hostage by U.S. troops near the Baghdad airport, Berlusconi has come under new public pressure to follow other countries that are pulling out.

On Monday, 160 Dutch soldiers arrived home as part of a phased withdrawal.

On Tuesday, Ukraine welcomed back more than 130 members of its 1,500-person force and has said it will complete its pullout by October. Poland is planning to remove a few hundred of its 1,700 soldiers this summer and the rest by early 2006.

Berlusconi’s political coalition faces regional elections in April and legislative elections next year. He has indicated he will again head a ticket as candidate for prime minister.

“We will begin to reduce our contingent even before the end of the year, starting in September, in agreement with our allies,” Berlusconi said during an interview on staterun television Tuesday.

A withdrawal “will depend on the capability of the Iraqi government to be able to assume responsibility for security,” he said.

It was the first time he had set a tentative timetable for a pullout. He said he had “spoken about it” with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but he made no mention of notifying President Bush.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Scott McClellan advised reporters not to make a cause-andeffect link between Berlusconi’s decision and the Baghdad shooting incident.

He played down the signifi-

cance of a possible Italian withdrawal, saying it would be keyed to the ability of Iraqi forces to assume more responsibility and would be carried out in coordination with allies.

Berlusconi made his comments shortly after Italy’s parliament voted to finance Italian troop operations in Iraq through June.

At its peak, the U.S.-led force totaled about 300,000, with 38 countries contributing troops. The number of contributing nations has fallen to 24, with overall foreign troop strength at about 170,000, about 150,000 of them American. Spain, which had dispatched about 1,300 soldiers, was the first of 10 nations to withdraw from Iraq last year. In February, Portugal withdrew its force of 127 and Moldova pulled its 12 soldiers.

In Baghdad, Kurds and Shiites have been drafting a document that is likely to be made public once it is signed, officials on both sides said. It sets out the two sides’ understandings of how the new government should deal with a number of sensitive issues, including the insurgency, respect for civil liberties, the conditions for requesting a withdrawal of U.S. troops and the role of religion in governmental decision-making, the officials said.

It also addresses issues of particular concern to the Kurds, such as the role of their militias, the status of the oilrich city of Kirkuk and the creation of a federal system.

PAGE 12 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005

Wolfowitz continued from page 10 ments “as critical elements of the economic development agenda.”

The Bush appointees’ views on both institutions appeal to neoconservatives. Neoconservatives believe the World Bank, as well as development aid in general, should be more closely keyed to governance reform and promotion of democracy, not just targeted to alleviate poverty while leaving authoritarian regimes in place.

While Bush administration officials have not criticized the World Bank as strongly as Bolton has attacked the United Nations, the Bush administration has made clear its desire for a change in direction.

“These are significant multilat-

eral institutions, and Bush is putting in people who obviously have thought that these institutions were not doing as well as they should have,” said Gary Schmitt, executive director of the neoconservative Project for the New American Century, a Washington think tank that is close to the administration. “The job here is not to tear these institutions down, but to make them work better.”

The Bush administration has been pushing for major reforms in how the World Bank operates, and is especially interested in having the development bank dole out aid in the forms of grants, which don’t have to be repaid, rather than loans.

Some European diplomats were concerned that Wolfowitz might go too far in shifting the World Bank’s focus from subSaharan Africa to the Islamic

world, in hopes that development there could help defuse antiAmerican militancy. The Bush administration has made it a top second term goal to spread democracy and economic reform through the Islamic world.

“We are concerned about seeing progress in Africa,” said one European diplomat, who asked to remain unidentified. The diplomat added, however, that the World Bank’s board has great influence over the president’s course.

By tradition, the United States chooses the head of the World Bank, while Europeans choose the head of its sister agency, the International Monetary Fund.

The institution said the members of its board had begun consulting officials in their capitals on the U.S. nomination.

The selection, if approved, will give a graceful exit from the U.S. government to a figure who was a

pillar of the administration’s foreign policy, but has been a target of constant criticism since the start of the Iraq war. Wolfowitz, 61, a scholarly public servant who has worked in six administrations, was the first senior administration official to press for a confrontation with Iraq after the Sept.

11 attacks.

He is battered by anti-war Democrats whenever he appears before Congress. Democrats bring up Wolfowitz’s pre-war prediction that the war would largely pay for itself out of Iraq’s oil reserves, as well as his assertion that former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki was wrong when he the Iraq effort would require “several hundred thousand” soldiers. Many military analysts and some Defense officials have concluded that Shinseki was right and that too few U.S. troops were sent to Iraq.

Olympics continued from page 16 the rope climb is self-explanatory. Men would climb a rope of varying length (10-20 feet) hanging from a ceiling. In the 1896 Olympics, men had to climb with their legs held horizontal and straight. Apparently, only one or two men actually reached the top that year. Rope climbing is totally hardcore and people in the army do it all the time. The only objectively judged gymnastic event (think of the middle school gym class when you would climb the rope), the rope climb is a measure of immense arm strength and total body control. I can see youngsters fighting over their favorite rope climbing hero and then running off to their backyard to fashion their own practice area.

Possible revisions would be to grease the rope, or to have competitors use only one hand and a foot, if that would even be possible.

CHARIOT RACING Although this event was only in ancient Olympics, it should clearly be made a modern standard. The chariots would be in traditional form, blades on the wheels and all, and authentic uniforms would also be required. Like classic Ben Hur style, 12 chariot teams would spring from the starting line and race for seven laps. Horseracing aficionados would have their hook and women could see hot men nearly naked. In addition, those who love intrigue would enjoy all the great scandal, from illegal betting, to doping, to poisoning of opponents’ horses. Possible adjustments to the event would be to include opposing politicians as the charioteers. I can hear the commentary now: “And it looks like Bush has fallen out of his chariot and … Oh! The crush of bones as he lays in the dust. His leg has been severed from his body by Kerry’s wheel as he takes the turn.”

Anne Duggan ’06 is currently training for the Skip-It demonstration event in the 2008 Olympics

Celtics continued from page 16 Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, is playing like “The Truth” again for the first time since Walker left. All the young guys finally have the inspirational leader that Pierce refused to be.

Some may find it a little coincidental that only after I wrote the negative column singling out Danny Ainge that he began making good decisions and improving his track record as a G.M. Was I too quick to criticize? Does he read these columns and incorporate my advice into his strategy?

Does he finally just “get it”? And should I be running the Celtics?

No one will ever really know the answers to these questions. All we can be sure of is that if he starts tinkering again and trades Pierce and ’Toine for Mark Madsen and Chris Anderson, I will personally exorcise him in my next column, which will be my most scathing one yet. Watch your back, Ainge, you’re still not off the hook.

Marc Lanza ’06 would now be willing to drive cross country with Danny Ainge on a moped anytime.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 13

FIRST ROUND

SECOND ROUND

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ILLINOIS 1 FAIR.DICKINSON 16 TEXAS 8 NEVADA 9 ALABAMA 5 UW-MILWAUKEE 12 BOSTON COLL. 4 PENN 13 LSU 6 UAB 11 ARIZONA 3 UTAH ST. 14 SOUTHERN ILL. 7 ST.MARY’S (CALIF.) 10 OKLAHOMA ST. 2 SE LOUISIANA 15 WASHINGTON MONTANA PACIFIC PITTSBURGH GEORGIA TECH G.WASHINGTON LOUISVILLE LA.-LAFAYETTE TEXAS TECH UCLA GONZAGA WINTHROP WEST VIRGINIA CREIGHTON WAKE FOREST CHATTANOOGA

REGIONALS March 24-27

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

SEMIFINALS April 2

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Skiing continued from page 16 sure on her teammates to finish with clean runs. Swaffield rose to the challenge, placing sixth in the giant slalom with a two-run time of 1:58.93. Marley-Mauzy was the second Brown skier to place in the event, taking 15th after a superb second run.

“Janet was unhappy with her first run in the (giant slalom), but on the second run she came down and smoked everybody,” O’Hear said.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything when I went in there, so it was kind of a nice surprise to do really well,” Marly-Mauzy said.

“The snow was different than what we we’re used to: It was a little bit softer because it was so warm there, so we had to start the race super early in the morning.”

Elgort was Brown’s third finisher, despite being unable to train until two days before.

Marly-Mazy and Elgort were thrust into a bigger role on the team after the season-ending injuries to co-captain Stephanie Breakstone ’06 and Nina DiBona ’07 in early January. They usually race in the three and four spots behind O’Hear and Swaffield.

Leblanc attributed their consistency to experience and the ability to shift gears on the go.

“Those two girls were the most consistent the whole year,” Swaffield said. “They both have the uncanny ability to adjust their level of skiing by making microscopic adjustments.”

Two days after the giant slalom, the Bears took to the slopes again,

this time competing in the slalom.

O’Hear skied to the best ever individual performance for a Brown athlete at Nationals, finishing third in the slalom with a total time of 1:31.08. Elgort was the second Bruno finisher, taking 17th, while Swaffield was two slots behind with a two-run time of 1:36.93.

“Hilary is a great leader, she’s a really solid skier, she always gets the job done and she skies for the team. If somebody in front of her falls, she knows she needs to finish and she’ll hold back a little bit and finish for the team,” MarlyMauzy said.

Leblanc attributed much of the team’s success to their hard working attitude and the leadership qualities of Swaffield, who only crashed once all season.

“Her consistency definitely rubbed off on the other girls, something I am grateful for as a coach,” Lebanc said.

Leblanc said the Bears’ strong performance will help in the recruiting process for next year.

“Once you have fast girls, and once you perform well, it makes recruiting a lot easier,” he said.

“Fast skiers want to go to Ivy League schools.”

Swaffied agreed that a deeper lineup would be beneficial for the Bears, as skiers would be able to ski more aggressively, because they know if they fall, their teammates have the chance to do just as well if not better.

“I think that we have a great chance of doing just as well if not better next year,” she said.

“Sierra Nevada lost their best girl, and the fact that we are not losing anybody is very important,” she added.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 · PAGE 14 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Defining BUCC Rather than reassuring us that we now have a forum to address campus-wide concerns, President Ruth Simmons’ creation of the Brown University Community Council has left us asking more questions.

First announcing the BUCC, Simmons called it “a governance body with a University-wide perspective” that will “provide a means through which we can all come together ... to raise and discuss issues of mutual and institutional concern.” But the council’s charge lacks substance — it requires only monthly meetings and serves to discuss, recommend and spin off new committees.

Members of the BUCC praise the council for representing a vast array of constituencies. From the diversity of its membership to the wording of its charge, the BUCC is unequivocally intended to encompass a wide variety of interests. But is the BUCC too vast and too vague?

In recent weeks, the BUCC has been linked with potential topics of discussion as diverse as community behavior, the arming of University police, intellectual diversity and University environmental policy. These are all pertinent issues, but individually and collectively they appear to be more than a group that meets monthly could tackle effectively. It is also unclear how the BUCC will work with governing bodies already on campus, especially when it tackles issues that fall under other groups’ jurisdictions. Will BUCC recommendations carry any mandate?

Including representatives from all University constituencies appears to be the BUCC’s raison d’être. But we wonder how its members, most of whom were appointed, not elected, can effectively represent community viewpoints on such a wide variety of topics. Is it advantageous, in the end, to have the same group of people each month discussing issues about which they may know little? In a worst-case scenario, the BUCC would become a means to sweep pertinent issues under the rug after a brief discussion. As an alternative, might the BUCC become a research committee, issuing reports as a sort of Brown version of the Government Accountability Office?

Perhaps it is premature to demand these questions of a group that has not yet had its first meeting. But if the BUCC is unable to establish its area of jurisdiction and articulate how it can effectively work to better the University early in its existence, it will just become a weak, bureaucratic body with no sway.

NICK SCHADE

LETTERS Run, Ris, run To the Editor: I was disappointed to read a letter written to the editor about the next Providence municipal election (“Ris shouldn’t run,” March 16). At a time when we are searching for diversity of discourse and opinion, I would think that dissuading prospective candidates from running for any office is not an activity to embrace. Though they seem both to be liberal and progressive individuals, the reality is that David Segal and Ethan Ris adhere to the goals and positions of two different parties and would approach representation in City Hall with different personalities and styles of leadership.

The desire to enter into political debate by running for office is an admirable one, and a great

aspect of our democracy. David Segal himself commendably overcame the argument that he would split the so-called “liberal vote” two years ago.

Rather than spoiling the election for liberals, Segal got voters excited about the issues he cares about.

The dearth of smart, civic-minded citizens willing to run has increased our propensity as American voters too often merely to accept the status quo.

Even if it’s just because a candidate believes he can do a better job in office, we should more frequently encourage strong and qualified individuals to seek election, regardless of who the incumbent happens to be.

Adam Deitch ’05 March 16

Reaching out to athletes on their level 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

Gianna Giancarlo, Night Editor Katie Lamm, Lela Spielberg, 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, Ari Rockland-Miller, Stephen Narain, Joel Rozen, Chelsea Rudman, Jen Sopchockchai, Jonathan Sidhu, Lela Spielberg, Robin Steele, Kim Stickels, 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, Gianna Giancarlo, 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, Leora Fridman, Allison Kwong, Katie Lamm, Suchi Mathur, Cristina Salvato, Sonia Saraiya, Lela Spielberg, Zachary Townsend, Jenna Young

To the Editor: In her guest column (“Athletes at Brown,” March 16), Lily Rayman-Read attempts to defend Brown’s athletes. Although her intentions were undoubtedly good, her article is just as offensive to jocks as are the attitudes of those non-athletes that she ridicules. Allow me to explain.

Upon reading her article, I immediately showed it to a friend, a member of the Brown men’s crew team. Instead of delighting in Rayman-Read’s appraisal of athletes like him, he studiously scrutinized the article for several minutes before bursting into tears.

The problem here was obvious: Rayman-Read had used big words and complex grammar in an article about athletes. How did she expect them to be able to read it? Even Scott Foresman, author of my friend’s favorite “Run, Spot, Run” book series, knows the three rules of writing for athletes: always keep your word length under three sylla-

bles, never use more than one verb per sentence, and — most importantly — don’t forget illustrations. By violating all of these rules, Rayman-Read reduced my friend to a 6’6” tall, 250 lb., blubbering mass of muscle.

Luckily, I knew how to handle the situation. My friend and I slowly worked our way through Rayman-Read’s article, sounding out the more difficult words and referring to a third-grade-level dictionary as necessary. Inspired by our success, we organized a group read-aloud for the entire crew team and spread the message of RaymanRead’s article to a large portion of Brown’s athletes.

The lesson here is simple: consider the needs of your constituency before writing an article defending them.

Casey Bohlen ‘08 March 16

C O R R E C T I O N A story March 16, “First-years lead the way as w. water polo takes two of three,” incorrectly stated that Diana Livermore ’05 is the only senior on the women’s water polo team. Evan Gill and Ailey Crow are both ’05.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 · PAGE 15

Housing on the Hill: anything but suite GUEST COLUMN BY TREVOR GRIFFEN It’s that time of year again. Friendships will be broken, most sophomores will be condemned to doubles or the waitlist and ResLife will continue to refuse to answer the question, “What are my chances of…?” You can either flee the country like my friend Mara, who claims she’s “going abroad to avoid the lottery,” or face the housing crunch on College Hill. However you decide to handle it this year, Brown needs to start looking to the future. I’ve got a few suggestions, both short-term and long-term propositions to help improve undergraduate campus life.

What’s wrong? There are too many students living on campus at Brown. Brown simply does not have the facilities to support everyone. To make up for this, students get shoved in converted lounges and common rooms are converted into bedrooms. Off-campus permission is a pain, in a large part because different students get granted permission at different times, making it difficult for students to plan to live off-campus together. This results in too many kids living on campus.

Suites in New Dorm are being broken up to fit Community Assistants. Finally, Grad Center is a huge waste of space. I mean, it’s kind of cool, but literally is not spatially efficient.

Solution one: Stop letting so many people into our school! We like it small, but you keep letting more people in! Housing at Brown is already well below the standards of our peer institutions. Even Cornell and Columbia have first-year single options. I won’t talk about the hard-

wood-floor palaces at Harvard. But at Brown, it is very difficult for a lot of our sophomores to get singles outside of quiet or substance free dorms, while other schools have them for first-year. Instead of overcrowding Brown, stuffing four transfers in a lounge and doing away with our beloved common rooms (while at least one Wriston single sits unoccupied at times of the year,) how about we get on the ball with admissions? Early Decision is great. Let’s let more students in then. They

permission. If we can find a house, what does the University really care? Why does ResLife have to insist on stuffing more students into Brown housing than Brown can hold? If through some crazy mass exodus, Brown can’t fill its dorms, we can either make all sophomores stay on campus or keep our current admissions numbers. I vote to give all juniors and seniors off-campus permission, but if they select something in a lottery, then they are required to stay on campus.

It’s that time of year again.

You can either flee the country like my friend Mara, who claims she’s “going abroad to avoid the lottery,” or face the housing crunch on College Hill. want to be at Brown more than any other school. This will increase the percentage of kids accepted that decide to come, will encourage more early applicants and will lead to a better ability to predict the exact size of our incoming class. Then we can decrease the number of kids accepted through regular decision. This will drive our percentage admitted down. At the very least, we have to start cutting back the number of undergrads admitted here to the amount we can comfortably house.

Solution two: Do away with off-campus

Solution three: Select Community Assistants from among the students already living in the dorms. While it is understandable that the University wants a student living in each dorm as a resource, I feel that for older students, importing a “specially trained” student into the dorm at the expense of breaking apart suite communities of friends will only hurt the dorm dynamic. And Brown, if you are going to insist on taking away these singles for CAs, then why don’t you at least offer the remaining rooms as

suites of smaller size? Most kids at Brown want to live near friends. That’s why we have group lotteries. A hall with 20 random singles/doubles isn’t conducive to this. Adding a couple five, six or sevenperson suites without common rooms is.

The current plan will force upper-class groups to split up and may land a few sophomore groups in doubles spread throughout a dorm of mostly juniors and seniors.

Solution four: Knock down Grad Center and build a new one! I know it might involve raising a large amount of money, but with so much being raised for “academic enrichment,” I am sure that the University could find a donor who wants to improve the lives of students. A “New Grad Center” that uses the land efficiently to create a living space for more students with more amenities, such as more suites with bigger singles, common rooms, thick walls and hallways to socialize between suites would probably be the best way to alleviate housing strains.

I really love Brown, but I don’t think there is a student here who can’t find a problem with the housing system. The University might need to reduce the number of people we accept, let students migrate off campus more easily, put a hold on unnecessarily renovating the SciLi to rebuild Grad Center or pick CAs from within dorms. My only hope is that Brown takes action soon!

Trevor Griffen ’07 lives in a storage closet in Keeney.

JOEL SILBERMAN

Gender and the Democrats About a month ago, my friend Sarah Goldstein wrote a critique of my first column, in which I argued that Democrats need to be more rhetorically aggressive.

She insisted that my admiration for Republicans’ “balls of steel” was “John Wayne-cum-Saturday Night Live humor that tries to pass itself off as a political agenda.” It’s long past time that I replied to her in print.

I disagree with Goldstein’s assertion that Democrats should shy away from antagonistic rhetoric that might be considered masculine in its thrust. As I mentioned in a previous column, I believe that if Sen. John Kerry had been more aggressive against the Swift Boat Veteran sfor Truth and other political assailants, he might be president right now.

I think that Democrats need to adopt — at least in part — the sort of tone that Goldstein blows off as “macho.”

Otherwise, Dems can get used to political and electoral defeat.

The Democrats’ present crisis is more about style than substance because in politics, style is substance too. As such, I have never been advocating a “political agenda,” as Goldstein asserts, but rather a particular rhetorical tactic. And if the forceful attitude that I promote reflects what Goldstein refers to as the “flawed politics of masculinity,” so be it.

My priority is winning control back from the conservative nuts who have taken over our country and my arguments all stem from that sentiment. The issue is effectiveness, not ideology.

In her guest column, Goldstein wrote: “Rather than asking the Democrats to grow bigger balls in order to overcome the ‘rhetoric gap,’ let’s start being aggressively concerned with the fallacy of the

‘ownership society’… and let’s couple this concern with the moral justifications that the Republicans are so adept at utilizing for their party’s advantage.”

Like Goldstein, I am “aggressively concerned” about policy problems like Bush’s “ownership society.” But “concern” doesn’t constitute an alternative and is not a substitute for political victory. Right now,

ty and conviction.” But that image of conviction is derived from projections of strength.

Sen. John Kerry often dropped morality bombs like, “It is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families.” But his morally charged language didn’t stick because without the sort of tough bravado that his rival

It’s time for Democrats to stop hedging everything they say and start being more brash. If Democrats follow that advice, they might just end up sounding like real human beings and not a bunch of whiney, sappy, ideologically incoherent, annoyingly cerebral and — above all — spineless jackasses.

Democrats are struggling in their efforts to confront bad policies because they pull punches and drown in politically correct, oversensitive nuance.

As such, I don’t think we should look at policies and the rhetorical politics behind them as being opposed. On the contrary, strong language enables better policy offense and defense.

Goldstein wants Democrats to use “moral justifications” for their policies, and she has a point. Conservatives succeed in part because they exploit — as Goldstein says — the “rhetoric of integri-

employed, it just sounded like pandering.

Goldstein is also correct when she argues that I am, in a way, promoting “what conservatives excel at: spin.”

Nobody likes “spin” and in a perfect world we wouldn’t have it. But let’s be serious here. Dismissing “spin” reveals a painful naiveté towards the modern political process. Politics is posturing and we won’t win until we accept that sad reality.

It should also be noted that machismo doesn’t just belong to men anymore.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has been gallivanting around the globe in a

black dominatrix outfit that makes her look like a character from The Matrix.

She’s determined to exude power at every meeting and by all accounts has been successful. Regardless of what one thinks of her policies, Secretary Rice dramatically disproves the notion that hard-hitting politics need be a man’s world.

To be fair, I have occasionally conflated images of strength with bluntly male symbolism. And I know that it might irk some folks, but it’s time for Democrats to stop panicking about their every word, stop hedging everything they say and start being more brash. If Democrats follow that advice, they might just end up sounding like real human beings and not a bunch of whiney, sappy, ideologically incoherent, annoyingly cerebral and — above all — spineless jackasses.

There’s a real consequence to Democrats losing this war of words: When they are unable to powerfully argue their positions on the left, they begin moving to the right. Hillary Clinton recently started backpedaling on the abortion issue. That should scare the hell out of people.

Goldstein concludes by lamenting that “the kind of [political] culture Silberman describes does not hold a place for me.”

Personally, I believe that attempting in vain to hold oneself above the combative, occasionally masculine political fray is a truer act of disempowerment. Riding an overly-intellectual high horse is the surefire way to render oneself — and one’s party — irrelevant.

Joel Silberman ’05 believes that the National Organization for Women will have a pretty crappy four years if Rick Santorum is elected president.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS THURSDAY MARCH 17, 2005 · PAGE 16

Skiing team takes 2nd in best finish ever at USCSA Nationals JUSTIN AMOAH STAFF WRITER

The skiing team raced to its best finish in Brown history last week, tying for second at the United States Collegiate Ski Association National Championships on Brundage Mountain in McCall, Idaho.

Against the top 15 North American ski teams, the Bears fell short of toppling defending champion Sierra Nevada College, who once again placed first in the country with two points, while Colby-Sawyer College tied Bruno with five points.

The Bears walked away with numerous individual awards.

Kelly O’Hear ’07 was named a First Team All-American in the slalom, while co-captain Hilary Swaffield ’06 and Janet MarleyMauzy ’07 were named to the second team overall and in the giant slalom. O’Hear, Swaffiled, Sophie Elgort ’08 and Mallory

Taub ’08 all received Academic All-American honors.

Swaffield finished eighth overall in the field, while MarleyMauzy finished 14th.

In the slalom, the Bears finished second with a team time of 4:41.58 and third in the giant slalom with a team time of 6:04.

The combined times of the two events put the Bears 28.28 seconds behind Sierra Nevada, which had three ex-World Cup international skiers on its team.

“We all knew that we could do it, but we even surprised ourselves when we where there,” O’Hear said. “Our team stepped it up, those girls skied fast and we were able to hang on to third place (in the giant slalom), which is pretty exciting when two of your five skiers fall.”

O’Hear was seeded as one of the top athletes in the competition, and was looking to finish as the top American skier, which

would have granted her a spot on the U.S. National ski team.

Unfortunately, a fall in the giant slalom put her out of contention for the coveted spot.

“I still have two more years to accomplish that goal,” she said. “I pulled myself together and realized that it was a team sport and we could still do great at the event.”

Before the fall, O’Hear was one of only three skiers in the event to finish with a sub-58.4 second time on the giant slalom, which, if duplicated, would have left her second in the event, solidifying her place as a top American collegiate skier.

“If she finished the (giant slalom) with a clean run she would be headed to the U.S. Nationals,” said Head Coach Michael Leblanc.

O’Hear’s fall put greater pressee SKIING, page 13

DSpics.com

Kelly O’Hear ’07 had the best individual performance in Brown skiing history, finishing third in the slalom. She was named to the First Team All-American and Academic All-American teams.

Streaking Celtics are redeeming GM Ainge What do you do when you’ve written a scathing column about someone, condemning his every action and questioning his moral integrity as a human being MARC LANZA … and then, LANZA, NOT just like at the TONY DANZA end of “Dumb and Dumber,” he goes and totally redeems himself. Well, in my situation, now that Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge has been vindicated, I owe it to the guy to applaud his work over the past year and announce my residency back on his bandwagon. Am I the average idiot sports fan, or did this guy actually have a master plan of how to run an NBA franchise? As one of his harshest critics, I’m compelled to acknowledge that his general managing skills, amazingly … somehow … perhaps accidentally … were a few steps above par.

Without verbalizing it, Ainge acknowledged his greatest mistake as a general manager by bringing Antoine Walker back to the Celtics at the trade deadline a few weeks ago. He didn’t have to publicly state that he shouldn’t have traded the soul of the team before the 2003-04 season. By bringing him back, he let go of any stubbornness or pride, and more importantly took the risk of destroying any existing chemistry on the team, as well as being the target of intense media scrutiny.

The trade was remarkable for several reasons, the most salient being that Walker was obtained for virtually nothing. The main piece of the trade, Gary Payton, was re-signed by the Celts just days later. Ainge looked like the biggest weasel in the league, and had several executives questioning the legality of how he was able to reacquire Payton.

Yet, legitimate or not, Ainge was undoubtedly the biggest winner of the trade deadline.

Time for the Olympics to go old school Each year, the International Olympic Committee recognizes new sports to enter into the Olympics. Usually, these events involve new, trendy sports that people will take interest in for a few years. However, I propose the IOC ANNE DUGGAN THE ANNE-IMAL should bring back some of the great lost Olympic events.

These sports once had proud medalists up on the podium and would be a welcome addition to the future Olympics.

TUG OF WAR This event was held in six Olympic contests between 1900 and 1920, with the USA taking the gold in 1904. An eight-man team would need to pull six feet of rope from the opponent to win. If five minutes lapsed without a winner, whoever had pulled the furthest won. Why this sport was booted from the Olympics, I have no idea. Tug of war is a combination of brute strength with good strategy that includes foot placement and choice of grip. Anyone who was ever under the age of 25 has par-

ticipated in this sport, probably loving every moment. It once filled our middle school track and field days, color wars and camp fights, and should continue forward. One possible amendment to the sport would be the dreaded mud pit in the middle that the losing team falls into, a la Revenge of the Nerds.

UNDERWATER SWIMMING RACE This sport basically is a summer swimming pool event between small kids attempting to show something; whether it is their ability to swim or their ability to drown, no one knows. For up to 60 meters, competitors gained two points for each meter swum and one point for each second they remained underwater.

Held only once in 1900, this event needs to return to bring back memories of double-dares from friends and hold our rapt attention while one Charles DeVandeville swims the entire length of 60m in 1:08:04. Possible changes to add excitement would be to add severe undertow or seaweed.

LIVE PIGEON SHOOTING Also held in 1900, live pigeon shooting only lasted one year because of its violence. After pigeons were released, the competitors would shoot as many birds as possible to win. Leon de Lunden stole the gold with 21 birds. Some spectators complained of the dead bird mess falling into the crowds, blood and feathers everywhere. Anyone who has been to a city knows pigeons are way too numerous anyway, and with the carrier pigeon already extinct, pigeons do nothing. PETA would probably object, but this event could really shake things up and get those hunting fanatics and pigeon haters more interested in the Olympics. Possible reforms to the game would be shooting the pigeons so they end up on the ground in a pattern, which would be judged on artistic appeal, or perhaps using the pigeons to make a meal a la “Iron Chef.”

ROPE CLIMBING Held five times between 1886 and 1932, see OLYMPICS, page 12

Practically every NBA analyst in the country has asserted that the Celtics got the biggest steal, walking away with value while giving away nothing (Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and a 2nd round draft pick) in return. The Chris Webber trade stole the headlines, but both Philadelphia and Sacramento have since underperformed, while the Celtics have soared. This particular tradedeadline deal has had more impact than any other.

Ainge has now constructed the deepest and most solid nine-man rotation in the entire Eastern Conference. Basketball minds have always stated that, his G.M. skills notwithstanding, he has an excellent eye for talent. After the 2004 draft, we realized that he has one of the best. The finest Celtics draft in over a decade saw the team swipe up two future all-stars (Al Jefferson and Tony Allen) and a solid NBA point guard in Delonte West. Those picks could not have been more successful for the team, as these rookies log regular minutes and are solid contributors, even in crunch time. The Celtics, the joke of the Boston sports world recently, have now garnered the attention of the fans of New England’s other championship teams, and have surprised basketball fans across the country, all because of their wily general manager.

As for Walker, he now is one of the hottest topics for hoops sports columns. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that his acquisition is this year’s version of Rasheed Wallace joining the Detroit Pistons. The team is 9-1 since his return, including wins over the best team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns, and the defending champion Pistons.

Marc Stein has the C’s as the eighth-best team in the NBA in his weekly Power Rankings, and this is with 80 percent of the season complete. Several weeks ago, they were not even ranked inside the top 20. Paul Pierce, named see CELTICS, page 12 BROWN SPORTS SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 Women’s LACROSSE: Boston College 15, Brown 8

THURSDAY, MARCH 17 WRESTLING: at NCAA Championships, St. Louis, Mo.