Wednesday, April 13, 2005

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W E D N E S D A Y APRIL 13, 2005

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXL, No. 48 FOCUS ON: THE FACE OF BROWN From dorms with electric light to The Walk, focus finds that new buildings have always annoyed the neighbors FOCUS 3

SCIENCE WEDNESDAY Researcher gets headlines with imaginary black hole; Psych prof. to host NPR’s “Infinite Mind” CAMPUS NEWS

STICK IT TO HARVARD M. lax recover nicely from heartbreak at Yale to take the Crimson in Cambridge, 12-3 5

SPORTS

12

TODAY

TOMORROW

partly cloudy 50 / 36

mostly sunny 54 / 35

Brown prof. announces her intention to run for Congress

UCS presidential race down to two Candidates outline their positions at debate BY LAURA SUPKOFF STAFF WRITER

Candidates for positions on the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board described some of their accomplishments and plans for next year at a debate Tuesday night. Though five of nine top positions are uncontested, all but one candidate participated in the debates, moderated by Ethan Ris ’05. The race for UCS president lost one of its members, as Nate Goralnik ’06, a former Herald columnist, dropped out of the race because he “heard it would be suicide” and that he would “have to break up with (his) girlfriend.” Goralnik continued to participate in the debate even after announcing his withdrawal from the contest. He described the reasons why he had originally wanted to run and the problems he saw with the current system. “I think (UCS members’) ideas are too small,” he said. Brian Bidadi ’06 and Ben Creo ’07, the two remaining presidential candidates, gave their ideas for change. Bidadi said the council is “too individualistic” and spoke of the need for senior leadership. He proposed a system in which groups of three to five students on the council would work together on larger initiatives instead of each member trying to accomplish “pet projects.” Bidadi also talked about extending some of the positive aspects of the first-year experience to upperclassmen. Creo, who is completing his first year on UCS, spoke about the need for improvement in academic advising through the addition of full-time academic advisors. He also called for more centralized information, because “Morning Mail is a joke,” as well as a focus on student services including health and psychological services. The two candidates for UFB chair, Swathi Bojedla ’07 and Richard Soto ’06, both advocated for changes to the board in addition to what has already occurred this year. Soto called for “opening the process up,” saying that “if people see how we make decisions, it will lead to better presentations and better events.” He said he would advocate for this change in order to fulfill his goal to “create an organization that is

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BY ERIC BECK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Matt Lent / Herald

Imam Abdul Hameed from the Islamic Center of Rhode Island said terrorism is antithetical to Islam at a Tuesday night multi-faith panel.

Religious leaders advocate finding common ground BY KATE SPITZER-COHN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“That which unites us is stronger than that which divides us.” This was the overarching message Tuesday night in a multi-faith panel discussion titled “Jihad and Crusade: Religious Perspectives on the War on Terror.” The event, organized by Tze Yong Ng ’05 and sponsored by 12 campus organizations, brought together religious leaders from the Protestant, Catholic and Muslim communities. The three speakers — Bishop Ernest Boland, Imam Abdul Hameed and the Rev. John Holt — gave their views on how their religions interact with those of others. open, accountable, credible, and educates the public.” Bojedla did not advocate opening up the now private portions of deliberations, but did call for “full disclosure of all of our (financial records) through UCS or the Web site,” which she said would help groups and make the board more accountable. She also see UCS, page 6

Sara Perkins / Herald

UCS appointments chair Will Cunningham ’07, who is running unopposed for UCS treasurer, participated in Tuesday’s candidate debates moderated by Ethan Ris ’05. Editorial: 401.351.3372 Business: 401.351.3269

Boland spoke of the 33 years he spent working alongside Muslims in Pakistan before his retirement and emphasized the common goals shared by Muslims and Christians during his time there. He recalled being asked to pray for Muslim patients in hospitals, and also a Muslim doctor who ministered to many of the area’s poor Christians. The practice of terrorism is antithetical to Islam, Hameed said, quoting the Quran’s words that “there is no compulsion in religion.” Islam means “to submit,” he told the audience, and that submission must be willing. The best way to combat inter-religious tension is to

Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Lawless intends to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin in the 2006 Democratic primary for Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District seat, she told students and colleagues Tuesday. “At this point, we are dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s,” said Adam Deitch ’05, who will be working on Lawless’ campaign. Deitch is currently the chair of both the Undergraduate Finance Board and Residential Council. Deitch and other officials from Lawless’ campaign declined to comment further. In an e-mail sent to fellow faculty in the Department of Political Science and obtained by The Herald from a recipient in the department who insisted on anonymity, Lawless wrote, “I have wrestled with the professional and political risks involved in the decision to enter this race, but I have determined that the potential benefits outweigh the possible costs.” “I love my job and I love being a political scientist,” Lawless wrote. “Indeed, it is my research on women and politics that served as the catalyst for this decision. I will continue to teach and do as much research as I possibly can throughout the campaign process. If things do not work out on the campaign trail (and many people would be inclined to say that they will not), I plan to remain fully devoted to the Department and my research.” Lawless acknowledged in the e-mail the difficulty of challenging an incumbent like Langevin, but she wrote that the importance of having women in public office and her see LAWLESS, page 8

see RELIGION, page 9

U. releases disciplinary data Nearly 1,000 cases went through the nonacademic disciplinary process from July 2003 to December 2004, according to reports released Tuesday by the Office of Student Life. Non-academic offenses are divided into non-disciplinary and disciplinary dispositions based on the type of offense. Nondisciplinary dispositions can result in mediations, warnings or dean’s conferences. Punishments for disciplinary dispositions range from reprimand to separation from the University. Disciplinary dispositions are meted out by an OSL dean or hearings before the Peer Community Standards Board, the University Disciplinary Council or a University administrative hearing officer. The reports released Tuesday, which covered the previous three semesters, said 492 cases received disciplinary dispositions in the 2003-2004 academic year. In Fall 2004, 190 cases resulted in disciplinary dispositions. Three of the most serious cases in the fall semester of 2004 went before a University administrative hearing officer for violations possibly resulting in separation from the University or notation on a

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student’s permanent record. One case, involving damage to exit signs and underage alcohol consumption, resulted in deferred suspension. Deferred suspension was also the consequence of an incident involving nonconsensual sexual contact. The third case involved public urination, disorderly conduct and public intoxication at an athletic event — the sanction was suspension for a semester. University administrative hearing officers heard three cases during the 20032004 school year. One incident involved possession and sale of illegal drugs and two were for assault of another student. All three cases resulted in suspension. The Peer Community Standards Board, which hears cases involving fire alarms, theft, noise complaints, fire safety violations and similar offences, handled 117 cases in the 2003-2004 school year and eight cases in Fall 2004. Most cases were settled with reprimands or probation. Dean’s hearings, for violations that do not warrant separation from the University or inclusion on a student’s persee DISCIPLINE, page 6 News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com


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Wednesday, April 13, 2005 by The Brown Daily Herald - Issuu