Friday, January 27, 2006

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006

Volume CXLI, No. 3 MASS MOCHA APPEAL Unofficial alternative to BOCA provides students with shopping cart of classes and virtual schedule CAMPUS NEWS 3

www.browndailyherald.com

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891 JANUARY POOL PARTY Regular decision applications have increased by 8 percent, while women now make up 60 percent of the pool CAMPUS NEWS 3

KRAZY KING Marc Lanza ’06: Ron Artest’s ability to disrupt teams is unrivaled by any other professional athlete SPORTS 12

TODAY

TOMORROW

sunny 37 / 29

mostly sunny 47 / 32

$1.1 million of “recovery semester” scholarships to aid Gulf Coast students

DOUBLE VISIONS

As a new semester gets underway, the Gulf Coast region — and particularly its colleges and universities — attempts to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Brown’s participation in the relief effort has taken on various forms. In this article, the first in a five-part series, The Herald examines how “recovery semester” scholarships aid students returning to affected areas.

BY CAROLINE SILVERMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Lindsay Harrison / Herald

Stine Bidstrup was at the opening of her exhibit, “Double Visions,” Thursday night at the Hillel Gallery.

The ‘Spector’ behind those randomly generated facts

BY KIM STICKELS STAFF WRITER

Along with chiseled biceps, tough-guy roles and unusual hair (or lack thereof ), Vin Diesel, Chuck Norris and Mr. T can add one more item to the list of things they have in common.

FEATURE Each is the subject of a random fact generator on the popular humor website 4q.cc created by Ian Spector ’09. Frequented by college students, military personnel and even Fortune 500 employees, the Web site features thousands of random “not necessarily true” facts about the three, all submitted by fans eager to contribute to this new pop-culture phenomenon.

The Vin Diesel fact generator, the oldest of the three, got its start last March after Spector noticed a thread on the Web site SomethingAwful.com listing random facts about the popular action star. Spector thought it would be funny to create his own site that would compile these facts and allow people to submit their own, he said. Hosting the site on a domain he already owned, Spector posted a link onto SomthingAwful.com and went live on April 1, 2005.

The site received 20,000 hits in the first 24 hours, and within a month it had reached 10 million visitors. However, “the novelty was beginning to die away,” so Spector posted a poll listing 12 other celebrities as potential options for a new random fact generator. After receiving 10 or so e-mails suggesting Chuck Norris, he decided to include him in the poll, which Norris won by a landslide.

The Norris Web site became very popular in November after a friend posted a link to it on CollegeHumor.com.

To date, it has received 48 million hits. Its popularity has astounded even Norris’ publicist, Jeff Duclos. “Its obviously the subject of much speculation on why this is happening,” he said, adding, “I suspect it is the distinctiveness of Mr. Norris’ personality and celebrity.”

Norris issued a statement on his Web site about the fact generator, stating, “Being more a student of the Wild West than the wild world of the Internet, I’m not quite sure what to make of it.”

Spector said most of the site’s visitors are college students, which explains the drop in the site’s hits during summer and winter breaks. He also said that 90 percent of visitors to the site are from the United States, although the fact generator has gained worldwide popularity.

“Somebody sent an e-mail saying my site is all the rage in Poland,” Spector said.

The site has become so popular that Spector was asked to appear on the CNBC show “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch,” but his segment was cut at the last minute while he was waiting to go on the air. Later, Spector was invited to meet with Norris and his wife at Mohegan Sun, a casino and entertainment center in Uncasville, Conn., where Norris was hosting The World Combat League, a martial arts competition. “We talked for an hour or so, but it wasn’t a business conversation,” Spector said.

In addition to the Web site, Spector see NORRIS, page 4

President Ruth Simmons announced plans in mid-December to allocate $1.1 million for BROWN & KATRINA scholarships at three schools in the Gulf Coast region that were dramatically affected by Hurricane Katrina. The money — which was distributed to the schools based on the severity of the damage they incurred — came out of a $5 million donation toward the relief effort by Sidney Frank ’42. Dillard University will receive $775,000, Xavier University will receive $245,000 and Tougaloo College will receive $100,000.

Ultimately, over 300 students will benefit from the funds — 200 at Dillard, 85 at Xavier and 20 at Tougaloo.

The Sidney Frank Renewal Scholar-

ships, referred to loosely as “recovery semester” scholarships, are just one of the programs rising from Frank’s $5 million donation. Before it can earmark the money for specific projects, the University must receive approval from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, which oversees the donation’s distribution.

“He didn’t want the money to go specifically to students at Brown,” Simmons told The Herald. “Instead, he said to us, ‘Can you identify the things that will be most useful (to do with the money), educationally?’”

To qualify for the scholarships, students must meet criteria outlined

by Frank. They need to be permanent residents of a county deemed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as affected by the hurricane. Moreover, eligible students must demonstrate the impact of the hurricane on their family income and home, show a commitment to pursue and complete their undergraduate studies at their current institution, display academic abilities and also have been enrolled for the Fall 2005 semester.

Simmons said she believes the scholarships “make a powerful statement” see KATRINA, page 5

After resignations, UCS members look to the future Saxton-Frump ’07 likely to succeed Bidadi ’06

BY STU WOO CAMPUS WATCH EDITOR

Despite the initial shock of the sudden resignations of its president and an executive board member in a two-day span, the Undergraduate Council of Students has made clear that it is ready to move on.

“I think UCS members were surprised that there were two medically related resignations at this point of the semester,” said UCS Communications Chair Tristan

Freeman ’07. “(But) I think UCS members as a whole are optimistic about the work we’ve done and about the work ahead of us.”

“In other years, it could have been far worse than this,” said Zac Townsend ’08, chair of the Admissions and Student Services Committee. “This year, we have a strong group of individuals who are going to step into positions and do very well. I don’t expect much will be affected.” see UCS, page 7

Kennedy caught up in Abramoff scandal

R.I. congressman received money from clients, former associate of corrupt lobbyist

BY BEN LEUBSDORF METRO EDITOR

The growing scandal centered on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has drawn in U.S. Rep. Patrick METRO Kennedy, D. - R . I . , House.gov who received large Rep. Kennedy contributions from several Indian tribes represented by Abramoff and took money from a former member of Abramoff’s lobbying team.

But Kennedy has not been linked to the ongoing corruption probe, and his office denies any direct connection to Abramoff.

Abramoff, formerly a Republican lobbyist in Washington, pled guilty Jan. 3 to three felony counts related to his illegal lobbying activities. As part of his plea bargain, Abramoff agreed to help federal prosecutors uncover the

Editorial: 401.351.3372 Business: 401.351.3260

extent of his influence on Capitol Hill.

Several members of Congress may face indictments as a result, including U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R.-Ohio.

Kennedy, whose district includes Brown’s campus, and his political action committee, Rhode Island PAC, have received a total of $42,500 since 1998 from six tribes that were clients of Abramoff, according to the Center for Responsible Politics. Last December, the Washington Post put the total amount Kennedy had received from Abramoffconnected sources at $131,000, which would make him the second highest individual recipient — and the numberone Democratic recipient — of Abramofflinked funds in Congress.

Kennedy received no money directly from Abramoff, according to Federal Electoral Commission records. But in September 2004 Kennedy received a $500 contribution from Edward Ayoob, who

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

had previously worked for Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig, a Washington-based lobbying firm. Abramoff left the firm in March of that year.

Ayoob — a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who now works for another lobbying firm, Barnes and Thornburg — also contributed $250 to Kennedy’s father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D.-Mass., in July 2005.

Shaun Richardson, Patrick Kennedy’s chief of staff, said Ayoob made the contribution while he was lobbying Kennedy over whether the National Labor Relations Board has jurisdiction on Indian reservations, and Kennedy voted against Ayoob’s position despite the contribution. Richardson said there was no significance to the contribution, noting that Ayoob “had not been working see ABRAMOFF, page 6 News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

THIS MORNING THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 · PAGE 2

WORLD IN BRIEF

Jero Matt Vascellaro

CHINA, IRAN SEE PROMISE IN RUSSIA’S NUCLEAR FUEL PLAN

their opposition to U.N. sanctions.

Russia has proposed that nuclear fuel for Iranian reactors be enriched on Russian soil, thereby reducing international fears that it might be diverted into a weapons program.

BY MARK MAGNIRE LOS ANGELOS TIMES

BEIJING — China and Iran expressed measured support on Thursday for a proposal designed to break a deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear program even as both countries repeated

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS THE GABRIEL ALEGRIA SEXTET 4 p.m., Saturday (Grant Recital Hall) — Afro-Peruvian Jazz performers, led

by Gabriel Alegria, will lead a free master class.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONVOCATION 6 p.m., Saturday (Salomon 101) — Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, will give a talk along with student speakers and performers

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

THE MELISSA RAUCH COMEDY TOUR 8 p.m., Saturday (List 120) — Kappa Alpha Theta presents MTV’s “Best College Comedian” Melissa Rauch. She has appeared on Saturday Night Live and VH1’s “Best Week Ever.”

Deo Daniel Perez

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH — BLT Sandwich, Italian Roasted Potatoes, Oregon Blend Vegetables, Hash Brown Potatoes, Turkey Breakfast Sausages, Hard Boiled Eggs, Butter Cookies, Chocolate Mousse Torte, Comino Chicken Sandwich

LUNCH — Vegetarian Chick Pea Soup, New England Clam Chowder, Chicken Fingers with Sticky Rice, Vegetarian Grinder, Sugar Snap Peas, Butter Cookies DINNER — Vegetarian Chick Pea Soup, New England Clam Chowder, Fisherman’s Pie in Puff Pastry, Grilled Chicken, Cheese Raviolis with Sauce, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Cauliflower, Asparagus with Lemon, Focaccia with Rosemary

DINNER — Coconut Tilapia, Basmati Rice Pilaf, Steamed Vegetable Melange, Broccoli Spears, Focaccia with Rosemary, Fruited Strawberry Jello, Pumpkin Pie, Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce

Cappuccino Monday Christine Sunu

RELEASE DATE– Friday, January 27, 2006

C Times R O SDaily S W Crossword ORD Los Angeles Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 One may accompany a coin toss 5 “Hair” do 9 Parkinsonism drug 14 Bit of seasonal merriment 15 Hit hard 16 Maritime raptors 17 Object of a mil. search 18 L.A.’s La Cienega, e.g.

19 Many mall visitors 20 Romance going nowhere?

23 Come after 24 Milne marsupial 25 Actress Peeples 27 Formula for an alchemist?

32 Reasons for repeats, maybe 35 __ Fein 36 Cited, in a way 37 Literature, philosophy, etc.

39 Fraction of a mil 42 C·diz kiss 43 Range of power 45 Can 47 Identity theft target: Abbr.

48 Elia’s army?

52 Mouth, slangily 53 Medical research org.

54 Scarpia’s killer 58 “How big is the Milky Way?,” e.g.?

63 Emerald, for one 64 Block measures?

65 Bender 66 Free 67 Troubles 68 Biblical physician 69 “Gypsy” composer 70 Silver lead-in?

71 Marked, as a ballot DOWN 1 Pod swimmer 2 Keokuk resident 3 Lineup on a bar

4 Stay out of sight 5 “Mamma Mia!” group 6 Wiglet 7 Request from a party leader 8 “Rats!”

9 Releases 10 Cologne crowd?

11 Some hoops matchups 12 Broke 13 Nitwit 21 Old Royale 8’s, e.g.

22 Jack of “Barney Miller” 26 Supplement 28 It can’t be helped 29 Taproom site 30 Switch type 31 Spawning salmon’s protuberance 32 Likely to wait, probably 33 Self-determining sort 34 Final fling, maybe 38 Biol. or chem.

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: E S S E N E S

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56 “You Send Me” singer 57 Asked for a hand?

59 “__ Eyes”: Eagles hit 60 Former Cunard flagship, for short 61 Hard to look at 62 Flying A rival 63 Public transport

41 NOW issue 44 Where Puff frolicked 46 Accident scene figs.

49 Put the kibosh on 50 “Wanna bet?”

51 Repress, with “up” 55 Sitting Bull, for one

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ing the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage

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By Donna S. Levin (c)2006 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web: http://www.browndailyherald.com.

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CAMPUS NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 · PAGE 3

‘Mocha’ energizes online scheduling

BY BRENNA CARMODY STAFF WRITER

In response to the frustration often generated by the Brown Online Course Announcement, five computer science concentrators have created a user-friendly and more comprehensive version of BOCA. The new program, called Mocha, is not affiliated with the University or the Registrar’s Office, but it is currently available to students on a Web site hosted by the Department of Computer Science’s server.

Some of Mocha’s features include the ability to add courses to a shopping cart and to create a colorcoordinated schedule. Students can also bookmark classes and enter class numbers without the number of zeroes required by BOCA. An additional benefit of the site is enhanced search capability, according to the creators. see MOCHA, page 4

Regular applicant pool rises 8 percent

BY ALLISON EHRICH BERNSTEIN STAFF WRITER

The University has received 18,250 regular decision applications, an eight percent rise from last year’s pool, according to Dean of Admissions James Miller ’73.

While an increase in applications from women has produced an applicant pool that is approximately 60 percent female, in terms of demographics, “it looks likes we’re getting more of everything,” Miller said. “The increases have been pretty much across the board in terms of geography and ethnicity.”

Last year’s regular decision pool of 16,900 was an increase of 10 percent from the year before.

The segment on Sex Power God that aired Nov. 14 on “The O’Reilly Factor” had little effect on the size of the regular applicant pool, Miller said, although not all the applications have been fully reviewed.

“We’ve heard virtually nothing about that from prospective students,” he said. “It was a blip. There’s nothing right now that we can pinpoint — it would all be sort of anecdotal.”

Associate professor to study weight gain in workplace

BY SPENCER TRICE STAFF WRITER

Healthier snacks and physical activity may soon become part of the typical workday for employees in 12 local companies. This effort is part of a study conducted by Associate Professor of Community Health Kim Gans, who recently received federal funding to research what leads to weight gain in certain work environments.

Gans — who has spent over a decade working on community-based programs that deal with nutrition

KNEE-TOE

Jean Yves Chainon / Herald

Brown students practiced Tang Soo Do on Thursday night at the T.F. Green building.

and weight regulation — said the study complements growing national concern over obesity.

The study began this year and will involve 24 total companies, each with 50 to 75 employees who will volunteer to be weighed regularly and have their progress tracked. The project received $3.2 million in funding from the National Institute of Health last October.

The selected businesses will be split in half — one group will receive a detailed nutritional and activity regimen while the other will act as a control.

As part of the two-year wellness program, participating companies will sponsor walking groups on trails around the workplace. In addition, the program will include newsletters, cooking demonstrations, support groups, exercise sessions and healthier foods for vending machines.

Gans said she expects to find that a poor diet combined with the lack of adequate physical activity increases the possibility of weight gain.

A collection of recent studies by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, The Rand Institute and other organizations show that obesity has increased substantially nationwide, a trend caused by poor diets and little opportunity for physical activity. The studies show that the average American lives in an environment where surrounding factors make him or her susceptible to weight gain.

Researchers like Gans look for models of this type of environment to evaluate what causes weight gain and test ways to reverse it. Gans’ study will place special emphasis on removing the causes of weight gain.

“It’s not a weight treatment program,” Gans said.

“It’s weight regulation.”

The experiment will be “one method in a multi-level problem,” Gans said, adding that there is no quick fix to the obesity problem.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island will see GANS, page 4

The Nov. 1 early decision deadline preceded Bill O’Reilly’s coverage of Sex Power God. Now in its fourth year of need-blind admissions, the University has “reason to expect that we’ll become more socially (and) economically diverse,” Miller said.

As word spreads to prospective students, parents and high school faculty regarding the need-blind policy, Miller expects further increases in applicant numbers, given that “we’re able to admit students from all over the United States.”

Miller emphasized that the University’s reputation is also to be credited for this increasing popularity. “I think when people compare Brown to the myriad of other options, just in general, we look really good. …

People like the physical beauty of the campus, are really attracted by the curriculum and really like the faculty and students,” he said.

Prospective students concur. Courtney Smith, a regular decision applicant from Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Va., praised Brown’s “really great international relations program and the (overall) liberal arts education,” while also citing the open curriculum and the “tolerance and acceptance of the student body” as factors influencing her decision.

Speaking with Norfolk Academy graduates who had gone on to Brown confirmed it as her first choice, though Smith applied to several other colleges, including the University of Virginia and Georgetown University.

Michael Bechek ’10, a senior at Milton Academy in Milton, Mass., who was accepted to Brown early decision, chose to apply to Brown over Yale University and other peer institutions largely for the University’s unique student body. “The kind of kids that go to Brown, I thought, were a lot more like the kids I hang out with at my high school — while very intense academically, not competitive with one another in a mean-spirited kind of way. see ADMISSIONS, page 5

DPS security officer dies unexpectedly Officer Jay Ducharme, who began serving in September 2004 as a security officer in the Department of Public Safety, died suddenly Wednesday morning.

Ducharme was undergoing training at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy to become a campus police officer at Brown, according to an e-mail sent to the University community Thursday afternoon by DPS Chief of Police Mark Porter and Vice President of Administration Walter Hunter.

“Officer Ducharme’s death is a tragic loss to our Department of Public Safety, and we will always remain grateful for his service to our campus community. …

Our thoughts are with (his) family and friends during this extraordinarily difficult time,” Porter and Hunter wrote in the e-mail.

No further details on Ducharme’s death or plans for a memorial service were available as of press time.

Support services are available to members of DPS through the Office of Student Life, the Office of the University Chaplain and Psychological Services.

— Anne Wootton

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006

Mocha continued from page 3 BOCA only allows one description to be searched at a time, while Mocha allows for “any kind of search you can think of,” according to Dave Pacheco ’07, one of the site’s creators. BOCA is usually slow the night before classes start, he added, but with Mocha, the condensed searches reduce the load on the servers.

Mocha is the creation of five members of the class of 2007 — Pacheco, Daniel Leventhal, Adam Cath, Dave Hirshberg and Bill Pijewski — who came up with the idea for an alternative to BOCA last spring during CS 32: “Introduction to Software Engineering.” The scope of a final project for the class inspired them to redesign BOCA’s interface. “Sometimes I was getting so frustrated with BOCA, so I wanted to make something a little more flexible,” Pacheco said.

While the students were busy last semester, they devoted their winter break to creating Mocha, downloading data from BOCA and communicating online. “It was a fun project because we all came into it with a feature we were interested in,” Leventhal

Norris continued from page 1 has created a calendar of usersubmitted Microsoft Paint illustrations along with some of the facts, which he says has sold about 40 copies. He makes money off the site’s ad revenue, although he is not supposed to say how much. “It’s nothing overwhelming at this point,” he said. He spends on average a half hour each day maintaining the site, and often has friends help him to decide which facts make the cut. Out of over 38,000 facts on Norris and about 7,000 more on Vin Diesel awaiting approval, only around 5 percent will make

said. Pacheco said that he logged over 100 hours working on Mocha.

The creators claim their rationale for producing Mocha was selfish. “We mainly did it so we could not have to use BOCA,” Pacheco said. However, they did consider the Brown community when designing it. “We made it useful to us and added things that could be useful to other people,” Leventhal said.

While the CS department has been very “gracious” toward the project, Pacheco said that the Registrar’s Office has been less than helpful. The site’s creator’s asked the Registrar’s Office for access to the data that runs BOCA, but they were denied because the office did not think the project was possible, according to Pacheco. The Registrar’s Office also said that it would be a waste of time since BOCA already exists and will be supplanted by Banner, the new online course registration system, he said.

“The biggest problem is data isn’t given to us by the Registrar,” Pacheco said.

University Registrar Michael Pesta and Associate Registrar Brook Moles could not be reached for comment.

Some students who have tried Mocha have reacted

the cut, he said.

So what does it take to earn a place among the 4,600 already approved Vin Diesel facts and the 3,200 facts on Chuck Norris?

“It has to be well-written and contain unique references to pop culture or politics,” Spector said. He sees 20 submissions at a time and can scroll through them quickly. “When it’s good I can tell it’s good,” he said.

A computational biology concentrator who plans to go on to medical school, Spector also owns his own web hosting company called qubefactor. com. A literary agent has already contacted Spector with plans about compiling a book of the random facts, and Spector is planning to give away a total

positively to the new interface.

“I have enough other things to think about. It makes shopping period so much easier,” said Annie Blazejack ’09.

“It was fun to find a new program that cut the work in half for me,” said Daniela Alvarado ’08.

Jonathan Juarez ’09 added that Mocha was “a dream come true for the disorganized.”

The Web site was put together over four days, and as of Tuesday night was running off of Pacheco’s computer. It is now being hosted by the CS department, which has a much more powerful server.

In the future, “there will not be a lot of maintenance we will have to do,” Pacheco said. He hoped they would be able to pass the maintenance of Mocha onto others once he and his fellow programmers graduate. “We are not planning to dedicate a huge part of the semester to it,” Leventhal said.

Still, they plan to add features such as e-mail reminders about exams, exam times, compatibility with iCal — a calendar program created by Apple Computer, Inc. — and the ability to link schedules between users.

The URL for Mocha is http:// mocha.cs.brown.edu.

body gym — a product endorsed

by Norris — to the winner of an image contest the site is sponsoring.

Both Spector and Duclos seem amazed by how popular the Web site has become.

“This has sort of taken on a life of its own that has all these different extensions to it,” Duclos said. “(Norris is) the closest thing we’ve got in this generation to a John Wayne persona,” he said. “When Chuck was a child, (John Wayne) was his favorite movie star.”

For his part, Spector’s favorite fact reads, “Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.”

Gans continued from page 3

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com.

act as a partner in this effort, and Gans hopes the project’s success will show the insurance company that health programs targeting weight gain reduce the frequency of obesity-related illnesses and, consequently, the number of medical claims for such problems. Ideally, the next step for the insurance company would be to package the intervention program and offer it to businesses nationwide, cutting insurance costs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately $305 million a year is spent treating medicalrelated obesity problems in Rhode Island alone.

The list of medical complications stemming from obesity includes heart disease, diabetes and several types of cancer and gallbladder disease.

Gans said she believes individual effort is necessary to reduce obesity nationwide.

Still, she believes environmental changes will help workers make healthier choices.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Admissions continued from page 3 “Plus, Providence beats New Haven — by a lot,” Bechek added.”

Bechek’s classmate Rebecca Sigel ’10, also accepted early decision, agreed with his statement and expressed her

Katrina continued from page 1 that “we are a community of learning.” She continued: “I’ve always believed we are not in an isolated setting.”

Dillard and Xavier, both located in New Orleans, sustained significant damage to their campuses during the hurricane. Though Tougaloo’s campus was not as hard-hit, most of its students come from homes greatly affected by the disaster.

Now, as students return to institutions in the Gulf Coast, the scholarships enable Brown to ensure that support “follows the students who are reintegrating,” Simmons said.

Dillard University Dillard is the only school in New Orleans still unable to use its campus. Classes are being held in the Riverside Hilton Hotel and the World Trade Center across the street. Science labs are taking place on Tulane’s campus, according to Maureen Larkins, director of university communications.

“When Dr. Hughes (Dillard’s President Marvalene Hughes), visited Brown last fall and met with Mr. Frank, he asked her what would be most helpful, and she said ‘we need to provide financial support for our students,’ and he stepped up,” Larkins said.

Before the hurricane, the majority of Dillard’s approximately 2,200 students came from families whose annual income was less than $40,000, and 98 percent of students received either government or school-administered financial aid.

For this semester, 1,071 students have enrolled at Dillard, and the 200 recipients of the “recovery semester”

appreciation for a city that is “small but not too small,” as well as a student body that is reputedly “really smart and motivated, but without the pretension of the kids who might go to the other (Ivy League schools).”

All three students reported almost exclusively positive feelings toward Brown among their peers. “I’m sure dozens of

kids applied regular decision — Brown is on almost every Milton kid’s list,” Bechek said.

The only negative conversations seem to regard decision concerns. “I know there was some worry that the new director of admissions might tighten up on who was accepted and rejected, but that’s about the extent of whatever reactionary things I’ve heard,” Sigel said.

scholarships have already been notified of their award. Dillard distributed 100 scholarships of $5,250 and 100 more of $2,500.

dealing with the impact of the storm and trying to reposition ourselves, so we’re recovering from its negative impact, and we’re grateful for any support,” Algere-Lonian said.

Tougaloo College This semester is not technically Tougaloo’s first “recovery semester” — the Mississippi college was able to open last semester. Still, the scholarships are making a “huge difference,” said Edwina Harris Hamby, vice president for institutional advancement.

Brown also donated an additional $200,000 in the fall to help Tougaloo resume operation.

“We are very appreciative of the generosity of Brown and of (Frank),” said Beverly Hogan, Tougaloo’s president. “So many of our students come to our school without the means to fully pay for their education, and that is a great barrier. Brown has really played a leadership role in bringing attention to the situation.”

The scholarships have already been awarded at Tougaloo.

While they were only able to give 20 scholarships of $5,000 dollars each, the school saw 143 applications from students identified as “first tier” potential recipients, and even more than that applied, Harris Hamby said.

More than 600 of Tougaloo’s 950 students live in affected areas.

Xavier University At Xavier, the applicant pool for the “recovery semester” scholarships was also substantially larger than the number available, said Pearl Algere-Lonian, assistant vice president of scholarships and special projects in academic affairs. Xavier is awarding 25 scholarships of $5,000 each and another 60 scholarships of $2,000. The university hopes to notify the recipients within the next two weeks.

“This semester and probably for many more, we will be

A boon for Brown The three schools receiving “recovery semester” scholarships are not the only ones benefiting from the program, according to Molly DeRamel, director of media relations.

“Our effort over the break got an incredible amount of very good press for Brown,” DeRamel said. “It was written up in The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe; we were even in The TimesPicayune, and it was on the Fox Television channel down in the New Orleans area.”

Simmons concluded that she felt Frank’s donation emphasized the importance of philanthropy. “He was at a point in his life when he could have had anything he wanted and he thought: ‘I’m in a position to help others learn.’ That was one of the most important things he could do, to leave a legacy of learning. That is what I would like students to remember.”

PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006

Hamas is stunned by its success

BY LAURA KING LOS ANGELES TIMES

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Of all those shocked

by Hamas’ landslide win in Palestinian elections, few were more stunned than the militant Islamist group itself.

In taking the reins of power after participating in its first parliamentary vote, Hamas leaders face a predicament: If they attempt to please their most radical adherents by continuing to call for Israel’s destruction, they jeopardize hard-won international support for a Palestinian state. But if they moderate their stance and reject their founding principle, they risk alienating their militant base.

The group had wrestled with the question of whether it should even participate in the

Abramoff continued from page 1 for Abramoff at that point.”

The donations to Kennedy’s campaign and PAC from American Indian tribes reflect Kennedy’s commitment to Indian issues in the House of Representatives, Richardson said.

“Congressman Kennedy has personal relationships with over 100 tribes across the country, and the contributions he received from these tribes are based on them wanting to support him in his re-election efforts,” he said.

Kennedy co-founded the Native American Caucus in 1997 and has long been linked with American Indian issues, including support for casino gaming on tribal lands. Since 1999, Kennedy has sponsored or co-sponsored at least 24 bills dealing with Indian tribes, according to the Library of Congress.

Kennedy has long been vocal in his support for American Indians — on the floor of the House in July 1999, Kennedy asked, “How the hell do members (of Congress) think we got the country that we are living in? We struck agreements with Native American tribes to get the land. It was predicated based upon an

parliament, because such a step implied acceptance of the 1993 interim peace accords with Israel under which the ruling Palestinian Authority was created.

Having won a majority of seats in the new parliament, Hamas has the responsibility of forming a new government to work alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Elected a year ago, Abbas will remain in office unless he carries through on threats to resign if he cannot pursue his goal of peace with Israel.

A key question hanging over Wednesday’s election results is which Hamas people voted for — the radical group that professes eagerness to continue the armed struggle against Israel, or the

agreement, and this country has never lived up to that agreement.

It is why we have so much of Native American country living in destitute poverty,” according to the Congressional Record.

Richardson said that Kennedy — a strong fundraiser and former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — has never had a relationship with Abramoff, and unlike several others members of Congress who have returned money from Abramoff or his clients, Kennedy will not return his tribal contributions.

“These contributions had absolutely nothing to do with Jack Abramoff.

(Kennedy) has never met Jack Abramoff.

(Abramoff ) has never lobbied the Congressman or his office. There’s absolutely no relationship between the two at all,” Richardson said.

But some Republicans see a different story.

“If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, what are we talking about here?” asked Chuck Newton, director of communications for the Rhode Island Republican Party.

“It seems pretty clear that Abramoff’s contributions didn’t necessarily come from his checkbook, but from his clients, to members on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “And to say that Abramoff had no connection here is a bit of a stretch.”

Chastising Kennedy for not returning the contributions, Newton speculated that the scandal might damage Kennedy’s political fortunes in Rhode Island.

“Clearly, ranking as high as he does on every published list of people with ties to Abramoff,

see HAMAS, page 8

I don’t see how he can remain credible to his constituents,” he said.

But Richardson rejected the suggestion that Kennedy will be hurt by the Abramoff scandal.

“This is a Republican scandal,” he said, noting the fact that Abramoff and most of those linked to him are Republicans.

“I don’t think because you take political contributions from Native American tribes that you should be thrown in with the Tom DeLays and Jack Abramoffs of the world,” he added.

Darrell West, professor of political science and author of “Patrick Kennedy: The Rise to Power,” agreed the scandal probably poses little threat to Kennedy.

“I don’t think it poses a political problem for him,” West said. “He’s not directly involved.

The members of Congress who have the greatest problems were accepting gifts and free trips from Abramoff, and Kennedy is not in that category.”

Kennedy, first elected to the House in 1994, was re-elected in 2004 with 64 percent of the vote, defeating Republican and former Navy SEAL David Rogers. West said the scandal should have little effect on Kennedy’s re-election campaign this November.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going be a big issue in Rhode Island, and so far Kennedy doesn’t even have an announced opponent, so right now he has a free ride in the election,” West said.

Ocean State Republicans, clearly, hope otherwise.

“I think Patrick Kennedy has to be careful about the arrogance of power,” Newton said. “At some point in time, that will come back to bite you.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Links with lobbyists tighten as earmarks proliferate

BY JONATHAN WEISMAN AND CHARLES R. BABCOCK THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — An explosion of special interest funding engineered in part by lawmakers with close ties to lobbyists is drawing increased scrutiny as Congress moves to address concern about corruption that already has led to the conviction of a Republican House member and former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

At issue is a symbiotic relationship between lawmakers well positioned to slip specialinterest projects into legislation, and wealthy lobbying groups that raise large sums of campaign funds or provide trips and other benefits to those lawmakers.

In the latest example of these backstage dealings, Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., told The Washington Post that he helped steer defense funding, totaling $37 million, to a California company, whose officials and lobbyists helped raise at least $85,000 for Doolittle and his leadership political action committee from 2002 to 2005.

Brent Wilkes, a director of

UCS continued from page 1 Although there will be an internal election Wednesday to fill the openings left by former UCS President Brian Bidadi ’06 and former Academic and Administrative Affairs Chair Dave Beckoff ’08, who both resigned earlier this week for medical reasons, only one candidate has emerged to take each spot.

Five executive board members said the leading candidate to replace Bidadi is Vice President and current Acting President Sarah Saxton-Frump ’07.

“I think Sarah would make a tremendous president,” Freeman said. “She’s had around three years of experience and she’s always been a leading candidate for what students want at Brown.”

But Saxton-Frump said she wants others to run for

the company, PerfectWave Technologies LLC, and a major contributor to House Republican leaders, was identified as “Coconspirator No. 1” in criminal charges brought against Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, RCalif., late last year. Cunningham pleaded guilty in November and resigned from Congress after admitting he conspired to take $2.4 million in bribes in return for using his office to help Wilkes and another defense contractor, in part by placing earmarks in defense appropriations bills.

Doolittle said in a statement this week that as one of three California Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee, he frequently supports “well deserving projects throughout the state.” The statement added that his support of PerfectWave Technology “was no exception and based completely on the project’s merits and the written support of the military.”

The link between special interests and members of Congress has grown so tight that nearly a dozen House and Senate members who control federal spending have retained lobbying

veterans to raise campaign funds for them, and those lobbyists have secured lucrative favors in spending bills.

These relationships have coincided with the rapid growth in the volume of home-state pork-barrel projects, commonly called earmarks, that have swelled appropriations bills in recent years, according to congressional experts and watchdog groups.

“It’s the currency of corruption,” Rep. Jeff Flake, R.-Ariz., said of appropriations earmarks.

Since the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994, the number of home-district earmarks jumped from 4,155 valued at about $29 billion in 1994 to 14,211 worth nearly $53 billion 10 years later, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Once a backwater for boutique lobbying shops, the House and Senate Appropriations committees are fueling a lobbying boom in Washington. The hunt for earmarks has become so consuming that lawmakers are neglecting other duties, said Scott Lilly, who recently retired as chief Democratic aide on the House

president.

“I don’t want to discourage other executive board members from running just because I’m vice president,” she said.

Freeman, who worked closely with Beckoff on the AAA committee, is also currently running unopposed to become the next AAA chair. He received equally glowing praise from UCS Secretary Michael Thompson ’07, who works closely with Freeman in the Communications Committee.

“The only reason I wouldn’t want Tristan to (be the next AAA chair) is because he’s done so much for the Communications Committee,” said Thompson.

“He’s totally qualified … one of the most qualified on the executive board.”

With the immediate future of UCS seemingly in competent hands, executive board members have concerned themselves more with the health of the two students on medical leave.

While Beckoff’s resignation

was not unexpected — it was known that Beckoff was feeling a reoccurrence of a chronic illness at the end of the fall semester — Bidadi’s resignation caught everyone off-guard.

“We were really shocked,” said Student Activities Chair Cash McCracken ’08. “We found out really recently and we really don’t know much about Brian’s condition.”

Townsend said he had spoken with Bidadi a day before his resignation and said that everything seemed normal. He added that after the resignation, he received an e-mail from Bidadi on Wednesday stating that he was feeling better and would try to visit Brown as often as possible during his semester off.

see LOBBYISTS, page 8

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006

Hamas continued from page 6 Hamas that toned down its rhetoric during the political campaign and emphasized its social service programs.

The latter symbolizes, for many Palestinians, the hope for a less corrupt government and a better life after years of conflict.

With trademark discipline, Hamas’ senior figures quickly closed ranks Thursday, proclaiming readiness to take on the daunting task at hand.

“We will put the Palestinian house in order,” said Ismail Haniyeh, a self-possessed former university dean who was the top candidate on the Hamas slate.

But Hamas in many ways appears ill-equipped to meet this challenge. Its political experience is strictly local — running the cities and towns where it won municipal elections over the last year.

Much of its senior leadership is dead, assassinated by Israel in response to the group’s campaign of suicide bombings, in hiatus for the past year.

Complicating matters,

international donors are poised to shun a Hamas-led government. And its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, shows no inclination to disarm.

In other respects, however, Hamas may be better suited to govern than the Palestinian Authority, which was riddled with graft and largely ineffectual under the long reign of the late Yasser Arafat.

Hamas has for years administered a large, efficient network of charities, schools and health clinics, winning a reputation for fiscal integrity along the way. Many of the candidates it fielded are welleducated professionals, and not all are ardently religious.

Also, Hamas’ military wing is thought to be much more accountable to the group’s overall leadership than are the roving gangs of gunmen who claim allegiance to Fatah.

Hamas, as it is prone to do, sent mixed signals Thursday about its intentions.

“The Israeli occupiers should recognize Palestinian rights first,” Haniyeh said when asked whether the group would be willing to talk to Israel.

www.browndailyherald.com

Lobbyists continued from page 7 Appropriations Committee. Last year, the committee received 10,000 requests for homedistrict projects on one spending bill alone — 25.4 projects per lawmaker, said committee spokesman John Scofield.

“It has become an obsession of the Congress,” Lilly said. “That’s all they do.”

Hatfield continued from page 12 currently abroad, one wonders if the former Ivy League Player of the Year’s absence was due to any animosity between him and Head Coach Glen Miller, who suspended Forte for “conduct detrimental to the team” for the first two games of the guard’s senior season.

Alums pitch in for one more win Before the banquet, the current team pulled off an exciting victory over Yale by a crowd full of alums in town for the celebration. Typically, the crowd for the Yale game is rather sparse, since students are not yet back on campus after winter break. However, with the score tight late in the game, the Bears were able to feed off the spectators’ emotion.

“We knew there were a lot of alumni here and we didn’t want to disappoint them,” said tricaptain Marcus Becker ’07.

And don’t be surprised if the team gets a similar lift for the rest of the season from the event. The Ivy League appears to be wide open once again — after Penn at least — since the Quakers and Harvard, who beat up on Dartmouth in its first two games, are the only undefeated teams left in the league after two games.

If tri-captain Luke Ruscoe ’06 can get his ailing ankle healthy, which Miller said was only 60 percent healed after the Yale game, the

Traditionally, Congress has provided large pots of money to federal, state and local agencies, such as housing authorities and transportation departments, which then funded specific programs based on merit and local need. The Appropriations committees funded specific projects only when they had been vetted and approved by authorizing committees, such as the Armed Services Committee.

But increasingly, lawmakers have gone around authorizers

and agency officials to finance pet projects in their home districts.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R.-Ill., secured $207 million for the “Prairie Parkway” through Kane and Kendall counties in Illinois in last year’s major highway law, although the Illinois Department of Transportation is only two years into a five-year study of the project and has not yet determined whether a highway is needed or whether improvements to existing roads would suffice.

Bears could finish much higher than their predicted sixth in the preseason media poll.

The boys of winter Baseball America unveiled its Ivy League preview as part of its preseason college baseball coverage Thursday on its Web site. The Bears were picked to finish second in the Red Rolfe Division behind Harvard, with the second-best record in the conference. Four Bears were named to the pre-season allconference team: outfielders Eric Larson ’07 and Paul Christian ’06, catcher Devin Thomas ’07 and second baseman Bryan Tews ’07. Larson, who was drafted late in last season’s Major League Baseball draft, was named the second-best pro prospect in the conference behind Princeton’s Wills Sweney, a 6’6” right-handed pitcher. Tews, who also pitches, played a utility-man role last season when he wasn’t on the hill, will play second full-time now that Christian has moved to the outfield after Tommy John surgery.

A Burr-fect gameplan Out-of-conference games during the Ivy League season can always be dangerous, but women’s basketball Head Coach Jean Marie Burr and her staff had their team well prepared for South Dakota State this past weekend. Never mind that the team could easily have experienced a letdown after a big win against Yale just two days before, the team’s gameplan and halftime adjustments would have made Bill Belichick smile.

The Jackrabbits, like Yale in the previous game, overplayed Brown’s perimeter players, who numbered as many as four with the versatile Sarah Hayes ’06 starting at forward in addition to the normal three starting guards. More often than not, the Bears were able to score easily by dumping the ball in to players streaking to the basket off of backdoor cuts.

The Bears were also able to adjust at the half to stop South Dakota State’s top two scorers, Megan Vogel and Christina Gilbert. In the first half the pair dominated on the offensive glass, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds en route to 21 of their team’s 29 points. In the second half, Brown buckled down on boxing out, keeping Vogel and Gilbert off the glass and holding the pair scoreless.

Burr and her squad get to show the rest of the league if they’re for real this weekend, when they travel to Dartmouth and Harvard, who were picked to finish 1-2 in the preseason media poll.

Rapids banking on Caldwell ’06 Keith Caldwell ’06, certainly the youngest-looking player on the men’s soccer team this season despite his seniority, will now become the youngest-looking player in Major League Soccer not named Freddie Adu. The forward/ midfielder was drafted 33rd overall by the Colorado Rapids in the third round of Thursday’s supplemental draft. Caldwell is the eighth player Mike Noonan has coached to be drafted. There was no comment as of press time whether any liquor store workers in the Centennial State will accept Caldwell’s ID, even though he’s 22.

Herald Sports Editor Chris Hatfield ’06 thinks Sam Adams + red vines = crazy delicious.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

Gymnastics continued from page 12 Carver-Milne also pointed to three of her seniors, Baughman, co-captain Amber Smith ’06 and Sarah Cavett ’06 — key contributors in the team’s success because of their confidence and experience.

Baughman performed well on the balance beam, while Smith competed in the all-around and was Brown’s top athlete in the floor exercise, scoring a 9.4. Cavett, meanwhile, received the ECAC Coaches’ Choice Award following her SPORTS SCOREBOARD M. BASKETBALL DECEMBER 21: Maryland Eastern Shore 59, Brown 57 DECEMBER 28: Albany 62, Brown 47 DECEMBER 31: Brown 59, Army 57 JANUARY 3: Canisius 69, Brown 55 JANUARY 7: Brown 64, Quinnipiac 60 JANUARY 14: Yale 75, Brown 61 JANUARY 21: Brown 67, Yale 62 W. BASKETBALL DECEMBER 30: Umass 70, Brown 60 (Georgia Tech Tournament) DECEMBER 31: Brown 67, Alabama State 55 (Georgia Tech Tournament) JANUARY 7: Brown 55, Maine 46 JANUARY 10: Marist 67, Brown 46 JANUARY 14: Brown 51, Yale 47 JANUARY 20: Brown 67, Yale 52 JANUARY 22: Brown 72, South Dakota State 64 M. ICE HOCKEY DECEMBER 21: Sacred Heart 5, Brown 1 DECEMBER 22: Brown 3, Colgate 3 JANUARY 6: Quinnipiac 3, Brown 2 (OT) (at Quinnipiac Northford Pavillion) JANUARY 7: Brown 2, Princeton 2 JANUARY 10: Brown 4, UConn 1 JANUARY 14: Brown 3, Yale 3 JANUARY 20: Renssalear 3, Brown 1 JANUARY 21: Brown 2, Union 2 W. ICE HOCKEY JANUARY 6: Brown 4, Quinnipiac 1 JANUARY 7: Brown 4, Princeton 4 JANUARY 13: Brown 1, Clarkson 0 JANUARY 14: St. Lawrence 4, Brown 1 JANUARY 18: Brown 2, Boston University 2 JANUARY 20: Brown 6, Union 0 JANUARY 21: Brown 2, Union 2 JANUARY 24: Brown 3, Yale 1 M. SWIMMING JANUARY 14: Brown 137.50, Penn 105.50 W. SWIMMING JANUARY 7: Brown 123, Penn 120 WRESTLING JANUARY 7: Lone Star Duals (Dallas, Texas) 1-1 JANUARY 14: American 25, Brown 12 JANUARY 14: Brown 21, Boston University 15 JANUARY 21: Brown 19, Rutgers 16 M. SQUASH JANUARY 20: Williams 6, Brown 3 JANUARY 22: Cornell 5, Brown 4 JANUARY 24: Brown 7, Amherst 2 W. SQUASH JANUARY 20: Brown 5, Williams 4 JANUARY 22: Brown 8, Cornell 1 JANUARY 24: Brown 9, Amherst 0 SKIING JANUARY 13: Mt. Cranmore Giant Slalom — 1st JANUARY 21: Plymoth State Carnival Slalom — 3rd JANUARY 22: Plymoth State Carnival Slalom — 5th M. TRACK JANUARY 20: At URI with UConn and UMass — 2nd out of 11 W. TRACK JANUARY 20: At URI with UConn and UMass — 2nd GYMNASTICS JANUARY 20: At Denver, with Towson — 3rd M. TENNIS JAN. 20: Brown 6, Boston College 1 JAN. 20: Brown 7, Buffalo 0

9.6 in the uneven bars, her only event.

“Sarah scored the highest for the team out of all the events, and it was in an event which is usually not our strong point,” Carver-Milne said.

According to both CarverMilne and Baughman, by adding extra strength and cardio to its training regimen, the team should improve upon last season. The Bears hope these changes will add to the team’s stamina and prevent injuries.

“We worked really hard the first semester to get into good shape,” Baughman said.

“I think we will be evenly

Skiing continued from page 12 overcoming poor conditions to prevail. O’Hear set the pace for Bruno in that event as well, finishing in 1:14.42. Her time was good for second place, just 0.07 seconds out of first. Taub also impressed with a seventhplace finish, two seconds behind O’Hear. This season, Taub has picked up where she left off last year when she broke into the Bears lineup as a first-year.

“Mallory and Janet have really been stepping it up this year,” O’Hear said. “They’ve been skiing much faster for us and they have both been factors so far. We’ve shown that despite being without two of our top skiers we can still (compete).”

Although the team was not entirely happy with its results at the Plymouth State competition, it believes that this weekend’s Brown Carnival on Saturday at Wachusett Mountain will provide the perfect opportunity for a rebound. The team will compete in the morning and then host an alumni function in the afternoon.

The alumni event, hosted by the ski program and the Brown Sports Foundation, is open to all Brown graduates and friends of the Brown community.

The event is a fundraising mechanism for the team in addition to a social function for alums and family in what the program hopes will develop into a yearly occurrence. Following the official competition in the morning, a race will be held in the afternoon for anyone interested in participating.

“This is huge (for the ski program),” O’Hear said. “We are pumped for this. It’s really exciting to have our parents and friends involved in a race against us. It will be fun to compete in a lighthearted way and there has already been some talk backand-forth (between members of the ski team and their families).”

Afterwards, the team is

matched in the Ivies.”

Although the Bears finished last at the Ivy League Classic last season, they are currently ranked sixth in the ECAC standings, one spot above Ivy rival Cornell.

This weekend, Brown will take on MIT, Ithaca College and Rhode Island College in the first home meet of the season. The competition will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the Pizzitola Center.

“We are currently ranked above all three teams, so we are definitely looking to pick up three wins Sunday,” CarverMilne said. “We want to pump up the home crowd.”

hosting a banquet to honor the Bears’ accomplishments the past few years, specifically the team’s second-place finish at last year’s national competition. O’Hear is especially looking forward to the highlight video of the team set to be unveiled at the banquet and to seeing past members of the team.

“Last year, we were thrilled with our performance at nationals,” O’Hear said. “This year will be a challenge but if you ask anybody on the team, we’re all expecting to medal again, to be in the top three.”

Artest continued from page 12 for less than he was worth. In other words, Artest successfully threw two NBA organizations — including one that he didn’t even play for — into complete disarray.

How many athletes can list that on their resume?

Of course, there has certainly been a precedent for some of Artest’s notorious behavior. When he carved the promotional rap label “Tru Warier” into the back of his head, it was a throwback tribute to Anthony Mason, the original shaved-messages-on-the-head promoter. When he attacked a fan in the stands last year, he was simply fulfilling the legacy that J.R. Rider created by spitting at a fan in November of 1997 and then charging the stands in March of 1999. When he smashed a camera in the locker room (and adopted number 91 for his jersey), he was giving a shout-out to his hero, Dennis Rodman, who has a long history of violence toward cameras and cameramen. When he badmouthed his team and requested a trade mid-season, he was cementing his reputation as the NBA equivalent of Owens.

Yet, Artest also has his share of unprecedented behavior. No athlete has ever asked for time

off from playing to promote his rap album. No athlete has been suspended for smashing a framed picture of himself in the locker room. No athlete has attempted to supplement his professional athlete’s salary by simultaneously working for Circuit City, as an elementary school math teacher and as a rap artist. No athlete has ever committed eight flagrant fouls in one season, or challenged a rival to a pay-per-view boxing match in a nationally published magazine.

Most significantly, no athlete has so effectively thrown two teams separated by half a continent into total chaos at the same time.

The reason teams keep coming back to Artest? He’s that good.

A two-dimensional player and former Defensive Player of the Year, he is absolutely killer on the court. He describes his own behavior better than I can: “I’m going to continue playing hard and out of control, like a wild animal that needs to be caged in.” Artest is obviously crazy, but he’s very relevant in the world of professional basketball on and off the court. Now that he’s officially a Sacramento King, let’s hope he doesn’t sabotage any more innocent franchises in the meantime.

Marc Lanza ’06 is killer on the keyboard. He’s just that good.

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 · PAGE 10

STAFF EDITORIAL

Diamonds and coal A diamond to Brown Concert Agency for providing what could ultimately become a stellar Spring Weekend lineup.

But an even bigger diamond to the loose lips on the drunken student who accidentally blurted out that Common and Wilco would be performing.

A cubic zirconium to selective wording. Sure it sounds great to say that Brown had the lowest acceptance rate among Ivy League schools … with binding early decision. Almost as impressive as having the Ivy League’s most user-friendly course registration system … that’s neither electronic nor accurate.

Speaking of registration, a diamond to Mocha for being efficient, easy-to-use and fast — in other words, everything BOCA is not.

A cubic zirconium to the men’s basketball team for celebrating its 100th year of play. A banquet is a nice way to celebrate, but a championship would be better.

JASON LI

A diamond to Edward Widmer, the new librarian and director of the John Carter Brown library and former Slick Willy aide. However, if we could choose, we would take a post at the GCB instead of the JCB. Coal to blazing in Barbour, a practice that is not nearly as fun, nor as safe, when done literally.

A diamond to modern-day John Wayne and cultural icon Chuck Norris, who “doesn’t read books,” but “stares them down until he gets the information he wants,” according to his random fact generator. But coal to the starry-eyed publicist who attributed the site’s popularity to “the distinctiveness of Mr. Norris’ personality and celebrity.”

A cubic zirconium to being drunk dialed by members of our staff at 12:30 a.m. While amusing, it reminds us of what we’re missing while trapped in the office.

And lastly, a posthumous diamond to Sidney Frank ’42.

We’re not sure for what you’ll be remembered more: millions of dollars in philanthropic donations or the Jäger machine residing in President Ruth Simmons’ office, but we at The Herald raise our mini-liquor bottles in your memory.

LETTERS Pluses and minuses offer finer grading To the Editor: In his Jan. 26 column (“Plus/Minus endangers the Open Curriculum”), Zachary Townsend ’08 argued against the change to a plus/minus grading system. It seems to me, though, that those students who do choose to receive an A/B/C or NC are not adequately graded. Students often do work that is legitimately between an A and a B. In these cases, the student’s grade (which he has chosen to receive) does not adequately represent his or her work in the course.

Going against the system in place at many other universities is great. I wouldn’t be here at Brown if I didn’t believe so. But going against it for the sake of going against it is stupid. If you don’t want a grade, take your course S/NC. For those of us who do

want a grade, we deserve a more precise measure of grading. If we wanted to be a school where we were competitive about grades, we already would be. Pluses and minuses don’t “spur competition” any more than As and Bs do, and while we have the right to be assessed by a manner without a grade, we also have a right to the “system we mastered in high school.” As long as we trust ourselves to continue to take classes for the right reasons and to continue learning for learning’s sake, we have nothing to lose.

Max Chaiken ’09 Jan. 26

Sweatshop workers do not have a real choice THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Robbie Corey-Boulet, Editor-in-Chief Justin Elliott, Executive Editor Ben Miller, Executive Editor Stephanie Clark, Senior Editor Katie Lamm, Senior Editor Jonathan Sidhu, Arts & Culture Editor Jane Tanimura, Arts & Culture Editor Stu Woo, Campus Watch Editor Mary-Catherine Lader, Features Editor Ben Leubsdorf, Metro Editor Anne Wootton, Metro Editor Eric Beck, News Editor Patrick Harrison, Opinions Editor Nicholas Swisher, Opinions Editor Stephen Colelli, Sports Editor Christopher Hatfield, Sports Editor Justin Goldman, Asst. Sports Editor Jilane Rodgers, Asst. Sports Editor Charlie Vallely, Asst. Sports Editor PRODUCTION Allison Kwong, Design Editor Taryn Martinez, Copy Desk Chief Lela Spielberg, Copy Desk Chief Mark Brinker, Graphics Editor Joe Nagle, Graphics Editor

Jean Yves Chainon, Photo Editor Jacob Melrose, Photo Editor Ashley Hess, Sports Photo Editor Kori Schulman, Sports Photo Editor BUSINESS Ryan Shewcraft, General Manager Lisa Poon, Executive Manager David Ranken, Executive Manager Mitch Schwartz, Account Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Manager Susan Dansereau, Office Manager POST- MAGAZINE Sonia Saraiya, Editor-in-Chief Taryn Martinez, Associate Editor Ben Bernstein, Features Editor Matt Prewitt, Features Editor Elissa Barba, Design Editor Lindsay Harrison, Graphics Editor Constantine Haghighi, Film Editor Paul Levande, Film Editor Jesse Adams, Music Editor Katherine Chan, Music Editor Hillary Dixler, Off-the-Hill Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor

To the Editor: Jason Carr’s Jan. 25 column “Anti-sweatshop activists miss the point,” is riddled with a tortured notion of “free choice.” He argues that “sweatshops exist because the workers want to work there.” But workers don’t want to work mandatory overtime hours, work 12-hour shifts in unsafe conditions or have to meet ludicrously high quotas before they can return home. They don’t want to be fired if they fail pregnancy tests or take bathroom breaks.

When the “choice” is between abusive working conditions and starvation, workers will of course “choose” the former. But let’s not confuse this with “free choice.”

Carr may be correct that a boycott of sweatshopmade goods sold at the Brown Bookstore may lead to fewer jobs in sweatshops. But who should be responsible for such an outcome — consumers, who have every right to buy where they wish? Or companies, who can afford to offer their workers a decent standard of living but choose not to out of

greed?

It seems as if Carr never learned about the hard-won accomplishments of the American labor movement — the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, maternity leave and bans on child labor.

Consumer boycotts and litigation can be effective tools. When Sweatshop Watch filed a class action lawsuit in 1999 on behalf of the workers of Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth, 19 major retailers were forced to provide their workers with higher wages and better conditions. If Carr finds boycotts distasteful, then perhaps he could suggest an alternative way of providing workers with a living wage and a safe workplace.

Samuel Bollier ’09 Jan. 25

Adam Kroll, Allison Kwong, Night Editors Jacob Frank, Lela Spielberg, Taryn Martinez, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Simmi Aujla, Stephanie Bernhard, Melanie Duch, Ross Frazier, Jonathan Herman, Rebecca Jacobson, Chloe Lutts, Caroline Silverman Senior Sports Writers Justin Goldman, Charlie Vallely Staff Writers Anna Abramson, Justin Amoah, Alissa Cerny, Stewart Dearing, Gabriella Doob, Phillip Gara, Hannah Miller, Aidan Levy, Jill Luxenberg, Taryn Martinez, Ari Rockland-Miller, Jane Porter, Chelsea Rudman, Sonia Saraiya, Kam Sripada, Robin Steele, Kim Stickels, Nicole Summers, Laura Supkoff, Spencer Trice, Ila Tyagi, Sara Walter Sports Staff Writers Zaneta Balantac, Erin Frauenhofer, Kate Klonick, Madeleine Marecki, George Mesthos, Matt Nicholson, Eric Perlmutter, Marco Santini, Brian Schmidt, Tom Trudeau Account Administrators Lisa Poon, Scott Dunn, Robert McCartney, Alexandra Annuziato, Steven Butschi, Rukesh Samarasekera, Ashfia Rahman Design Staff Adam Kroll, Andrew Kuo, Jason Lee, Gabriela Scarritt Photo Staff CJ Adams, Chris Bennett, Meg Boudreau, Tobias Cohen, Lindsay Harrison, Matthew Lent, Christopher Schmitt, Oliver Schulze, Min Wu Copy Editors Anastasia Aguiar, Simmi Aujla, Aubry Bracco, Jacob Frank, Christopher Gang, Elizabeth Inglese, Sonia Saraiya, Alice Winslow

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OPINIONS

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006 · PAGE 11

Rooting out bias in The Herald

BY MATTHEW LAWRENCE OPINIONS COLUMNIST

The Brown Daily Herald prides itself on the fact that it is an “independent” daily newspaper — independent of the school and able to report freely. It is not, however, independent of the natural tendency toward occasional bias. The Brown Daily Herald should have an ombudsman to provide recourse for readers who feel that coverage is biased and to attenuate the effects of accidental bias.

Across the country, newspapers employ ombudsmen to investigate and report on complaints. Many national newspapers employ ombudsmen —the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune have them, and the New York Times has a “Public Editor” which serves the same purpose.

Several campus daily newspapers, such as the University of Maryland Diamondback and the University of Virginia’s Cavalier Daily, have followed this national trend and have ombudsmen on staff.

To assert The Herald’s complete objectivity would be naïve. National papers, staffed by professional journalists, admit the possibility and inevitability of bias and employ ombudsmen to mitigate its effects. The Herald, as a campus newspaper, is staffed by unpaid volunteers, who have to juggle putting out a newspaper with classes, other extra curricular activities and all the stresses of college life. In this context, occasional

accidental bias as a result of an oversight is inevitable.

Presently, Herald readers have few and ineffective means to respond to coverage they believe to be unfair. They can’t start reading a different daily; The Herald is the only daily news source that discusses issues of interest for the campus community, Morning Mail not withstanding.

Those offended by Herald coverage can refuse to deal with it, like Nick Hartigan was reported to do last semester following coverage he apparently considered unfair regarding contributions to Jennifer Lawless’ illconceived race for Congress.

The rift between The Herald and Hartigan, Brown’s star running back during one of the best seasons in Brown football history, was certainly unfortunate.

Instead of reading interviews in The Herald, students had to turn to the Providence Journal or even ESPN’s Cold Pizza to find interviews with their classmate.

Instead of silence, those upset with bias currently may write a letter to the editor with a complaint. Such letters are usually printed by The Herald, but this method of response is inadequate. It lacks

an objective review of the accusation, and usually even a response from the editors, offering an explanation of the incident.

An ombudsman could read the letter, investigate its claims and report to the community by writing a weekly article explaining more egregious incidents.

An ombudsman would not only be an asset to readers; it would lend greater legitimacy to The Herald. By having someone dedicated to ensuring objectivity, even if it led to no change in the actual coverage of The Herald, an

columnists could complain to someone, who might well tell them they have nothing about which to complain. For now, Jolters such as Prototoast have to tell complainers that they have no case. The same holds true for those who grumble in other campus publications or simply complain about The Herald’s coverage among friends at the Ratty.

The Herald serves a vital role for the campus and the East Side community. We turn to The Herald not just for news but for campus and community politics. For most of us, The Herald is the source for important campus debates, such as Jennifer Lawless’s “Thesisgate,” AntiRacist Action’s caustic fight for divestment or the Undergraduate Council of Students’ protracted keg controversy. How these issues are covered on these pages inevitably colors the opinions formed by the readers. It is for this reason that The Herald should lead the way and join the few campus dailies that have appointed ombudsmen in striving to reach a higher level of journalistic integrity and objectivity.

Presently, Herald readers have few and ineffective means to respond to coverage they believe to be unfair. ombudsman would make The Herald seem more unbiased. In addition to creating an appearance of objectivity, The Herald would look more like its professional counterparts, promoting its credibility.

Such a position would also protect Herald staff. Instead of lengthy Daily Jolt posts about how the editors unfairly changed their opinion pieces, lowly guest

Matthew Lawrence ’06 is so objective he knows he’d make a great replacement UCS President.

Students should be involved in plus/minus debate

BY TRISTAN FREEMAN GUEST COLUMNIST

Brown’s New Curriculum really hasn’t changed all that much in the past 35 or so years. There are no longer Modes of Thought courses, interdisciplinary seminars focused on the process and method of learning; Brown has increased the number of courses required to graduate; and, perhaps most importantly, there is no longer a mandatory swimming test for graduation (take that, Columbia!). Besides these few changes, the New Curriculum has just grown old.

One of the many policies of the New Curriculum that haven’t changed over the past few decades is the way students are evaluated.

In contrast to many other schools, letter grades at Brown do not include pluses or minuses. This, however, may change.

Near the end of last semester, the College Curriculum Council discussed a proposal to add pluses and minuses to letter grades at Brown.

When the proposal was announced, the usual avenues by which students could be expected to voice their opinions about such a monumental change to Brown’s grading policy were unavailable.

The Herald had stopped printing. The Undergraduate Council of Students had

already held its last meeting. And, most importantly, many students were very busy with finals.

If the plus/minus proposal had been accepted in December, it would have then moved to a vote by the faculty. The CCC vote is tremendously important to consider since students have representation in CCC votes while they have none in binding faculty votes.

Student representatives on the CCC

process of individual and intellectual development, rather than simply a way to transmit a set body of information.”

This principle creates a unique culture at Brown — a culture that places intellectual development and cooperative education above rote learning. This culture would be damaged by a move to plus/minus grading. Will students be as open to working together if the difference between an A and an A+ depends upon the grade of the student sitting next to us? Adding pluses and minuses would move Brown away from the ideal of learning for the sake of learning.

I don’t think adding pluses and minuses would fight grade inflation, nor does the CCC, according to their 2003 report. Yet the current argument seems to be that by adding a B+ grade, the high number of A’s at Brown would drop, as professors would feel more comfortable awarding B+’s to students who do very good work.

This ignores a very important point: lots of students at Brown do A work, consistently. There is an extremely high percentage of A’s at Brown — around 40 percent — because Brown students do extremely well academically. A College Curriculum Council report from 2003 agrees — it states: “grade inflation is not a product of the Brown grading system but of the requirements for getting into

Adding pluses and minuses would move Brown away from the ideal of learning for the sake of learning. understand how Brown students feel and act accordingly.

In the upcoming campus-wide discussion, we must carefully weigh the implications of changing our system of grading.

Adding pluses and minuses would certainly increase competition at Brown, especially in hard science and premed courses. A fundamental principle of the New Curriculum, according to the Brown Admission web site, is that “an undergraduate education (is) a

Brown.”

When we came to Brown, we had a reasonable expectation about the type of education we would receive. Many students come to Brown only because of the New Curriculum; it is the University’s most defining characteristic. Is it fair to change that system midway through our college experience? It would certainly be odd to have half a transcript graded A/ B/C and the other half with pluses and minuses.

Our grades determine whether we are accepted to law or medical school and our choice of profession. That means that this debate is one that will help influence, to an extent, much of our lives from this point. We students should not allow an issue this important to be decided without our involvement.

We cannot sit idly by as Brown changes because of forces beyond our control as regular students.

Brown is different from its peers in that it gives us unparalleled say over our education. If we lose our most unique characteristic, we will become nothing more than a poor man’s Harvard or Princeton. Brown is better than those places, and we must not allow ourselves to take the easy way out. It fits with the history and culture of the Brown education that a change to our New Curriculum should be reviewed and approved by the student body.

Tristan Freeman ’07 is Communications Chair for the Undergraduate Council of Students.

SPORTS WEEKEND THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · JANUARY 27, 2006 · PAGE 12

Gymnasts open 2006 with rocky Denver meet

BY MADELEINE MARECKI SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The gymnastics team opened its season on Jan. 20 in a trimeet held in Colorado. The Bears (0-1) finished third with 182.65 points, behind host University of Denver, which won the competition with 195.4 points and Towson University, which scored 191.525 points. While a victory would have been nice, according to Head Coach Sara Carver-Milne, the main objective of the meet was to get the athletes back into competitive mode.

“The goal was to get everyone out there to do their routines,” Carver-Milne said.

“We wanted to get out the jitters, and we did that. We had a much better opener than last season.”

Co-captain Mandi Baughman ’06 also felt the team performed well in Denver, especially because the team score was just two points shy of where the Bears finished their season last year. “(The meet) was a great start for us, especially since

we had such a hard season last year,” Baughman said.

“We were pretty inconsistent and had lots of injuries (last season). Everyone was nervous (in Denver) and we all wanted to start off on the right foot.”

Part of the improved performance of this year’s team was due to the contributions made by two first-years.

Jennifer Sobuta ’09 had an impressive collegiate debut, leading the Bears on both the vault and the beam, scoring 9.55 and 9.325, respectively.

Classmate Brittany Anderson ’09 was the top Brown finisher in the all-around competition with a 36.5.

“It was very exciting for everyone to see the freshmen compete,” Carver-Milne said.

“Brittany posted solid scores for us, and Jennifer definitely is one to watch. Rachel (Foodman ’09) also did well on the floor and vault, and Whitney (Diederich ’09) exhibitioned on the floor and proved herself. She’ll be put in the starting line-up.” see GYMNASTICS , page 9

Home sweet home for swim teams in Penn wins

Meg Boudreau / Herald

The men’s swimming team posted a victory over Penn earlier this month winning five of the first six events. Both swim teams hit the road this weekend to continue their Ivy schedules.

BY HUGH MURPHY SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams returned to Providence on Dec. 30 after an abbreviated winter vacation.

The Bears arrived early on campus to prepare for the Gulf Coast Winter Invitational Relay in Sarasota, Fla. Both teams fared well, with the women winning their meet and the men taking second against many non-league opponents.

Despite the early return, the

Anniversary banquet gave attendees a blast from Brown basketball’s past Those at Saturday night’s dinner celebration of the 100th anniversary of Brown basketball were treated to a great start to the Ivy League season. As one of three current students in attendance not on the basketball team, it was a pleasure to expand my CHRIS HATFIELD knowledge STRANGE BRUIN of the program further back than the 20022003 season.

Of course, it was also a thrill to relive my own memories, including seeing video of current Assistant Coach Mike Martin ’04 sending the 2004 Penn game into overtime on a

last-second basket (and seeing myself in the crowd that stormed the court after Brown won, but that’s my vanity talking).

It was apparent that the alums in attendance felt the same way. The clearest example was when Gerry Alaimo ’54 delivered a speech that more closely resembled a standup comedy act than anything else. Alaimo, who both played on and later coached the team (1969-78), ran off a string of one-liners about his years as a student (“the basketball was mediocre, I was mediocre, but the education was amazing and the people that I met were unreal”) and as a coach, saying that he got the varsity coaching

BROWN SPORTS SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 M. BASKETBALL: vs. Dartmouth, 7 p.m., Pizzitola Center W. BASKETBALL: at Dartmouth M. HOCKEY: at Cornell W. HOCKEY: vs. Cornell, 7 p.m., Meehan Auditorium M. SWIMMING: at Harvard M. & W. TRACK: Terrier Classic (at Boston University) WRESTLING: vs. Drexel, 2 p.m., Pizzitola Center

M. HOCKEY: at Colgate W. HOCKEY: vs. Colgate, 4 p.m., Meehan Auditorium SKIING: Brown Carnival (Wachusett Mt.) M. & W. SQUASH: at Bowdoin w/ Colby M. SWIMMING: at Harvard W. SWIMMING: at Columbia w/ Cornell M. TENNIS: vs. Clemson (at West Point, N.Y.) M. TRACK: at Harvard w/ Cornell W. TRACK: Terrier Classic (at Boston University) WRESTLING: vs. Army w/ Lehigh, 10:30 a.m., Pizzitola Center

SATURDAY , JANUARY 28 SUNDAY , JANUARY 29 M. BASKETBALL: vs. Harvard, 7 p.m., Pizzitola Center W. BASKETBALL: at Harvard FENCING: Northeast Fencing Conference Meet 2 (at Boston College)

GYMNASTICS: vs. Ithaca w/ MIT and RIC, 1 p.m., Pizzitola Center M. & W. SQUASH: at Bates M. TENNIS: at Army

open house tuesday, jan. 31 7 - 9 p.m.

195 angell st.

job because he said he had a policy of “short, short haircuts.”

He even commented on the difference between Brown then and now, noting that when he was a student, “Sayles Hall was not for pagan sexual dances,” but for “compulsory chapel.”

The lone disappointment, other than the free bar being switched to a cash bar at the beginning of the ceremony, was the only living no-show among the 15 All-Time Team honorees: Jason Forte ’05, who was announced to be “currently preparing to return to Europe to play professionally.” While one would excuse him if he were see HATFIELD, page 8

Brown swimmers enjoyed 10 days of sun while training in Florida.

Back in Providence, seven seniors on the women’s side prepared for their final meet in the Smith Swim Center against Ivy rival University of Pennsylvania. The duel came down to the final event of the competition. The team of Eileen Robinson ’06, Becky Kowalsky ’07, Elizabeth Wong ’06 and Ali Will ’06 won the 400meter free relay to strap down the team title, 123-120. The win improved the Bears’ Ivy record to 2-2.

The men also faced off against Penn on Jan. 14. Brown created some breathing room early on and coasted to a 137.5105.5 victory over the Quakers.

The Bears won 10 events and improved their Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League record to 2-1.

This weekend, the men’s team will travel to Cambridge to battle Ivy powerhouse Harvard. The Crimson are the reigning EISL champions and are ranked 25th nationally. The meet begins Friday at 4 p.m.

“We’ve prepared well for this meet,” said Brian Sharkey ’06.

“I think everyone will put up some pretty good times.”

The women will be heading to New York City for a meet against host Columbia and Cornell. That meet will be held Saturday at 3 p.m.

Artest still a Tru headache Ron Artest is legitimately insane.

We’ve all known this for a few years now. Yet, unlike his crazy NBA predecessors, he has displayed an uncanny MARC LANZA knack for “LANZA NOT disrupting TONY DANZA” the entire league with his behavior. It’s quite impressive. No current or previous player in any professional league, Terrell Owens included, has been able to change the entire direction of the league with off-the-court antics like Artest does. The past week’s discussions between the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings showed the extent of the grasp that he has managed to obtain over the league.

When Artest decided back in December that he didn’t want to play for the Pacers anymore, he immediately turned a championship contender into a team that might be able to fight for the eighth playoff spot. The Pacers have been in limbo over the past month, clearly distracted by the trade rumors and controversy surrounding the team. Yet, this controversy has not been limited to the Pacers. This weekend, after a tentative agreement with Sacramento was reached to swap the troubled star with Peja Stojakovic, Artest let it be known through his agent that he was reluctant to play for the Kings.

The only problem here was that Peja had already been told that the deal had been completed.

He sat sulking in his hotel room Tuesday night, while the Kings took the court, believing the organization had mistreated and betrayed him. This created a fun fix for the Maloof brothers who own the Kings, as they were left with no choice other than to continue seeking other trades for their star. Since Peja is a free agent this summer, the Kings were desperate to avoid letting him go for zero value. The aborted trade forced Sacramento’s hand and gave potential suitors a chance to acquire a disgruntled superstar see ARTEST, page 9

Skiiers fight uphill battle against icy conditions at Plymouth State Carnival

BY STEPHEN COLELLI SPORTS EDITOR

Barreling down the face of a mountain at over 60 miles per hour with skis strapped to one’s feet is usually an intense thrill.

Occasionally, though, that leads to an intense spill, as the ski team found out at last weekend’s Plymouth State Carnival.

The Bears placed third overall in the slalom and fifth in the giant slalom at Waterville Valley, a step backward from last year when Brown won the slalom event and finished second in the giant slalom.

Despite the disappointing team finish, the weekend was not devoid of bright spots for the squad. Kelly O’Hear ’07 won

the slalom with a blistering time of 1:46.05, and Sophie Elgort ’08 came in 13th, while three other Bears — Mallory Taub ’08, Meaghan Casey ’08 and Janet Marley-Mauzy ’07 — finished in the top 25. In the giant slalom, O’Hear’s fall in difficult conditions hurt the team’s standing, but Elgort finished her run in 1:54.40, good for 10th place.

“Last week was extremely icy snow,” O’Hear said. “I know for me personally it was tough. … Skiing in conditions like that requires so much strength. Last weekend was rough, so third overall (in the slalom) is great, but we know that we can do better.”

So far this season, the Bears have performed impressively

given that two of the team’s top skiers, Nina DiBona ’07 and Hilary Swaffield ’06, are not competing this year. DiBona is still recovering from a torn ACL and is unlikely to return this season. Swaffield, who finished sixth overall at last year’s national competition, left the team for personal reasons.

In addition, Anna Bengston ’09 is still recovering from an injury sustained when she crashed crossing the finish line in the team’s first event of the year.

She is expected to return to the lineup soon.

Despite the turnover, Brown won its first event of the year, the Giant Slalom at the UConn Carnival on Jan. 13, again see SKIING, page 9