The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, S eptember 5, 2007
Volume CXLII, No. 61
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
New details shed light on demise of swim center
Planned sirens to alert campus in emergency By Michael Bechek Senior Staf f Writer
An emergency siren system that would alert the entire campus when activated is now awaiting approval and cooperation from the city of Providence. If approved, the sirens would be the most significant of several efforts by the University to increase security on campus after a Virginia Tech student killed 32 people and himself at the Blacksburg, Va., campus in April in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The plan proposes the installation of three sirens — one near the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, a second around Thayer Street and a third closer to the center of campus, said Walter Hunter, vice president for administration and the University’s chief risk officer. At the origin of the sound, the siren would be “substantially louder than 100 decibels,” he said. The system would be designed only to reach Brown’s College Hill campus, but “if things were quiet downtown, you might hear it,” he added. A working group with representatives from the University, the Providence Emergency Management Agency and Providence’s police, fire and communications departments has met weekly over the summer, said Providence City Councilman Seth Yurdin, who represents Ward 1, which includes much of Brown’s campus. Yurdin said the group has been meeting to address “mostly ... continued on page 4
By Zachary Chapman Senior Staf f Writer
graduate degree in Romance languages from Princeton University and a comparative literature master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University. In addition to teaching at Brown, Weinstein has written six books and published articles about American, French, Scandinavian and German literature. A total of 2,105 students will be welcomed during the ceremony, including 1,486 freshmen hailing from 46 states and 49 countries. The class of 2011 was the most selective ever, with an acceptance rate of 14 percent and a 55 percent matriculation rate. Today is also the first day classes will meet. Classes meeting during D hour, which usually end at 11:50 a.m., will end at 11:30 a.m. F-hour classes, usually starting at 1:00 p.m., will start 20 minutes late, at 1:20 p.m.
New details and questions are emerging about what caused the Smith Swim Center’s demise — primarily, University officials say, the building’s lack of a dehumidification system, which caused support beams to rot away over the course of almost 35 years. The facility, built in 1973 and closed for good in February when its roof was deemed structurally unsound, is now slated for demolition. The problems in the Smith Swim Center’s roof that led to its closure first surfaced last November, according to Stephen Maiorisi, vice president for Facilities Management. The swim center was closed temporarily last winter as the University conducted inspections and made last-ditch repairs to see if the structure could be salvaged. It was closed permanently on Feb. 13. In May, the Corporation announced that it had approved a plan to build both a permanent swimming facility and a temporary on-campus training pool. The move reflected a significant commitment of the University’s financial and projectmanagement resources, especially in light of its existing plans to construct a new $35-million fitness center. Initially, University of ficials were hesitant to say what caused problems to develop in the swim center’s roof. They also could not say whether a flaw in the design of the building or faulty maintenance work caused deterioration in the beams supporting the swim center’s roof. Now, they say, it appears that the root of the swim center’s problems was the lack of a dehumidification system — which would almost certainly be included in any similar new facility built today, according to Maiorisi. Moisture built up on the roof of the building, causing the roof’s support beams to rot, he said. “The lack of dehumidification in the facility over 35 years was the main cause of deterioration,” he said. “It was a slow process that started basically from the point the building was opened.” Additional inspections conducted in the last year also revealed that the support beams were shifting, Maiorisi said. “It was really two issues: the rotting beams, along with differential settlement of the beams,” he said. Maiorisi said it was possible that the beam shifting was related to the beam deterioration, but he said he couldn’t definitively make that conclusion.
— Rachel Arndt
continued on page 4
Chris Bennett / Herald
Fred Strammer ‘11 browses through a course listing in the Friedman Study Center.
First-years test Banner registration Chaz Firestone Senior Staff Writer
It’s almost 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in Jameson House’s lowest floor. “I’m freaking out,” Margiana Petersen-Rockney ’11 says to her roommate, Sara Powell ’11. Petersen-Rockney looks at the list of classes she has compiled through Web browsing, recommendations from her adviser and general word of mouth. Her list includes a wide variety of courses: NEUR 0010: “The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience,” ENGL 0180: “Introduction to Creative Nonfiction” and courses in classics, theatre arts and poetry. First-years were slated to register for classes all at once on
Tuesday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., while Meiklejohn advisors roamed the halls of Keeney Quadrangle to offer counsel and a calming presence. Though upperclassmen pre-registered for fall classes in April using the electronic Banner system, the class of 2011 is the University’s first to select their freshmen courses online. And so in Jameson as the registration hour nears, Petersen-Rockney has two problems: her class list is twice as long as it should be, and the clock isn’t slowing down. “I’ve got like two minutes to decide,” she says. “And I still don’t know.” Just as the words leave her mouth, her roommate springs into action. “Go go go!” Powell says. “It’s
News
th e h e r a l d m e a l p l a n
four!” Fingers mash keyboards, typing furiously in the hope of securing those precious few spots in limited-enrollment classes. But the excitement ends abruptly as Powell stops and sinks into her chair. “It’s still 3:59 in Banner-land,” she says. Meanwhile, on Everett House’s second floor, Sam Holzman ’11 is repeatedly pressing the “refresh” button on his laptop. The atmosphere is more mellow than in Jameson, as funk music from one of Holzman’s favorite hometown groups, The Budos Band, pours out of his modified record player. continued on page 11
in
Brief
Convocation at noon kicks off academic year
Chris Bennett / Herald
First-years might not be bored of the Ratty and V-Dub yet, but when they are, they’ll find that Thayer Street offers plenty of alternatives. See Page 5
INSIDE:
3
CAMPUS NEWS
www.browndailyherald.com
Computer Breach The social security numbers of almost 450 students and staff may have been compromised
3
DINING GUIDE
The University’s 244th academic year will officially open today at noon with the traditional Opening Convocation ceremony on the Main Green, presided over by President Ruth Simmons. New students and faculty will walk through the Van Wickle Gates — which are ceremonially opened only twice a year, at the opening and closing of the academic year. Simmons has occasionally used her speech to announce important news — at the 2004 convocation, for example, she announced three gifts to fund the construction of a new campus fitness center, which, three years later, is still in development. Professor of Comparative Literature Arnold Weinstein will deliver an address titled, “Reading Proust, Tracking Bears, at Brown.” Weinstein came to Brown in 1968 after receiving an under-
Thayer St. eats The Herald gives you the scoop on all the ice cream parlors, pizza joints and everything in between
15
OPINIONS
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
OPINIONS Jacob Schuman ’08 offers his solution for restoring Brown’s “happiest” status before its too late
16 SPORTS
PITCHING POWER Star pitcher Jeff Dietz ‘08 is moving up after inking a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday.
News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com