Friday, September 7, 2007

The Brown Daily Herald F riday, S eptember 7, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 63

Underage drinkers sense crackdown on College Hill

Reverse outsourcing?

COE sends students to India

By RosS Frazier News Editor

By Nick Werle Senior Staf f Writer

Nine Commerce, Organizations and Entrepreneurship concentrators traveled to India this summer to take part in the second year of an internship program that links Brown students to multinational companies based in India.

Coordinated by the COE program, Vice President for Research Clyde Briant and Brown alums and parents in India, the six to eight-week program is intended to expose COE concentrators to a foreign work experience and the corporate culture of India’s rapidly growing economy.

“The way we try to approach the internship is, ‘Here are these companies in a fast-growing country in Asia, and this is giving you an opportunity to see that and at the same time be exposed to all of the cultural differences and challenges of working in India,’ ” said Maria Carkovic, administrative director of the COE program.

After being accepted into the program by the faculty of the COE program, each intern was matched with one of three Indian conglomerates ­— pharmaceutical manufacturer Jubilant Organosys, real estate developer Godrej Properties or steel manufacturer Mukand.

Since each company is in a different industry and has several different business lines and products, Carkovic said each intern’s

Courtesy of Janine Kwoh

Commerce, Organizations and Entrepreneurship students interned in India this summer.

experience was unique.

“For a COE major, I think what we are providing is an experience in the business world in a different country more than a particular experience doing a marketing project at company ‘X,’ ” she said.

Though students did not receive credit for the internship, the students had no expenses for the two-month experience.

The University paid the interns’ travel expenses, including vaccination and visa costs, and the Indian companies provided room and board.

There are currently no plans to provide academic credits for the internships because the COE program does not have the resources to ensure that the experiences are academically rigorous enough, Carkovic said.

Though Carkovic said there currently are no plans to replicate the experience in other countries, initiatives like the India internship program are a key component of the COE concentration, which seeks to provide a growing number of preparatory experiences for continued on page 4

Graduate school hopefuls will soon face one of two new types of questions on the Graduate Record Examination — but for now, the questions won’t count.

Starting in November, test-takers will receive either a text completion question in the verbal section or a numeric entry question in the math section. But the new questions won’t count toward a student’s final score until the Educational Testing Service, which administers the GRE, collects sufficient data about the new questions, according to the ETS Web site.

The GRE General Test is a multiple choice test that evaluates a testtaker’s ability to answer questions of varying difficulty — if a test-taker answers questions correctly, more difficult questions are presented, and vice versa. Thousands of students take the test every year as part of the graduate school application process.

INSIDE:

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CAMPUS NEWS

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In these first days of the academic year, Spiritus Fermenti owner Connie Gray said she has seen more than the usual number of fakes IDs, including over 30 last Saturday alone.

“I saw more in the last two days than in my entire career,” chimed in a co-worker at the Meeting Street liquor store.

Gray said plainclothes Providence Police officers sometimes visit her store, watching the employees check IDs. More recently, though, Department of Public Safety officers have been watching students leave the store, asking younger-looking scholars to show their Brown IDs, which the officers can then swipe to confirm the pupils’ ages.

Whether on-campus or at student favorite Fish Co., where at least three Providence Police officers watched over more rigorous ID checks at the bar’s Brown Night Wednesday, students are reporting a notable uptick in the level of enforcement of underage drinking laws.

One senior, who requested anonymity because she is underage, said she lined up outside Fish Co. Wednesday night but decided to return to campus after seeing police lurking and bouncers asking for second IDs. Another frequent, underage Fish Co. patron, who also requested anonymity, ultimately got in to the bar but noted bouncers were sending people home.

“I have a pretty good ID, and I look older — I’m no babyface — so I was able to get in,” the junior said. “The bouncer stopped the girls in front of me and said, ‘You guys go to Brown.

You should have better fakes than this,’ and then sent them away.”

Margaret Klawunn, associate vice

president for campus life and dean of student life, said Providence Police — not Brown — is responsible for any recent law enforcement appearances at Fish Co. “A lot of motivation for this is from the residents of downtown Providence, who are worried about what happens after the clubs close,” Klawunn said.

She added that University officials are cognizant of the effect underage drinking can have on Brown’s neighbors. “We’ve been concerned and have had conversations with local council members and Providence Police,” Klawunn said. But, she added, the University had no connection to the increased security at Fish Co. on Wednesday.

While authorities focus on enforcement efforts off the Hill, the University has kept its eye on students living on the East Side.

Students living off-campus received a routine e-mail Thursday from Klawunn warning them that DPS and Providence Police will act to enforce local noise and trash ordinances and that serious infractions could result in University disciplinary proceedings.

Klawunn said Providence Police fined some off-campus Brown students over the weekend for a noise violation, and the University has already received some complaints from local residents.

“You assume all the risks associated with state and city laws regulating consumption of alcohol, noise ordinances and public safety when you sponsor a party at your off-campus apartment,” the e-mail read.

Back at Spiritus Fermenti, Gray said she and other employees try to do their part by “focusing on the 21st birthday as the rite of passage,” by offering a 20 percent discount to those buying the store’s products on their 21st birthday.

A F i r st - y ea r F l u r r y

Grad school hopefuls face revised GRE

By Meha Verghese Staf f Writer

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

The new text completion question in the verbal reasoning section asks students to fill in two or three blanks in a passage from a list of options. Jennifer Kedrowski, GRE program manager at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, likens it to the sentence completion portion of the SAT. There is no partial credit for the question, making it especially difficult. “Say you get two of the blanks correct and the third one wrong — you get the question wrong overall,” Kedrowski said.

Numeric entry will be introduced in the quantitative reasoning section. Students will be asked to type their answer as a number in a box or as a fraction in two boxes.

Though students will face one of these two new types of questions beginning in November, these questions will not count toward a testtaker’s final score until ETS has an adequate sample of data about the question in a testing environment.

“They have to get enough people continued on page 5

Back to School Some Brown professors are conducting lectures for an older crowd through One Day University.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Rahul Keerthi/Herald Students flocked to the OMAC last night for the University’s fall activities fair.

csi: brown University Professor of Medical Science Constantine Gatsonis is leading a national inquiry into the state of forensics.

7

OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

THE PEOPLE SPEAK The Herald’s new “Overheard on College Hill” asks what people think of the new Orientation schedule.

8

SPORTS

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Field hockey goalie Kristen Hodavance ‘08 reveals her thoughts on Harry Potter and the life of a goalie.

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Friday, September 7, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

We a t h e r

sunny 84 / 66

Aibohphobia | Roxanne Palmer and Jonathan Cannon

mostly sunny 84 / 66

Menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Creamy Cappellini with Broccoli, Italian Roasted Potatoes, Clam Bisque, Vegetarian Six Bean Soup, Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Sandwich, BLT Sandwich, Butter Cookies, S’mores Bars

Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Vegetarian Grinder, Sticky Rice, Enchilada Bar, Baked Beans, Vegetarian Chickpea Soup, New England Clam Chowder, Vegan Chana Masala, Zucchini and Summer Squash Salad

Dinner — Barbecue at Stevenson Field

Dinner — Barbecue at Stevenson Field

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

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

RELEASE DATE– Friday, September 7, 2007 © Puzzles by Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

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o ssw o rNichols d Lewis Edited by RichrNorris and Joyce

ACROSS 1 Enthusiastic about 5 Florist’s staple 9 Unit 14 Auto repair company since 1971 15 Teamster’s pair 16 “Here Comes Santa Claus” cosongwriter 17 Start of a quip about a poor investment 19 Al and Dick, lately 20 They’re stereotypically green 21 MLB semifinal 22 Regulator of some traffic: Abbr.

23 Gangster movie effect 25 Associate 29 Quip, part 2 31 Take advantage of a sellout, in a way 33 “The Godfather” composer Nino 34 ___ Bo 35 Brew 36 Quip, part 3 37 Make malteds, e.g.

38 Its flag features a six-pointed star: Abbr.

39 LAX postings 41 Hard thump 43 Quip, part 4 46 Stews 47 2004 Dow 30 addition 51 Nittany Lions’ sch.

52 Cougar, e.g., briefly 53 It may be picked out 54 Pay 57 End of the quip 59 Not blind 60 Get in the game 61 Tiny globe 62 Dispensed, with “out” 63 Union jack?

64 IRS data

44 Base boss DOWN 31 Fish dish 1 Not as friendly 32 Program source 45 Mimieux of “The Time Machine” 2 Three-nation 35 Isn’t used 48 Tunes (out) pact of the ’90s 36 Beavers, 49 One may be 3 On-the-sly perhaps donated event 37 Dench of the 4 Tic-tac-toe loser screen 50 Cries out for 5 It’s usually a 39 Spewed out 52 Choice list 54 55-Down mate yellow light 40 Connecting, on 55 54-Down mate 6 It paid about 50signs 56 Tatami, for one 1 at the 2007 41 Doesn’t give a Kentucky Derby choice 57 Roam 7 Short turns?

42 It’s not good to 58 Six-pack 8 Capt.’s heading be left in it components 9 Plain ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 10 None too comfortable 11 Sport __ 12 Contemporary of Ernst 13 Phonic lead-in 18 Up to the point that 22 Printing choice 24 Brainstormers’ cries 25 Some chairs, briefly 26 A lot 27 “The Fountainhead” architect 28 Trip over the mountains 09/07/07 30 Proper type xwordeditor@aol.com

100 Years of Solipsism | Adrienne Langlois

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09/07/07

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C ampus N ews Friday, September 7, 2007

A W E S O M E A r chsing

Forensics investigation under prof’s guidance

BY CAITLIN BROWNE Staf f Writer

Rahul Keerthi/Herald

The Chattertocks, led by Zoe Chao ’08, performed late Thursday night under the Morris-Champlin Arch.

At One Day U., Brown profs cater to an older student body

By Christian Martell Staff Writer

Less than a week into the academic year, some students are already complaining about classes — but there are plenty of people who would love to take their place, if only for a day.

Three years ago, Steven Schragis was able to sit in on a college course while visiting his daughter, a freshman at the time, at Bard College.

“I remember thinking, ‘I wish I could be going to college, instead of paying for it,’ ” he said.

That’s what led him to co-found One Day University with his business partner, John Galvin. One Day is a day-long program that allows fee-paying adults to attend some of the most popular lectures by professors from several big-name universities.

For $219, the “students” listen to four lectures throughout the day, covering a wide range of topics, such as depression in the United States and school shootings.

The professors hail from several Ivy League institutions and other prestigious schools, such as the University of Oxford and New York University.

This month marks a year since the program officially began, and already One Day University has recruited multiple Brown professors, including Senior Lecturer in Economics Rachel Friedberg, Associate Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller, Lecturer in Neuroscience John Stein, Associate Professor of Political Science John Tomasi, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Jennifer Lawless, Professor of Political Science James Morone, and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy Christine Heenan, according to Educational Media Group, the company that runs the program. The company declined to divulge how much professors are paid for giving the lectures.

Lawless, a widely quoted scholar on issues involving women in politics and a former congressional candidate, said teaching at the program “is very fulfilling because I am able to speak to a completely different audience.”

Lawless said she was contacted

by Schragis and Galvin after they heard her speak at another venue.

One major difference from Lawless’ usual audience — the average

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

age is between 55 and 75, Galvin said. “(The students) are hungry for it. For most of them, it’s been a good 30 years or so since they attended college, and they find it fascinating to hear what their grandchildren are learning about at college,” Galvin said.

After giving two lectures through the program, one in the winter and the other in spring, Lawless said she’s signed up for another this fall.

Galvin and Schragis said the program is growing and that they have already seen some eager participants come back for more.

“We offer a discount if you sign up at the end of the day, and a lot of them take it,” Schragis said.

Sara Sadin P’03 and her husband, continued on page 5

A congressional committee investigating the state of forensic science is being led by a Brown professor. Professor of Medical Science Constantine Gatsonis, director of Brown’s Center for Statistical Sciences, heads the committee that first met in January and plans to release its findings in early 2008.

Harry Edwards, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., circuit, co-chairs the committee, which was formed under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences.

The committee’s task is to assess the practice of forensic science across the nation and make recommendations on how to improve its application.

Some aspects, such as rates of error, remain unknown for forensics procedures like the analysis of hair and bite marks. Currently, there are no national standards regarding the use of forensic science.

“There’s a lot of variability in forensics across various parts of the country, and Congress wanted to have somebody look into (issues such as) training, standards and quality control,” he said.

Gatsonis, whose research focuses on statistics related to diagnostic tests, was chosen for the committee due to his expertise in statistics. Other committee members represent disciplines such as forensic science, law and general science.

The National Academies’ Committee on Science, Technology, and Law, directed by Anne-Marie Mazza, is a subcommittee of the group investigating forensic science. According to Mazza, the committee was formed because Congress called for an investigation of forensic science in the United States and urged that cer-

tain expertise be represented on the committee.

Gatsonis said the committee, which is not the first congressional committee to look into forensics, was compos ed over a long period and rose “out of an appreciation for the infrastructure of forensics” in the United States.

“There were a number of people and a number of forces that contributed … including people who do forensics, people who are advocates, people who are concerned about the accuracy of forensics, people who have been wrongly convicted and have spoken out,” he said.

Congress’ charge to the committee was broad. “Part of the motivation for forming this committee was to look at the scientific basis for forensics, and what has to be done to ensure that there is a proper scientific basis for these kinds of disciplines,” Gatsonis said.

Among other items, the congressional mandate ordered the committee to re-examine the needs of forensics across the countr y, Gatsonis said.

So far, the committee has met three times and has heard from a variety of experts including lawyers, statisticians, other scientists and practitioners of forensic science, such as forensic pathologists and directors of police and F.B.I. labs.

“I think the committee is working really well. … They have had input from a large range of interested stakeholders and are taking a thoughtful approach,” Mazza said.

She said she could not comment on what its recommendations might look like.

The committee will meet again later this month and in December to work on its report. Gatsonis declined to reveal any specific findings but said he believes the report will stimulate debate.

“The committee has identified all these needs that exist, and we will be making recommendations about these,” he said. “I’m sure (the report) will be noticed.”

Chris Bennett / Herald

Professor Constantine Gatsonis

recycle

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

COE students head to India for U.-sponsored internships continued from page 1 concentrators interested in business careers.

Within the COE program, the internships serve to connect the academic framework for business taught in the classroom to the reallife complexities of working for a large corporation. “We see it as one more element of experiential learning,” Carkovic said.

During his time in India, COE concentrator Amir Valliani ’09 did market research for Jubilant Organosys’s vitamin business. Valliani said the most valuable aspect of his

experience was observing the differences between American and Indian corporate culture.

“In the U.S., if you look at corporate culture in general, things are structured towards satisfying shareholders, while in India things are more oriented towards building personal relationships,” Valliani said.

The Indian workday begins later in the day, Valliani said, and “before you sit down at any meeting to talk business, you have a cup of chai. That bonding is where it really showed that India is a high context culture.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 5

Profs teach older crowd New GRE question types to debut in November continued from page 3 Robert P’03, are three-time participants, and they say they are looking forward to registering for additional sessions.

“We’ve had a great experience hearing professors talk about topics that really pique your interest,” Sara Sadin said.

But, she said, the topics themselves aren’t why the program is enjoyable. “It’s that (the profes-

sors) are great teachers and are truly engaging,” she said.

The Sadins are the parents of Meredith Sadin ’03, and they said the program — and its Brownbased lecturers — has offered them a “real connection” to Brown.

“We’re really envious of the environment of the University — that whole feeling of community, independence and a prestigious education that Brown provides its students,” she said.

join the herald come to an info session at our office 195 angell st. (between brook and thayer) sunday, sept. 9 tuesday, sept. 11 monday, sept. 17 9 p.m.

continued from page 1 to respond to the items. You need several thousand responses,” said Tricia McCloskey, managing editor of test prep research and development at Princeton Review.

The new questions are welcomed

by McCloskey. “I think there is the potential with these new questions to test your ability better,” she said.

Kedrowski said she felt that the questions would “be more challenging for students.”

The new question types are part of ETS’s effort to respond to criticism of the GRE. “There is a general feeling that the current test doesn’t do a good job in measuring the skills needed for graduate school,” McCloskey said, adding that the math section is too simple to test reasoning ability well while the verbal section involves a lot of memorization rather than analysis.

The GRE also faced security concerns after questions from its question pool were memorized by some test-takers and posted online.

ETS initially responded to such criticism with a complete overhaul of the test, which was scheduled

to launch this month. The new computer-based test would have been one-and-a-half hours longer, with more analytical questions in the verbal section. The revised test also would have replaced the adaptive format with a linear one, ensuring that questions were not repeated.

The test would have been administered only about 30 times a year — currently, it is available almost every day. The scheduling change was a major concern for some students.

But in April, ETS decided to scrap its plans for the new test. “ETS was concerned about the lack of convenience and flexibility,” Kedrowski said.

Furthermore, with the planned change to the test’s scoring system, many students would have had to have taken the test before the scoring system could be calibrated and scores determined.

ETS dropped the plan to switch to a linear format, and changes — such as the two new question types — will now be made gradually.

The two test-prep companies have competing advice for students who plan to take the test.

“Our philosophy is that you want to spend your preparation time in areas that will affect your score,”

McCloskey said, but she added that Princeton Review will teach students how to recognize the new questions.

There is a heavy penalty resulting in a lower score if the test is not completed, so the Princeton Review is advising students not to spend time on questions that aren’t graded.

Kaplan is opting for a cautious approach. “What Kaplan recommends is to treat them as if they are being scored because you don’t know when they are going to count as your score. It’s important that students take them seriously,” Kedrowski said.

While test prep centers feel confident that they have adapted their programs to include the new questions, students preparing for the GRE aren’t as certain. “I’m planning to take it probably October, November, but I would want to take it before the changes,” said Julie Flynn ’08, who said the changes reminded her of the new SAT, but on a smaller scale.

Since the questions won’t count towards her score, she said she is not that worried. “I would rather take it without them but it wouldn’t be a big deal,” she said.

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E ditorial & L etters Page 6

Friday, September 7, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Staf f Editorial

Diamonds and coal A cubic zirconium to confused freshmen. We feel for you as you wander around campus — we have no idea where Kassar House is, either.

Also, what’s with the kid playing bagpipes all over the place? A confused coal until we find out if you can play “Big Girls Don’t Cr y.”

A diamond to sirens. Buxton finally has competition for strobe lights and party sounds.

A diamond to the University’s newly enlarged endowment. Talk about a robust return.

Coal to the dehumidifier that was, inexplicably, never purchased for the Smith Swim Center. It’s a building made out of wood. Come on, people.

A diamond to the new Brown-RIPTA partnership . Now you can get to Kennedy Plaza for free.

A diamondback to Jeff Dietz ’08. It’s nice to know that some of us will have jobs after graduation.

A nostalgic diamond to shopping period. This is the second-tolast time many of us seniors will be doing much shopping — unless, of course, it’s bankrolled by our investment banker (or professional baseball) friends.

pete fallon

A cubic zirconium to Proust. We’re not sure forcing homesick first-years to read about a naive boy who loved his mother a little too much is the best idea.

Coal to gruesome photos. Did you see that knee? Wow. A cubic zirconium to Apple dropping the price of the iPhone by $200. Unfortunately, no matter how cheap the device gets, we still won’t get reception in the office.

A diamond to Brown moving up in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings. Coal to people who actually care.

interested in writing, photography, copy editing, comics, sports, opinions, post-, layout, web design or managing a student-run business?

Coal to paving over the tennis courts at the OMAC. The U.S. News & World Report says Cornell has tennis courts.

Coal to the University closing the Ratty and VDub tonight to force us to go to the soccer game. What is this, Cornell?

A diamond to the proposed cafe for the Bookstore. Good work, Save the Bookstore Coalition. Now it definitely won’t become a Barnes & Noble.

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O pinions Friday, September 7, 2007

page 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

To hell with missionaries

BY KARLA BERTRAND Opinions Editor If there’s one thing that I can’t abide, it’s missionaries. I am not even going to address the actual content of the evangelical message, though certainly much of it is anathema to me.

Rather, I base my objection on three major aspects of proselytizing: the effects to which it gives rise, the method by which it is delivered and the spirit in which it is offered.

Now, missions have, of course, done a great deal of good both in America and in developing nations — soup kitchens, food banks, health services, education and the like. But they have also done irremediable harm, and this must not be glossed over. Let us start with the classic anthropological refrain of cultural contamination and destruction. A missionary coming to a foreign land to preach an alien gospel will clearly disrupt the normal functioning state of that society. The proselytizing will create rifts between those who adopt and those who don’t and eventually strip away an integral part of the culture. Missions intrude, invade and interfere.

Now I have no desire to stifle a free exchange of ideas. The problem is that it is awfully onesided to qualify as an exchange, and it is far from free. It is coercion born of economic necessity.

This is the basis of my second objection: the manner in which the message is spread. It is a prime example of what is known in medical anthropology as “structural violence”: social discrimination, economic exploitation and political oppression as limiting factors on individual agency. If someone is a victim of structural violence, his ability to act freely is constrained.

This is manifestly the case with proselytizing in poverty-stricken areas: the steep economic disparity between the parish and the preacher compromises the integrity of the exchange.

People are certainly entitled to attempt to convince others of their opinions, but by dint of

superior reasoning or emotional appeal — not by exploiting economic leverage. I imagine the evangelizing is tolerated for the sake of material aid in dire financial straits; for a desperately poor populace, the basic human services missions provide make the theological pill a little easier to swallow. Missionaries, whether knowingly or not, exploit the penury of their flock, and coercion by any other name still smells as rank.

Finally, the attitude implicit in any sort of religious proselytizing is probably the quality that makes me instinctively react with quite so much vitriol. It’s so sanctimonious, so obscenely high-handed. Condescension has always been a pet peeve of mine, and proselytizing is the equivalent of a reassuring pat and an instruction not to worry your pretty little head. It’s the attitude of “I’m doing this for your own good.

I know what’s best for you,” combined with all the arrogance of believing that you have a direct line to God and know exactly what He wants — topped off with an ostentatious humility that is really anything but.

If this frustrates you as well, I suggest two courses of action. First, do everything you can to oust the current administration — this administration that caters to the religious right and its soapbox lunatics. Do you know what President Bush did his first day in office? He reinstated a global gag order that had been in effect under President Reagan, forbidding any organization anywhere in the world that receives U.S. funding from even mentioning abortion.

They cannot provide the actual procedure, disseminate information on where to obtain a safe abortion or acknowledge the existence of such when women ask — even if they fund these particular activities with their own money, even if abortion is perfectly legal in the country where the organization operates. This is his first priority upon becoming president, mind you — to impose his personal religious beliefs on women worldwide, to take a policy that he can’t implement in this county and inflict it on developing nations. If you’d like to do something, you work against the party of the man who claims we

invaded Iraq on a God-given mission and calls our presence there a “crusade.” Tell them to keep their militant moralizing to themselves and vote them out of office.

There is another, more immediate way to make a difference. I am going to suggest that you not donate to evangelical charities.

Don’t attack me just yet; I’m not advocating that people curb their charitable inclinations.

But did you even stop to think of what exactly you are supporting when you drop your coins in the bell-ringer’s collection cup? According to it’s own publication, “What is the Salvation Army?: An Interpretation of Its Aims, Methods, and Activities,” the Salvation Army’s “original purpose was exclusively evangelical.” The social service aspect only arose once the Salvationists realized that “[I]t was not easy to talk spiritual salvation to people who were dazed and bewildered by acute physical need.” Similarly, many a church demands mandatory prayer and attendance at religious lectures as part of the program to which someone must adhere in order to receive aid.

I am going to put forth the notion that there is something very wrong in putting conditions of piety on charity. There’s also something profoundly unchristian about it; after all, doesn’t Christianity preach unconditional love? A homeless person should not have to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior before he can come in off the streets and have a hot cup of soup. If you’re interested in dealing with the suffering in this world before worrying about the next, you can redirect your donations from faith-based initiatives to more secular channels: non-faith-based initiatives, or even nonsectarian evangelical programs — which are run by evangelical churches that nonetheless hold that proselytizing should be independent of humanitarian work. Check your organization or church’s policy before you give.

Overheard on College Hill What do you think of the new first-year Orientation?

Aaron White ’08 Brown Dining Services Unit Manager “From a BUDS standpoint we feel pretty bad about the new Orientation because it was shortened by four days or so, and with only two days we have very little time to recruit. We’re all really scared that we’re going to open on Wednesday without enough workers. We’re pretty short-staffed right now, so we’re really scrambling to get everyone we can, and we feel bad about not giving these freshmen enough time to see Brown while they’re learning about all the dining units.”

Amy Heuer ’11 “It does seem like a lot of (activities) are squished into three days, and I feel like I might miss out on some programs because they’re sometimes at the same time. I don’t mind (having upperclassmen around) because they’re really friendly — you can tell if someone’s older, you can ask them a question and they’re always happy to help you. I think I like that (upperclassmen) are here. I think (Orientation) is about being here and meeting friends and getting yourself comfortable in the Brown community.”

Dani Candelora ’11

“I think the point of Orientation is to get accustomed to campus life before you’re thrown into it and know your way around campus and meet people. I wish Orientation was longer — a lot of my friends who are going to other places have week-long orientations. It just seems like I’d be a lot more comfortable, throwing classes on top of all this new stuff. Right now, I don’t Karla Bertrand ’09 is just stating her opinion; know my unit number for the (unit dinner at she’s not out to convert anybody. the Ratty); it was supposed to be on my door, and it wasn’t, and I’m going to be a little bit lost in about an hour. We don’t register (for classes) until the day before, and I wish we had a little not in American influence, but in the Asian power more time before they began.” shift following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Mark Porter With the end of the Cold War, Russia’s two hunChief of Police dred year advantage disappeared almost overDirector, Department of Public Safety night. In 1860, China’s demographic superiority was not enough to prevent Russia from annex“Our mission is still the same. We have to ing Outer Manchuria. Now, as noted by Dmitri Trenin at Moscow’s Carnegie Center, it has a continue to educate and make the community 4-to-1 GDP advantage and instituted a string of aware, and we do that in many different forms. military reforms, while Russia’s forces stagnate. We communicate to the students on a wide In the disputed eastern territories, 8 million Rus- variety of mechanisms — our Web site, e-mail, crime prevention sessions and tables. We have sians live opposite 200 million Chinese.

When Mao Zedong signed the 1950 Sino- scheduled an open forum. We have a crime Soviet Friendship Treaty, it was with the knowl- prevention month coming up in October. Our edge that China could not withstand Soviet su- goal and our role is to participate in Orientation premacy and needed its protection from a feared in whatever format that is and to continue to do American invasion. Fifty-one years later, with the whatever we need to help keep the community Russo-Chinese Good Neighborliness Treaty, well-informed throughout the semester. Our the tables were turned. Anglo-Russian power role of Orientation — we take it as a full-time and the area’s later incorporation into the Soviet semester job.”

Union kept China marginalized in Central Asia Spencer Amdur ’08 for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today it is a major competitor for energy contracts “I’m sad to see that they’ve shortened Orienand political leverage. Russia’s influence weakened in Korea and fell to virtual nonexistence tation. Orientation was really one of the crucial moments of my freshman year. That is when I in Southeast Asia.

We put the pieces together and draw conclu- truly met people, that is when I took my net and sions. Russia cannot afford conflict with China spread it as wide as I possibly could. I brought and sees cooperation as necessary for an Asian as many people into the fold as I could possibly rebound. China regards the partnership as eco- find. Quite honestly, I could not have done that nomically beneficial and a good way to main- if our Orientation had been crammed into three tain stability around its peripheries. Beijing also days in which we were only doing scheduled needs time to complete its military reforms and activities, most of which were interesting, many tackle domestic challenges, including a looming of which were not valuable. The fact that I had pension crisis and over-reliance on coal-powered so much time to just chill and find the people industries, which threaten its economic miracle. that I wanted to be friends with at Brown — I The United States should be wary, but keen not got to meet a lot more people than I think the to exaggerate its role in bringing the two states freshmen this year got to. That first week is special. The freshmen are really in their own world together. then, which isn’t a bad thing for a week.”

The Russo-Chinese partnership: Realities and American misconceptions

BY BORIS RYVKIN Guest Columnist The reactions of state onlookers received scant attention during the Russian-American row over missile defense. One statement many overlooked came from Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchiao. On July 18, according to Interfax-Central Europe, he cited the deployment of missile defense systems as “detrimental to the current strategic condition of peace and stability in the world.” For some, especially those who have monitored Russia’s growing intimacy with China, this offers further proof that an antiAmerican alliance is afoot.

The assertion has some merit. Russo-Chinese economic relations have improved dramatically.

According to Gazeta, a Russian daily newspaper, Russia and China have concluded 18 joint infrastructure development and investment projects totaling over $1 billion. China is set to begin construction on its branch of a 3,000-mile East Siberian oil pipeline, which is earmarked for completion in December 2008. A report by the China Daily predicts bilateral trade to exceed $40 billion by year’s end.

Cooperation is equally strong in foreign affairs, which often runs opposed to the United States. Consider Iran’s granted observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (where Russia and China command leadership roles), a simultaneous slap to U.S. nonproliferation policy and its position in Central Asia. Both states oppose stronger sanctions and have interfered with efforts to contain Tehran. They also resist independence for Kosovo. In an Aug. 28 piece in the Wall Street Journal, German international relations theorist Joseph Joffe argued that coalition failure in Iraq would allow Russia to remake itself in the Middle East and embolden China

in the Pacific. Nevertheless, the likelihood that Russo-Chinese opposition to the United States will lead to an anti-American alliance is low,for two reasons. First, Russia and China cannot form a lasting alliance, and their interest in concluding a strategic one is questionable. Second, the United States plays less of a role in bringing the two together than many believe. Instead, their convergence is largely the result of a power shift in Asia following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

For states to create lasting alliances, they should have strong cultural unity and few significant territorial disputes between them. The level of cooperation in these relationships approaches genuine friendship, as in the case of the current Anglo-American alliance and the Franco-German alliance within the European Union. If states unite for purely strategic reasons, they often do so temporarily and require triggers. Britain, otherwise distant from continental affairs, joined successive European coalitions to defeat Napoleon. Britain and the United States allied with the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany.

Russia and China meet none of the conditions for a lasting alliance. They are cultural opposites and entertain substantial territorial disputes.

Their aspirations for a strategic pact are similarly dubious. If one were to occur, the trigger would likely be ethno-religious extremism in Central Asia and not the United States. Although both are antagonized by American policy, the costs of actually forming an anti-American alliance outweigh the benefits. The Chinese place great value on their trade balance with Washington which, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, topped $117 billion during the first half of 2007.

Russia desires investment into its high-tech sector and access to western financial institutions heavily influenced by the United States.

As well as the future trajectory of the RussoChinese Partnership, equally important are the reasons it actually exists. These are mainly found,

Boris Ryvkin ’09 is glad to be back on the Herald Opinions page.

— Jake Izenberg

S ports W eekend Page 8

Friday, September 7, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Hodavance ’08 hails Harry, holds the line on defense

By Stu Woo Sports Editor

By Stu Woo Sports Editor

After starting ever y game last season as the field hockey team’s goalkeeper, Kristen Hodavance ’08 knows a thing or two about keeping her composure under pressure. But how would she fare in a different spotlight as The Herald’s Athlete

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK of the Week?

Pssh. After making 11 saves — including one off a penalty shot — in a tough 3-1 loss to the undefeated University of Vermont on Saturday, the anthropology concentrator handled The Herald’s questions with ease, talking about her inspiration for playing field hockey, her fondness for Harry Potter and her most embarrassing save.

Last season, you played every minute of every field hockey game. Aren’t you tired?

I really love playing field hockey.

It’s sad that it’s my last year, but it’s kind of exciting to start a new season. I don’t really feel burnt out or anything like that.

How long have you been playing field hockey?

Since fifth grade, when I was about 10.

Why field hockey?

I played a lot of sports when I was younger. I actually didn’t want to play field hockey. The school I went to had girls’ field hockey and guys’ soccer in the fall, and I had always wanted to play soccer growing up, so I wanted to play soccer.

But the school team was fifthto-eighth (grade), and my brother, who’s two years older than me, was playing on the guys’ soccer team, and we didn’t get along back then.

My mom was like, “Okay, no. Just play field hockey for a year, and if you hate it, you can try out for the guys’ soccer team next season.”

So I was like, “Fine.” And I ended

Bears games now available online

Emily Cole / Herald File Photo

Kristen Hodavance ’08 made 11 saves in the field hockey team’s season-opening loss to Vermont last weekend.

up loving it.

Are you and your brother on better terms now?

We get along really well now.

That’s good to hear. So, why did you become a goalkeeper?

I played goalie in soccer, and (when she started playing field hockey) they said, “Hop in goal!”

Goalkeeper is a tough position to play. You don’t get the glory of all the goal scorers, and after you let in a goal, everyone is staring at you. How do you keep your spirits up after a goal?

It helps to actually not think about the goals that went in, but concentrate in the moment, just concentrate on playing and having fun instead of constantly thinking of what went wrong.

What about after a loss? Is it tough to bounce back?

Not normally, but sometimes it is, especially if it’s a really bad loss. But

usually, if it’s a bad loss, you have lots of opportunities to improve, even if it’s a game where they’re down at your end the whole time — those are actually games I like better because I love action.

Moving away from field hockey, what do you hope to be doing after graduation?

I’m not actually sure. I definitely want to be doing something focusing on gender and sexuality.

What do you like to do when you’re not playing field hockey?

I like to read a lot, which I don’t get to do a lot in the school year, but in the summer it’s nice to read for fun. I also like playing sports outside field hockey.

What books did you read over the summer?

I read the Harry Potter book. I’m a little sad it’s over.

What did you think of the

epilogue?

I thought it could have been stronger, the last couple of chapters.

I kind of liked it. It was a little cheesy.

I actually liked it a lot. I was hoping that there would be follow-up books, jumping into things seven years later, but (the epilogue) put that out of the question.

All right, last question: What’s the most embarrassing save you’ve ever made?

Can I say one from soccer?

Sure.

When I first started playing soccer, in my first penalty kick, I was on the line and I didn’t move. The ball just hit me. Like, it hit me in the face.

I saved it, but I didn’t move at all.

I guess it’s better than having it hit your face and then go in.

Yeah, the ball just hit me, and I was like, “Oh.”

Brown sports fans might have eagerly awaited Thursday’s women’s soccer game as the home opener for the 2007-08 sports season. But Brown athletics officials were closely watching another debut — the University’s new online broadcasting partnership.

This summer, Brown signed an agreement with B2 Networks that will allow the Internet broadcasting company to televise Brown home games during the school year. So far, B2 has agreed to broadcast at least 120 games in 13 varsity sports. B2 will also broadcast a few road games, as well as coach’s shows.

“I think it is a tremendous plus for Brown University,” said Chris Humm, director of sports information. “We have so many athletes who excel in their sports, and people on a worldwide basis can watch these games now.”

Watching the games, which can be accessed at brownbears.com, will not be free. Individual games cost $6, while a yearlong pass costs $145.

Football, basketball and hockey fans can also buy sport-specific packages at discounted rates.

Humm said the broadcasts are intended primarily as a service for parents and alums, but they could turn out to be a money-maker for the athletics department. In the future, B2 will evenly split the subscription revenue with Brown. Currently, B2 is receiving all the revenue to pay off the new equipment the company installed at Brown athletics facilities.

Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger said he’s been trying to broadcast games online since he took his position in July 2005. A group of varsity volleyball parents from California approached him with the idea, he said, but he couldn’t find a feasible way to broadcast the games until this summer, when B2 approached the department.

A list of games that will be broadcast online can be found at brownbears.com.

Eagles strike first, hold on to down w. soccer

By Jason Harris Assistant Spor ts Editor

The women’s soccer team dropped its season opener last night, falling 2-0 to Boston College at Stevenson Field. The loss drops the Bears to 0-1 on the year, while the 10thranked Eagles improved to 2-0.

Bruno was up to the challenge of playing a very skilled BC team from the start of the game. In the first half, Brown’s defense kept the Eagles from generating any quality scoring chances. The Bears’ backline limited BC to shots only outside the 18-yard box and beyond. Co-captains Julia Shapira ’08 and Kerrilynn Carney ’08 led the backs and seemingly won ever y ball out of the air.

Midfielder Bridget Ballard ‘10 said tenacity was the reason Brown was so effective at winning contested balls in the early stages.

“Our intensity was strong,” Ballard said. “They are a top-10 team and we matched their intensity.”

Ballard in particular was strong on the ball, at one point holding off three Eagles in a midfield that

BC controlled most of the night.

The Eagles maintained possession far more effortlessly than the Bears, who at times were forced to simply clear their end with long balls due to pressure from the opposition. The difference in possession time also led to an imbalance in shots and scoring opportunities in the Eagles’favor.

Fortunately for the Bears, the half ended scoreless thanks to two spectacular saves by goalkeeper Steffi Yellin ’10. On a save in the fifth minute she leaped and tipped a shot up off the crossbar. Then, with two minutes left in the first half, she threw her body into the middle of the box to corral a threatening cross.

Momentum swung in the Bears’ favor coming out of the half.

Julie Wu ’09 helped the Brown backline maintain its strong play, as she repeatedly won the ball off of her attackers’ feet.

With 21 minutes remaining, j ust as things were looking up for Bruno, BC scored the first goal of the night. The Eagles played a short corner kick to a late-coming

attacker, who crossed the ball to the backpost. The pass ended up on the foot of Natalie Crutchfield, who placed the ball just under the crossbar.

Brown’s offense, led all night by forward Lindsay Cunningham ’09, tried to respond, but could not put one away in the waning minutes. Midfielder Kiki Manners ’10 almost got a foot on a cross right in front of the BC net with 17 minutes to play but could not finish. A few minutes later, midfielder Melissa Kim ’10 and forward Kellie Slater ’10 had consecutive shots blocked just inside the box.

“We played a good game overall,” Ballard said. “We just have to put some balls in the back of the net.”

As Brown pressed on, BC was able to take advantage of another corner kick, scoring its second goal with five minutes remaining and putting the game away.

“We got beat off set pieces,” Ballard said. “Its something we always have to work on.”

The team will look to rebound in its road opener Tuesday at the University of New Hampshire.

Ashley Hess / Herald

Steffi Yellin ’10 leaps for a save in last night’s 2-0 loss to Boston College.