Friday, September 21, 2007

The Brown Daily Herald F riday, S eptember 21, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 73

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

Creative Arts Center to bump cog sci building

By Isabel Gottlieb Senior Staff Writer

After several years of planning and fundraising efforts, the cognitive and linguistic sciences building has no funds and no certain location, and a new architect has been hired to begin planning from a blank slate.

The 154 Angell St. location that had been cleared for the department — formerly the site of a Shell gas station — will now be occupied by a new Creative Arts Center, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010.

The original plans for the cognitive and linguistic sciences building, also referred to as the brain sciences building, included a recital hall. But the University decided instead to include the recital hall in the creative arts building, which in two years has received $36.5 million in funding from donors, far exceeding Univer-

sity officials’ original expectations.

Meanwhile, planning and fundraising for the brain sciences building has started anew.

Creative Arts Center Originally the creative arts building was to be constructed at the intersection of Waterman Street and the Walk, the planned greensward that will link the Pembroke campus with Lincoln Field. Now that the building will be located at 154 Angell St. and will include a recital hall, the University has increased the budget from $30 million to $42 million. In addition to the recital hall, which will seat 200 to 250 people, the building will include a recording studio, a multimedia lab and other production space for multidisciplinary art. continued on page 4

College review gains speed, on track for spring report

By Evan Boggs Staff Writer

The University committee charged with evaluating the undergraduate College met Sept. 11 in University Hall for the first time since May and the third time since it was created in March.

“It really felt like we launched,” said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, the committee’s chair.

The Task Force on Undergraduate Education, which is undertaking a broad review of the College and its curriculum, comprises 10 faculty members and four undergraduates and will make recommendations in the spring of 2008.

“We’ve kind of been framing the conversation, or occasionally getting off on tangents,” said Jason

Erik Ornitz / Herald

Several major construction projects are changing the face of campus, including a temporary swim center to replace the shuttered Smith Swim Center.

Walk, temporary pool taking shape on campus

By Isabel Gottlieb Senior Staff Writer

These days, a walk to class means weaving around chainlink fences, ditches and bulldozers. The construction projects that now riddle Brown’s campus will transform the face of College Hill. Here, The Herald provides an update on their progress.

Becker ’09, a task force member.

The upcoming reaccreditation review by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges was also a key topic of discussion during the recent meeting, and Bergeron was enthusiastic about the potential results the “parallel process” of the two simultaneous evaluations could provide for the College.

“We talked about our task force’s relation to the reaccreditation process and about what the task force’s actual charge is,” said Associate Dean of the College Kathleen McSharry, who staffs the task force.

“Are we critiquing the curriculum, are we reimagining, are we recreating or are we just describ-

The Walk The much-touted Walk, a pathway linking Pembroke campus and the main campus, will begin to take shape between Angell and Waterman streets on Sept. 24. Michael McCormick, assistant vice president for planning, design and construction, said this first section of the Walk, a $1 million project, will be complete by winter, though the trees that are to line the Walk will probably not be planted until spring.

Other parts of the Walk, such as the section between Angell and Olive streets, will be built at the same time as the new buildings that will line the Walk. The latter part, called the “north green,” is slated for comple-

continued on page 4

tion in fall 2010.

Also due for completion in October are a number of general campus improvements, including new lighting on the Main Green, new signs across campus and new landscaping, McCormick said.

Urban Environmental Lab Though the UEL’s location has not yet been affected by the construction projects, it will soon be threatened by thebrain sciences building tentatively planned for that space. Plans for the building, which could hold the psychology and cognitive sciences and linguistics departments, are in flux, and the future of the UEL remains unclear.

“It was originally part of the master plan that (the UEL’s location) might be a building site, so we knew that building might be moved or demolished,” said Stephen Maiorisi, vice president for Facilities Management. “There are a few ideas on the table but nothing at this point is solidified, so it would be premature to say what solutions might be.”

Temporary Swim Center Due to the demise of the Smith Swim Center last winter, the University is currently constructing a temporary swimming pool behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center. The $3.8 million temporary pool will be completed and ready for use by the second semester of this year and is expected to remain in place for at least three years, Maiorisi said. A new permanent pool building has not yet been approved, but will likely cost around $25 million, according to Maiorisi.

J. Walter Wilson The J. Walter Wilson building will house student resources such as the mail room, registrar’s office, Writing Center, Brown Card Office, Rose Writing Fellows program, College Venture, academic resource center, chaplains’ office and Psychological Services, according to the Building Brown Web site. The project originally had a $15 million projected budget, but the renovation plans have now expanded to continued on page 4

More students getting tested for STIs, but prevalence unknown

th i s . . . i s . . . salo m o n

By Olivia Hoffman Staff Writer

Rahul Keerthi / Herald Professor of Classics Deborah Boedeker provided commentary to a packed Salomon 001 Thursday after the screening of the movie ‘300,’ questioning the views presented in the movie.

INSIDE:

3

ARTS & CULTURE

www.browndailyherald.com

Latin Film Festival The 15th annual Providence Latin American Film Festival kicks off tomorrow downtown.

7

CAMPUS NEWS

First Fridays The Student Activities Office is hosting non-alcoholic events in Faunce House on Fridays.

FEATURE

The next time you’re getting lucky, you might want to think about what else you’re getting. One in three sexually active people will contract a sexually transmitted infection by the time they are 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence of STIs on campus most likely reflects figures like these, said Naomi Ninneman, an educator at Health Services.

“You have ever ybody coming from all over the country and all over the world to the Brown campus, with a diversity of circumstances and backgrounds,” she said. “It’s not like Brown is somehow isolated from the rest of the world.”

11

OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

overheard on the hill Students dish about their favorite places to eat, drink and relax around Providence.

Though teens and young adults constitute only a quarter of the sexually active population, they account for nearly half of STI diagnoses each year, according to reports by the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research in sexual and reproductive health.

Still, some say their fellow students seem unaware of this reality or prefer to deny the possibility they could be at risk.

“I would say there’s a lot of paranoia about it, but that people don’t ever think it’s something that’s going to happen to them,” said Amy continued on page 9

12 SPORTS

saturday night lights The Bears football team prepares to play in the first night game in Harvard Stadium’s history.

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Friday, September 21, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

We a t h e r

Aibohphobia | Roxanne Palmer and Jonathan Cannon

Today

TOMORROW

sunny 80 / 64

sunny 84 / 64

Menu

Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Swiss Corn Bread, String Beans La Belle, Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Sandwich, S’mores Dessert Pizza, Chicken Fingers, Onion Rings

Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Broccoli Souffle, Sticky Rice, Zucchini Carrot and Garlic Medley, Nacho Bar, Butter Cookies

Dinner — Garlic and Butter Infused Rice, Cavatelli Primavera, Seafood Pot pie, Tri-Color Cavatelli, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Dinner — Cajun Baked Fish, Grilled Chicken, Golden Corn and Rice Casserole, Anadama Bread, Cherry Pie

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

Sudoku Nightmarishly Elastic | Adam Robbins

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

Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim

RELEASE DATE– Friday, September 21, © Puzzles by2007 Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

C

o ssw or d Lewis Edited by RichrNorris and Joyce Nichols

ACROSS 1 Comfort 5 Youngest player to join the 500HR club 9 Prankster 14 Catcher of a fly 15 64, e.g.

16 Pernod flavoring 17 Its first model came in “Bondi blue” 18 Worshiped one 19 Rival of Phil and Ernie 20 Really soak?

23 Proof overrides 24 Chop 25 Jilted lover’s need, briefly 28 “Have oven, will travel” type?

33 B’nai B’rith advocacy org.

36 Over 37 Gray’s successor, in California 38 Sugar provider 40 “I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie” author 43 Ton of money 44 Nighttime disorder 46 House-to-house number, perhaps 48 Start using 49 Brown sevenfooter?

53 Only South Dakota-born VP 54 Conk out 55 Frat joiners 59 Motto of a small splinter group?

64 Game opener, sometimes 66 “Naked Maja” painter 67 Fountain request 68 See-through things 69 Average 70 Body lang.?

71 Square footage measures 72 Farm food 73 Kind of fee DOWN 1 Sends out 2 Go for

56 __ Lewis, 2006 3 Investment 35 1989 Grammy 4 “Yada, yada, winner on U.K. Lifetime yada ...” talent show “The Achievement 5 Ill-natured X Factor” Award winner 6 Ill-mannered 57 Fanfare 39 One of two in a 7 “Ill wind that no 58 Express score one blows good”: 41 Rip off 60 Ophthalmologist’s Nash concern 42 Driver’s helper 8 Temple of Apollo 45 Talk 61 Implement site 62 Vet’s opposite 47 Flimsy 9 Siouan language 50 Distress 63 Reading aid of the Carolinas 64 Whirlpool site 51 Rules 10 Sailor’s knot, for 52 Picaresque hero 65 Jug handle one 11 Closely ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: connected 12 Take advantage of 13 What “p” often means 21 Nepal is part of it 22 Put on the line 26 Priestess in Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers” 27 Loser 29 Series of turns: Abbr.

30 Core with kernels 31 Flip 32 Dada cofounder 33 Embarrass 34 Seriousness 9/21/07 xwordeditor@aol.com

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By Jack McInturff (c)2007 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

9/21/07

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A RTS & C ULTURE Friday, September 21, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Video games, self-doubt feature in alums’ poetry

By Alex Verdolini Contributing Writer

Ben Lerner ’01 MFA’03 and Elizabeth Robinson MA’87, both of whom studied creative writing as graduate students at Brown, read selections from their poetr y on Wednesday in the McCormack Family Theater. The event was the first of the five-part “Writers on Writing” series, hosted by the Literar y Arts Program.

by Daniela Postigo Contributing Writer

Award-winning Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat MFA’93 read from her latest work, the poignant memoir “Brother, I’m Dying,” Tuesday evening at Salomon 101 in an event co-sponsored by Africana Studies and the Literary Arts Program.

REVIEW Ler ner has published two books of poetr y, “The Lichtenberg Figures” and “Angle of Yaw,” since he graduated in 2003 and is a co-founder and co-editor of “No: a journal of the arts.” He read a selection of works, including part of a forthcoming book. Robinson, who co-edits Instance Press and EtherDome Chapbooks, has published eight books of poetr y, including “Pure Descent,” a winner of the National Poetr y Series.

Lerner took the podium first.

He opened with a few prose poems, which he read slowly and carefully, with child-like intonation and jarring pauses between words. From this odd vocal selfdiscipline emerged poems like polemics, biting diagnoses of the modern soul.

In one prose piece, Lerner paints a ghastly por trait of the video game world. The childturned-gamer falls into delusion.

He learns to see the world the way he sees his games: he thinks himself omnipotent. God is missing, and a child ascends to take the empty throne.

Lerner’s prose poems seize on little details ­— video games, for example — and analyze them thoroughly. Through these small instances, he provides a gripping portrait of modern American culture.

Lerner also read a wide selection of verse pieces, which were more impressive than the prose.

REVIEW

Sonia Kim / Herald

After reading excerpts from their poetry, Elizabeth Robinson MA’87 and Ben Lerner ’01MFA’03 held a book signing.

In his prose, Lerner describes a cultural chaos, but in his verse, he recreates that chaos with his language.

In Lerner’s verse, one comes to see the English language as a strange, new, complicated thing.

Through a haze of theoretical jargon, one catches only quick glimpses of meaning: slangy quips and short sarcastic jabs, enigmatic images, cliches turned inside out.

One sees small shards of conversation floating in a vast linguistic mayhem.

There is a cer tain alchemy in all of Lerner’s pieces. Brand names, slang, comfortable ever yday language: these morph into a nightmare world, an American hell. In his prose, Lerner acts

like Dante’s Virgil ­— he leads us through the cultural inferno, takes us sightseeing in our own living room. In the verse pieces, the poet’s voice recedes behind the words themselves, and the words become the central spectacle.

Lerner was a tough act to follow, and coming hard on his heels, Robinson came across as a little water y. Her words didn’t carr y the same bite.

But if Robinson felt water y, it was at least in part because listeners heard her quiet, fluid language immediately after Lerner’s verbal pyrotechnics. Lerner’s work is a loud polyphony; Robinson’s is softer and more personal.

Robinson read a number of poems, mostly in verse. In many

poems, she seems to ask herself, can I truly speak to, feel for, understand another? Where does the border between empathy and voyeurism lie, and am I condemned to a life on the wrong side?

In one poem, “Lemon Tree,” she reflects on her own poetr y.

There may be too few images in my poems, Robinson considers.

Then she pushes the thought aside.

Perhaps she should consider it more thoroughly. In her work, she digs deep into the human soul.

Her poems brim with myster y, with the complexity of being. But it’s hard to succumb to a poem, hard to step into a poet’s world, when there’s no vivid image to step in through.

Latin American film festival kicks off Saturday

By Andrea Savdie Contributing Writer

The 15th annual Providence Latin American Film Festival — a weeklong event presenting selected documentary, animated, feature and short films produced in Latin America or by Latin American directors — will launch this Saturday at venues throughout downtown Providence. In addition to film, the festival includes panel discussions, art exhibits, musical performances, dance performances and other representations of Latin American culture.

Tickets are free for all Rhode Island School of Design and Brown students, said Jose Torrealba, executive director of the festival.

“The youth is our main target,” he said. “One of the most important goals of the film festival is to give the young Latin Americans growing up here a sense of belonging that I don’t think they have.”

The Providence Latin American Film Festival was founded in 1993 by the Gamboas, a Bolivian couple living in Providence. They wanted to promote Latin American

Author Danticat returns to campus for reading

culture and give Latin American filmmakers the chance to exhibit work in New England. Torrealba said the Gamboas also thought it was important to expose the Hispanic community in Providence to Latin cinema.

“Many Americans come to the film festival,” Torrealba said. “Usually the Latin American community of Providence isn’t the main audience. But I think that this year it’s going to be different. There is a feeling of expectancy in the local Latin American community.”

One of the few competitive Latin American film festivals in the country, PLAFF offers awards for best film, first work, actor, actress, first feature film, screenplay and cinematography.

“The festival is one of the few that has a juried competition,” Torrealba said. “The jury depends on availability. We ask these people to come to Providence for a whole week. We try to have different professionals — some actors, some directors, some writers.”

“Fernando Birri is the honorary president of the festival,” Torrealba said. “He is known as the father of

the new Latin American cinema.

He’s 83 years old and a walking legend.”

The films included in the festival are selected by a programming committee, and according to Torrealba, “are jewels that get unseen by many” due to a lack of distribution and funding.

“The big problem is that people have the idea that you go to the movies to laugh or cry but not to think,” Torrealba said. “We want to show people that thinking and getting informed doesn’t go against entertainment.”

The 40 films touch upon a wide variety of topics relevant in Latin America and Latin American immigrant communities in North America. The opening film, “The Violin,” tells the story of a violinplaying farmer who is also a supporter of the guerrilla movement in Mexico. “The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez” documents the experience of the so-called ‘green card soldier’ from Guatemala, who was the second US marine to be killed in Iraq.

The documentar y “May I Speak?” examines Venezuelan so-

ciety under Hugo Chavez and the diverse views of Venezuelans regarding their current political situation. “Winning the Battle,” which is followed by a panel discussion, is a Puerto Rican film about three women with different socioeconomic backgrounds that are brought together by the same illness.

Other films, like “Shut Up and Do It,” deal with Hispanic communities in the United States. “ ‘Shut Up and Do It’ is the first film in the competition that is made

by Latin Americans in English,” Torrealbo said. The film centers around an actor who, tired of the way Latinos are portrayed in film and television, decides to start his own movie project and make things right.

“It is interesting because people can relate to it. In Latin America, nobody asks you where you are from unless you have an accent,” Torrealbo said. “Here, we have to start questioning how Latin we are because of our color. Latin Americans don’t find themselves portrayed anywhere unless they are being stereotyped. The reality is very different.”

Danticat, who obtained her masters from Brown in Literary Arts, has been hailed one of “20 People in their Twenties Who Will Make a Difference” in Harper’s Bazaar, one of “30 Under 30 Creative People to Watch” in New York Times Magazine and one of the “15 Gutsiest Women of the Year” in Jane Magazine. Her first book, “Breath, Eyes, Memory,” was named Book of the Month by Oprah’s Book Club in 1998.

In “Brother, I’m Dying,” Danticat recounts the slow death of her Haitian immigrant father in New York during the time she was about to give birth to her first child. In the same year, her uncle Joseph, seeking asylum from violence in Haiti, is detained in Florida and eventually perishes in the shackles of the Department of Homeland Security.

Danticat arrived early to her event and cast animated glances as audience members gathered in the auditorium. “It’s been interesting to come back. It’s like a flashback. It’s wonderful to be here,” she said.

Danticat read an excerpt from her memoir describing her uncle’s encounter with Homeland Security, during which he used a voice box to help him speak and was on several medications. Danticat’s graphic account of the neglect toward her uncle’s medical conditions drew several assenting and sympathetic reactions from the audience.

Danticat also described one of her uncle’s government forms, in which officials based asylum decisions on the existence of congressional or media interest in that particular refugee.“This is hoping there will be congressional or media interest in everyone,” she said.

Her memoir is meant to serve as a medium for understanding, Danticat said. “I hope that it’s art, but also an act of documentation for families like mine.”

“I don’t see this memoir in the sense of ‘me’-moir,” she said. “It’s more of an ‘us’-moir.”

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Friday, September 21, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Construction Creative Arts Center moves forward as cog sci building stalls projects begin to take shape continued from page 1

continued from page 4 include the building’s fourth floor. If the new $18 million plans are approved at the Corporation meeting in October, construction to renovate the former laboratory will begin soon afterwards, Maiorisi said.

Peter Green House The history department’s previous home, the Peter Green House, is undergoing renovations slated to be complete in January 2008, according to Facilities Management. The total project budget for the Peter Green House is roughly $4 million, including the cost of the move and the renovation, though most of that money is going towards exterior renovations and the construction of office space on the basement level.

Pembroke Hall Pembroke Hall will see its $10 million interior and exterior renovation project start within weeks. The new space will house the Cogut Center for Humanities and the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.

Mairoisi said the project has already been approved, is on budget and on schedule.

Utilities The utilities renewal effort comprises four individual projects ­— new pipes for the high temperature hot water distribution system, new transformers and switches for the electrical system, the addition of two chilling plants for the air conditioning system and upgrades to the Central Heat Plant on Lloyd Avenue. The $41 million first phase of the utilities project, which focuses on linking the central heat plant on Lloyd Street to J. Walter Wilson, will be complete by summer 2008. But the work on the project will pause in October and remain on hold through the winter while the campus heating system is in use. Maorisi esimates that the second phase, which will extend farther south on campus and include the chilled water capacity, will cost about $30 million, though it has not been approved yet.

The University has raised $36.5 million so far, and the $42 million budget includes construction costs as well as an endowment for operating and maintaining the building, according to Ronald Vanden Dorpel AM’71, senior vice president for University advancement.

The Creative Arts Center was never a top priority for the University’s Campaign for Academic Enrichment but donors responded so enthusiastically that planning for the building started sooner than anticipated. “It got pushed up in the list in part because of fundraising, but it wouldn’t have been on the list at all if we hadn’t thought it was a really good project,” said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president. “It really came together that there were a variety of people interested ­­— students, faculty, friends and alumni — who were willing to do fundraising and raise contributions.”

Vanden Dorpel said he hoped to get all the necessary commitments from donors by the end of this fiscal year on June 30, 2008. “If all goes well, we’ll complete the fundraising for that, though I’m going out on a limb a little,” Vanden Dorpel said.

The Corporation’s guidelines stipulate that the University identify donors for at least half a project’s cost before they engage an architect. Because the Corporation did not perceive the Creative Arts Center as a critical need, they are requiring that the University finish all fundraising before construction on the building begins.

“This just means we have to raise all the money by the time we start construction,” Spies said. “It’s far enough off that most people don’t expect that to hold us up when we get to the point of construction.”

The schematic architectural design will be finished by February, and construction will likely start by the end of 2009, said Assistant Vice President for Planning, Design and Construction Michael McCormick.

The Creative Arts Council — a group comprising all arts department chairs and directors of related programs — first conceived of the idea six years ago, said Professor of Visual Art Richard Fishman, the council’s director.

Fishman said the idea for a multidisciplinary building came out of discussions about collaborative projects in the arts.

“Ever yone agreed that the crossover between disciplines was something that was common to all our fields — visual artists working with dancers, video artists working with sculptors,” Fishman said.

“Everyone was doing things that had some interdisciplinary mix and contact with more than one art form. We thought if we could have a building that is a home for those multidisciplinary initiatives, that would be something Brown could distinguish itself with.”

None of the arts departments will move out of their current locations on campus, nor will any be permanently located in the new building. Instead, the building will house interdisciplinary courses, visiting artists and cross-disciplinary projects that need big spaces, Fishman said.

According to McCormick, the University has hired architectural firm Diller, Scofidio and Renfro for the project. The New York City firm, which has not worked with Brown before, is best known for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and for their ongoing work on Lincoln Center and at the Highline in New York City.

Vanden Dorpel said fundraising for the creative arts building continues to go well. “Brown had such a need for creative arts space, whether it’s galleries or performance space,” he said. “There’s a pent-up demand, that’s what made (fundraising) pretty successful.”

Brain Sciences Building Architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill had drawn up plans for the cognitive science building when it was to be located at 154 Angell St., but those plans have now been abandoned, and

the planning process is starting anew with architectural firm Leers Weinzapfel. The building may now combine the cognitive and linguistic sciences and the psychology departments in one large building dedicated to the brain sciences.

However, the building currently has no funds and no location. The Corporation may soon approve a site in between Angell and Waterman streets, according to Stephen Maiorisi, vice president for Facilities Management.

This combination building has not yet been officially approved, though Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences William Warren said preliminary budget estimates — about $35 million, according to Vanden Dorpel — are for a building that would include both departments.

Warren said plans for a cognitive science building have been in the works since 1999. The project had a false start in 2004, when Sidney Frank ’42 donated $20 million for a building that would house the department, as well as the administrative offices of the Brain Science Program.

Early plans for the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences had included the cognitive science department, but officials realized in 2002 that the building would not be large enough.

Frank’s $20 million donation for the cognitive science building, which was to have been named for him, was re-allocated in 2006 to the $95 million Life Sciences Building, which then became the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences.

The building’s original location at 154 Angell St. did not work out for a number of reasons. The University stopped working with the original architectural firm because “the team wasn’t producing the kind of results we thought were necessary, which really meant producing a building design, proposal and budget that met all of our goals and expectations,” Spies said.

The planned site at 154 Angell St. also would not fit the larger structure that the combination of cognitive science and psychology

departments would require. “Obviously that would be a much bigger building,” McCormick said. “We are working on the programming and site selection for that as we speak.”

Once a site is selected and plans are drawn up, fundraising can begin.

Though the Corporation requires that half a building’s cost is raised before an architect is hired, Spies said the brain sciences building is a special exception. “This building is important enough to overall growth and faculty expansion that we will keep going even though we don’t meet the test now,” he said.

“For a variety of reasons, including the Frank gift, it has been treated as an exception,” Spies added.

The University is currently seeking a “naming donor” for the cognitive sciences building, Vanden Dorpel said. That requires a gift of at least one half of the building’s construction cost, so the ideal naming donor would give $17-20 million.

Vanden Dorpel said there just isn’t enough information on the building yet to start bringing in donations. “All we have is an exterior rendition of what it might look like.

That’s not enough to get people excited.” Vanden Dorpel added that the campaign office has not yet raised any money because plans for the building are not definite, but they are “aggressively” looking for a lead donor.

Warren said the department’s current home in Metcalf is a problematic space. “The pipes leak, the walls leak, there are cockroaches in the building, the heat and air conditioning don’t work well and Metcalf Auditorium topped the list of the worst classrooms on campus,” he said. “We’re ready for an improved space.”

The department envisions “a facility that would combine our departmental space, offices and research labs and classroom space and would be a kind of public building on the Walk that students would come in and use, with classrooms and study space on the first floor,” Warren said.

Report expected in early spring from College task force continued from page 1 ing?” she continued.

Barrymore Bogues, professor of Africana studies, chair of the department and a task force member, told The Herald meetings had so far been characterized by “a series of conversations about the meaning of the open curriculum, and I think those conversations will continue throughout the entire life of the task force.”

Though Bogues said he was pleased with the direction the task force has taken thus far, he admitted that progress was difficult to determine.

“If you’re going to have a series of discussions and conversations, you only outline what will be the key parts of the conversation. ...

You don’t get to some kind of definite conclusion or even begin to see the conclusion — the shape of what the thing will look like — until a bit

further,” Bogues said.

Items discussed during the meeting included the role of introductory courses in the curriculum and how concentration requirements affect students’ course choices during their time at Brown, Becker said.

The task force also debated the role of the so-called ‘modes of thought’ courses designed as an alternative to the general education structure, McSharry said.

Becker said these courses have “fallen out of favor” and suggested that “maybe we need to find something to replace that (aspect of the curriculum).”

The task force also returned many times to the topic of advising, Bogues said, explaining that the task force is considering the question of “how do you put pillars (into an open curriculum system) so that people don’t fall between the cracks and so that people make the best use of that system?”

Following the recent meeting, the four subcommittees — on general education, teaching and assessment, concentrations and advising — will begin to meet formally, gather information and evaluate their findings, Bergeron said.

“It’s a lot of work for a small group of people to try to do,” she added.

Bogues said the subcommittees will begin meeting within the next week and that their findings will be discussed during the larger general meetings.

“The timetable is for us to try and get through most of our work by the end of the semester and have the report ready in early spring,” Bogues said.

The preliminary findings are expected to be released in January, and Bergeron said this report will be used to “open up the conversation as broadly as possible.”

Bogues, who is a member of the advising subcommittee, said the key point for the task force was “to look critically and honestly,” especially through soliciting and examining data.

While task force members are gearing up for subcommittee meetings, plans are underway to include the greater campus community in the task force’s work.

Bergeron said student members will also be encouraged to solicit feedback from their peers, possibly through the Undergraduate Council

of Students or other student groups.

Further, according to Bergeron, Department Undergraduate Groups and the use of technology were also discussed as possible outreach programs.

“There’s going to be a MyCourses page — this week or next, with minutes from our meetings and other information,” Becker said, adding that he hoped the page would become “an interactive space.”

“We actually want there to be an open process,” Bergeron said, adding that a campus-wide e-mail will be sent once the Web site is active.

Becker also hinted at the possibility of “focus group”-style dinners in which a students are invited to meet with task force members to provide input.

“We’re working on it — it’s currently in the pipeline. The students are going to do that kind of thing,” Becker said, adding that student projects could also include a Facebook page for the committee.

The task force’s next meeting will be held Tuesday, at which time the group will meet with representatives from NEASC to discuss the upcoming reaccrediation program.

c ampus n ews Friday, September 21, 2007

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Blood drive draws record 347 pints This week, approximately 431 Brunonians donated a total of 347 pints of blood to the Rhode Island Blood Center in a drive organized by the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

The blood drive took place Tuesday through Thursday in Sayles Hall and far exceeded the event goal of gathering 300 pints.

New methods of publicizing the event, including the Facebook events application and online appointment scheduling, may have been responsible for the unusually strong turnout. “I’ve been doing this for six years, and the thing that I’ve noticed differently is definitely the electronic media,” said Peter Hanney, manager of donor recruitment at the Rhode Island Blood Center.

Brown was one of the first institutions to host a blood drive when the Rhode Island Blood Center opened in May of 1979. Since then, Brown’s contribution has totaled over 32,000 pints of blood — a record, according to Hanney. “URI keeps trying to beat us,” he added with a smile.

The donated blood will benefit patients throughout Rhode Island, but each year an increasing amount of it goes out of state as well, Hanney said. It is most commonly used for blood transfusions to cancer patients.

“It can help save someone’s life,” said Jason Ziplow ‘10, community service chair of AEPi. “A couple years ago, my father needed blood transfusions every couple weeks or so, so that was important to him, and it became important to me.”

Though the need for blood is great, many people are ineligible to donate for a variety of reasons. Brown’s deferral rate is extremely high, between 20 and 30 percent, largely due to students’ recent international travel.

The next blood drive is scheduled to take place Monday, Dec. 3 through Wednesday, Dec. 5 in Leung Gallery at Faunce House.

— Erika Jung

Black legislators more active, prof. finds

By Robin Ulep Contributing Writer

Black legislators at the congressional level in the U.S. spend more time developing policies and legislation than their white counterparts, according to a new study conducted by Assistant Professor of Political Science Katrina Gamble. The study, published in Legislative Studies Quarterly, sheds light on the link between racial diversity and political deliberations.

Gamble said she was not surprised to find that black legislators advocated for bills primarily of interest to black voters. What was unexpected, she said, was that black representatives actively participated on all types of legislation.

Gamble began her research by looking at committee participation instead of congressional roll call votes, which provide little or no information about the process leading up to the vote. Her analysis of the 107th Congress, in session from 2001 to 2002, focused on three committees in the House of Representatives: the Education and Workforce, Financial Services and Judiciary committees.

These committees were chosen based on their significant number of black members, jurisdiction over

certain policy areas and accessibility to specific documents.

Legislators were then scored on a scale of zero to seven according to their participation level on each bill. Her unique data contained 29 randomly selected “nonracial” bills and 19 “black interest” bills, according to an Aug. 30 University press release. More specifically, these bills dealt with race or policies that did not have racial provisions but addressed matters that had a disproportionate effect on blacks, such as education, housing affordability and juvenile justice programs.

Gamble’s work led her to Washington, D.C., where she attended hearings, conducted interviews with staff and black committee members and collected data from congressional documents and transcripts. The resulting study suggests that race has a substantial effect on members’ policy priorities and their legislative activity within committees.

Gamble’s future plans include a book project, “A Seat at the Table,” which will focus on the participation of black representatives in Congress, the different perspectives they bring and the overall impact of diversity on discussion.

“With Congress becoming in-

Chris Bennett / Herald

Assistant Professor of Political Science Katrina Gamble

creasingly diverse, it is crucial to study how diversity affects deliberation, discussion and policy outcomes,” Gamble said in the press release. “These findings demonstrate that diverse political institutions are important for providing political representation to racial minorities.”

Gamble’s research stemmed from a broad interest in issues of political representation of historically marginalized groups. She is currently teaching two courses: POLS 1310: “African American Politics” and the first-year seminar POLS 0820G: “Race and Political Representation.”

Sustainable Food Initiative brings homegrown salads to the Blue Room

BY Sophia Lambertsen Contributing Writer

If you ask the students responsible for the Sustainable Food Initiative garden, they’ll tell you the new Hope Street Salads on sale for $3.95 in the Blue Room are the most wonderful things in the world.

“They taste like hard work and sunshine and all that is good in the world,” said David Schwartz ’09, one of the initial founders of the campus garden unveiled last April.

For now, Dining Services buys greens from the SuFI garden, just as with any vendor, and then collects the sale proceeds. Students harvest the greens in the morning from the garden on the corner of Hope and Benevolent streets. The tomatoes and cucumbers come from other local farms, though these outside vegetables should be replaced by

ones from the campus garden as early as next week. Schwartz said the garden is part of a push by the organization towards increased use of local food products.

“It’s important to emphasize that we don’t think we need to produce all the produce for Dining Services,” garden co-founder Ben Mandelkern ’09 said. He added that SuFi’s push towards more local food in general, not necessarily from the campus garden, has been well received by Dining Services.

Plans for further use of garden products are in motion — students can count on tasting the SuFI garden’s crops in zucchini bread and carrot cake later this semester. “(These salads are) a reminder and an inspiration for bigger things to come: expanding this project beyond the current, physical garden to other gardens around campus,”

Mandelkern said.

“This is really just a first step in a much larger effort to think in a really serious way about the choices we make,” Schwartz added.

The salads themselves have been well received by students.

“The salad was much more flavorful than anything else served on campus… I think it’s awesome that

it’s grown right around the corner from my house,” Herald Contributing Writer Jessica Kerry ’08 said.

“Deliciousness and hyper-locality — two equally important aspects of Hope Street Salad.”

This semester, the SuFI garden will open its doors to volunteers from 3 to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Students with all levels of gardening experience

are welcome and don’t need to bring any tools, except a good attitude.

The garden is also open daily to anyone who just wants to visit, do homework or experience the work of their fellow students.

“Have fun, check out the garden and, if you want to go contemplate tomato vines, do it,” Schwartz said with a proud smile.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Friday, September 21, 2007

Friday, September 21, 2007

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SAO’s second sober ‘First Friday’ event set for Thursday, Oct. 4 This semester the Student Activities Office has begun sponsoring performance and social events in Faunce House on the first Friday of every month. The events, called First Fridays, are being held in order to “bring Faunce alive” in anticipation of its transformation into the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, said Director of Student Activities Ricky Gresh.

Gresh, who conceived of the First Friday events, told The Herald the University wants to make the space more of a hub for social events before renovations take place. To this end, Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 allocated $20,000 for programming in Faunce in order to make it more of a destination for campus social life.

On Sept. 7, the inaugural First Friday was held. It featured a cappella groups, ballroom dancing lessons, stand-up comedy, live music, games and free food. The future events will also be a mixture of student performances and activities, Gresh said.

Although Faunce already houses many events and activities, Gresh said the ultimate goal of the First Friday events and the renovations are to create a place where students will go to see what is happening on weekends rather than waiting until they hear about an event.

“Students don’t automatically think, ‘I’m going to Faunce to see what’s up,’ ” Gresh said.

First Friday events will be planned primarily by student volunteers with help from the Student Activities Office.

Due to the Columbus Day holiday, the First Friday for the month of October will be held on Oct. 4, a Thursday.

Any campus group is invited to participate and become involved in the planning of these events, said Molly Cohen ’09, one of the volunteers.

— Joanna Wohlmuth

Athelete of the week: Sheehan ’08 continued from page 12 (’11) crossed the ball over, I knew it was probably going to be one of the last chances I had. I just got my head on it and luckily it found the back of the net. It was good to score early in the second half.

What is the biggest difference you see in the team this year as compared to last year?

I’d say the biggest difference is how we’ve incorporated the freshmen into the team. Now there isn’t a big division between upperclassmen and underclassmen. I think the new team-oriented approach will go a long way towards the strength of our season.

Why do you think soccer is so unpopular in the U.S. compared to the rest of the world?

I think it has started to catch on, but I think one of the issues is that soccer isn’t as commercially friendly. The game doesn’t stop and so the media, mainly, doesn’t have as much time to advertise, and so the sponsorship isn’t so great. When you think about American sports like baseball, football and basketball, there are breaks every couple of minutes. With soccer, there are 45 minutes straight without anything.

Even the NCAA, when they broadcast games, takes a TV timeout 22 minutes into each half. Also,

people are just stuck in the tradition of the original three or four sports, but I think you will see a dramatic change with players like (David) Beckham and others coming over, and it already has started to change a good amount.

How long have you played soccer?

Since I was four. It’s been a while.

Who is your favorite soccer player?

Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s pretty sweet. (Manchester United) is my favorite team too, so it helps out.

Unfortunately, he just head-butted a guy in the first game of the season and was suspended for three games, so I haven’t had a chance to see him very much this year.

Do you try to model your game after his?

A little bit, not really. I’m kind of a different player. He’s fast, skillful.

I’m more opportunistic. I take my chances as they come. I hold the ball and probably pass a lot more than he would.

What is your favorite international team?

England. My grandfather was from England, but its been a rough couple of years, making it to the quarters (in the World Cup) and then never winning it.

What do you do when you’re not playing soccer?

Well, “Winning Eleven.” That’s a big one. It’s a soccer game I play a lot of with the guys a lot for PS2.

I’m president of SAC, the Student Advisory Committee, so that’s gonna take up a good bit of time. I’m trying to stay on top of everything, it’s a tough balance with athletics and academics.

Have you ever played FIFA for Xbox 360? It’s incredible.

Not as much as Winning. You’re either a Winning guy or a FIFA guy.

If it weren’t for Winning, I’d probably have a much better GPA. And I’d probably be a lot better at soccer.

What did you do this summer?

I’m from Canada ­— Halifax, Nova Scotia. So I played club soccer up there and worked at Deloitte, a consulting firm. I got a taste of the working world and realized I have to take advantage of college life. It was hard.

Why number 10 for your jersey number?

Well, my number was always nine or 11, but the jerseys were too small so I just went for it. The guys make fun of me a lot actually because 10 is supposed to be the big playmaker, but it’s been alright, I guess.

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Friday, September 21, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

1,001 chlamydia tests last year, but discussion muted continued from page 1 Littlefield ’09, a founding member of the University’s Sexual Assault Task Force and a sex columnist for post-, The Herald’s arts and culture weekly. “People try as much as possible to block it out when they’re having sex,” she said.

One student, who requested anonymity, said the topic of STIs only came up once — when she saw her boyfriend waiting in line to get an HIV test. “I was like, ‘Were you not going to tell me about this?’ ” she said. “I guess maybe he was worried that I’d get offended or suspicious.”

Sasha Link ’10, a Women Peer Counselor, said students hesitate to talk about getting tested because of the stigma surrounding the topic.

“I think for women primarily it’s very taboo because there’s the idea that if you go get STI testing, it’s because you were being promiscuous.” For men, the stigma comes from the assumption that if they seek testing, it’s because they have been “engaging in sexual activity with a girl who’s considered a slut,” she said.

Despite these perceptions, statistics show more students are getting tested. Edward Wheeler, director of Health Services, said in the 22 years he has worked at Health Services he has seen an increase in the number of students who seek testing for STIs. Wheeler said Health Services administered 1,001 chlamydia tests, 865 gonorrhea tests, 241 syphilis tests and 600 HIV tests in calendar year 2006. Wheeler said at least 80 percent of students who are screened show no symptoms and that many are “very low risk” but want to be sure they are being safe and honest with their partners.

“Students are advocating more for their health,” Wheeler said. “(They) are more aware than they were five to 10 years ago about STIs and screening for them.”

Wheeler could not provide the number of positive test results,

but he said he doesn’t perceive a “marked increase” in chlamydia or gonorrhea in recent years — though he knows there has been an increase in the incidence of human papillomavirus, or HPV. Nationally, approximately half of sexually active females between the ages of 20 and 24 are infected with the virus. Ninneman, who worked for Planned Parenthood for seven years before starting at Brown this year, said she has definitely noticed an increasing awareness about HPV. Still, Littlefield said HPV is something that “nobody has any idea about, and it’s huge.”

Link said health educators emphasized the prevalence of HPV — and the recently released vaccine — during training sessions for Residential Peer Leaders in late August.

Health Services began offering the vaccine last September and has since administered 807 shots, Wheeler said. But he said it is impossible to know how many women have received a full vaccination, which requires three shots administered several months apart.

Link said she keeps pamphlets and charts containing information about STIs on her door, but none of her first-years have approached her to ask questions about these issues. She’s not sure whether this is because they are already knowledgeable or they are uncomfortable discussing the topic. “I think it’s an awkward situation since I am the same age as some of them,” Link said.

Link and Littlefield agreed that students rarely talk seriously about STIs, which leads to a false perception of their prevalence. Link said she does not know of anyone who has gone to Health Services to be tested for an STI. These reasons may explain why organic chemistry exams are a more common topic of conversation among friends than STI tests — though many might consider them equally unpleasant.

W. soccer headed to Wake Forest tonight continued from page 12 Kathryn Moos ’07, Pincince said the forwards are doing a great job.

“Our offense is still an area where we’re working on, and they worked their tails off tonight,” he said. “What I really liked is that everyone that came off the bench had an impact no matter how much or little time they played.”

Tonight, the team will square off with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons play in

the Atlantic Coast Conference — a league that regularly boasts some of the top competition in the country — but Pincince remarked, “In order to be the best, you have to play the best.”

The Bears then have one more game before they open the Ivy League season at Columbia on Sept. 28.

“Obviously, it’s been a tough start,” Friedland said. “But with Ivies coming up, I think we still have time to put it all together.”

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E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Friday, September 21, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S t a ff E d i t o r i a l

Diamonds and coal Coal to the fact that there are no freshmen this year from Arkansas, Mississippi, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wyoming. That’s, like, 12 percent of the stars on the flag. Get it together, Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73.

A diamond to the new signage announcing construction projects around campus — because otherwise we never would have noticed the giant pits and cooing construction workers around campus.

Coal to grammar. We agree, SUBU: It is classist and subjective. Damn that capitalist, chauvinist semicolon!

A coal to Harvard for losing its endowment manager. How are they going to keep it up now?

A diamond to our “commodes” getting cleaned on the weekends. We’re not sure what that means, but it sounds good.

A virtual coal to Second Life and the Brown students wasting their cash on “Linden dollars” and imaginary special friends in what we understand to be some kind of enormous, animated chat room. Hey, it beats going to class.

A diamond to Mars, and being able to take RIPTA there for free. Take that, Richard Branson!

roxanne palmer

Coal to power the lights at Brown football’s game Saturday, the first night game ever held at Harvard Stadium. Let’s see if kicking the Crimson’s ass looks any better under floodlights.

Diamond to what the Ratty’s redesign director described as the “hard, smooth, rigid” surface of the Ratty’s new noise-reducing ceiling. That’s all.

disagree with something in the herald?

A diamond to being able to watch the Peter Green House move down the street. We’re sure the neighbors loved that.

Coal to the 17 first-years who ran for the five UCS class rep positions in Tuesday’s election. If they had shown up to the UCS general body meeting the next night, their odds of getting elected would have gone up considerably. Plus, where were the newbies’ campaign promises for double-ply toilet paper and larger cups in the Ratty? We miss our units — sometimes.

A diamond to the newly resigned dean of the College’s Web site ...

Oops, we meant redesigned.

write a letter

Coal to nobody showing up at Department of Public Safety chief Mark Porter’s open office hours. If you had showed up, you could have helped him solve the Mystery of the Guy Who’s Apparently Doing Drive-Bys on the Rock.

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o r r e c t i o n

An article in Thursday’s Herald (”Late Night Fund budget increases,” Sept. 20) reported that the Late Night Fund is a pilot program without permanent funding from the University and is subject to annual re-evaluation.

In fact, this year’s budget of $40,000 is a permanent allocation from the University.

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O pinions Friday, September 21, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Overheard on College Hill

By Spencer Amdur and Laszlo Syrup

What is your favorite thing to do in Providence?

One place I’ve recently discovered is Roger Williams Park. It’s a beautiful park just 10 minutes away from Brown, but once you enter there you feel like you’ve entered the wilderness.

There’s a place where you can kayak; it’s only five dollars for a half-hour.

There’s also a lot of grassy areas for hanging out, resting, playing soccer, enjoying a romantic evening. Perhaps you could bring a picnic basket, a bottle of wine, maybe some cheese — I prefer gouda, smoked.

Natasha Haverty ’08

Michael Morgenstern ’08

To eat, I like to get breakfast at Julian’s on Sunday.

Maybe for a good dinner, after class I walk down to Empire Street, AS220, get some quesadillas at Taqueria Pacifica, catch a concert at AS220.

If I’ve got a car, then I’ll drive to Jamestown and stand on the rocks, look at the ocean and feel like a pilgrim. I like to go to the Trinity Rep if I can afford it.

The last thing I saw was “A Delicate Balance.” I like to explore Federal Hill when I’m around Julian’s.”

I think I’m the only saxophone player they got licensed to play in the great city of Providence. Licensed: so they won’t say I panhandle.

I come up here on Thayer Street every now and then, but my main spot is Pine Street, back of Lupo’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. That’s my perimeter.

I make a few tips. I play on the outside like I’m playing right now. I change a bologna sandwich into a steak sandwich. I’m the one they call “Bad Bad” Leroy Jones.”

Dorothy Koveal GS

“Bad Bad” Leroy Francis, Saxophonist

There are a lot of things to do in Providence. Foodwise there’s a really good ice creamery called Three Sisters that’s down Hope Street.

It’s really nice to just sit on their couches and relax.

In the season, you can also go berr y-picking at Jazzwell Farms, which is a really nice place.

Apart from that, if you’re interested in music, you could go to Lupo’s. It’s an okay venue, and sometimes they have really good bands come in that you can listen to.”

There’s a lot to do off campus. My favorite restaurant is Cuban Revolution. Aside from that there’s the basic local things, there’s nightclubs downtown — Bravo, the Red Room.

Honestly, it’s sad because a lot of Brown students throughout their four years don’t go off of campus. There’s are so many different concerts at Lupo’s — that’s one of my favorite venues, and the Living Room is really cool.

Zeke Carnes-Mason ’08

Matthew Strickland ’09

I don’t really get off the hill that much because there’s so much to do on campus. First thing is always the mall, but after two or three times that can get kind of boring; you can go see movies and buy things.

But one place is Lupo’s the concert venue — I feel like it’s a good size, it gets some pretty good bands. I’ve seen Jimmy Eat World, the Decemberists, G Love and Special Sauce was really good, and Flogging Molly — possibly one of the best shows ever.

There’s a bar called McFadden’s, a kind of Irish pub place, around there.”

It’s not a question of “readiness”

BY TYLER ROSENBAUM Guest Columnist Not even 10 years ago, a man who had consensual homosexual sex in Rhode Island, which we usually consider a rather progressive state, was liable to be sentenced to no fewer than seven years in prison for having committed an “abominable and detestable crime against nature.”

Such acts were similarly illegal in fifteen States until the United States Supreme Court invalidated the remaining sodomy laws in its 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling, in a 6-3 split decision. Consider that until most of us were in high school, the United States was in the illustrious company of such beacons of freedom as Pakistan, Syria and Libya.

Luckily, the pace of change after Lawrence has been remarkably rapid. Not only did the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts remove the final barrier to equality by legalizing homosexual marriage, but also two state legislatures have explicitly voted in favor of allowing such marriages (in California in 2005, when the bill was vetoed by the Governator, and in Massachusetts earlier this year, where more than three-quarters of the legislators endorsed equality). Unfortunately, the magnitude of the bravery of these legislatures is contrasted with the reactionary prejudice with which the electorates of more than half of our nation’s states desecrated their constitutions with baseless discrimination since the nationwide legalization of homosexuality.

As the champion and chief benefactor of these cruel amendments, the Republican Party is currently fighting a despicable and desperate battle against history and reason.

It’s a shame that they have all but abandoned the laissez-faire politics that made them so popular in the past. I can understand, if not forgive, the reasoning behind attempting to maintain the second-class status of the only minority against whom it is still generally socially acceptable to discriminate. When your criminally incompetent governance oversees and facilitates the largest expansion of Big Brother since Johnson’s Great Society, the most heinous curtailment of civil rights since the Alien and Sedition Acts and a war to rival Vietnam in its abject wastefulness and failure, you have to galvanize the voters somehow. And

number of the Democratic front-runners have patronizingly informed us that “the country is not yet ready for this.”

Neither was the country ready for federally enforced desegregation! Was Brown v. Board of Education widely popular in the South? Were we to wait for the entire nation to set aside its individual prejudices, generations and generations would pass. At every turn, the determined homophobes would continually stymie progress, just as the racists managed to delay the equalization of civil rights for a hundred years after the Civil War. Even now, five decades after Brown v. Board of Education, parts of

It’s our duty to speak out against homophobia and discrimination, and it’s our imperative to fight for the high principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. how to accomplish this more effectively than to play on their deepest fear: difference? Even better: assert that no less than the American family itself is in danger. Unfortunately for them, America is not a theocracy, and if its families need protecting, it’s from our intrusive government, not the homosexuals.

One would think that since the Democrats receive an overwhelming percentage of the homosexual vote, they would be the champions of equality, yet they can be incredibly frustrating and downright condescending as well. A

the country are not ‘ready’ for reconciliation and equality: the Constitution of Alabama still includes language mandating racial segregation, and when the voters of Alabama had the opportunity to remove this racist and legally unenforceable requirement from their Constitution in 2004, nearly 700,000 voted to retain it. It’s still on the books. Are we to wait until the electorates of those 26 states change their minds and take action to reverse their mistake?

Any argument that we ought to do just that is at best disingenuous, intending to end debate

and delay progress.

Recently Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) was lambasted for telling a gay rights group that he thinks homosexual orientation is a choice, and not a profound part of who someone is. Of course it’s preposterous to assume that anyone would choose a life of ostracism, discrimination and inequality, but that’s not the point.

What does it matter whether it’s a product of your environment, or your genome, whether it’s a conscious decision or as integral to your body as your face? Surely nothing is more antithetical to the spirit, if not the letter, of the Constitution than such governmental intrusion into a person’s private life. More fundamentally, how can an America that claims to value diversity and acceptance continue spitefully to deny millions of its citizens the benefits and happiness of legally recognized marriage and the societal acceptance that no law can mandate?

The time for semantics is past. Homophobia is just as condemnable, and just as morally justifiable, as racism and sexism. MerriamWebster has no place informing our laws, and neither does Leviticus. Marriage’s definition has changed. Women used to be treated like property. Interracial marriages used to be illegal. The existence of historical injustices is no justification for their perpetuation; it’s quite the contrary. The onus is on us to demand their change. It’s our duty to speak out against homophobia and discrimination, and it’s our imperative to fight for the high principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

Let it not be said that the United States was the first developed nation to land a man on the moon, yet the last to grant equality to all men on Earth.

Tyler Rosenbaum ’11 is pretty sure same-sex marriage is legal on the moon.

S ports W eekend Page 12

Friday, September 21, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

First things first for football in showdown with Crimson

By Benjamin Asher Assistant Sports Editor

Last Saturday the football team experienced a first. In the first meeting between the two schools, which have between them more than 200 seasons of football, Brown cruised to a 28-17 victory over Duquesne University. Tomorrow night’s matchup with Harvard at 7:30 p.m. will mark another first for the Bears and their opponent. The game will be the first night football game ever played at Harvard Stadium.

The game carries even more significance for the participants.

Brown faces a Crimson team it hasn’t beaten since it shared the Ivy League title in 1999.

Prime-time games seem to have become something of a trend for the Bears. Last season the Bears squared off with Princeton at 7 p.m. on a Friday night in a game televised by ESPNU. Unfortunately, Brown could not muster any offense in a 17-3 loss.

This year, though, the Bears should be a bit more confident heading into the annual showdown with the Crimson. Last year Brown fell flat in a game the team had been gearing up for all summer. This year the Bears are coming in after a dominant win over the Dukes.

In its first game, Harvard suffered a loss to Holy Cross, 31-28, after giving up a 40-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining.

The Crimson featured a strong running game last week, with running back Cheng Ho rushing for 116 yards and quarterback Liam O’Hagan carrying the ball 11 times for 65 yards. Brown’s run defense, led by players such as defensive end Kai Brown ’08 and linebacker Eric Brewer ’08, will look to repeat last week’s strong performance, in which it limited the Dukes to 74 rushing yards on 25 attempts, a meager three yards per carry.

The Bears will also have to contain Harvard’s passing game, which looked impressive in the Crimson’s opener. Harvard’s O’Hagan completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

In the win over Duquesne, pass

Sheehan ’08 provides spark for m. soccer

By Marc Gilbert Contributing Writer

This week Dylan Sheehan ’09 was the clear choice for The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. The forward has scored in every game the Bears have played this season, including the tying goal against then-No. 5 Santa Clara University in the season opener. Sheehan was named Ivy League Player of the Week for his effort (two goals and one assist) in the Adidas-Brown Classic and has not showed signs of cooling off since. His most recent accomplishment was putting in the winning goal Tuesday against St. Francis College for his Ivy League-leading fifth tally. The Herald caught up with Sheehan to talk sports, jerseys and PlayStation2.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

The football team travels to Harvard tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. for the first night game in the history of Harvard Stadium.

coverage was one of the weak spots in Brown’s performance. It allowed 300 passing yards, including one touchdown and two fourth-down conversions, which set up two scores. The secondary will look to players such as defensive back Jose Yearwood ’08, who recorded an interception and a team-high eight tackles in the season opener.

Brown also hopes to see its offense replicate last week’s dazzling all-around performance, which featured outstanding games from running back Dereck Knight ’08 and tight end Colin Cloherty ’09 as well as a solid starting debut from quarterback Michael Dougherty ’09. Wideout Paul Raymond ’08 was

noticeably absent from the Bears’ offensive attack until late in the third quarter, when Dougherty found him wide open down the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown toss, Raymond’s only reception of the game. But after the outstanding play of Cloherty, who caught eight passes for 171 yards, Harvard will likely concentrate more of its pass defense on the middle of the field, a move that might free up Raymond and fellow receivers Bobby Sewall ’10 and Buddy Farnham ’10 for more deep plays down the sidelines.

After being named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week following his 208-yard rushing perfor-

mance against Duquesne, Knight will try to carry the Bears’ offense once again. Last week, he consistently found holes up the middle, after starting out with a 61-yard dash down the sideline for a touchdown on his first carry. Brown may also turn to Jonathan Edwards ’09, who established himself as a running threat with 53 yards on 10 carries last week.

Saturday night marks a pivotal point early in Bruno’s season. If Brown wins, it will brand itself as a force to be reckoned with in October and November. And just maybe a win under the lights will rekindle the chemistry that could lead to an Ivy League championship in 2007.

Herald: How did it feel to start your season with wins against Santa Clara and Fordham University?

Sheehan: It was kind of surreal, really. To have a game lined up like that, against a top-five team, kind of sets up a good situation. Basically you go in as the underdogs, and the only way you can go is up. To do as well as we did, and to have as many people there as we did, it was quite the experience. I guess to score a goal on top made all of it much more enjoyable.

Can you go through how you scored your goal against Santa Clara?

Well Friday night, going into the half, we were down 1-0 and we were all optimistic. Nobody panicked because we had out-played them in the first half, we just had to finish the chances. So when David Walls continued on page 7

W. soccer suffers close defeat to BU, 1-0

By Peter Cipparone Sports Editor

The women’s soccer team did almost everything right Wednesday night at home but still fell to Boston University, 1-0.

The Bears shut down BU’s offense and made countless runs up the flanks, but BU scored at the start of the second half to provide the winning margin. The loss dropped the Bears’ record to 0-4-1 on the season.

Head coach Phil Pincince emphasized that the team’s play was good enough to win.

“After the game, I told the girls to hold their heads up,” Pincince said. “While it wasn’t the result we wanted, it was a great soccer battle and a strong performance.”

The first 20 minutes of the game saw BU apply consistent pressure to the Bears’ defense. Goalkeeper Steffi Yellin ’10 made a save on a Terrier forward in the 18th minute, her only save of the first half. At the other end of the field, forward Lindsay Cunningham ’09 threatened as

she attempted a pair of volleys on bouncing balls, but neither found its mark.

“In the first 20 minutes, they were going like gangbusters,” Pincince said. “But we got a little momentum back at the end of the first (half), and the second half was really wide open.”

The BU attack in the first two minutes of the second half seemed harmless as the Terriers tested the Bears’ defense with long balls in the air that were met by the heads of defenders Julie Wu ’09 and co-captain Kerrilynn Carney ’08.

But after an attempted clear by Brown, BU’s Mara Osher collected the ball above the 18-yard box and launched a high shot toward the Bears’ goal. The 5-foot-4-inch Yellin leapt and deflected the ball off the crossbar, but the ball spun back into the net after bouncing straight down on the goal line.

For the rest of the half, the Bears were on the offensive. Brown spread the field effectively and played a number of balls down the right wing to midfielder Anne Friedland ’08.

Friedland and others struck some dangerous crosses, but the Bears were unable to break free in front of the net.

“Our coaches always encourage us to play up the flanks because there’s much more space to the outside,” Friedland said. “And obviously I like it when we play it out there.”

Most of Brown’s chances came on free kicks. Carney bent a pair of free kicks that curled perfectly into the box, but the Terriers’ defense was too tough. Brown’s best chance to score came in the 54th minute when Cunningham struck a low shot to the far post from the left side that required a sprawling save from goalkeeper Janie Reilly.

While the Bears have scored only one goal in their first five games, Pincince said the team’s offense is improving every time out. The offense is still learning behind Cunningham, who is the only experienced forward on the team. While the team clearly misses the scoring punch of graduated All-Ivy forward continued on page 9

Ashley Hess / Herald

Kerrilynn Carney ’08 and the Bears defense played well on Wednesday but couldn’t keep the Terriers off the board.