The Brown Daily Herald T hursday, A pril 24, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 58
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
One of Friedman pie throwers identified
M ai n g r e e n s u pp o rt
Little ’08.5 in YouTube video of food attack By Chaz Firestone Features Editor
Kim Perley / Herald
Students made sexual assault information available to passers-by on the Main Green yesterday.
One of the two audience members who threw pie dishes filled with green whipped cream at New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman last night has been identified as Margaree Little ’08.5, she confirmed yesterday. Little and a male accomplice leapt from their seats seconds into Friedman’s Earth Day lecture in Salomon 101, stunning the crowd and Friedman, who was left with green paste on his face and clothing. Friedman blocked one dish with his hand and dodged the other, but was smeared with the
contents of each. In an inter view with The Herald, Little confirmed that she had thrown a pie at Friedman. Several students who attended the lecture also independently identified Little as one of the pie-throwers. Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Mark Porter said he “could not confirm or deny” Little’s involvement, but said DPS has identified one of the attackers as a student. Porter added that the captured student’s case has been turned over to the Of fice of Student Life, and DPS Lt. Rick Lombardi said no party wishes to press charges. Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president of campus life and dean for student life, also would not continued on page 4
Tenured professorships may be in Watson’s future Prof. finds By Brian Mastroianni Senior Staf f Writer
A working group at the Watson Institute for International Studies is considering creating tenured positions at the center in an effort to increase its academic strength. The proposal comes as administrators work to increase Brown’s international standing and as a high-profile interim director will begin leading Watson this summer.
Since 1981, the Watson Institute, in its different incarnations, has been a center focused on the research and education over issues of international affairs, according to the Institute’s Web site. Though a part of the University for more than 20 years, the institute has never made tenure appointments for its professors. In Januar y, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 appointed a working group to analyze how the
University should act upon Watson’s Board of Overseers’ proposal to award tenure to professors at the institute. Vice President for International Affairs David Kennedy ’76, who will soon take over as Watson’s interim director, served as chair of the working group. This proposal was brought to the forefront by the Board of Overseers this past fall, Kennedy told The Herald. The Board of Overseers “advise(s) the University
Canadian gov’t may ban compound in Ratty cups BUDS investigating levels of BPA in cups By Gaurie Tilak Staf f Writer
If the Canadian government continues moving toward a ban on a compound used in many plastics, the cups in University dining halls may be considered too risky to drink from by America’s northern neighbors. The Canadian government recently declared toxic a clear plastic compound known as bisphenol-a, or BPA, which is found in the cups in the Ivy Room, Sharpe Refectory and Verney-Woolley Dining Hall. The Canadian government officially declared BPA toxic because of studies that linked it to long-term changes in animals, the New York Times reported April 19. Chemicals given the toxic designation undergo a lengthy process that could result in a ban on their use, the Times reported. The government has also moved to ban all baby bottles made with polycarbonate plastic.
AP
PostLights out for the Territory ahead of the rest
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and the institute director on all aspects of the institute’s research and other activity, as well as the stewardship of the endowment,” Kennedy wrote. “Their mission of research and teaching in international affairs requires a world class international affairs faculty at Brown. They are convinced, and I agree, that recruitment and retention of the very best continued on page 6
a w e s o m e b l o ss o ms
The cups in the dining halls are made from polycarbonate plastic, which contains small amounts of BPA, a representative of the Carlisle Company, which manufactures the cups, confirmed. It is still unconfirmed if the level of BPA in the dining hall cups is enough to cause health ef fects, Ann Hoffman, director of administration of Dining Services, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. BPA is part of a larger group of plastic additives called plasticizers, which are incorporated into plastics to increase their pliability, said John Buster, reproductive endocrinologist at the Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. Buster said health concerns arise from heavy exposure to the chemical and that the amount of BPA in dining hall cups is probably not enough to cause damage to the body. The first indication Dining Ser vices had that the cups may be harmful was the media coverage over the Canadian government’s continued on page 4
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CAMPUS NEWS
Meara Sharma / Herald
Over the weekend, College Hill flowers began their short blooming.
Redesigning qatar RISD president becomes executive director of the Qatar Museums Authority
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OPINIONS
By Emmy Liss Senior Staff Writer
David Egilman ’74 MD’78 teaches community health at the Alpert Medical School. But once in a while, he dabbles in ethics. Egilman, a clinical associate professor of community health, along with Joseph Ross of New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine, was hired to examine risks associated with Vioxx, a drug used to treat conditions that cause chronic pain, like arthritis. In 2004, pharmaceutical giant Merck and Co. pulled the drug off its shelves because some were concerned that its long-term use increases the risk of heart attack among patients. Many people even sued Merck for the wrongful death of their family members. Egilman and Ross were just a small part of the controversy surrounding Vioxx. They were hired to serve as plaintiff’s witnesses in a case against the company, which meant they had access to many internal Merck documents while researching the drug. “When looking through old clinical trial results, we stumbled, literally, across examples of guest authorship that were disturbing,” Ross said, referring to studies conducted by Merck but signed by scientists who were not actively involved in the work. Unsettled by what they had found, the physicians went back and began a formal investigation of Merck’s documents. Egilman said they didn’t have to look too deeply — simply reading the documents turned up evidence of misconduct. Led by Ross, the group of four physicians found that certain published continued on page 4
Greeting gail Max Chaiken ’09 sets a new standard for student-staff interactions
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Merck used ghostwriters
tomorrow’s weather Sunshine in Providence or suspicious Ratty cups — which is more surprising?
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