The Brown Daily Herald M onday, S eptember 15, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 70
Maeda inaugurated as RISD’s president
Ike, Gustav give Cuban study abroad a stormy debut
16th president lays out vision for college
By Lauren Pischel Staf f Writer
By Ben Hyman Arts & Culture Editor
Two hurricanes in two weeks have delayed classes for 11 Brown students studying abroad in Cuba, disrupting what Director of International Programs Kendall Brostuen called an otherwise “very smooth” start to the inaugural Brown-run program in the Caribbean nation. On Sept. 8, the day classes were set to begin, Hurricane Ike swept across central Cuba, which delayed classes a week and forced the students to evacuate their residence in Havana for three days to a nearby hotel. Ike followed on the tail of Hurricane Gustav, which hit Cuba on Aug. 30 — two days before the students arrived — and stoked fears that their travel plans could be disrupted. Brown is one of only a handful of colleges with a special license from the U.S. government allowing students to study abroad in Cuba. Admission to the program’s first run was competitive, Brostuen said. The semester-long program, known as Brown in Cuba, is in partnership with Casa de las Americas, a research institution affiliated with the University of Havana. During Hurricane Ike, which
The Rhode Island School of Design must “rise to the challenge” of the digital era “because we can,” said John Maeda, former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during his inaugural address Friday as the 16th president of RISD. Speaking to a large audience that filled the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of America before
ARTS & CULTURE heading off to the post-inauguration block party, Maeda painted a picture of a future in which “the new conventional wisdom must recognize the essential nature of right-brained innovation, and policy makers and employers should take note.” “What’s missing today is the notion that artists and designers are among the most passionate people about what they do — and this world needs more passion,” Maeda said. Also the former associate director of research at the MIT Media Lab, Maeda assumed his responsibilities as president of RISD last June. His work blurs the border
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Courtesy of Brian Jones
John Maeda, the 16h president of the Rhode Island School of Design, delivers his inaugural address Friday. He took on his duties in June.
between art and design. According to a RISD press release, his resume includes projects for major corporations like Google and Samsung, as well as museum and gallery exhibitions of his own artwork. With an ensemble playing Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common
Man,” Maeda entered the church as part of a procession of trustees, faculty and representatives from 22 other colleges and universities, including President Ruth Simmons. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Rep. Jim continued on page 4
Courtesy of Meredith Curtis
A guide from Casa de las Americas and Donata Secondo ’10 on a tour of Cuba.
narrowly missed making a direct hit on Havana, the students were moved to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba because, unlike the rest of the city, it had generators and running water during the storm, program participant Meredith Curtis ’10 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “We were made ver y aware of continued on page 4
SDS marches for aid, Corporation transparency Seven days of silence By Anne Simons Senior Staf f Writer
Friday afternoon, in the face of a gray sky, cold winds and the threat of rain, members of Students for a Democratic Society protested a perceived lack of transparency from the Corporation. They also demonstrated for a tuition freeze and better compensation for student workers. About 50 students marched around campus, ending their parade in front of University Hall, where the Corporation — Brown’s highest governing body — holds its meetings. A few students addressed the crowd of SDS members with a megaphone while the rest chanted, banged on drums and waved signs, including a cloth banner that read “Open the Gates” with a picture of the Van Wickle Gates. Former Herald Staf f Writer Sophia Lambertsen ’11, who addressed the crowd, said that SDS believes in the “radical idea” that Brown exists for its students, so students should have a say in the decisions that affect them. The group wants students, faculty and staff to be able to participate in Corporation meetings and have access to their minutes, she said. Protestors chanted against the classification of Corporation records for 100 years. According to the University Archives Web site, the minutes from
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CAMPUS NEWS
U. Hall bell outage goes unnoticed by many By Michael Skocpol News Editor
The classic riddle of the tree falling in the woods just got a new twist. After decades of faithfully and loudly tolling off class periods, the iconic 300-pound bell atop University Hall fell silent this month — and almost no one noticed.
FEATURE
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Courtesy of Daniel Patterson
Protestors from Students for a Democratic Society march down Thayer Street. They called for more transparency from the Corporation, a freeze on tuition and better pay for student workers. meetings are actually released 50 years after first recorded. Lambertsen said SDS believes minutes should be accessible to students “as soon as they’re recorded” because the Corporation’s decisions affect students in “an immediate sense.” Alexander Wankel ’11 said the Corporation, which will hold its fall meeting in early October, “operates outside the student eye,
ORchestra Pops sayles Rain pushes concert indoors, but movie theme songs draw big crowds anyway
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there shouldn’t be “a bunch of old white men” who are running the school and making decisions about how to spend students’ money. The Corporation has shown indifference to SDS protests in the past, Lambertsen said. During the February 2008 Corporation meeting, two members of SDS delivered a petition with more than 600
Facilities Management staff first realized the bell wasn’t functioning on Sept. 4, the second day of classes, and a quick investigation revealed that the steel cable that rings the bell had snapped, according to Director of Maintenance James Coen. (The bell beckoned new students through the Van Wickle Gates during Convocation the day before, but it was unclear if it had rung since.) A new cable wasn’t delivered and installed until Sept. 11, a full week later. In the meantime, the bell sat mutely atop University Hall; class after class began and ended without the familiar rhythmic tones to mark their passing.
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EDITORIAL
without any check on its decisionmaking.” He didn’t know that the Corporation existed until a few weeks ago, he said. “We want to be able to see what they do, to know what they’re discussing and to have a voice in the decision-making for a really democratic education,” Wankel said. Brown should be “democratically student run,” Lambertsen told The Herald, meaning that
WELCOME, JOHN RISD’s 16th president brings a eye towards our College Hill neighbor’s future
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OPINIONS
Intro courses too Fuzzy Alvin Kerber ‘11 objects to easy introductory courses, suggests more depth and difficulty
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
12 SPORTS
Entourage and the Pats Alex Mazerov ‘10 sees a connection between Vincent Chase and Tom Brady
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