Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, O ctober 15, 2008

Volume CXLIII, No. 91

Fallen on hard times, colleges wary of spending

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

Humorists at Noser, Jug are joining forces

thanks for the question...

By Ben SchreCkinger Contributing Writer

By Ellen Cushing Contributing Writer

for International Studies. “You would think that the army is hypermasculine — but the army in Israel is also mandator y.” He noted that HIV/AIDS drugs and operations for transsexuals were completely paid for by Israel’s national health system, saying the army would not want “to discharge all these really talented gays.” The panelists also spoke about the cultural differences between life in Jerusalem and life in Tel Aviv. “There is this big distinction between gay life in Tel Aviv and the rest of the countr y,” said Moshe Sluhovsky, visiting

Wells Fargo’s impending acquisition of Wachovia and other ownership changes in the financial sector signal economic woes and diminished job prospects. There is, however, one consolidation that Brown students can still laugh over. The Brown Noser, Brown’s student-run satirical newspaper, has “adopted” the Brown Jug, the University’s student-run comedy magazine, said Ross Stackhouse ’10, co-editor-in-chief of the Noser with Adam Wagner ’11. Ian Spector ’09, of the Jug, said he and his co-editors-in-chief, Riaz Gillani ’09 and John Rozehnal ’09, had shifted their priorities away from the magazine, so they decided to hand over the publication to the founders of the Brown Noser. “Steve (Daniels ’10) and Mitch (Moranis ’10) are really good. I trusted in them,” Spector said. The Brown Noser has found success since its founding in 2006, while the Jug has been suffering from low visibility on campus in this time, said Moranis. Daniels and Moranis, current editors emeritus of the Noser, appointed Noser staffers Stephen Salisbury ’09 and Jon Hillman ’09 as co-editors-in-chief of the Jug for 2008-2009. While the publications will share staff and the editors of the Noser will oversee the Jug’s content, “financial resources will remain separate,” Spector said. The Noser has long been interested in working on magazine content, said Moranis. This acquisition is especially opportune because “we couldn’t fund another comedy news-

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With turbulent financial markets and a global credit crisis, many investors are expecting decreased returns — including colleges and universities. As the nation faces an economic downturn, many are taking measures to protect themselves. At Dartmouth, for example, the fiscal year 2008 endowment return was only 0.5 percent, significantly

HIGHER ED lower than the 5 percent it had predicted, according to a press release. The University of Pennsylvania, even worse off, lost 3.9 percent of its endowment. Most schools manage their endowments, however, in order to contend with such market fluctuations, Susan Howitt, Brown’s associate vice president for budget and planning, told The Herald earlier this month. Many colleges and universities, furthermore — especially those with large endowments — have had strong investment returns in the past few years, providing them something of a cushion. (Brown earned a relatively strong 6.3 percent on its endowment in fiscal 2008, but 21.7 percent the year before.) Even so, many schools are taking some immediate steps to respond to the added strain of diminishing returns and to steel themselves for future losses. Last week, President Ruth Simmons said at a faculty meeting that the University may need to hold off on some projects. Other schools are also scaling back. Boston University, for example, has frozen hiring for all “non-critical positions,” exempting only staff such as security guards, said a spokesman for the school, Colin Riley. The university has “adequate resources and access to capital,” he said, but the school’s president and senior administrators nevertheless thought it would be prudent to stop hiring for the approximately 200 non-critical positions. Even schools that have taken no specific steps are proceeding cautiously. The Yale Daily News reported earlier this month that the university’s trustees had discussed scaling back the school’s $2.6-billion campus construction and renovation effort, though no official decision was reached. Joe Wrinn, a spokesman for Harvard, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that “the fluctuations in the market have underscored the importance of planning and priority setting” at that university. continued on page 4

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HIGHER ED

Meara Sharma / Herald

Visiting scholars spoke yesterday in Leung Gallery at a panel discussion on urban gentrification.

Joint panel shares being Israeli and gay By Chris Duffy Contributing Writer

Students greeted each other in Hebrew last night as they entered Salomon 001 for a panel discussion on gay rights in Israel. Around 25 students attended the first event in “Gay Israel Week,” which is co-sponsored by the Queer Alliance and Brown Students for Israel. “Gay rights is one of the proudest achievements of Israeli democracy,” said Harry Reis ’11, president of Brown Students for Israel. “Like any human endeavor,” he added, “it’s not been perfect.” But tolerance is a hallmark of Israeli society, he said.

Segall ’01, other alums facing tough battles for Congress By Kyla Wilkes Staf f Writer

While on the campaign trail for the U.S. House, Josh Segall ’01 occasionally carries around with him a beat-up pair of gym shorts that were mailed to him by an old Brown classmate. The shor ts, which his Brown classmate used to wear while running, were made in an Alabama plant that is now shut down. The shorts represent the need to invigorate Alabama’s infrastructure in order to reignite what was once a booming Alabama economy, he said. As Election Day nears, Segall, who is running in Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, a relatively blue district in a staunchly Republican state, said his campaign is going strong. He ran unopposed in the primar y. “We raised a decent amount of money and ever yone who was

pressure for rotc Brown is among schools asked by a national group to allow military training on campus

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The panel consisted of four gay Israeli men who shared their personal stories and discussed the cultural and legal battles that have surrounded the subject of homosexuality in Israel. The panelists spoke at length about the role that the mandatory nature of militar y ser vice in that countr y has played in bringing the gay community out into the open. Yossi Knafo, the Jewish Agency Representative to Brown-RISD Hillel, said the country’s military allows gay people to be more open than they could be in other contexts. “Gays in the military are completely accepted,” said Yishai Blank, visiting associate professor at the Watson Institute

thinking about running decided not to,” he said. Segall now faces the Republican incumbent Mike Rogers in the general election. An Oct. 1 poll indicates Rogers has an 8.5 percentage point lead over Segall, though a month ago Rogers led by 21.5 percent. Rogers is a lot more vulnerable than people realize, Segall said. “People couldn’t tell you anything about what he’s done or what he stands for,” Segall said. “I’d say that seems vulnerable.” Segall said his strategy since winning the primar y hasn’t changed. His campaign has focused for some time on the economy, an issue that is especially impor tant to constituents who are concerned about the recent financial crisis. “The key to having a strong economy is building infrastructure,” Segall said. “People want

MY WAY OR SEGWAY Department of Public Safety officers are zipping around on CAMPUS NEWS a new motorized scooter

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OPINIONS

somebody who’s got a plan to take advantage of (Alabama’s) economic potential.” Segall’s campaign, which was once considered a long shot, has gained ground in the last few weeks. “I think it’s definitely going to be a tough race,” Segall said, adding that the media attention towards his campaign has been favorable recently. “It’s kind of a new thing that they’ve realized — that it’s really close.” As Segall has cut his deficit in the polls by more than half over the last few weeks, people are taking him more seriously. Courtesy of Josh Segall The fact that Segall managed to Josh Segall ‘01 is running for a raise over $800,000 despite being House seat in Alabama. young and a first-time challenger, was “shocking to a lot of people,” Reville said. said Nicholas Reville ’01, Segall’s During the campaign, Segall old roommate, now the owner of has faced increased scrutiny bea non-profit software company in cause of his age — he is 29 — but Massachusetts. It’s a good indicator that he has “a real shot,” continued on page 4

the value of bias Matt Aks ’11 says it’s all right when the professor’s syllabus has an agenda — sometimes

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

12 SPORTS

TOOTHLESS TIGERS Women’s soccer gets off scot-free in a 0-0 tussle with Princeton

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T oday Page 2

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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We a t h e r

Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim

TODAY

TOMORROW

partly cloudy 70 / 48

showers 67 / 49

Menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Beef Tacos, Spanish Rice, Spinach with Toasted Sesame Seeds

Lunch — Gourmet Turkey Sandwich, Tomato Quiche, Glazed Carrots

Dinner — Fall Dinner Special

Dinner — Fall Dinner Special

Brown Meets RISD | Miguel Llorente

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

Epimetheos | Samuel Holzman

Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley

Puzzles by Pappocom RELEASE DATE– Wednesday,©October 15, 2008

Los Angeles Times Puzzle C r o sDaily s woCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Spoken 6 Doomed vessel in “Jaws” 10 Land in the ocean 14 Infomercial knife 15 Film purchase 16 Mark Harmon TV series 17 Former Tennessee senator Kefauver 18 9-7X automaker 19 Kristofferson of “Blade” movies 20 Rant and rave 23 “The Black Cat” author 24 Strike, essentially 27 Beanie Babies, e.g. 30 Weimar wife 33 Medium condition? 34 Hosp. diagnostic aid 35 Writer with a reservoir 37 Relief for a beleaguered exec. 39 Ike’s 1940s turf 40 Comic Carvey 41 Fast flier 46 Sun Yat-__ 47 How chop suey may be served 48 Board game whose earliest version came out in 1860 49 Ex-Atl. crosser 50 Return to one’s seat? 52 Baseball VIPs 54 Youngster metaphor 60 “Now, where __?” 62 Item in a belt 63 Rope loop 64 Type of school 65 Place Sundance liked 66 Second-most populous of the United Arab Emirates 67 Assyrian’s foe 68 Line of pants? 69 Rathskeller vessel

51 It might take 10 29 Fretting DOWN yrs. to mature 1 Mighty long time 31 Prehistorical 53 One doing recon novelist Jean 2 Sylvester’s 55 “__ light?” 32 Up to impediment 56 Chowder bit 36 “Jazz” writer 3 Not tricked by 57 Eastern beef city Morrison 4 Expend 58 Actor Morales 38 Exhaust outlet 5 Sharpen, as 42 “Congratulations” 59 Ulm uh-uh long-unused 60 Abbr. on a writer, maybe skills secretary’s job 43 Gives a reading 6 Maybe more, application 44 String before I maybe less 45 Makes conscious 61 “Where the Boys 7 Reddish horse __” (of) 8 Purse part 9 Oil-rich Canadian ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: province 10 35-Across neighbor 11 Deceptive football play 12 MXL ÷ XX 13 One in a sassafras quartet 21 Philly Pops director Peter 22 Sushi wrapper 25 Script segments 26 Lessee 27 Key of Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony” 28 Fictional thief 10/15/08 xwordeditor@aol.com Lupin

Alien Weather Forecast | Stephen Lichenstein and Adam Wagner

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H igher E d Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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National group wants trustees to reinstate ROTC By Nicole Friedman Contributing Writer

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni has sent a letter to, among others, the Brown Corporation, urging it to consider reinstating the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program on campus. The letter was also sent to trustees at Columbia, Harvard and Yale as well as Stanford and Tufts universities and the University of Chicago, which the council determined to be the most notable universities without on-campus ROTC programs, ACTA Program Director Charles Mitchell said. In the letter, which is dated Sept. 26, ACTA President Anne Neal argues that both major presidential candidates suppor t on-campus ROTC programs as an “indispensable” way for students to explore a militar y career “as they do any other career path.” “The argument that we’re really making is less about ROTC than it is about the right of students at Brown to explore whatever type of careers that they would like,” Mitchell said. “We also agree with some prominent experts who have pointed out that it’s really not good for our country to have a military that has so few graduates of elite universities in it.” Though Brown does not have a ROTC program on campus, Brown students can participate in ROTC by taking the required military science classes at Providence College. “We do support students who are interested in pursuing ROTC at Brown,” Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron said. “We have a fairly positive relationship with (Maj. Matthew McKinley, chairman of the military science department at Providence College) at the moment and we’re doing a lot to try to connect his program with (Brown) students.” Reinstating ROTC has been recently debated at other Ivies — the Yale Political Union passed a resolution on Oct. 6 in favor of bringing ROTC back to Yale’s campus — more so than at Brown. “There haven’t been discussions about reinstating (ROTC) on campus,” Bergeron said. Har vard also has no plans to “change the current arrangements that are in place,” in which Harvard students can participate in ROTC at MIT, said John Longbrake, senior director of communications at Harvard, in an e-mail to The Herald. Tufts students will continue to use the training facilities at MIT as well because it is “more costeffective for the armed ser vices to have one training location that can serve multiple schools,” Tufts’ Assistant Public Relations Director Suzanne Miller wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. The faculty voted to remove the ROTC program from Brown campus in 1972 as a protest against the Vietnam War. An “Advocates for Brown ROTC” student group was created last year, but co-founder Jason Carr ’09 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that it is currently inactive as far as he knows. Reinstating ROTC now would devote University resources to something that is not “in our mission,” Professor of Anthropology

Catherine Lutz said. “Our mission is to pursue knowledge.” Choosing to have ROTC on campus and choosing not to are both “politically-charged decisions,” said Rick Ahl ’09, a member of Operation Iraqi Freedom: Brown’s Anti-War Group. “Allowing ROTC to be at Brown is not a neutral decision. It’s an implicit endorsement of the ROTC program.” Ahl also said that Brown has a right to demand transparency, especially in hiring practices, from any business that recruits on campus. The militar y’s manipulation of soldier contracts is a dishonest hiring practice and Brown should not allow them to do business on campus, he said. In recent years, schools have defended not having on-campus ROTC program by pointing out the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which requires homosexual members of the military to be closeted. This policy “violates the University code of non-discrimination,” Lutz said. Homosexuality in the military is a legislative issue, Mitchell said. “If (universities) want to send a message to Congress about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ they can call their lobbyists. There’s no reason to punish their students to send a message,” he said. Mitchell added that students can both participate in ROTC and protest the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. “You can probably do mental gymnastics and say you’re supporting part of the institution and not the part that’s still homophobic and discriminatory, but I don’t think that works,” Lutz said. Mitchell said that the ACTA addressed the letter to the Corporation because “the buck stops with the trustees. It is their role because nobody else makes sure that students’ rights are guaranteed,” he said. Bergeron noted that any curriculum change, such as the addition of a military science department, would have to be approved by a faculty vote. The ACTA is a nonpartisan organization “committed to academic freedom, excellence and accountability at America’s colleges and universities,” according to its Web site. It counts Lynne Cheney, first lady and former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., among its founding members. “I don’t think we should deem the ACTA to be a legitimate voice on education policy,” Ahl said, citing the council’s commitment to encouraging schools to adopt core curricula. “I don’t see why we should listen to their opinions on the ROTC any more than we should listen to their opinions on the core curriculum.” The ACTA’s and Brown’s disagreements on curricular philosophy do not exclude the possibility of their agreeing on the issue of on-campus ROTC, Mitchell said. “We’ve followed the Brown Curriculum pretty closely and one of the ideas that seems to be at the heart of it is student choice. And it seems to me that if you agree with student choice, then you should agree with our letter,” Mitchell said.

Liz Schroeder / Herald

Like many college marching bands, the Brown Band has been accused of misconduct. An adviser called it “ancient history.”

Bands’ misconduct lands them in hot water Around the nation, suspensions and conduct reviews By Zunaira Choudhary Staff Writer

A recent series of allegations of misconduct by college marching bands across the country has raised questions about the culture and practices the groups adopt. In several instances, university officials have responded by suspending the bands criticizing the groups’ behavior. The marching band at the University of Wisconsin, Madison also landed a suspension on Oct. 3 amid allegations of misconduct, including inappropriate use of alcohol, serious hazing and sexualized behavior. Such misconduct is part of a “counter-culture” that “aspires to certain criteria” separate from the goals of the organization, said Michael Leckrone, director of the marching band. The suspension was recently lifted, allowing the group to participate in last Saturday’s home football game against Penn State, according to an Oct. 9 press release. The band, however, is still prohibited from traveling. Reactions to the suspension by band members ranged from “frustration to dismay,” Leckrone said. Varying degrees of involvement in the misconduct meant some students “had no awareness” of the complaints. A review by the Offices of the Dean of Students at UW-Madison confirmed many of the misconduct allegations made against the band, according to the press release. However, that review included allegations of band members being “fondled against their will” was not validated, and Leckrone said

there were no instances of sexual harassment. Leckrone said the band is fairly selective. Nevertheless, he said some band members feel that those auditioning should “qualify in a different way,” adding that in this regard, marching bands are similar to sports teams and fraternities. Leckrone said it was “unfortunate” that misconduct by the “counter-culture” within the organization against the best interests of the group overshadowed the overall positive culture within the band. Members “can’t stand by and allow it to happen,” he said. Marching bands at Prairie View A&M University and the University of California, Davis have found themselves in the news on account of their alleged misconduct. (In fact, both bands have a history of allegations of inappropriate behavior.) At Prairie View A&M University, the “Marching Storm” is temporarily not allowed to perform as a result of allegations of misconduct within the band, according to a Sept. 10 article in the Panther, a student publication at the university. A source told the Panther that the investigation concerning the band includes a claim that one band member was assaulted by other members of the group. “We’re being ver y cautious about the situation,” Victor Hebert, head of the department of music and drama at Prairie View, told the Panther. The marching band’s director did not respond to requests for comment. At the University of California, Davis, band director Tom Slabaugh is on stress leave after filing a sexual harassment complaint with the university in May, according to an Oct. 6 article in the San Francisco Chronicle. In a memo to university officials, Slabaugh describes “ridiculous, disturbing and offensive” examples of inappropriate behav-

ior by members of the “Cal Aggie” marching band. Band members stripping to their underwear during a van trip to a football game, urinating in a dormitory elevator and performing lap dances during practice are some of the instances described in Slabaugh’s memo, according to the article. Slabaugh’s complaints are currently being reviewed by the university. In the meantime, the band is continuing to play at football games and other events. Matthew McGarrell, faculty adviser for the Brown Band and senior lecturer in music, said that there have been prior accusations of misconduct within the Brown Band but that he couldn’t comment on such behavior, calling it “ancient history.” McGarrell said “the culture of the (Brown Band) reflects the culture of the campus.” Describing the band as an “enthusiastic, happy group,” McGarrell added that the completely studentrun band at Brown has a “special dynamic” that changes completely every four years with the addition of new members. Brown, along all other Ivy League schools excluding Cornell, has a scatter band. “Running out on the field, making the script very much part of the show,” and displaying an “image of enjoyment” are part of the “special approach” employed by the band, McGarrell said. Student conductor Sarah Cocuzzo ’10 said the band is “almost a fraternity that doesn’t live together,” with specific traditions and “rites” that members go through. Describing the culture of the band, Cocuzzo said “core people tend to take on leadership positions” and even with the relatively large group of 60 members, “everyone knows everyone at the end.” “Having fun is the biggest aspect,” she added.

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

One big barrel of laughs? Noser, Jug team up continued from page 1 paper, but the Jug can sustain itself” with University funding, he said. While the Brown Noser produces fake news in the style of the Onion, the Brown Jug has been closer to a comic magazine in recent years. However, the new Jug will provide a longer-form, literar y style of humor, Salisbury said, and will appeal to fans of McSweeney’s and the blog Stuff White People Like. The editors wanted to “make it a little smarter,” Moranis said. The Jug has about 12 contributors, Salisbury said. In contrast, the Noser boasts upwards of 50 staffers. “All of our writers have the option to write for both publications,” Moranis said. This pooling of talent will allow writers to work with a wider range of comic styles. There is an “atmosphere of real excitement and enthusiasm” about the acquisition among Noser staff-

ers, said Stackhouse. The Jug staff is “all for it,” said Spector. Fraser Evans ’11, a photographer for the Noser, said she was happy to see the relationship between the two publications evolve from competition to collaboration. For the initial transition, “we’re sort of leaning on the Brown Noser staff for technical help and suggestions,” Salisbury said. Evans said Jug writers have already asked her to photograph for the first issue of the Jug under Noser supervision. “The Jug fits in perfectly” with the Noser’s publication schedule, said Moranis. Current plans call for the Noser to publish in October, December, February, and late April or early May, while the Jug will publish in late November and March, said Stackhouse. While the number of issues for each publication has not changed, the coordination allows the editors to publish in different months. Editors hope that distributing the

Jug by hand, as the Noser is distributed, and doubling the magazine’s run to 2,000 copies will increase its visibility on campus, Moranis said. “They need to publicize a lot more,” said Skylar Polansky ’09, who had not heard of the Jug. Dan Ain ’09 said he was also unfamiliar with the Jug, but added, “The Brown Noser is actually quite funny.” The Jug, Brown’s second-oldest publication after The Herald, has been published since 1918. Notable Jug staffers have included Frank Lesser ’02, a writer for “The Colbert Report,” and Spector, originator of the ubiquitous Chuck Norris facts. The Noser would like to help “rebuild a tradition — an institution that should be here that should be successful,” Moranis said. “We’re optimistic that people are going to like it,” he said, and added, “Who knows what’s going to come out?”

Israel accepting of gay soldiers, panelists say continued from page 1 associate professor of histor y. “Comparing gay life in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is like comparing gay life in New York City and gay life in Idaho.” Blank, who grew up in Tel Aviv, invited the audience to visit, cit-

ing its natural attractions. “There’s a gay beach — it’s actually gay, lesbian and tranny, and there’s a gay nude beach a little outside the city.” Conversely, the homosexual community in Jerusalem is far less open than the community in Tel Aviv, Sluhovsky said.

Thanks for reading.

“Jer usalem is strange,” he said. “It’s about one third orthodox Jews, one third Arabs –– 90 percent of which are Muslims –– and one third secular Jews, which leaves a ver y small percentage of the city that’s free to develop gay life outside of the closet.” Sluhovsky added that for a long time he did not understand how difficult it would be for members of this community to be open about their sexuality. He said he has now realized “what an amazing privilege the option of coming out is and how it’s available to ver y few of us.” Katie Lamb ’10, head chair of the Queer Alliance, said that Reis approached her last spring about co-sponsoring the event. “We were like ‘right on,’” Lamb said. “It’s good to hone in on something concrete and be really productive.” The Queer Alliance isn’t currently planning any other events related to specific countries but “we’d be totally open to it,” Lamb said.

Alums run for Congress, but tough road lies ahead continued from page 1 Segall said he is unfazed by the criticism. “My opponent is arguing that he’s got experience, but as far as I’m concerned, experience is only valuable if it gets you something. As far as I can tell, his experience hasn’t gotten anything,” said Segall. Brown connections have provided Segall with more than just a pair of old running shorts. Other Brown friends have been helpful with fundraising, policy research and composing speeches, he said. “Just about everyone I know from college” gave around $100, he added. Segall displayed early signs during his time at Brown that indicated he would go on to run for public office. He was the president of the College Democrats and responsible for bringing in many impor tant speakers, Reville said. Segall said he also worked on a couple political campaigns during his college years, including one for the late Sen. Paul Well-

stone. Reville said none of their former classmates were surprised to hear that Segall is running for Congress. “I don’t think he has a traditional politician personality, but he always loved meeting and talking to people,” Reville said. “He’s much better than I am at getting to know people and remembering ever ybody’s names.” While at Brown, Segall worked with Associate Professor of Political Science Ross Cheit, who agreed with Reville. Segall “was such a funny guy,” Cheit said. “I remember him as gregarious ... He was fun to work in a group with.” Other Brown alums in congressional races include Jan Schneider ’68 in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, Joshua Zeitz PhD ’02 in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, Gordon Clark ’82 in Mar yland’s 8th District, Steve Meister ’76 in Maine’s 1st Congressional District and Dan Maf fei ’90 in New York’s 25th Congressional District.

Colleges nationwide plan for tough times ahead continued from page 1 “While we undertake these activities in the ordinary course of our work, they take on added importance during these extraordinary times,” he wrote. However, much of the fallout for private schools has yet to be seen. Changes in financial aid, for example, can be expected as unemployment rises and the economy does poorly, but the full extent of the damage to individual students’ savings is largely unknown until students apply for aid. “A lot of people’s college savings got quite badly hit,” said Professor

of Economics David Weil. If the economy enters a recession, he added — as he himself predicts it will — students and their families will have a tougher time making ends meet. Wrinn wrote in the e-mail that Harvard has already been working with students who are being affected by the crisis. “Financial aid officers across the schools have been talking to and meeting with students and families with questions or concerns, or with changes in circumstances,” he wrote. In her comments to faculty earlier this month, Simmons said that Brown would remain focused on its financial aid commitments. Some schools are also preparing themselves for a potential decrease in giving as alumni and other donors see their portfolios shrink. However, private schools like Brown, BU, Dartmouth and Harvard, who all boast billion-dollar endowments, are hardly the ones hit the worst. Public schools, which depend on tuition and state funding for their operating budgets, are less protected. According to an article earlier this month in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the state of Michigan has even discussed the possibility of closing one of the campuses in its university system. Ricardo Vazquez, a spokesman for the University of California system, which encompasses ten schools and ser ves more than 150,000 students, said that the UC system’s operational budget, which was set before the credit crisis, has not been changed, though he added that he did not know what could happen in the future. Ultimately, though, no one knows what the next months and years hold for the economy. “It’s a little to soon to tell where the crisis will lead,” Weil said. “But from a lot of different directions, it’s going to be tight.”

C ampus n ews Wednesday, October 15, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

DPS scooter brings mobility, style

h o m e t e am s t r i p e s

Meara Sharma / Herald

A new exhibit at the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center features paintings by Beata Stepien-Liu ‘03

Knife-wielding student charged with assault The following summary includes all major incidents reported to the Department of Public Safety between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8 It does not include general service and alarm calls. The Providence Police Department also responds to incidents occurring off

379 Benefit St. for a very loud and out of control party. Providence Police shut down the off-campus party and cited two of the tenants, one Brown student and one RISD student. The matter has been turned over to Student Life.

CRIME LOG

1:30 a.m. A Brown student stated that at approximately 1:25 a.m. she had left her room in Sears House and walked across the hall to the bathroom. She stated that she was away from the room for less than a minute. When she returned to her room her laptop was no longer there.

campus. DPS does not divulge information on open cases that are currently under investigation by the department, the PPD or the Office of Student Life. DPS maintains a daily log of all shift activity and general service calls which can be viewed during business hours at its headquarters, located at 75 Charlesfield St. Thursday, Oct. 2: Brown student stated that she parked and locked her bike to the bike rack outside Barbour Hall with a combination chain lock. She stated that she saw the bike at approximately 10:23 p.m. on Oct. 1 secured to the bike rack. At approximately 8 a.m. on Oct. 2 she went to get her bike and it was gone from the rack. The bike was not registered with the Crime Prevention. There are no suspects at this time. Friday, Oct. 3: 1:08 a.m. A Brown University police officer was dispatched at the request of the Providence Police to

sign at the corner of Brook and George Streets and was struck by a vehicle. The student was transported to the hospital by Providence Rescue. The Providence Police cited the student for the accident. Saturday, Oct. 4 12:51 a.m. Two students reported their laptops were stolen from their room in Champlin Hall. Both students left the room at 11 p.m. on Oct. 3 and found the laptops missing when they returned at 12:45 a.m. on Oct. 4. The door was left unlocked.

2:54 a.m. Officers were dispatched for a report of people on the roof of Wilson Hall. Upon arrival they met with a custodian who stated he heard banging on the roof and immediately called police. Officers went upstairs and observed the hatch door leading to the roof open and subsequently found five people standing on the roof. They were advised to come down. They were identified as four Brown students and one non-Brown student. They stated that they were studying earlier in the evening and then decided to go up on the roof because they were bored. They were informed that the matter would be turned over to Student Life.

2:04 a.m. A Brown University police officer was dispatched to the area of 267 Thayer Street for the report of a student arrested by the Providence Police. Upon arrival, the Providence Police stated that the student kicked out a window of a vehicle and fell to the ground. Four male occupants sitting in the vehicle exited the vehicle and approached the student who was still lying on the ground. The student pulled out a knife and cut one of the subjects on the arm. The student was transported to Providence Central Station and booked. He was charged with malicious damage and assault with a dangerous weapon.

8:54 a.m. A Brown student, while riding a bike, went through a stop

continued on page 6

Bone marrow donor registration begins today 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Sayles Hall By Beatrice Igne-Bianchi Contributing Writer

The University’s two-day Bone Marrow Registration Drive begins today and runs until tomorrow, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Sayles Hall, without a needle in sight. Unlike the semi-annual Blood Drive organized by Rhode Island Blood Center, the faint of heart can avoid needles and blood. The drive registers people to potentially save the lives of patients battling conditions like leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders in search of

a marrow or peripheral stem cell donation, just as easily as their courageous counterparts. The Bone Marrow Registration Drive’s student co-coordinator, Adam Vasconcellos ’07 MD’11, said there are common misconceptions about registering as a blood marrow donor. Vasconcellos says that there is “no need to roll up your sleeve when you walk into Sayles Hall” to be placed on the registry. The process should take no more than 20 minutes. Participants between the ages of 18 and 60 are asked to complete a medical history form, followed by a quick, painless cheek swab to identify one’s tissue typing, which determines potential donor matches

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for patients in need. If a match is found, according to the National Marrow Donor Program, physicians usually request the donation of peripheral blood stem cells, which is non-surgical and similar to giving blood. While the registry is non-binding, meaning that donors can deny giving peripheral stem cells or marrow, Vasconcellos says, “It’s the easiest way to save a life.” Six thousand people are searching for a bone marrow match, Vasconcellos said, adding that Brown’s diverse student body is crucial for the registry. Snacks and prizes — like gift certificates to Starbucks and Trinity Brewhouse — will also be provided.

The Department of Public Safety recently unleashed a new and mysterious crime-fighting vehicle onto campus, where it zips along crowded streets at speeds of up to 18 mph. This vehicle is a T3 Motion Scooter, similar to the Segway Personal Transporter, but with three wheels instead of two. Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Mark Porter said he chose to purchase the T3 after test-driving one this past May. He said it seemed easier and safer to maneuver than similar products, such as Segway scooters. The scooter was a good investment because it is completely batteryoperated and, as a result, incurs very low energy costs, Porter said. “For the past two years our goal has been reviewing ways to reduce the department’s high fuel and vehicle repair cost,” Porter wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. DPS has begun to use new and environmentally friendly modes of transportation instead of Ford Crown Victoria police cars, which average 8 to 10 miles per gallon, Porter said. In addition to the scooter, DPS has begun to drive Ford Escape Hybrids and Chevy Impalas, which are both more efficient than the department’s older vehicles. According to the Web site of T3 Motion, the company that manufactures the scooter, the vehicle takes three to four hours to fully charge, and operates for less than 10 cents per day. For the time being, DPS owns only one T3, but Porter said when the department makes future purchases, it will try to obtain the most efficient vehicles possible. “In addition to (reducing) the high fuel and repair cost, we also wanted to improve our response times in congested and difficult accessible areas,” Porter wrote. Some students said the scooter seems helpful for DPS officers. “It makes sense, but it’s really funny looking,” said Laurie Schleimer ’12. Still, other students questioned the necessity of the T3. DPS officers “can travel more distance on the scooter, which I guess is a good thing, but it’s such a small campus, it’s kind of unnecessary,” said Michelle Morales ’11. — Matt Klebanoff

Prof picks up award for paralysis research Associate Professor of Engineering Leigh Hochberg ’90 has received a Clinical Science Development Award of $135,000 per year for up to three years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The award will fund his clinical research project that hopes to help restore motor function for patients suffering paralysis. Each participating institution is allowed to nominate up to three researchers for the award each year. After an internal process at Brown, Hochberg was chosen as one of the nominees and submitted a full application to the foundation, he said. Ultimately, 20 researchers from across the country received awards. The prize will help facilitate the participation of the varied team of engineers and neuroscientists necessary to design and improve neural interface systems, Hochberg said. The project involving the interface systems, now in its fifth year, has enabled four paralyzed participants to control a computer cursor with their thoughts, using an implanted cerebral chip. With the money, Hochberg and others hope to enable the paralyzed to e-mail, browse the Web and control external assistive devices such as prostheses. They would also like to lower the size and cost of the interface and make it fully implantable. The ultimate aim, Hochberg said, is to “reconnect brain to limb,” allowing patients with neural disorders to regain control of their own muscles. Though enrollment in the project is currently limited to those with spinal cord injuries, brain stem injuries, muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the project could also lead to benefits for those with other disorders, helping scientists to “get an insight into what happens in a wide range of neurologic diseases and injuries,” Hochberg said. Hochberg expressed enthusiasm for the “huge potential” to create neural interface devices at Brown and better understand basic science in order to improve the quality of life of those with paralysis and neural diseases. He attributed the development of advanced neurotechnologies at Brown to the “wide and remarkable expertise” of the University’s neuroscience and engineering professors. Opportunities are available for undergraduate students to join the project, Hochberg said. He recommended that interested students enroll in neuroscience classes and talk to professors to get involved. — Amit Jain

Have PHP experience? We want you. herald@browndailyherald.com

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Student booked after fight continued from page 5 2:17 a.m. An officer was dispatched for a Brown student that had just been assaulted on Benevolent Street. Upon arrival the officer met with the student that advised the officer that he was walking on Benevolent Street while talking on his cell phone when suddenly two males struck him closed fist on the back of his left ear. The student then fell to the ground. The males then proceeded to punch and kick him. At that time while at his post, a Sterling Security employee witnessed the assault and ran over to the victim. This caused the two males to flee in a vehicle. The student declined to file a report with the Providence Police and was transported to the hospital. Sunday, Oct. 5: 1:40 a.m. The manager of Josiah’s advised DPS that he had just returned from chasing two suspects who he observed drink two Vitamin waters and one of them stuffed three Hostess cupcakes into his pockets. The manager said he had never seen the two suspects before and the total of goods taken was approximately twelve dollars. 10:36 p.m. A Brown student reported that while riding his bicycle on Benefit Street, a four foot long fluorescent light bulb was thrown at him from a vehicle with three male occupants. He stated that the light bulb struck the rear wheel of his bicycle. The student was not injured. Monday, Oct. 6: 6:55 a.m. Officers were dispatched to Sharpe Refectory to speak with an employee of Dining Services. He stated he left work on Friday Oct. 3 about 3:30 p.m. and returned on Oct. 6 at 6:55 a.m. to find that someone had broken into his locker. Culinary art knives, three cheese cutters and a leather jacket had been taken. 10:26 a.m. Officers responded to the area of the Sciences Library for a report that a vehicle had hit the

railings on the steps of the library and then took off. The railings and cement were damaged. When the operator found that they couldn’t get back on the street because of parked cars, the operator drove through the mulch area, back to the main walkway and then exited out onto Thayer Street. Providence Police responded and the operator was located. Tuesday, Oct. 7: 8:56 p.m. A student stated that she was walking on Thayer Street near the Sciences Library when a black SUV slowed down as it passed her. Someone yelled to her from the vehicle and she was disturbed by the incident. She said she has seen this vehicle in the area before and witnessed the vehicle slow down and watch as females are walking, which “creeped her out.” The case is under investigation. Wednesday, Oct. 8: 12:43 p.m. Officers were dispatched to meet with a custodian regarding vandalism to several bathrooms in the Keeney Quadrangle. Someone had spray painted graffiti in several places and it was also noticed that someone had silk screened an image with black paint on some mirrors and various walls. 10:10 p.m. An officer was dispatched and met with a student who told him that around 12 p.m., he was lightly hit by a car while riding his skateboard. He stated that he was traveling through Soldiers Arch and that he slowed down before entering the crosswalk and assumed that the vehicle approaching the crosswalk saw him. The vehicle continued into the crosswalk without stopping and only stopped after running over his skateboard. The student stated that he ended up in front of the vehicle with his hands on the hood. He then asked the male driver to back up so he could get his skateboard out from under his car, which he did. He then stated that the driver scolded him for running into the crosswalk and drove off. Providence Police took a report.

Michael Williamson / Washington Post

AARP held its second annual job fair for older workers at its convention in Washington last month.

Many postponing retirement to pay the bills By Nancy Trejos Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Jan Fitzsimmons had the luxury of being able to retire at 47 after 22 years of service with the U.S. Navy. But retirement turned out to be not so luxurious. Now 52 and renting an Arlington, Va., townhouse, she is looking for part-time work because life has become too expensive. Her grocery bills have gone up. So have her telephone and cable bills. Health insurance, too, is getting costlier. “Oh yeah, I’m feeling the pinch,” she said. “I’m seeing all my investments go down and the cost of living go up.” Many retirees and soon-to-be retirees are reckoning with a new reality: It’s just too difficult to live on a fixed income when the price of everything is edging up. At a time when they need more money because of longer life expectancies, many are facing a retirement with less because the wildly fluctuating stock market has depleted 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts. Meanwhile, more and more employers are moving away from defined benefit plans, such as pensions, in which they guarantee workers a certain amount of money for retirement. As a result, Americans are increasingly postponing retirement or getting part-time or even fulltime work in other fields after retiring. “Clearly there’s a lot of angst around the notion that the economy is making people’s 401(k) portfolios be less than what they anticipated, and therefore, the need to postpone retirement is more imminent than before,” said Deborah Russell, director of workforce issues at AARP, the nonprofit organization that represents the interests of people 50 and over. The percentage of older people in the workforce has been rising steadily since the late 1990s after hitting historic lows through the 1980s and early 1990s, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is expecting that trend to accelerate. By 2016, the bureau predicts that the number of workers age 65 and over will soar by more than 80 percent, accounting for 6.1 percent of the total labor force. In 2006, they made up just 3.6 percent of active workers. Older workers are increasingly more comfortable with the notion

that traditional retirement might not be in store for them, the AARP has found. According to a survey released by the organization in September, seven in 10 older workers expect to be employed in retirement, mainly part-time. Sixty-four percent of those workers cited current financial needs, such as health care costs, as the primary reason for working, while another 11 percent said future financial security is what’s driving them. Another AARP sur vey released in April showed that 27 percent of older workers had postponed plans to retire because of the economic downturn. “If we had $2-a-gallon gas and there were no foreclosures and life was good, I think people would probably favor traditional retirement,” said Bob Skladany, a human resources consultant and vice president of research and certification for RetirementJobs.com. “I think we’ve hit a turning point. Expenses won’t change. People don’t hope to die sooner, so people will work past retirement.” Although many employers are scaling back on hiring because of the anemic economy, others in thriving fields such as health care are recognizing that a rash of baby boomers retiring could result in a brain drain. The prospect of holding on to their trained workforce is appealing, so much so that employers don’t mind the potentially high health care costs that come with an aging population. “They’re dependable, they’re committed, they bring a stabilization to our environment,” said R. Virginia Smith, Wal-Mart’s senior manager of diversity relations for mature markets. She said the company employs more than 355,000 workers over 50, and even as old as 103, in its stores. The company has about 1.2 million employees. There are now so many retirees expecting to work longer that a new term has been coined for what they are doing: They are “rewiring,” not retiring. Businesses and local governments are actively urging older workers to rewire. Web sites such as RetirementJobs.com have sprung up. The jobs range from retail to those requiring advanced skills and education levels. The web site YourEncore.com, for instance, recruits mature workers trained to be engineers, scientists and product developers. Many state and local offices for

the aging and nonprofit service organizations now hold job fairs for older workers. Operation A.B.L.E. (Ability Based on Long Experience) of Greater Boston organized mature worker career fairs for job seekers 45 and older. Meanwhile, many community colleges, such as Central Florida Community College, offer training programs for older workers. Recognizing the need to match older workers with employers, AARP created a national employer team of more than two dozen employers who actively cour t mature workers. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance and the Peace Corps became the first federal agencies to join the team. In August, the organization partnered with RetirementJobs.com to expand its online offerings of job search advice. Often, Skladany said, older workers are surprised at how the process of finding a job has changed so much in recent years. For one thing, so much is done electronically. Skladany often comes across job seekers who don’t even have e-mail accounts, much less know how to use the Internet. He advises them to get a computer with a highspeed Internet connection, learn how to use a search engine such as Google, and get an e-mail address and a cell phone. Last month at its convention in Washington, AARP held its second annual job fair to guide older workers through the process. Organizers said attendance by both job seekers and employers was much higher than last year. Fitzsimmons, the Arlington resident, is not only watching her spending. She’s cutting back. Although she retired from the Navy in 2003, she continued to work on a contract in the defense industry. She gave that up in January and has since been living off her military pension, IRA and other investments. The lack of extra income from the contract has been noticeable, especially in recent weeks as the economy has deteriorated. She has suspended shopping. She hardly dines out. Her car could use new tires, but she’s holding off for now. “I didn’t notice those things as much as I do now that I don’t have an extra paycheck,” she said. “I’m nervous. I’m very, very nervous.”

W orld & n ation Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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For Iraqi pigeon breeders, things are looking up

Wo r l d

i n

Brief

By Raheem Salman Los Angeles T imes

Market dive pushes gas prices downward

ZUBAYR, Iraq — Nothing is too good for Thair abu Yousif’s loved ones. He buys ice each day to cool their water. He has built a special house for them, with a guard outside. Some nights he lies awake, wondering how to find them perfect mates. That the objects of his adoration are pigeons does not strike Abu Yousif as odd. In fact, he is one of the most respected bird breeders in Iraq, his passion rekindled after years of violence that made lingering on rooftops an invitation to be shot by a sniper. “This hobby is in my blood,” says Abu Yousif, who wears a traditional white “dishdasha” robe and blackand-white headdress, as he tends to his birds in his hometown of Zubayr, outside Basra in southern Iraq. He rarely travels, worried that he will not be there should any of his more than 100 birds fall ill. A well-tended bird can live 25 to 30 years, he says, and only he can provide the care they need; he even vaccinates them himself. Abu Yousif, who has a real estate business on the side, has turned down immense sums of money to hang on to his best pigeons. Recently, a breeder in a gulf country offered $4,000 for one of his favorites, a female roller pigeon, so called because of her ability to perform somersaults in the sky. “I didn’t sell it. I won’t, even if they pay me $10,000, because I love it,” Abu Yousif says. Bird breeding has long been popular in Iraq, particularly in the south, where the marshes offer an

Pump prices took a record-setting nose dive in the past week, the Energy Department said Tuesday, as oil costs and fuel consumption slumped while gasoline supplies returned to normal around much of the nation. Analysts say that more price relief probably is on the way but not for the best of reasons: The stumbling U.S. economy is putting the brakes on fuel use. Although Americans are spending less on average for gasoline than they have since late February, they also are feeling that they have less to spend because of damaged investment portfolios and higher prices for many other items. Add weak consumer confidence, and experts don’t expect motorists to start piling on mileage again. “We will continue to see lower prices, but the sad thing is that this is like losing weight from a parasitic ailment,” said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service in New Jersey. The declines were not enough for behavior modification, he added. “People aren’t going to decide to drive to the Grand Canyon or decide to go out and buy a three-ton vehicle instead of a two-ton because of this,” Kloza said. The U.S. average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline hit $3.151 on Monday, down a record 33.3 cents, or 9.6 percent, from the previous Monday, according to the Energy Department’s weekly survey of service stations. The survey results were released a day late because of the Columbus Day holiday. Hurricanes figured prominently in the old and new gasoline decline records. This season’s hurricanes Gustav and Ike set off a surge as precautionary shutdowns of refineries and oil rigs reduced supplies and kicked prices briefly to $4.50 and higher in some parts of the Southeast. The old one-week record came after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. Once some of the severely damaged Gulf petroleum facilities began to return to normal, the U.S. average fell 16.9 cents, or 5.7 percent, during the week of Sept. 19, 2005, said Doug McIntyre, a senior market analyst with the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration. At the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday, crude oil for November delivery declined $2.56 to $78.63 a barrel, and some analysts said it had farther to fall. Oil is down more than 40 percent from its peak in July above $147. “I’m still bearish,” said Phil Flynn, vice president and senior market analyst for the Alaron trading company in Chicago. “There are significant problems on the demand side. China and India and the Middle East are not going to see as much economic growth as people thought a few months ago. In the U.S., we’ve had a real shock to the system. We are not going to see a rapid rebound in oil demand.” Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst for Oppenheimer & Co., predicted that oil would land somewhere between $50 and $75 a barrel by early next year. “No one is talking about $200 oil anymore,” he said.

Raheem Salman / Los Angeles Times

A man cares for his pigeons in the southern Iraqi city of Zubayr. ideal environment for many varieties. Pigeon breeding gained popularity after the British invasion in the early 1900s, which brought in people from India, Iran and other countries in which the hobby was popular. But it has been a difficult passion to pursue in recent years. Under Saddam Hussein, the country’s closed borders made it a challenge for breeders to do business. International sanctions and wars hurt the economy and hampered bird lovers’ efforts to support their hobbies and their families. A bird with a sterling pedigree costs

as much as $1,000 straight from the egg. In recent years, the spread of Shiite militia activity in southern cities such as Basra and Zubayr hindered hobbyists. Not only did breeders risk getting shot while on the roof with their birds, but they were also accused by some religious extremists of using their high perches to stare into neighbors’ windows. But militia activity has been largely quelled, and Abu Yousif and his friends feel safe once more. continued on page 9

Obama ramps up ads with cash advantage By Matthew Mosk Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain stepped into a ballroom at the Grand Hyatt in New York Tuesday night for what was likely to be his last fundraiser of the 2008 presidential campaign. But while the event, which was expected to net between $8 million and $10 million for the Republican National Committee, will provide a much-needed infusion for the GOP nominee, it will do little to whittle down the massive financial advantage that Sen. Barack Obama is using to dominate the electoral landscape. Exactly how much money Obama has raised will not be clear until next week, when the two campaigns are required to report their September fundraising totals to the Federal Election Commission, although some strategists are openly speculating that he could approach $100 million for the month. That would shatter a record Obama set in August, when he brought in $67 million. As the first presidential candidate to run a general-election campaign entirely with private donations, Obama is building a significant fundraising advantage and is now using that imbalance to swamp McCain on the airwaves and in building turnout operations coast to coast. Voters in large swaths of Florida will see Obama television commercials dozens of times before catching sight of a McCain ad. A drive across Virginia will wend past 51 Obama field offices, compared with 19 for

McCain. “It’s given them resources to compete in multiple battlegrounds in all dimensions — on the ground, through the mail, with media, everything,” Chris Kofinis, a Democratic political strategist, said of Obama’s fundraising success. “I think people will look back and say this was one of the most pivotal decisions in his campaign.” Since accepting $84 million in public funds, McCain has been barred from raising money for his own campaign. He has sought to keep pace with Obama’s effort by hosting RNC fundraisers like Tuesday night’s event in New York. The party committee raised $66 million in September and has begun to expand its presence on television with ads featuring blistering attacks on Obama. At the same time, the RNC is leading an effort to challenge the legality of millions of dollars in “unitemized” donations that Obama has collected. Under FEC rules, his campaign does not have to document the names of donors who give less than $200. The RNC is keeping a growing list of phony donors and unexplained credit card charges that they believe point to more than a simple inability by the Obama team to keep track of all the money flowing in. Steve and Rachel Larman, a Missouri couple who vote Republican, told local reporters that they found a $2,300 charge for a donation to the Obama campaign on their credit card statement that they could not explain. Patricia Phillips, a Virginia Republican, had a similar experience, she said,

when she opened her MasterCard statement last month to discover a $5 charge from the Obama campaign. “I thought, ‘Oh, my! This is not from me,’” she said. Other donations have arrived under such obviously bogus names as Edrty Eddty and Es Esh. Experts called it a common problem on an uncommon scale — while there have always been donors who, for a host of reasons, tried to circumvent federal election rules and give campaign contributions without providing their real names, they are more frequent with Obama because of the volume of donations his campaign is processing. “I’m sure they have a system in place to screen out improper donations,” said Scott Thomas, a former FEC chairman. “Their problem is they have such a massive donor base and so many of these coming in that it’s hard to keep up.” Obama campaign aides said they have followed a policy of sending immediate refunds to people who contact the campaign to say that they have been charged for a contribution they did not make. “While no organization is protected from Internet fraud, we have taken every available step to root out improper contributions, updating our systems when necessary,” said Ben LaBolt, a campaign spokesman. So far, the complaints have not prompted FEC action. And Obama’s controversial decision to forgo public funding and instead raise money on his own is paying huge dividends. continued on page 9

— Los Angeles Times

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Gambling is good — just don’t count on big bucks

Cross country looking forward to Heps

continued from page 12 the money instead of private citizens or operations. If gambling were to be widely legalized, the government gambling operations would have to compete with the privately owned ones, meaning they couldn’t make as much of a profit. Beyond the taboo, many internet sites have sprung up to facilitate extracurricular activity. Some even allow you to profit without having to pay anything (not in the AIG way). Yesterday, my friend sent me a link to CentSports.com. It’s a beta site, but the basic idea is that you are given ten imaginary cents to wager on sports events with various spreads/odds, and as you win, you earn more of this imaginary money to bet with. If you run out, your balance resets to ten cents again. The best part? If you accumulate more than $20 of imaginary money, you

can exchange it over the site for real money. The site manages to make a profit through ads and the fact that it’s really hard to turn ten cents into $20. Either way, it’s just one example of how private operations can manage to take some of the taboo (e.g., wasting your money) out of the equation. In the end, there’s very little difference between buying a stock and betting on the Super Bowl. Both can be entertaining and potentially profitable ways to gain from your edge in knowledge about someone’s performance. Also, seeing Eli Manning face-off against the Browns is way more fun than watching some ticker line at the NYSE.

Ben Singer ’09 knows Kenny Rogers would approve

For Iraqis, ‘roller pigeons’ are a man’s best friend continued from page 7 Carrier and ornamental pigeons also are popular here. Carrier pigeons once transported messages during wartime. Now, they are bred for competitions: Breeders race them over long distances and bet on which will win. Ornamental pigeons are kept as pets. Roller pigeons, Abu Yousif’s specialty, are the most popular and the most expensive to acquire and keep. They require special diets to stay strong and healthy but light enough to fly gracefully. “Like a runner, he must keep himself thin,” says Abu Yousif, who gives grown birds a mixture of wheat, barley and corn. Young birds get more lentils and ground chickpeas in their food. In the air, the rollers swoop and flip somersaults, their white, silver, blue and gray feathers catching the light. Luxuriant tails, made up of 12 to 18 feathers, add to the visual delight. “I forget everything around me when I watch such birds,” says Murtada Mahal Mohammed, a pigeon breeder. “When the birds fly, everyone’s eyes are on them,” Abu Yousif says. “According to our custom, nobody talks at all. Nobody answers their phone calls.” That’s remarkable in a country where most people seem to have cell phones glued to their ears. Priming such creatures is not easy. Roller pigeons can perform their aerobatics only when the wind is strong, about 25 mph to 30 mph. Their education begins when they are chicks, under gentle wind conditions of about 5 mph. Each year, the pigeons are subjected to stronger

winds until they are deemed ready for breeding or selling. During the winter, Iraq’s roller pigeon specialists gather in the south for a competition. Dozens of breeders have their birds fly for a few minutes before a group of judges. Just as Olympic judges rate gymnasts for style, form and the difficulty of their maneuvers, the pigeon panel rates the competitors. A bird that fails to complete a certain number of somersaults or gets blown off course by the wind loses points. One that can fly in a straight line back and forth, without gaining or losing altitude, scores highly. Breeders use a combination of whistles and the banging of sticks against iron sheets to steer their charges. This can make the mentors unpopular with neighbors. Abu Yousif had to sell one talented bird for only $300 because neighbors complained about the ruckus when people gathered on his roof to watch it perform. Once, bird breeders were looked down upon by other Iraqis, who eyed them with suspicion for their obsession with feathered creatures and their habit of staring skyward. Nabeel Merhad Zerhan, a breeder, insists that testimony by bird lovers generally is discounted in court because Iraqis believe them incapable of noticing anything except their birds. But as more shops dedicated to birds open and as cross-border trade and prices increase, the bird lovers’ image is improving. So is their outlook. “When the militias were controlling things, we were not working freely,” Abu Yousif says as he watches his pigeons fly. “Now, we enjoy freedom.”

Bruno can’t score on Tigers continued from page 12 While the Bears weren’t thrilled with the tie, they are not the only team that has struggled to break through the Tigers’ defense. Princeton’s defense has only given up three goals all season, and prior to Saturday’s game the Tigers had maintained a five-game winning

streak and a 7-1-1 record. Additionally, the tie keeps Brown in the race for the Ivy League Championship with an Ivy record of 1-1-1. Brown will return to Stevenson Field this Wednesday for the first of a three-game homestand. The Bears take on Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. in their final non-league game of the season.

continued from page 12 and we will use the race to practice this.” The men’s team, currently ranked No. 3 in New England polls, finished third at the Championships this past weekend with a team score of 97 points. Bruno finished just shy of UMass Lowell (79) and New Hampshire (89). Leading the way for the Bears was Duriel Hardy ’10, who finished fifth overall in a time of 24:55, which was also his personal best. “It was a solid start to my cross country season, and it gave me a good indication of where I am fitness wise thus far in the season,” Hardy said. “At the same time it was nice to start the season off with a PR. I really wanted to break 25

minutes, so it was really exciting to do that.” Finishing just a second behind Hardy was teammate John Loeser ’10, who took seventh place. Colin Brett ’10 also set a personal record with a time of 25:11 while finishing 19th for the Bears. Rounding out Brown’s scoring was Matt Duffy ’12 (25:14) and John Haenie ’11 (25:34). Duffy’s time was made even more impressive by the fact that he was the first freshmen to cross the finish line in the entire race. Due to injuries, the men’s squad was also not able to race all of their team members, but they will be looking to integrate those runners back into the lineup as Heps gets closer. “We will need to close the gap between our first runner and our fifth runner, and I believe we have

the potential to do this. We were missing Steve Chaloner ’09 and Brian Schmidt ’09 who we expect to have at Heps as well,” Lake wrote. “We need three guys to be running with Duriel and John Loeser at least... and I feel we have the personnel that can do so.” Although the men’s squad felt it could have pulled out a win at the meet, the team is focused on placing better in future meets. “I think as a team, we were a little disappointed that we did not win the meet, but it was definitely a nice start to our season,” Hardy said. “It was the first race for varsity, so it was good to get out there and see where we are at. Also, we know that we have so much more in us, and we are excited to show it off at the Heptagonal Championships at the end of this month.”

Golf has one more tournament on Cape continued from page 12 with a 76, Amato an 81 and Rued an 87. “I’m satisfied, but I’m not content,” Hughes said. “The guys have really responded well, but the final analysis will be the spring.” After the tournament, the team had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at the Sebonack course in the South Hamptons, a club with

a million-dollar membership. The team received a special invite from a friend of the program, and Hughes allowed an extension on their New York trip. “It was a nice treat to play there, hats off to our coach for setting that up,” Hoffman said. “He’s done a lot for the program.” The course was ranked the No. 1 new private course in 2007 by Golfer’s Digest.

“That was a lot of fun, maybe people were looking forward to that and played well on Sunday, I don’t know,” Amato said. The team has one last tournament for the fall season out on Cape Cod in Brewster, Mass., in a huge field of Division I, II and III teams, this Sunday and Monday. “It’s not a good field, big but not good,” Giannuzzi said. “We have a chance to win if we play well.”

Obama holds huge financial advantage continued from page 7 The most noticeable evidence of his spending advantage has been on the airwaves, where, in some states, Obama been running seven or eight times as many commercials as McCain. Evan Tracey, an analyst with the Campaign Media Analysis Group, called the disparity stunning. “McCain’s in a shouting match with a guy holding a bullhorn,” Tracey said. Obama booked nearly $4 million in ads in Virginia last week, compared with $487,149 spent there by McCain. He held a similar spending edge in almost every battleground state, Tracey said, enabling him to respond to negative ads by McCain while keeping a regular cycle of positive ads running as well. Obama has so much money available that he is continuing to push into advertising venues rarely, if ever, visited by political candidates. He has plans for a prime-time infomercial — the first of its type since Ross Perot used the format 16 years ago. And Advertising Age reported Tuesday that an Obama “in-game advertisement” appeared in the EA video game Burnout Paradise. The racing game features a

Barack Obama billboard announcing that early voting has begun and references VoteForChange.com, a site paid for by the Obama campaign. Republican political strategists have acknowledged the Obama advantage, but they argue that if a financial edge is all it takes to win an election, McCain would not be the nominee. (He was massively outspent by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani during the primaries.) The biggest difficulty for McCain, said Republican political consultant Kevin Madden, is that he has been forced to play defense in states — such as North Carolina and Indiana — where he shouldn’t be spending money at all at this point. “The campaign with the money can pin the other campaign down in places where they don’t want to be,” Madden said. One result of Obama’s decision to opt out of the public financing system is that his campaign accounts will not automatically be subject to an audit after the election, as is standard with campaigns financed from the U.S. Treasury. Last week, RNC lawyers filed

an FEC complaint that they hope will prompt an investigation and audit. The complaint said the RNC believes that the Obama campaign “has accepted prohibited foreign national contributions and knowingly done so through its failure to reasonably investigate contributions originating abroad.” Obama aides dispute this, saying they have bent over backward trying to root out illegal contributions. But that task, they said, has been made difficult by the sheer volume of contributions, many in increments of $5 and $10. The campaign has taken a number of steps to intercept illegal contributions, whether they are from people using fake names or from donors who are not U.S. citizens, Obama aides said. The campaign has initiated procedures to flag questionable contributions and follow up with donors to determine whether those contributions are lawful or should be refunded. “Every campaign faces the challenge of screening and reviewing its contributions,” LaBolt said. “And we have been aggressive about taking every available step to make sure our contributions are appropriate, updating our systems when necessary.”

Have experience with web development? Want to think outside the box? Want to be a team player? All that you can be? You can be! herald@browndailyherald.com

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Staf f Editorial

Net results

Let’s pause to think about the Internet. From e-mail to research and from blogging to on-line shopping, the boundaries between cyberspace and ordinary life are rapidly diminishing. However, the easy access to information and the free exchange of ideas the Internet affords is as liberating and constraining as it is exciting and scary. There are many who unreservedly celebrate the Internet. Take, for example, the Digital Literacy Contest held last week on campus. In promoting Internet research skills, the company that hosted the test makes the provocative claim that the Internet is a “cognitive prosthetic.” That is to say, it is a tool as important to thinking as an artificial leg is to ambulation. There can be no doubt that the Internet is widely regarded as an indispensable tool in modern life. In fact, the idea of its indispensability has so much currency that some claim John McCain is inadequately prepared to be a modern president because he lacks competent Internet skills. The widespread belief in the essentiality of the Internet raises interesting issues about our dependence on it. We recall how Janis Joplin sang “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose” in the 1970s. Though we know that her words resonated amid the Vietnam War anti- establishment anger, we ask you to consider the timelessness of her message by inquiring whether the Internet is a possession that possesses us because it is too important to lose. Lest you think this is an irrelevant question, ask yourself whether your life would be materially altered without the Internet. Would your daily existence be the same if you could not shop on Amazon, research on Google, routinely check your e-mails or watch YouTube? If the answer to any of these questions is no, permit us to suggest that the Internet possesses you more than you possess it. We also ask you to ponder to what extent the Internet controls the flow of information in our society. Newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post now disseminate more news on their Web sites than they do from the sales of their newspapers. Network and Cable news giants such as NBC and Fox augment and daily reproduce their national broadcasts on their Web sites. And new Internet web sites such as Politico.com and the Daily Kos threaten to supplant the mainstream media. These developments may presage a greater democratization of access to information on the Internet. For example, if Yale already makes taped lectures of some of its best courses available on-line on its Web site, one can imagine other universities following suit. And if this could be done with education, why couldn’t there be Internet access to the great libraries of the world or to leading cultural events such as theater, opera and ballet? While such a democratization of access would be felicitous, it also carries with it a danger of abuse, since an Internet that has the capacity to spread good information also has the capacity to peddle pedophilia or disseminate disinformation about the parentage of Sarah Palin’s baby or Obama’s religion. Thus Internet freedom, like any freedom, requires vigilance and comes at a heavy cost.

T he B rown D aily H erald Editors-in-Chief Simmi Aujla Ross Frazier

Executive Editors Taylor Barnes Chris Gang

Senior Editors Irene Chen Lindsey Meyers

editorial Ben Hyman Hannah Levintova Matthew Varley Alex Roehrkasse Chaz Firestone Nandini Jayakrishna Scott Lowenstein Michael Bechek Isabel Gottlieb Franklin Kanin Michael Skocpol Ben Bernstein James Shapiro Benjy Asher Amy Ehrhart Megan McCahill Andrew Braca Han Cui Katie Wood

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Business

CARLY HUDELSON

Letters

Designate more Zipcar spots To the Editor: I agree with Max Chaiken’s ’09 claim that the present parking situation here at Brown isn’t quite cutting it (“New parking plan insufficient,” Oct. 14). While the free RIPTA access we enjoy goes a long way toward fulfilling students’ transportation needs, there is one easy step the University could take to help even more: Rent more parking spaces to Zipcar. Zipcar currently offers four cars from the Power Street parking garage, which would be great if they weren’t booked almost all of the time (including both weekdays and weekends). If the University is serious about providing alternatives to those students who do

not wish to park their own cars at the school’s distant parking lot but still need access to one — this might include members of student groups, students with jobs and students who rely on cars to arrive at otherwise inaccessible destinations — it will afford students greater access to Zipcars. Brown students under 21 can only use cars based in the University’s lot, and because Zipcar’s Web site says it is looking for more spaces in Providence, I see no reason why those spots shouldn’t be right next to the four we already have. Drew Harris ‘11 Oct. 14

Darren Ball General Manager Mandeep Gill General Manager Shawn Reilly Office Manager Alex Hughes Sales Director Emilie Aries Communications Director Jon Spector Finance Director Claire Kiely Local & National Sales Manager Ellen DaSilva University Sales Manager Philip Maynard Local & Recruiter Sales Manager Katelyn Koh Asst. Finance Director photo Meara Sharma Min Wu

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Joanna Lee, Anna Migliaccio, Jessica Calihan, Chaz Kelsh, Designers Jordan Mainzer, Janine Lopez, Copy Editors Michael Bechek, Melissa Shube, Gaurie Tilak, Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Mitra Anoushiravani, Colin Chazen, Chaz Kelsh, Emmy Liss, Brian Mastroianni, George Miller, Melissa Shube, Anne Simons, Sara Sunshine, Gaurie Tilak, Caroline Sedano, Jenna Stark, Joanna Wohlmuth, Simon van Zuylen-Wood Staff Writers Zunaira Choudhary, Leslie Primack, Connie Zheng, Christian Martell, Alexandra Ulmer, Lauren Pischel, Samuel Byker, Anne Deggelman, Nicole Dungca, Olivia Hoffman, Cameron Lee, Debbie Lehmann, Sophia Li, Seth Motel, Marielle Segarra, Kyla Wilkes, Juliana Friend Sports Staff Writers Peter Cipparone, Nicole Stock Business Staff Maximilian Barrows, Thanases Plestis, Agathe Roncey, Allen McGonagill, Ben Xiong, Bonnie Kim, Cathy Li, Christiana Stephenson, Corey Schwartz, Evan Sumortin, Galen Cho, Han Lee, Haydar Taygun, Jackie Goldman, Jilyn Chao, Kathy Bui, Kelly Wess, Kenneth So, Lee Chau, Lyndse Yess, Margaret Watson, Matthew Burrows, Maura Lynch, Misha Desai, Stassia Chyzhykova, Webber Xu, William Schweitzer Design Staff Jessica Calihan, Amy Kendall, Joanna Lee, Rachel Isaacs, Angela Santin Ceballos, Marlee Bruning, Rachel Wexler, Maxwell Rosero, Katie Silverstein, Shara Azad, Jessica Kirschner, Jee Hyun Choi, Heeyoung Min, Andrea McWilliams, Anna Samel Photo Staff Alex DePaoli, Eunice Hong, Kim Perley, Quinn Savit, Justin Coleman Copy Editors Rafael Chaiken, Ellen Cushing, Younhun Kim, Frederic Lu, Lauren Fedor, Madeleine Rosenberg, Kelly Mallahan, Jennifer Kim, Tarah Knaresboro, Jordan Mainzer, Janine Lopez, Luis Solis, Ayelet Brinn, Rachel Starr, Riva Shah, Jason Yum, Simon Leibling, Rachel Isaacs

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O pinions Wednesday, October 15, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 11

The value of bias BY MATT AKS Opinions Columnist I am currently taking a class that focuses on the social and economic effects of the global spread of capitalism. After section a few weeks ago, I overheard one of my classmates approach the TA to ask a question. She acknowledged that globalization had caused problems but asked, “Why do we care that there are winners and losers in the global economy?” Unfortunately, the unrelenting flow of students toward the door prevented me from hearing the TA’s response. Although I sharply disagreed with the politics that seemed to motivate the student’s question, I still recognized that it had some merit. The readings we had been assigned thus far had done a fantastic job of spelling out the negative effects of global capitalism. But if one were economically conservative (or if one viewed wealth inequalities and power asymmetries as an unavoidable facet of capitalism), one might not necessarily be as moved by the readings as I had been. When I thought more about that student’s question, I realized that she may have been accusing the professor of structuring the course in a biased way — a way that emphasized the importance of social democracy and transnational equality over market liberalism and economic growth. She would probably be right in claiming that the course (like many others at Brown) operates from a certain set of assumptions. But just because a course has a narrative arc,

should it be written off as unduly biased? My answer is no. Based on my experience at Brown, courses that deal with politically sensitive issues can take one of two general forms. Under one format, the professor presents materials from diametrically opposed sides of a controversial issue. In these courses, the emphasis is on

But it would be a major mistake to write these courses off simply because they contain a form of bias. Bias can manifest itself in harmful ways. For instance, when a professor silences a student for expressing a certain viewpoint. Or when a professor asserts a politically controversial claim as true without presenting supporting

Just because a course has a narrative arc, should it be written off as unduly biased? My answer is no. a dialectical engagement between the two sides. On the other hand, a course may presuppose a certain analytical framework, and then tell a story within that framework — a story about the injustices of global capitalism or the racist features of social policy in the United States, for instance. These stories will no doubt offend the political sensibilities of individuals who are used to employing different analytical frameworks.

evidence (the validity of which students can judge for themselves). But I have never observed either occur, even in classes that build on an ideologically laden narrative arc. In fact, Brown’s course catalog would be far less interesting if the only type of classes offered were of the present-all-sides-equally variety. For one thing, any professor’s research will invariably contain a political slant — if one wants to be exposed to this research, one has to be willing to stomach some implicit political

determinations. Moreover, there are many students whose beliefs probably align with the political ideology implicit in a given course. I am naturally concerned about global wealth disparities and the cultural impact of globalization. So I am fine with a class that glances over the larger question of whether globalization is good or bad, and instead focuses on how we can explain and solve the problems globalization has created. If you worry that your political views will diverge from those contained in the course material, you have two options: take the course as a true test of your original political intuitions, or simply choose another course. At Brown, it is likely that courses with liberal narrative arcs outnumber courses with conservative ones. I would support a reasoned investigation into why this is the case and how a better balance might be achieved. And I would certainly be interested in taking a class that celebrated globalization, so that I could further develop my views on the issue. The goal of ideological openness should transcend any particular political affiliation, and of course, flagrant episodes of professorial bias should not be tolerated. Some on campus are quick to charge that professors “use a lecture as a soapbox upon which they can spew political nonsense” (as one Brown Spectator article recently put it). I hope this column shows that before making such a charge, one should reflect carefully on what bias actually is and how it manifests itself.

Matt Aks ’11 uses his column as a soapbox.

The meal scam BY JARED LAFER Opinions Columnist Do you smell what the Ratty’s cooking? Significantly overpriced hamburgers. With the amount of money we pay to go to Brown, one would think the University would provide us with a reasonably priced meal plan, and yet we continue to be cheated out of our money. I say something needs to change. How are we being ripped off? Simply put, the amount we pay for the plans doesn’t at all equal the number of credits and points we receive. Consider the standard, 20-meal weekly plan: It costs $3,806 to fund the 20 weekly meal credits and 200 annual Flex points. Let’s do the math: In about a 30week academic year, we have $3,450 in meal credits, and $200 in Flex points. The total? $3,650. We therefore lose $156 the moment we sign up for the standard plan. The Flex 460 plan costs the same as the standard plan, but substitutes some meal credits for more Flex points. The result? We lose even more money, the total coming to $3,145 — a net loss of $661. Even more disturbing, we lose significantly more money on less expensive plans; for example, we lose $1,017 on the 14-meal weekly plan, and $1,334 on the Flex 330, and save only a meager $224 off the price of their slightly more expensive relatives. To me, these numbers reek of crookedness, and I’m surprised students haven’t demanded their money back. I leave it up to

the school to explain why we are not getting our money’s worth and where the money we’re losing is going. The statistics above don’t factor in the restrictions inherent to the plans, which are equally cost-inefficient. The standard plans force students to spend their pre-allocated credits in a week’s span (they don’t roll over), but only provide half as many Flex points as the Flex plans. This severely limits

Brown is getting creative with its fundraising efforts. Further, one might say a plan with more flexibility encourages liberal and unwise spending; for example, because one receives a semester-long block of meal credits, one might unwittingly spend 30 meal credits in a week, which is impossible on the structured 20-meal weekly plan. The Flex plan’s relative lack of structure also has some advantages,

The University transparently charges an almost $700 premium for the Flex plan. It’s nice to see that Brown is getting creative with its fundraising efforts. students’ ability to curb the money they lose whenever their balances fall below some multiple of the $5.75 conversion rate. The University transparently charges an almost $700 premium for the Flex plan. The difference must be based on the presumption that Brown students will waste about that much over the course of the year with the standard plan. It’s nice to see that

but there is no denying its potential for unintentional abuse. But perfect meal plan economy is exactly what we should have, especially in light of the fact that we lose all our credits and points at the end of the academic year. Countless times I’ve overheard people ask why our meal plans are not entirely Flex point-based, and I’m inclined to wonder the same thing.

Even if such a meal plan would cost more than its yield in Flex points, I don’t see how it would cost the University any more than our current meal plans, that is, unless Brown wants us to lose money. Moreover, a plan just of Flex points might make it possible for Brown to extend meal plan coverage to off-campus eateries and cafes, which would open up more dining options for students. For these reasons, it seems the merits of a Flex point-only meal plan are undeniable. With the amount of money we lose on meal plans, it seems more cost-effective to simply ditch them and eat off-campus. The downside of this is the inability to eat with friends in some dining halls, but the upside is better food at fairer prices. For example, if one uses the $3,806 from either the 20-meal weekly or Flex 460 plans and eats out three times a day, ever y day, for the approximate 30 weeks of the school year, one will be able to commit an average of $6.04 to each meal; if one only eats two meals a day throughout the year, one can commit an average of $9.10 to each meal. Freshmen, of course, must be on a meal plan, so I’m sorr y to report that they will have to wait a year before they can save themselves from oppressively overpriced meal plans. That aside, at this point I see no reason why sophomores, juniors and seniors should remain the slaves of Dining Ser vices.

Jared Lafer ’11 says it’s all about the Benjamins, and then dies a little inside.

S ports W ednesday Page 12

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Why not turn a buck off sports knowledge? You know what makes watching spor ts better? Gambling. And wouldn’t you know it, turns out that’s a pretty popular way to enhance our national pastimes. Over $2.4 billion in sports bets were wagered last year in Nevada, the only state in the Union where it’s legal. And with over $192 milBen Singer lion in revenues, High Notes at a time when so many U.S. industries are tanking, one wonders whether or not the widespread illegality of sports gambling should be reevaluated. It’s a pretty simple concept. You’ve probably said at one time or another, “I bet team X is going to crush team Y” this week. Why not profit from your prophetic wisdom? As is the case with most Nevada sportsbooks, or operations that manage and run sports gambling, you simply choose a sports event and wager an amount of money. If you win, you’ll be paid back a sum proportional to how likely that event was predicted to happen by the sportsbook’s oddsmakers. So while you might not make so much betting on Roger Federer to take down some first round qualifier, you would have made a killing on betting that the Tampa Bay Rays would make the playoffs this year (specifically, $65 for each dollar you bet). So why is it illegal? There is the moral concern that people will not know how to properly manage their gambling habits. This has become a secondary reason weakly supported by some opposed to widespread legalization of gambling of any kind. The two primary reasons are 1) the worry that gambling will adversely affect the integrity of sports, perhaps leading to more games that are fixed, and 2) if it’s legalized everywhere, it becomes more difficult for the government to corner the market on gambling. Notice these two arguments probably won’t be advocated by the same person. The problem with the first argument is that it confuses gambling with legalizing gambling. Yes, people fix games because they gamble on them. Therefore we should illegalize gambling? People like money. They’re going to continue liking money whether they can gamble legally or not. And the gambling operations in Vegas make the most money when their odds are closely aligned with the outcome. Fixed game busts hurt them. Wouldn’t a more sensible solution to the integrity/fixed game problem be to further legalize sports gambling? That way, you’d be giving gambling operations more power and oversight to crack down on those looking to exploit the integrity of games for profit. The second argument is more cynical. If you watch TV, I guarantee you’ve seen ads for the state lottery. People pay money to the government in the hopes that they will get lucky and the government will pay them a lot of money. The only differences between this and betting on the ALCS is that state lotteries are mindless and the government gets continued on page 9

Not much to show for it, but strong finish by m. golf By Amy Ehrhart Spor ts Editor

After the first day of the ECAC Championships at Long Island National Golf Club, the men’s golf team was not happy with their performance, but the Bears were able to channel their frustration into a productive final round. “We were all disappointed with the way we played the first day,” said co-captain Chris Hoffman ’09, who shot a 158 after their two-round Friday. “We should be way more competitive with the Ivy teams.” After the first day Friday, Brown sat in 11th place, while Yale and Columbia were leading the pack, and ended up finishing onetwo in the tournament. “We wanted to shoot a good score as a team on Saturday, and we hadn’t really had four good scores all fall,” said John Giannuzzi ’10. Mike Amato ’11 lead the team after day one with a 157, while Giannuzzi also put up a 158. Scores of 162 and 164 came from Joe Rued ’09 and co-captain Conor Malloy ’09, respectively. The next day a different lineup and a post-tournament treat gave Bruno a boost. The Bears finished 10th overall after pulling off a 299 third, and final, round score. Only

three other teams in the 15-team field bettered that score for the day. “We went out the second day and proved we can be competitive,” Hoffman, who finished at the top for Bruno with a one-under par 70, good for 19th place overall, said. “We are looking to shoot 300 and below every time.” According to Amato, Head Coach Michael Hughes changed the lineup of what position every player started in, helping to foster some of the lower scores. “I usually play (in the third starting position), but decided to go (in the first starting position) as the 5-man,” Hoffman said. “I feel more confident going off first as 5-man, and we didn’t have to wait at all, so I was able to get into a rhythm.” The line-up changes proved to be effective, as the Bears’ final round was their best in a while. “Certainly 299 was the best we’ve played at Brown in three or four years,” Hughes said. “We had a lower round than Yale (who won the whole tournament).” Giannuzzi shot a 72 to finish 25th and at one point was fourunder par after starting off the day with three birdies. Malloy finished continued on page 9

Courtesy of BrownBears.com

Men’s Golf Co-Captain Chris Hoffman ‘09 shot 158 in two rounds on Friday, the first day of the ECAC Championships.

XC women 2nd, men 3rd at New England Championships By Nicole Stock Staff Writer

The women’s and men’s cross country teams competed at the New England Championships this weekend, placing second and third, respectively. The women finished the race with a team total of 141 points. Brown held off Williams (190) and Dartmouth (193), but fell to formerly nationally ranked Boston College, who had a team score of 38 points. Caitlin Stone ’12 crossed the

finish line first for the Bears, followed closely by teammate Kelsey Ramsey ’11, who finished 24th in a time of 18:29. With some top runners out due to illness, Bruno’s younger runners had to step up at the Championships. Stone was one of the freshmen who picked up some valuable college experience during this race. “I feel like I’m still in the transitional period, but I try to get plenty of sleep and do a lot of injury prevention stuff like stretching and icing,” Stone said.

Eliza Weber ’12, who crossed the line 27th in a time of 18:30, Lauren Pischel ’11 and Lara Helgis ’11 also contributed to the Bears’ scoring. Although Brown finished second, the team was not pleased with the results, as it expected to finish closer to BC. “We felt it wasn’t our best race and that we should have been closer to Boston College,” Stone said. “We weren’t too discouraged because it was difficult not to get boxed in during the first mile, and we are training to peak for Heps and Re-

gionals.” The women look for ward to getting healthy and continuing to improve as a squad in the upcoming races leading to the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships and Regionals. “The women’s squad will run again this weekend to get more race experience and to gain more confidence,” Head Coach Craig Lake wrote in an e-mail to the Herald. “We need to get mentally tougher, continued on page 9

W. soccer play Tigers even By Jason Wade Contributing Writer

Justin Coleman / Herald

Goalkeeper Brenna Hogue ‘10 had seven saves against Princeton on Saturday.

The women’s soccer team (4-4-4, 1-1-1 Ivy) tied the Princeton Tigers (7-1-2, 2-0-1) in an away game this past Saturday. Both teams were held scoreless throughout the 110 minutes of play in a defense-driven contest. This marks the fourth shutout of the season for tri-captain goalkeeper Brenna Hogue ’10, and the eighth of her career. Regulation play consisted of two contrasting halves. The first half witnessed a dominant performance by the Bears, while the Tigers held possession of the ball throughout most of the second half. The two periods saw a 6-1 shot advantage for the Bears followed by a 1-8 deficit, respectively. “We did much better than they did in the first half,” said tri-captain Lindsay Cunningham ’09. “Things kind of flipped in the second half.” Brown took the field for the first overtime ready to attack the Princeton defenders. After just 53 seconds, tri-captain Jamie Mize ’09 blasted a

shot at the Princeton goal that was stopped by the Tigers’ goalkeeper, and in the next three minutes, Sarah Hebert-Seropian ’12 had two more shots blocked. A second overtime saw two quick shots saved by Hogue in the early minutes. A third attempt missed the goal entirely and Brown retained possession of the ball from that point on. Both Allison Kagawa ’12 and Marybeth Lesbirel ’12 had scoring opportunities before an unsuccessful Brown corner kick in the final seconds brought the game to a close. “I think we played a pretty solid game,” said Hogue. “Of course we always want a win, but a tie is still good within the Ivies.” Hogue managed to keep Princeton from scoring with seven total saves, three of which occurred during the second half. Cunningham reiterated that while the team was “not completely satisfied with a tie,” it was “not a horrible result.” continued on page 9