The Brown Daily Herald T uesday, N ovember 4, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 105
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
Profs. overstep their purpose, Times blogger argues
$90 mil. in bonds at issue on ballot
By Matthew Varley Higher Ed Editor
By Jyotsna Mullur Staf f Writer
Halfway through his lecture Monday afternoon, Stanley Fish, author of the New York Times blog “Think Again,” told a mostly filled Salomon 101 that universities have their stated goals all wrong. University mission statements are “all unbearable,” Fish said, and “they should all be burned.” A professor of law and humanities at Florida International University, Fish based his presentation on his new book, “Save the World on Your Own Time.” The event was sponsored by the Graduate School and structured as a lecturedebate. Fish read “a discarded introduction” to his new book a few paragraphs at a time and paused between sections to solicit questions from the audience. Fish’s main premise was that college professors can “legitimately do two things: first, introduce students to bodies of knowledge and
In addition to casting their votes for president today, Rhode Islanders at the polls will also consider two propositions on the ballot, regarding nearly $90 million in state bonds to fund the state departments of transportation and environmental management. The first initiative, if passed, would authorize more than $87 mil-
Universities need new mission statements, Fish says
METRO
is running for his third term in the U.S. Senate, campaigning on a platform of energy independence, middle class tax reform and opposition to the Iraq War. Reed, an Army veteran, is widely seen as one of the foremost experts on national defense and drew attention earlier this year as a potential vice presidential pick for Sen. Barack Obama. He also accompanied Obama on his tour of the Middle East over the summer. Reed’s opponent, Rober t
lion in state funding to improve roads, railways and infrastructure. The money would come in the form of bonds, borrowed funds from taxes, fees, fines and the lotter y system, which the state would eventually repay with interest. These funds would be matched by available federal funds. Around $3.5 million of this fund would be used by the Rhode Island Public Transport Authority to purchase new buses and rehabilitate old ones. The rehabilitations and purchases, if the bill passes, would start next summer. Depending on the size of the vehicle, RIPTA estimates that the life of the new and rehabilitated buses will be approximately 10 to 12 years, according to state’s Web site. Assuming an interest rate of six percent, the total project and issuance cost for the bond would ultimately amount to just over $150 million with interest included. Rep. David Segal, D-Dist. 2, a supporter of the bill, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that though adopting the measure would mean increased debt, the state could not afford to give up the federal funds.
continued on page 3
continued on page 4
Quinn Savit / Herald
Stanley Fish, author of the New York Times blog “Think Again,” lectured on Monday about the poor quality of university mission statements, arguing that professors try to do more than their job entails. traditions of inquiry” and second, “equip those same students with the analytical skills” they need to “move confidently within these new traditions and to engage in independent research.” “That’s all there is to it,” Fish
said, “nothing more and nothing less.” But according to Fish, university professors often try to do a lot more than their job entails. “If you read the mission statements put out by some colleges and universities, you would think
that ever y ill mankind had ever suffered was to be cured by the right curriculum and by a visionary instructor,” Fish said. Fish said Wesleyan University continued on page 4
Conservatives The election: where to vote, what to look for log on to the blogosphere By Scott Lowenstein Metro Editor
By Juliana Friend Staf f Writer
Brown’s conservatives may be few in number, but they’re still finding new ways to make themselves heard. “Why are theatre people even pretending like their opinion matters?” asks BrownIvy.com, a new
FEATURE
Students who are at least 18 years of age and registered to vote in Rhode Island are eligible to vote in today’s general election. Voters must have registered in Rhode Island by Oct. 4 to cast ballots for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and local races. If unregistered, voters may cast a limited ballot for the presidential and vice presidential races at the Dunkin Donuts Center at One LaSalle Square in downtown Providence.
There are 581 polling places in Rhode Island, most of which open at 7 a.m. All polling places close at 9 p.m., but any voter who is in line at a polling booth by that time is eligible to cast a ballot.
ELECTION GUIDE Voter information, including sample ballots and where to vote, is available at www.state.ri.us/ vic. U.S. SENATE Jack Reed Incumbent Jack Reed, D-R.I.,
student-run blog created as a forum for right-leaning students to discuss University events and national political issues. Until now, the campus conservative movement has in large part been recorded by the Brown Spectator, which strikes a formal tone. But as Brown’s conservatives look for new ways to share their social and political analyses, they’re turning to the Internet. “I want Brown conservatism to be Googleable,” said Joshua Unseth ’09, a creator of and contributor to BrownIvy. Unseth said the genesis of the blog, which launched Sept. 16, was “kind of a crapshoot.” One of the reasons for founding it was to provide a sounding board separate from the Brown Spectator — a studentrun “journal of conservative and libertarian thought” — to escape some of the negative feelings students may harbor toward that magazine,
A different kind of Strait Talk Chinese, Taiwanese, U.S. students try to mediate tensions By Etienne Ma Contributing Writer
Min Wu / Herald
continued on page 4
3
METRO
Strait Talk’s fourth annual weeklong symposium kicked off this week.
PLEADING NO CONTEST Edith Ajello is running unopposed for the state House, avoiding a tiring campaign
www.browndailyherald.com
5
CAMPUS NEWS
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE UCS is nearly twice as large as it was last year. How will it adapt to a bigger body?
11
OPINIONS
At the opening of the weeklong Strait Talk series, in which 15 student delegates from Taiwan, China and the United States try to mediate the tensions between the three nations, Associate Professor Jennifer Rudolph of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute described graffiti she had seen in Taiwan. “One China” and “One Taiwan” were phrases she saw scrawled on walls on the island. The two phrases epitomize the uncertain position of Taiwan, which fellow presenter Professor Steven Phillips of Towson University called
STEALING AN ELECTION? The Wiz Kids call for better oversight of electronic voting machines to avert disaster
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
12 SPORTS
“a bundle of contradictions.” China claims Taiwan as its own, while some Taiwanese insist on the island’s sovereignty. Monday’s presentation in the Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Science 220 was titled the “Historical Roots of the Taiwan Strait Issue.” The two professors tackled the historical origins of the formation of the Taiwanese identity, examining Taiwan’s transformation from the Qing dynasty through the Cold War. Rudolph said Taiwan had made an “evolution of identity” to become a “hub for international commodity trading” in the 19th century. Phillips stressed the importance of studying the history of the region, saying that an analysis of the issue needs to take into account historical claims to the island. For example, continued on page 9
QUAKERS MASSACRED Women’s soccer shuts out Penn in a tense overtime game after balanced play
News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com