Friday, January 23, 2009

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 3 | Friday, January 23, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Applications up 21 percent over last year

By Jyotsna Mullur Staf f Writer

The Office of Admissions received nearly 25,000 applications for admission into the class of 2013, the highest number in the University’s history and a 21 percent increase from last year’s 20,604 applications.

The unprecedented increase was not limited to any particular group, as applications from all regions, socioeconomic groups and academic backgrounds rose.

“We’re not sure why the pool has grown so substantially — the only information we have now is anecdotal as we read applications,” Dean of Admissions James Miller ’73 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

Miller said the University’s aid initiatives, announced last February, may have boosted the number of applications. The new aid policies eliminated loans for students from families earning less than $100,000 and family contributions for those from families earning less than $60,000. The policy also reduced loans for all students receiving financial aid.

“I think it’s fair to say the increase we’ve seen is unexpected,” “particularly given the economic difficulties many families are facing,” Miller wrote.

By Emmy Liss Features Editor

Jyotsna Mullur / Herald

Admission officers processed nearly 25,000 applications for the class of 2013, up from 20,604 last year.

There was a particular increase in applications from southern and western states, Miller noted, a trend that could be attributed to increased recruiting in the areas.

Early decision results were released Dec. 11. In contrast to regular decision, early decision applications decreased by about 100, to 2,348 applications. Of those, just over 550 were admitted, consistent with the number of students that have been admitted in previous years in the early admission round.

The drop in early applications was in part due to the drop in applications to the Program in Liberal Medical Education.

When Harvard and Princeton dropped their early admission programs two years ago, there was speculation that the number of early applications to other Ivy League institutions would increase, but that appears not to be the case at Brown. continued on page 2

Apps and admits at a glance Brown application totals:

• 2,348 early decision applications received • 550 early acceptances • 23.4 percent early acceptance rate • Approx. 24,900 total applications received this year

U. gets 90 offers for cheap Angell St. houses

By Hannah Moser Senior Staf f Writer

inside

It’s not surprising that the University received 90 inquiries about the sale of two historic houses it owns on Angell Street. After all, the University was offering them for just $10 each.

The two houses, located at 127 and 129 Angell St., are being relocated to clear the way for the Mind Brain Behavior Building as part of the Plan for Academic Enrichment. The University announced in October that it would sell the houses for $10 apiece as long as the buyers relocated them, though it would provide up to $1 million to defray the moving costs.

Ninety parties inquired about the discounted properties, nine of whom returned applications, Michael McCormick, assistant vice president of planning, design and construction, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. Five of the proposed sites are on the city’s East Side

News.....1-4 Arts........5-6 Spor ts...7-8 Letters....10 Opinion...11 Today........12

www.browndailyherald.com

Holbrooke ’62 appointed Asia envoy

and therefore the most feasible, he wrote.

University administrators reviewed the proposals internally and then shared them with members of the Providence Preservation Society, Providence Historic District Commission, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, Providence Department of Planning and Development and the City Forester, McCormick wrote.

“At this point, we have identified preferences and are working with those applicants to be sure that they have an appropriate site, that they will be able to execute the move and that they are willing to preser ve the properties,” he wrote.

The timing of the relocations will depend on fund raising and “our ability to clear all of the hurdles that are inherent in this type of arrangement,” McCormick wrote.

The single-family house at 129 Angell ‘can be moved in one piece, making it easier and less expensive

Eunice Hong/ Herald

Two historic homes on Angell Street are being sold for $10 apiece.

to move,” McCormick wrote. The smaller size will translate into fewer renovations needed after the move.

Though only 3 of the 9 proposals were made regarding the larger house at 127 Angell, McCormick wrote that he is “confident that it will be moved.” Moving the larger house will be more complicated, requiring it to be cut into multiple pieces to maneuver through the roads and around trees.

The Herald reported in October that administrators wanted to

“preserve the historic integrity” of the College Hill neighborhood and had therefore decided to move the houses, which were built in the middle of the 19th century, rather than demolish them.

The houses were most recently used as housing for graduate and medical students, but are now vacant. Moving the houses will require the buildings to be disconnected from their utilities, lifted from their foundations to wheels, and moved with hydraulic jacks.

Richard Holbrooke ’62, professor-atlarge at the Watson Institute for International Studies and a former U.N. ambassador, was appointed special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan in a State Department ceremony Thursday.

Holbrooke, whom President Barack Obama praised yesterday as “one of the most talented diplomats of his generation,” served as President Bill Clinton’s representative to the U.N. from 1999 to 2001. He has also worked as assistant secretary of state for Europe and for Asia, and is credited with brokering the Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia in 1995.

“I commend President Obama for his selection of Richard Holbrooke as special envoy,” President Ruth Simmons said in a statement issued through a University spokesperson.

“His knowledge, experience and tenacity make him supremely qualified for this challenging post.”

A professor-at-large since 2007, Holbrooke holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree granted to him by the University in 1997. The former history concentrator also received the 1996 Roger Williams Award, the Brown Alumni Association’s highest honor.

After Holbrooke, a former Herald editor-in-chief, graduated from Brown, he entered the Foreign Service and served in Vietnam for four years. At the age of 24, he was invited to work with a team of diplomats inside the administration of President Lyndon Johnson.

Holbrooke, 67, has also served as Peace Corps director in Morocco, worked at prominent Wall Street firms and authored two books. The only person to have held the position of assistant secretary of state in two different regions of the world, Holbrooke has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize seven times.

“As a Brown community, we should all be very proud that one of our alumni and professors has been named to such an important position by the Obama administration,” said Geoffrey Kirkman ’91, deputy director of the Watson Institute.

Though “issues faced in Afghanistan and Pakistan are tremendously difficult,” Kirkman said, Holbrooke is a “seasoned and tough diplomat.”

“Students who have gotten to know Ambassador Holbrooke over the past year should revisit and cherish the things they learned from him,” Kirkman added.

Kirkman was unable to say whether Holbrooke would continue to hold his post at the Watson Institute.

Arts, 5

Sports, 7

Opinions, 11

Gold Standard Hillel brings Golden Globe winner David Polonsky to Providence

vaulting to success The women’s gymnastics team is off to a strong start this season

Pointless punishment Alyssa Ratledge ‘11 argues the futility of assigning essays as disciplinary actions

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

herald@browndailyherald.com

Page 2

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS loo k o u t below

“I knew that (Brown) was where I wanted to be.”

— Michael Pastore ’13

Tough market for would-be interns

by Brian Mastroianni Senior Staf f Writer

Kim Perley / Herald

A man knocks icicles off a roof on Wriston Quad.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Friday, January 23, 2009

As students filter in and out of classes at the beginning of this spring semester, there may be more on their minds than shopping period.

Facing what is perhaps the toughest job market in years, students tr ying to get career experience this summer are turning to various resources for advice and financial assistance in choosing internships — many of which, especially this year, are likely to be unpaid.

“It’s still early in the internship season, but the internship rush is happening now,” said Laura Joshi, employer relations manager at the Career Development Center. Students are visiting the CDC in droves for resume help, cover letter reviews and mock inter views prior to a wave of internship deadlines looming in the next few weeks.

Despite the economy, CDC Associate Director Beverly Ehrich said employers will always be interested in of fering positions to college interns. “Internships are a pipeline for new hires,” she said.

“Employers want to keep attracting new college graduates and bring them up through the ranks by way of internships.”

But despite their enthusiasm, students might be finding fewer opportunities.

For Lucy Sedgwick ’11, many of the internship programs that she knew were offered last summer “are either no longer available or now unpaid.”

With fewer positions open to students, the application process will become more competitive, Joshi said. “Students have to stand out and be prepared and get their marketing tool sharpened, since some of the employers who we recruit here are cautious about the numbers that they are hiring,” she said.

Moreover, while most students would prefer not to accept an unpaid internship, many might have no other option. Yet, not all students can even afford to do so.

“Being able to afford taking on unpaid internships is a concern for students during any summer,” Ehrich said, though she added that the University and the CDC offer some competitive financial awards to assist students in completing such internships.

Through the CDC, students can apply for both the Brown Internship Award Program and the Aided Internship Program, which are made possible through donations from alumni, parents and employers, according to Joshi.

The BIAP, which gives awards of $2,500 to approximately 40 students, is offered by the CDC. The AIP, designed for students on financial aid, will award 25 summer earnings waivers of up to $2,650, Joshi said.

As a result of these programs, some students said they felt more comfortable applying for unpaid summer internships than they other wise might.

For Francis Gonzales ’11, a development studies concentrator, the ideal summer internship program would be one that paid.

“I would like to get paid to do an internship since making money over the summer is very important to me,” he said. “So it’s nice that Brown of fers the BIAP and AIP programs.”

Felipe Umana ’11, an international relations concentrator, said he too plans on applying to unpaid internship programs, despite the current economic climate. “I will still give non-paying internships consideration since I still want to be active and explore my academic pursuits,” he said.

Students may need to seek out positions through means beyond the resources at Brown, though, as the internship process becomes more competitive and an increascontinued on page 4

Applications rise for class of 2013 continued from page 1

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“We didn’t see a big change in our early decision applicant pool as a result of Harvard and Princeton dropping their programs – either last year or this,” Miller wrote.

Across the Ivy League, there has been a general increase in applications, with Dartmouth reporting a 7.5-percent increase and Yale reporting a 13.5 increase in early applications, according to the schools’ respective newspapers. Har vard and Princeton posted somewhat smaller increases, with Har vard receiving 5.6 percent more applications and Princeton 2.3 percent, according to a Jan. 22 article in Bloomberg News.

The University’s recent switch to the Common Application — a single application that can be submitted to over 300 colleges in the United States — may have also been responsible for the increased interest, Miller wrote. But he added that the switch was probably only responsible for 5 to 7 percent of the growth in applications.

Applicants to Brown also had to fill out a Brown-specific supplement with extra essays and short answers, asking them why they chose to apply and to describe a particular academic experience that has influenced them.

“It did not affect my choice to apply, but I was relieved to see that it was the Common Application,” said Michael Pastore ’13, a senior at Douglas High School in Massachu-

Jyotsna Muller / Herald

The increase in applications mirrored those observed at peer schools.

setts. “I was so set on Brown, and I knew that it was where I wanted to be.”

Natasha Kumar ’13 from Hershey, Pa., an early admitted PLME, expressed the same sentiment, saying she knew she wanted to go to Brown regardless of the application.

Interested in community health, Kumar said she was attracted to the idea of crafting a less scienceintensive path to medicine.

Christine Freije, a senior at Marianapolis Preparatory School

in Thompson, Conn., was not admitted in the early decision round, but instead was deferred. Interested in theater, Freije chose Brown for its location and the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance.

“Brown is still absolutely my first-choice school,” Freije said, adding that if admitted, she would attend without hesitation.

She, along with other deferred students, will wait until early April to learn whether she has been accepted.

Friday, January 23, 2009

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Page 3

“(The Greeks) say some fairly odd things.”

— David Konstan, Professor of Classics

McClure to lead nat’l math society

By Anita Mathews Contributing Writer

Courtesy of the New Yorker

Professor of History Michael Vorenberg’s winning caption in the New Yorker’s 172nd weekly cartoon caption contest.

History prof’s caption wins New Yorker contest

By riley Blanton Contributing Writer

“Guess who’s getting voted off the island.”

With those few words, Associate Professor of History Michael Vorenberg won the New Yorker’s 172nd weekly Cartoon Caption Contest. The week’s cartoon depicted a strange-looking smiley face situated among the iconic Moai statues of Chile’s Easter Island. Vorenberg’s winning caption beat about 5,000 competitors, according to Robert Mankoff, the magazine’s cartoon editor.

Mankoff said that contest entries “tend to fall into categories” and that this time, many readers’ submissions fell under the “voted off the island” theme. Occasionally, he said, winning entries are exactly the same and

the winner is chosen at random.

Reached by telephone, Vorenberg declined to comment on his winning entry.

The contest, which first landed on the magazine’s back page in 2005, began as a “general participatory push,” Mankoff said.

“The most common thing that people say is: ‘I can’t draw, but…,’” he said.

Though the competition does not offer a monetary rewardto winners, the thrill of seeing one’s name in print seems to be prize enough.

Many contestants submit regularly, Mankoff said, and one person has even won three times.

Vorenberg, he said, has submitted three captions to the magazine altogether, though he hit the magic formula only once. “His first two were terrible,” Mankoff said, laughing.

The new year brought new leadership to the American Mathematical Society, as Professor of Applied Mathematics Donald McClure Ph.D. ’70 was appointed the group’s executive director.

McClure is leaving the University after four decades of teaching to devote himself to the duties of his new office.

As executive director of the AMS, a Providence-based national institution that promotes mathematical research and scholarship, McClure will have a “very full-time” commitment, he said.

In his new position, McClure will primarily deal with balancing the budget of the AMS and determining the financial direction of the association. He said he will be responsible for allocating resources for crucial initiatives within the AMS, some of which include expanding electronic publishing, engendering research and compiling academic textbooks for both graduate- and undergraduate-level courses.

McClure joined the AMS in 1969

and first compiled statistics on doctoral candidates in math for its data committee, he said, adding that he later served on the board of trustees and as associate treasurer.

Though the term for executive director is technically five years, McClure said it is common for people to stay on longer. His predecessor, John Ewing PhD’71 P’09, served for 13 years.

Through McClure’s five years on the board of trustees, he was able to observe Ewing’s term. Ewing “was a very effective executive director,” McClure said. “I would only hope that I could do as well as he did.”

McClure is not the first Brown professor to become an active participant in the AMS. With its headquarters in Providence, the AMS’s history is intertwined with the University’s. Brown faculty and alumni have held key positions in the development and administration of the association, McClure said.

Perhaps most notable is Otto Neugebauer, a former histor y of mathematics professor in the 1940s, McClure said. Neugebauer developed “Mathematical Reviews,”

an AMS database that tracks the tens of thousands of mathematical research papers published each year and serves as an up-to-date resource for the newest literature in mathematics.

Several prominent members of the AMS lauded McClure’s appointment.

McClure’s ability and experience will “serve him (and us) well in this new position,” AMS President James Glimm said in a press release.

“I am sure that (McClure) will do a superb job at the AMS and working to strengthen the mathematical sciences here in the United States and around the world,” Professor of Mathematics Joseph Silverman wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

Silverman is a member of the AMS Council, a governing board responsible for approving the selection of the executive director.

McClure said he is unsure how long he will keep his position, but added that it is unlikely his stint at the AMS means the end of his teaching career. “I’ve always been enthusiastic about teaching,” he said. “Friends and colleagues can call me to substitute any time.”

Classicist’s book on emotions is honored

By Rachel Starr Contributing Writer

Professor of Classics David Konstan received the American Philological Association’s Charles J. Goodwin Award of Merit in early Januar y for his book, “The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks.”

The Goodwin Award honors one “outstanding contribution to classical scholarship” each year, according to the association’s Web site, and recipients must be

Remember the neediest.

current members in order to be eligible.

Konstan’s book, which was published in 2006, explores the ways in which the ancient Greeks understood emotion and the differences between their perceptions of emotions and those of the modern world, he wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

“It was generally taken for granted that their emotions, at least, were more or less like ours,” Konstan wrote from Greece,

where he is currently on sabbatical. “And yet, when we look at how the ancient Greeks wrote about emotions, we find they say some fairly odd things.”

“The Greeks tended to think of the emotions as having a high cognitive component,” Konstan wrote. He used his findings about emotion to enhance his understanding of ancient Greek culture, par ticularly literature. continued on page 4

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

“Internships are an investment in yourself.”

— Eric Normington, vice president, University of Dreams

Internship landscape increasingly competitive in throes of financial crisis continued from page 2 ing numbers of positions are unpaid.

Eric Normington, vice president of University of Dreams, a California-based organization that helps place students in internships, said there had been an “increased interest” in the company’s ser vices. Now in its ninth year, the organization offers eight- to

10-week internship programs, placing students with companies and finding them room and board.

A competitive program, the University of Dreams will offer 1,700 positions this summer to students who will have access to approximately 4,000 internship programs, Normington said. About 30 percent of the organization’s alums are offered full-time positions at their summer companies after complet-

Friday, January 23, 2009

ing their internships, Normington said, an additional 40 percent are given offers to return as interns for future summers.

For Normington, the ability to find internships provides college students with the chance to succeed in a difficult job market. “Internships are an investment in yourself,” he said, “just as education is an investment in yourself.”

Keep your eyes open for Herald info sessions!

Professor honored by philological association continued from page 3 “Those Greeks were very canny,” he wrote, “I’ve learned a lot from them.”

Professor of Classics Kur t Raaflaub, who just completed his term as president of the association, said the award involves little to no material prize and is based on honor in the classical tradition.

After all, he added, “the ancient Greeks competed for olive wreaths.”

The association’s selection committee chose Konstan’s book from a large pool, Raaflaub said, adding that he personally presented Konstan with the Goodwin Award on Jan. 11.

“It was a most wonderful feeling,” Raaflaub said, to be able to present the prestigious award to his colleague and “give him a big bear hug congratulating him.” He added that this prize was “well

deser ved” and “overdue” for Konstan, who has contributed a number of “ver y important and ver y widely read” books to his field.

“I … felt deeply grateful, and to tell the truth, humble,” Konstan wrote of his reaction to being selected for the award. “I have great respect for (the selection committee members), and for many, many people in my profession who do truly excellent work.”

In addition to publishing scholarly works, Konstan has long been active in the APA and ser ved as president in 1999. He also received the John Rowe Workman Award for Distinguished Teaching at Brown in 2002.

“He’s typical of the classics department,” Raaflaub said of his colleague. “He’s a great scholar, but also a great teacher and a great human being.”

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Arts & Culture The Brown Daily Herald

At the JCB, moors and marauders on display

By Ben Hyman Ar ts & Culture Editor

Poor Luis de Torres. In 1492 the Arabic-speaker sailed across the Atlantic with Columbus, who thought he would need a translator when he landed somewhere on mainland Asia. Obviously, things didn’t work out as planned, and de Torres found himself tr ying in vain to communicate with Cuban islanders in a language they didn’t understand.

De Tor res’ is only one of the many fascinating stories on display in “Islamic Encounters: America, Europe and the Middle East before 1835,” an exhibit of rare books at the John Car ter Brown Librar y organized by Dennis Landis, curator of European books. It is on view in the librar y’s reading room through Februar y.

With a chronological scope that ranges broadly from the late 15th century to the early 19th, “Islamic Encounters” documents the histor y of interactions between the Islamic world and the West in all their complexity. The diversity of materials on display is the exhibition’s greatest strength, even if the curatorial logic behind all of it isn’t necessarily apparent.

De Tor res’ stor y can be found in the exhibit’s first section, “Spain and the Expulsions of 1492,” where it is paired with

a 1594 print depicting Columbus’ landing. The larger theme here, though, is the waning influence of Muslim culture on the Iberian Peninsula. According to the exhibition notes, which are exhaustive and illuminating throughout, between the years 1492 — when the Spanish monarchy wrested control of Granada from Muslim rule — and 1610, 3 million Muslims emigrated from or fled Spain.

A beautifully sensitive 1741 print on display here shows the Moorish architecture left behind by the disappearing society, capturing both the grandeur and detailed ornamentation of several Seville landmarks.

Another crucial component of this history is, of course, the Inquisition, the antithesis to the relative religious tolerance that reigned in Muslim Granada. The exhibition includes the Spanish perspective, as well as an emotionally charged 1569 propaganda print from Protestant England that depicts some of the nastiest Spanish tor ture techniques used on the Inquisition’s victims, such as “basting and broyling their feete.”

From here, “Islamic Encounters” moves to documents reflecting the experience of European travelers in the Islamic world.

While most of these explorers and adventurers may be unfamiliar to us — anyone read Ludovico di Varthema’s travelogue “Itin-

erario” recently? — the one wellknown figure here is a man who claimed he was captured in battle

by Tartars and held in slaver y.

This Englishman, named John Smith, managed to escape only after he bludgeoned his master to death, as he recounts in the copy of his memoirs on display here.

The memoir does not, however, include the episode in which this same John Smith helped found the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, or the two times Pocahontas allegedly saved his life.

“Islamic Encounters” also features materials on the changing shape of Europe as the Ottoman Empire expanded and declined, as well as a particularly interesting section on the knowledge shared between Europe and the Islamic world, whose scientific and technological achievements far surpassed those of the West for many centuries. Europe was, however, able to give the Muslim world the art of printing, and stunning Turkish books and maps show that the transfer of knowledge went both ways.

Also on display, in a section titled “Literar y Vignettes,” are numerous captivity narratives from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Writers could obviously hope to profit from books, like Smith’s, that traded in the perceived exoticism of Muslim lands. Shoehorned into this section is a 1623

First Folio edition of the complete works of Shakespeare, ostensibly included because it contains the play “Othello.” The addition is a little arbitrar y, but it seems petty to complain. If the John Carter Brown Library has a Shakespeare First Folio, why shouldn’t they show it off?

The exhibit ends with documents related to piracy and sea battles, featuring several prints of Barbar y Coast conflicts. But the most striking item here is unillustrated — a copy of the 1797 treaty between the U.S. and the Muslim government of Tripoli. Article XI of the treaty, grounded in the principle that “the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion,” states that religious differences between the two countries would never be used as a pretext for war.

Even if the treaty itself ultimately failed to prevent the U.S. and Tripoli from declaring war on one another four years later over a piracy controversy, the actual document ser ves as a fascinating piece of U.S. political and cultural history and as a controversial text in the ongoing debate over the place of religion in civic life. As an exhibit, “Islamic Encounters” ranges widely, hitting on many intriguing, unexpected stories as it tackles an enormous and complicated subject.

Israeli animator of ‘Waltz with Bashir’ to visit

By Caroline Sedano Senior Staf f Writer

Fresh from his recent Golden Globe win, Israeli illustrator David Polonsky will spend three months on campus working with students from Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design and the Providence community as an artist-in-residence.

Polonsky is the art director and lead artist for “Waltz with Bashir,” an animated documentary feature film that addresses director Ari Folman’s search to recover lost memories from his time as a soldier during the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon. The film combines historical fact, interviews, fantasy and journalism to create a unique perspective on the event and its aftermath.

Polonsky is also an award-winning children’s and comic book illustrator. His stay at Brown is sponsored by groups including the Creative Arts Council, the Hillel Gallery Project and the RISD Office of Multicultural Affairs.

“Waltz with Bashir,” described

by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott as “a work of astonishing aesthetic integrity and searing moral power,” recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Yesterday, the film was nominated for an Academy Award in the Foreign Language Film category.

“His work is phenomenal,” said

Tali Rozensher ’09, co-chair of the Hillel Gallery Project, a student group that curates art shows at Brown/RISD Hillel. She has helped create and organize events for Polonsky’s stay at Brown, which begins Feb. 9 and ends May 1.

“It is really important for Brown, RISD and Providence to be exposed to another type of art,” Rozensher said, adding that exposure to innovative art forms would be especially valuable given the extended time that Polonsky will be on campus.

During his three months at Brown, Polonsky will teach two courses: an Israeli cinema class that may be offered for credit to RISD students and a seminar-style class on editorial cartoons. He will also participate in critiques with various Visual Arts courses at Brown and RISD. An exhibition of his children’s book illustrations will be featured at the Hillel gallery. His film “Waltz with Bashir” will also be shown at the Avon Cinema on Feb. 18, with Polonsky leading a question-and-answer session after the screening.

In June, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation — a group that has worked to bring Israeli artists to cities and universities in the U.S. — contacted Hillel about the possibility of sponsoring an artist-in-residence. The opportunity was in line with the foundation’s broader effort to “foster a connection to Israeli culture and

expose the artists to American audiences,” said Shirah Rubin, director of engagement at Hillel.

“His background is quite diverse and it’s a really exciting opportunity for students from Brown and RISD to come together and learn from someone who is such an accomplished, successful and professional artist,” Rubin said. Though Hillel had a number of Israeli artists to choose from, Rubin said Polonsky was the top choice.

Brown is the only university to host an Israeli artist through the Schusterman Foundation. Rubin mentioned that the Foundation was attracted to Brown/RISD Hillel in part because of the strong connection between the two schools.

“I think they were very interested in working with both art students and open-minded Ivy League students,” Rubin said. “It was that unique combination that made working with us so appealing.”

“He’s a great artist and ‘Waltz with Bashir’ is getting great recognition right now so it’s really serendipitous that he can be at Brown,” said Chira Delsesto, program coordinator of the Creative Arts Council, who helped organize grants to bring Polonsky to Brown.

The artist-in-residence program “really allows these artists to get their hands dirty and work with students,” she said.

The council is also responsible for funding many artists to come

to Brown for extended periods. In March it will help bring two movement specialists — Ronni Stewart and Shanti Pillai — to work with Kym Moore, visiting assistant professor of theatre, speech and dance. It will also fund five LGBT playwrights to work with Karen Allen Baxter, the managing director of Rites and Reason Theatre, during the Black Lavender playwriting contest in March. The CAC is also funding the Maureen Fleming Company to work throughout the semester with Senior Lecturer in Theatre, Speech and Dance Michelle Bach-Coulibaly.

Friday, January 23, 2009 | Page 5

‘Office’ star Krasinski ’02 makes film debut

By Hannah Levintova Arts & Cultures Editor

John Krasinski ’02, best known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC comedy “The Office,” made his first mark on the cinematic scene this past Monday. His film, “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,” which he wrote and directed, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Monday marked the film’s world premiere, and it was one of 16 films selected for screening as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance. The 16 were chosen from a total 1,026 submissions, according to the film festival’s Web site.

Krasinki adapted the screenplay for “Brief Interviews” from the late author David Foster Wallace’s short story collection of the same title.

The book is a compilation of often disquieting and satirical reflections on male behavior, several of which take the form of clinical interviews.

According to a Jan. 18 article in The Boston Globe, Krasinski was inspired to create the film after his first encounter with Wallace’s book during his senior year at Brown — a chance involvement in a staged reading of monologues — moved him to pursue an acting career.

The film centers on the character Sara Quinn, played by Julianne Nicholson (“Kinsey”). After a difficult and unanticipated breakup, Quinn, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology, decides to embark on new research.

She conducts interviews with men, documenting their diverse and often disturbing life experiences, and learns about herself in the process.

Krasinski acts in the film as well.

“Brief Interviews” also features actors Bobby Cannavale (“The Station Agent”) and Dominic Cooper (“The History Boys”).

According to a Jan. 19 article in The Los Angeles Times, the movie has received particular attention as the first and only major adaptation of a book by Wallace, who committed suicide last September.

SportsWeekend The Brown Daily Herald

Gymnastics starts season off strong

Hot Stove Sabermetrics

With a month until spring training and anticipating no drastic splashes with the remaining free agents (Manny, Dunn), it’s time to wrap up Jonathan Hahn Sports Columnist a n o t h e r successful or not so successful baseball offseason.

Last year, we saw the importance of young homegrown talent (Phillies, Rays) and how deep pockets don’t guarantee postseason success (Yankees, Cubs). This year, with the economic recession in full swing, more and more teams are looking to control costs and spend their dollars wisely. Player valuation, statistical analysis and marginal wins are the name of the game as baseball teams, or businesses, head into 2009.

Let’s quickly go over Wins Above Replacement (WAR), which I will use heavily. Each baseball player either scores runs (hitting) or prevents them (defense and pitching). Sabermetricians have developed ways to translate run production and run prevention stats into wins, and they compare a player’s performance (say A-Rod) to a Quad-A (replacement) Player.

The free agent market values an additional win (1 WAR) around $4.5 to $5 million, so 2 WAR are worth $10 million and so on. It’s Moneyball meets Ball Street. Let’s wave goodbye to The Herald’s New York, Boston, and Chicago bias and take a look at how some of the teams did this winter when it comes to getting value: Winners Yankees: Getting the best pitcher (C.C. Sabathia) and hitter available (Mark Teixeira) basically counts as a win.

Throw in A.J. Bur nett and you have around $60 million for around 12-13 Wins Above Replacement next year. Sure, $400 million an offseason is a lot of money, but the Yankees didn’t over value their targets (Pavano anyone?) or give up multiple first-rounders. The Yankees spending wisely is pretty scar y.

Oakland: Trading for Matt Holliday, signing Jason Giambi for half off ($5.5 million for 2 WAR) and pushing for Rafael Furcal before losing out shows that Billy Beane is willing to spend. With the Angels losing key players and unable to splurge, and the Mariners and Rangers rebuilding, the A’s upgraded their offense for cheap and have a real shot at the AL West.

San Francisco: Acquiring Randy Johnson (2 WAR for $8 million) Edgar Renteria (2 to 3 WAR for $9 million) and solidifying the bullpen with continued on page 8

Friday, January 23, 2009 | Page 7

By Elisabeth Avallone Sports Staff Writer

Justin Coleman / Herald

Chelsey Binkley ‘10 led the way for Brown on Sunday with a 9.725 on floor exercise, winning the event.

Although the gymnastics team officially recorded a loss against Towson University in its opening meet on Sunday at the Pizzitola Center, the result reflects one of Brown’s bestever opening season scores.

Towson, which finished first in the ECAC last year, topped Brown by a slim margin, 189.000 to 185.950. Yet more significant to the Bears was that their first score of the season, higher than both Penn and Yale scored in a separate meet, puts them in a strong position in the Ivy League race.

The meet was also a platform for outstanding personal accomplishment, as Chelsey Binkley ’11 finished first on floor, with a personal best score of 9.725. “I thought everyone stepped up, especially the freshmen,” Binkley said. “We are really developing as a team. We are poised to do very well in the Ivy League.”

Freshman Lilly Siems ’12 led Brown on vault, scoring a 9.350. Following her were Carli Wiesenfeld ’12 (9.300), Binkley (9.275) and Izzy Kirkham-Lewitt ’10 (9.200).

On the bars, Victoria Zanelli ’11 was the Bears’ top finisher, earning a 9.400 for fourth place. Captain

Jennifer Sobuta ’09 (9.300), Melissa Bowe ’11 (9.200) and Kirkham-Lewitt (9.100) followed in fifth, sixth and seventh place respectively, and the Bears earned an overall team score of 45.925 for the event.

The Bears’ performance continued to improve in the beam event, as Wiesenfeld posted Brown’s top score of 9.600. Bruno’s score of 46.900 challenged Towson’s 47.400.

The floor was the Bears’ best event of the day, as they finished with a score of 46.925, falling just short of Towson’s 47.250. Following Binkley’s first-place finish were Katie Goddard ’12 (9.600) and Helen Segal ’10 (9.550), who earned fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Siems represented Brown in the all-around, finishing third with a score of 36.375.

Although surgery prevented cocaptain Stephanie Albert ’10 from competing, she stressed the overall score as a great accomplishment for the Bears. “As a team we were really excited about our score for the start of the season. We have so much more potential to show in future meets,” she said.

The Bears will compete next against MIT on Jan. 25 at the Pizzitola.

Men’s tennis rebounds with win against Bryant

By Erin Frauenhofer Spor ts Staf f Writer

The men’s tennis team started off its season on Monday with a 5-2 loss to Boston College, then rallied back to take a 7-0 victory over Bryant.

Instead of letting their disappointment over the first match drag them down, the Bears considered the match against BC an opportunity to refocus on preparing for the rest of the season.

The loss to BC was “a really disappointing start to our season,” said Head Coach Jay Harris. “The guys took it hard, but it’s going to be a huge wake-up call for them.

This is a match we’re going to gain a lot from.”

The Eagles claimed the doubles point with 8-4 and 8-5 wins at first and third doubles, respectively, although Brown’s second doubles pairing of Kendrick Au ’11 and Skate Gorham ’10 defeated BC’s Brian Garber and Adam Davison by a score of 8-6 to complete doubles play.

The Eagles “came out playing well,” Harris said. “They came out with a chip on their shoulder, and they out-fought us.”

The Bears had solid wins in first and second singles, respectively, as Jonathan Pearlman ’11 outlasted BC’s Thomas Nolan, 7-5, 7-6, and co-captain Chris Lee ’09 trounced Alex Rastorgouev, 6-1, 6-3.

However, Brown was unable to notch any other singles wins.

Gorham and Jimmy Crystal ’12 fell in straight sets at third and sixth

singles, respectively.

“The guys got in a lot of tough situations, and I think they were uncomfortable” Harris said.

At fourth singles, co-captain Noah Gardner ’09 split the first two sets, 6-1, 1-6 with Akash Muppidi, before narrowly losing the third set, 7-5. The fifth singles match also went to a third set as Au fell, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to Brian Locklear.

“As weird as it is to get a wake-up call this early, it’s kind of a gift to get it this early,” Harris said. “We can right the ship right from the beginning.”

The Bears rebounded in their match against Bryant, winning all of their nine matches. Both the first doubles duo of Lee and Gardner and the second doubles team of Gorham and Charlie Posner ’11 demolished their opponents by a score of 8-2. At third doubles, Crystal and Andrew Yazmer ’12 earned an 8-3 victory.

The Bears had equally decisive triumphs in singles play. Pearlman led the way at first singles, defeating the Bulldogs’ Cristian Balestrieri, 6-3, 6-1. Gardner gave up only one game at second singles, decimating Kevin Gardiner, 6-1, 6-0, while at third singles, Posner annihilated Dylan Whiting, 6-0, 6-0.

Brown’s winning streak continued as Au soundly defeated Tom Nowak at fourth singles by a score of 6-2, 6-1, and at fifth singles Yazmer overpowered Nicholai Hill, 6-2, 6-3.

Crystal finished off the trouncing at sixth singles, where he breezed

by Andres Orobitg, 6-0, 6-2.

The Bears are looking forward

to a pair of doubleheaders at home this weekend. On Saturday, Brown will face off against Davidson at 2 p.m. before competing against Boston University at 7 p.m. in the first-ever “Rock ‘n’ Roll and College Tennis” match, which will feature a

shorter format, free pizza and music played throughout the entire match.

“This could change the face of college tennis,” Harris said.

On Sunday, the Bears will also host SUNY-Buffalo and Lehigh.

Page 8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Friday, January 23, 2009

s ports W eekend

br yant beat- down

Justin Coleman / Herald File Photo

The men’s tennis team lost 5-2 to Boston College but came back with a 7-0 win over Bryant. See story, page 7.

Winners and losers in game of WAR continued from page 7 Jeremy Af feldt and Bob Howr y (combined 2 WAR for $7 million) make the Giants a much better team in the weak NL West, all at a great value.

Tampa: The reigning AL champs had one goal: Get a DH. Pat Burrell brings a desperately needed righty bat, and at $8 million a year for 2 WAR, it’s an excellent addition to arguably the best allaround star ting 9 (defense and hitting). Throw in the cheap relievers they acquired and it’s a solid offseason for the cost-conscious Rays.

Losers Kansas City: Far and away the biggest loser of the of fseason.

Adding Kyle Farnswor th, Mike Jacobs, Horacio Ramirez and Willie Bloomquist (the player that

“replacement player” is modeled after) all for $11 million is a complete disaster. The money spent for the 0.5 to 1 WAR would have been better spent on a quality player, draft picks or even popcorn for the postseason.

Phillies: Sure, they won the Series, but giving the 36 year old Raul Ibanez a 3 year, $30 million contract instead of tr ying to wait for outfielder prices to fall was a bad move. And for the Phillies, who scream about Burrell’s terrible defense, Ibanez is just as bad and hits a lot worse. His 1 WAR just isn’t good value for $10 million.

Cubs: Okay, so you got Milton Bradley, and if (big if) he stays reasonably healthy, he’ll be worth around 3 WAR, and at $10 million a year that’s pretty good. Trading hot prospects Jose Ceda and Felix Pie for Kevin Gregg and Garrett Olson, respectively, both 1 WAR,

was foolish, but that’s nothing like getting rid of the 3.5 WAR Mark DeRosa for nothing and replacing him with Aaron Miles, bringing 0 WAR. I’m feeling lucky Boston: Theo Epstein may have stumbled onto the next market inefficiency: incentive-laden contracts to players with injur y risks.

Adding Brad Penny, John Smoltz, Takashi Saito and Rocco Baldelli for between $12 million and $24 million is a good low-risk, highreward move. If ever ything works out, they’ll be worth 5 to 6 WAR. If not, it just means Monster seats got more expensive.

Jonathan Hahn ’10 is trying to find his Value Over Replacement Columnist

Want to join The Herald?

It’s never too late!

Look for dates of info sessions coming up next week.

Friday, January 23, 2009

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

World & Nation

Page 9

The Brown Daily Herald

and the oscar nod goes to. . .

Friday, January 23, 2009 | Page 9

Anti-porn law struck down by Supreme Court DAVID G. SAVAGE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Courtesy of Anne Siegel

“Benjamin Button” and “Slumdog Millionaire” led the pack of nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards.

Tech-savvy Obama team adjusts to White House ANNE E. KORNBLUT WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — If the Obama campaign represented a sleek, new iPhone kind of future, the first day of the Obama administration looked more like the rotary-dial past.

Two years after launching the most technologically savvy campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy Wednesday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts.

What does that mean in 21st century terms? No Facebook to communicate with supporters. No outside e-mail logins. No instant messaging. Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking.

“It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs.

In many ways, the move into the White House resembled a first day at school: Advisers wandered the halls, looking for their offices.

Aides spent hours in orientation, learning government ethics rules as well as how their paychecks will be delivered. And everyone filled out a seemingly endless pile of paperwork.

There were plenty of first-day glitches, too, as calls to many lines in the West Wing were met with a busy signal all morning and those to the main White House switchboard were greeted by a recording, redirecting callers to the presidential

Web site. A number of reporters were also shut out of the White House because of lost security clearance lists.

By late evening, the vaunted new White House Web site did not offer any new posts about President Obama’s busy first day on the job, which included an inaugural prayer service, an open house with the public, and meetings with his economic and national security teams.

Nor did the site reflect the transparency Obama promised to deliver. “The President has not yet issued any executive orders,” it stated hours after Obama issued three executive orders tightening ethics rules, enhancing Freedom of Information Act rules and freezing the salaries of White House officials who earn more than $100,000.

No one could quite explain the problem — but they swore it would be fixed.

One member of the White House new media team came to work on Tuesday, right after the swearingin ceremony, only to discover that it was impossible to know which programs could be updated, or even which computers could be used for which purposes. The team, accustomed to working on Macintosh computers, found machines outfitted with six-year-old versions of Microsoft software. Laptops were scarce, assigned to only a few people in the West Wing. They were left struggling to close-caption online videos.

Senior advisers chafed at the new arrangements, which severely limit mobility, partly from habit, but also for security reasons and to ensure that all official work is preserved un-

der the Presidential Records Act. “It is what it is,” said a White House staff member, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Nobody is being a blockade right now.

It’s just the system we need to go through.”

The system has daunted past White House employees. David Almacy, who became president George W. Bush’s Internet director in 2005, recalled having a weeklong delay between his arrival at the White House and getting set up with a computer and a BlackBerry.

“The White House itself is an institution that transitions regardless of who the president is,” he said.

“The White House is not starting from scratch. Processes are already in place.”

One White House official, who arrived breathless Wednesday after being held up at the exterior gate, found he had no computer or telephone number. Recently called back from overseas duty, he ended up using his foreign cellphone.

Another White House official whose transition cellphone was disconnected left a message temporarily referring callers to his wife’s phone.

Several people tried to route their e-mails through home cable server accounts.

But there were no missing letters from the computer keyboards, as Bush officials had complained of during their transition in 2001.

And officials in the press office were prepared, at least on one front: They set up Gmail accounts, with approval from the White House counsel, so they could at least send information in one way.

WASHINGTON — A long legal drive to shield children from sexually explicit material on the Web ended in failure Wednesday when the Supreme Court let a 10-year old anti-pornography law die quietly.

In striking down the law on free-speech grounds, judges said parents can protect their children on their own by installing software filters on their computers.

But fewer than half of parents do so, Bush administration lawyers had argued in an effort to revive the law.

Anti-pornography activists said the court’s action, coming a day after President George W. Bush left office, signaled an end to the government’s bid to restrict pornography on the Web. “The timing puts an exclamation point on it. There’s very little reason for hope on this issue,” said Patrick Trueman, a Virginia lawyer who headed the Justice Department’s anti-pornography unit from 1988 to 1993. “I don’t think Congress will try again to protect children from pornography,” he said.

The Supreme Court had struck down an even broader law passed in 1996 that restricted “indecency” on the Internet. Following that ruling in 1997, Congress tried again with a narrow measure that targeted commercial purveyors of pornography on the Web. It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton late in 1998.

The Child Online Protection Act made it a crime to put sexually explicit material on a Web site for commercial gain unless the sponsor used some means to keep out minors. It never went into effect, however.

Judges repeatedly cited freespeech grounds and blocked it from being enforced.

The Supreme Court in 2004 said the law violated the First Amendment because it would crimp the rights of millions of adults. In a 5-4 decision, the justices sent the case back to a lower court in Philadelphia to decide if software filters were effective in screening out sexually explicit material.

Last year, the U.S. appeals cour t in Philadelphia struck down the law as unconstitutional, saying the software filters were

“equally effective” as a means of protecting children from online pornography.

In October, however, Bush administration lawyers disputed that claim and appealed to the Supreme Court. If the law were finally struck down, it “would leave millions of children unprotected from the harmful effects of the enormous amount of pornography on the World Wide Web,” they said.

Countering that contention, the American Civil Liberties Union said the challenged law would crimp free speech on the Web for adults and would not shield children, since at least half of the sexually explicit Web sites are outside the United States.

The justices considered the appeal in two closed door meetings in recent weeks. They issued a brief order Wednesday dismissing the case of Mukasey v. ACLU without comment.

The ACLU’s legal director Steven R. Shapiro said the court’s decision was consistent with its free-speech principles. “They have said online speech is entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment. That means the government can’t adopt a broad censorship measure if there are less restrictive ways to accomplish the same goal,” he said. In this case, he said, it was shown the software filters were more effective in protecting children from pornography.

When the computer pornography issue came before the Supreme Court five years ago, it split the justices, but not entirely along the usual ideological lines. Voting to block the law on free-speech grounds then were John Paul Stevens, Anthony M. Kennedy, David H. Souter, Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The dissenters were led by Antonin Scalia and Stephen G. Breyer. They were joined by the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and the now-retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Although wide-open free speech remains the rule on the Internet, there is one major exception. The government vigorously prosecutes those who trade online or store on a computer sexually explicit material that portrays children.

The Supreme Court has made clear that child pornography is not protected as free speech.

Commentary & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Friday, January 23, 2009

l e t t e r s to t h e e d i to r s

Hillel accommodates all kinds To the Editor: In a recent column, (“Jewish life at Brown not for everyone,” Jan. 21) Boris Ryvkin ’09 expressed various concerns about Brown-RISD Hillel.

Like any other religious or cultural group on campus, Brown-RISD Hillel facilitates community, education and expression among Jewish students. Enriching the broader world and campus community is also consistent with Jewish values. We regularly welcome Theatre classes, Swearer Center events and meetings of the Brown Republicans into the Hillel building. Tzedek, Hillel’s social justice group, works on universal issues of homelessness, hunger and environmentalism.

Brown-RISD Hillel is an umbrella organization for nearly 20 groups

and committees, ranging from the Jewish Cooking Club to the Shabbat Committee to three distinct Israelrelated groups that represent a variety of perspectives. On the whole, we are politically neutral and do not profess or support a particular ideology. In Hillel, as in the broader Jewish world, there is no definitive way to participate in Jewish life. We frequently encourage Brown and RISD students to constitute new Hillel groups if their needs and interests aren’t already met. And if you just want to come by for a free Shabbat dinner or to study on the comfortable couches, you are always welcome.

Liz Piper-Goldberg ‘09 Brown-RISD Hillel Student President Jan. 22

AEPi: another Jewish life alternative To the Editor: Boris Ryvkin’s ’09 column (“Jewish life at Brown not for everyone,” Jan. 21) discusses his experiences trying to find a Jewish community at Brown.

However, his column fails to mention Alpha Epsilon Pi, Brown’s chapter of the international Jewish fraternity. The brothers of AEPi, Jews and gentiles alike, have created a strong community based on Jewish values. It is a diverse and incredible group of guys,

some more religiously observant than others, who all share the desire to forge a unique college experience rooted in Jewish ideals. Ryvkin may have had his reasons for not joining AEPi, but a complete discussion of Jewish life at Brown would include mention of AEPi and the opportunities it presents to Brown students.

Jeff Lisiecki ’11 Alpha Epsilon Pi Rush Chair Jan. 22

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P ete F allon

opinions extra

New year, new attitude

BY TYLER ROSENBAUM Opinions Columnist The year 2008 is finally gone. Good riddance. I hardly need to explain my excitement to see that year pass — we all lived through it, after all. And when it comes to 2009, there’s a lot to be hopeful for.

Though the worldwide financial crisis (which, by the way, needs a pithier name; how about Great Depression II?) continues to rage, there’s reason to believe that the situation may improve before year’s end.

With that in mind, I resolved to do my little part to get the new semester started off on the right foot. And so my first column of the year, instead of suggesting ways for the University to improve, will highlight three excellent reasons to be positive about the new year at Brown.

First of all, there’s the New Curriculum. This is almost a no-brainer, but sometimes it seems like we take it for granted. Every time I talk to high school friends over winter break about classes and college experiences, I’m struck by how lucky we truly are.

Of course we should continue to advocate for needed reforms, but we should keep the big picture in mind while doing so.

The second reason to stay positive in these troubling times is our endowment and its competent administrators. Sure, these are tough times, and the endowment has likely taken a beating, but it’s still probably measured in billions of dollars, a boast few col-

leges can make. Moreover, Ruth Simmons and the Corporation have made it abundantly clear that maintaining financial aid and academic programs is a top priority.

This should be a cause of great relief for students.

While we may be saddened or inconvenienced by the austerity the economic crisis demands, the odds are favorable that we won’t have to resort to drastic measures that would have a significant impact on the quality of Brown and its student body. We should count ourselves as fortunate. Some other schools have had to reconsider their need-blind admissions policies in light of the current financial situation.

The final and perhaps most important reason to be upbeat about the remainder of our time at Brown is that our continued enrollment allows us to hold off on entering the job market until the catastrophe hopefully blows over. And while this is undoubtedly small comfort to seniors — many of whom have already started looking for jobs — they have at least another five months before leaving the ivory tower for the cold, hard world. (By then Obama’s gargantuan stimulus should have taken effect, right?)

It’s easy to think that 2009 will be a painful year for the world. But that sort of pessimistic thinking can only make matters worse. So, at least in the beginning, take a step back, relax and celebrate the positive side of college life.

It’s easy to think that 2009 will be a painful year for the world. But that

sort of pessimistic thinking can only

make matters worse. So, at least in the beginning, take a step back, relax and

celebrate the positive side of college life.

Tyler Rosenbaum ’11 is an international relations concentrator from Seattle, Wash.

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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

Friday, January 23, 2009 | Page 11

An appropriate punishment

BY ALYSSA RATLEDGE Opinions Columnist Essays? Really?

As part of their punishment, several members of Students for a Democratic Society involved in storming the October Corporation meeting must write research papers on University governance. On top of their 50 hours of community service and up to three semesters of probation, they’ll be demonstrating their repentance in Microsoft Word.

Why not just give them each a chalkboard to write “I will not storm University Hall” 200 times? It seems about as productive.

I can see the rationale for probation; it’s the University’s favorite tool for not actually penalizing students for their actions. But a reflective research paper? What do administrators hope the students are going to gain by writing a research paper — they’ll read about the Corporation through the ages and suddenly stop thinking there’s a shadowy cabal operating behind the scenes? Doubtful.

More likely, they’ll find that Encyclopedia Brunoniana only details the structure of the Corporation, that there’s no dusty tome in the Rock basement full of Corporation secrets, that Bobby Jindal ’91.5 still refuses to be their Deep Throat, that there’s no Wikipedia page on Thomas Tisch and that they’d much rather watch the new episode of “The Office” anyway. Then, the night before the deadline, they’ll churn out a five- or 10-pager full of tedious facts and a couple witty turns of phrase, a nice, fakely contrite essay to be read a handful of times before being relegated to the filing cabinet, and somehow that

will make everything better.

Whether or not you agree with SDS’s chosen course of action last October, you should see the frivolity of assigning these students research papers. Writing about University governance won’t relieve the real cause of friction between SDS and the Corporation, nor will it provide the community with a proper apology for or concrete response to the students’ less admirable actions during

only those who were involved in damage to the building and injuries to workers.

That seems more than fair. I’m sure that SDS doesn’t want to follow the lead of other activist organizations, both in the United States and abroad, that instigate acts of violence in order to achieve their ends, but their silence on this issue has been startling.

They would no doubt be vocally opposed to another student group or the University pull-

Paying compensation to injured workers would allow SDS, which asked to be punished by the University as a group rather than face repercussions as individuals, to prove its commitment to that ideal. the protest. Instead, the students in question should step up and take responsibility for what they’ve done — first, by paying the treatment costs for the injuries sustained by staff at the site.

If this incident had happened at the Rhode Island Capitol, say, instead of on Brown’s ever-tolerant campus, the students involved would face both criminal and civil penalties.

There would have been mass arrests, from the students directly involved in charging the building to those with the ladder outside to those just loitering in the area. Here, by contrast, administrators sought to discipline

ing the same stunt — SDS and the Student Labor Alliance would flood The Herald with letters and camp out on the Main Green to tell us how current employee health benefits and workers’ compensation are not sufficient. Wouldn’t it be a generous show of goodwill, not to mention true adherence to their egalitarian principles, if they spoke up for those workers injured just for doing their jobs?

In doing so, SDS, as well as the rest of the Brown community, could secure a better idea of how serious the injuries workers received really were. If SDS wants to continue

playing the role of unfairly targeted group, as it has, while claiming hearing irregularities such as the exclusion of witnesses and mishandling of charges, the members need to demonstrate that they have not acted inappropriately, and that if they have, they will take the necessary steps to make amends.

There would be little discussion about the legitimacy of paying the injured workers’ medical bills. Those bills are a fixed cost: They are based on actual injuries sustained as a result of employment. For the employees’ privacy, of course, medical records and information would not be released, but I’m sure SDS — and the general student population — would find the real cost of their protest enlightening.

Paying compensation to injured workers would also allow SDS, which asked to be punished by the University as a group rather than face repercussions as individuals, to prove its commitment to that ideal: Members could all chip in for their brothers and sisters in arms and would not have to apologize for ideology — just methodology.

It’s time to put your money where your mouth is, SDS. Show us that your support of “collateral damage” villagers in Afghanistan injured by Raytheon is as strong as your support of “collateral damage” Brown University employees injured by, well, you. Prove that you are willing to step up and take real responsibility for the real repercussions of your protest. A research paper doesn’t prove where you really stand.

Alyssa Ratledge ’11 is a public policy concentrator from Mesa, Ariz.

Rhode Island’s War on Terror

BY DREW HARRIS Opinions Columnist The Iranian government needs you. Or at least, it needs your cooperation. You’ve been a great partner in the past, and Iranian leaders appreciate your support.

I imagine that you are scratching your head right now, so allow me to explain some of the ways you (yes, you!) and the tiny little state from which you’re probably reading this column have served as unwilling aids to a troubling regime.

By now it is common knowledge that the Iranian government desperately wants a membership card from the perennially popular Nuclear Weapons Club (current membership: nine nations). And boy, is Iran close to signing up! A recent New York Times article reported that, “as of early [November], Iran had made 630 kilograms, or about 1,390 pounds, of low-enriched uranium. Several experts said that was enough for a bomb…”

“Fascinating, but perhaps Iran just wants nuclear power,” you retort with a smug grin on your face. Though the “peaceful nuclear power” argument sounds reasonable at first, it does not pass further scrutiny. When Russia offered to sell nuclear fuel to Iran in 2006, the Iranians complied — but then continued their own enrichment program.

Since the Iranians can’t make a legitimate economic argument, they have moved on to their favorite game, Blame the Jews: Holocaust Denial Edition (TM). “We don't trust the U.S.,” Iranian Member of Parliament Kamal Daneshyar told the BBC. “And because

we believe that they and the Zionists don't want us to progress, we must build reactors ourselves, make fuel ourselves, and be independent.”

That isn’t the real reason Iran wants to go nuclear, but Israel certainly has a lot to do with it. If Iran has nuclear weapons, it can project even more power over the Middle

nuclear-armed state within one or two years.

The good news is that funding a nuclear weapons program is expensive, and Iran’s on a tight budget. Though the Iranians were caught “illegally shift(ing) billions of dollars through American financial institutions… to finance [their] nuclear missile programs,” a glaring loophole in our foreign policy re-

Several states, including Rhode Island, have invested over $1 billion in companies involved in Iranian projects. If a handful of states in New England leave this big a footprint while the federal government imposes sanctions on and divests itself from Iran, are we not shooting ourselves in the foot?

East than it already does by funding terrorist organizations in Iraq and dangerous factions such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which, in this writer’s opinion, are the biggest roadblock on the path to peace in the Middle East.

But I digress. We were talking about you — how, with your help, Iran could become a

mains: state pension and investment funds.

Several states, including Rhode Island, have invested over $1 billion in companies involved in Iranian projects. If a handful of states in New England leave this big a footprint while the federal government imposes sanctions on and divests itself from Iran, are

we not shooting ourselves in the foot? The status quo is unacceptable.

I’m all for student activism, but I don’t think Brown students will be taking down Lloyds TSB — the British bank that was recently caught illegally covering up business with Iranian companies — any time soon. Where we can affect change is here in Rhode Island. There is already ample precedent — 31 states have adopted or considered legislation to divest their pension funds from a number of companies associated with the energy and defense sectors in Iran. And while divestment is sometimes a pricey affair, the state of Missouri’s divested portfolio has occasionally outperformed the original fund, proving that it doesn’t have to be.

Rhode Island’s divestment from Iran would not single-handedly bring Iran’s nuclear program to a halt, but the sooner we can get our act together as a nation, the better. The ad-hoc manner in which we’ve been implementing sanctions reduces their collective impact and sends the wrong signal to the Iranian elites.

Markets do not sanction rogue states themselves. The recent Hewlett Packard episode, in which one of the company’s distributors was caught quasi-legally selling printers to Iran, merely reminds us of that fact. In these difficult economic times, we can give Rhode Islanders something to be proud of by ending our financial support for a nation that suppresses its people and sponsors terrorism.

Drew Harris ’11 is a political science concentrator from Montvale, N.J.

Today The Brown Daily Herald

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Moors and marauders come to campus

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Gymnasts spring into solid Ivy standing Friday, January 23, 2009

sq u are roots gone for good

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d i a m o n d s a n d c oa l A coal to the student who had a sword confiscated by campus police officers. We know fighting through the crowds in the Ratty is tough during shopping period, but you don’t have to do it Tarantino-style.

A cubic zirconium to the optimistic spokeswoman for the governor, who averred that while Lil’ Rhody has a staggering budget deficit, the nation’s highest unemployment and no natural resources, “what we do have is wind.”

And we wouldn’t trade it for anything.

A diamond to Providence’s world-famous dancing traffic cop, for his backto-back talks, “Follow your dreams” and “Traffic safety.” And we thought your profession was enough of a non-sequitur.

Coal to the proposed UCS plan to allow students to check meal credits on Banner. If it works anything like the course listings, you’ll always have 999 credits but get rejected when you try to swipe at the Ratty.

A diamond to Texas A&M University, which has started pegging professors’ bonuses to the opinions of students. We’d try that here, too — but our faculty would just take the evaluations S/NC. Coal to the patient in a LiSci exam lab who was the only one in the room when an employee’s $145 went missing. The “MRI machine did it” defense won’t work this time — it can only steal coins.

Kim Perley / Herald

The “Square Roots” sapling sculpture was removed from the front green over winter break.

A diamond to the economics professors who claim to have created something called a “World Migration Matrix.” Unfortunately, no one can be told what the World Migration Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

s p o rt s w e e k e n d p r e v i e w

menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Tomato Basil Pie, Roasted Herb Potatoes, Sliced Turkey and Roast Beef, Tuna Salad

Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Vegan Rice Pilaf

Colgate at Brown, Fri. 7 p.m.

W. hockey faces off against Red Raiders tonight

Dinner — Shephard’s Pie, Grilled Dinner — Manicotti Piedmontese, Chicken, Basmati Rice Pilaf, Tortellini Mashed Butternut Squash, Meatloaf RELEASE DATE– Friday, January 23, 2008Italiano with Sausage

Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Hunky-dory 5 Made out 10 Knight at the movies 14 Stout relatives 15 Blown away 16 Piedmont region university 17 Support for a formal downgrading proposal?

20 Chop off 21 Goya’s goose egg?

22 “Same here” 23 Serves under Robert Gates?

27 Mitchell clan 29 __ D.A. 30 Study forensics?

33 Canterbury can 36 Head lock 37 Alternative to white 38 Wordsworth’s weather 40 Special __ 41 Watch kids at Christmas, say?

43 Hissy fit 45 Some tapes 46 Hard on the furniture?

51 French resort on Lake Geneva 52 Point presenting options 53 Co-founder of Air Greenland 56 Sensed climbers returning?

60 1980s speed skating gold medalist Karin 61 Bluenoses 62 Unit of memory 63 Not so great 64 Cold shower?

65 Slip through the cracks DOWN 1 Word on two Monopoly squares 2 To boot 3 Memory stirrers

4 Key to getting out of trouble?

5 Diplomacy 6 Male prefix 7 Household hazard 8 Cote girl 9 LBJ, for one 10 Some of the glitterati 11 Name in 2000 headlines 12 Condemns 13 Umbilical development 18 Quarterfinal groups 19 Blockheads 24 Ticks off 25 Went with 26 Aspen-to-Pueblo dir.

27 “The Simpsons” bus driver 28 Stress to a fault, with “on” 31 Three-time A.L. batting champ 32 Hearty agreement?

33 Golden-brown ornamental stone

34 Bit of chat room shorthand 35 Clears 38 Mouse sounds 39 Adriatic resort 41 __ tax 42 Highest point 43 Risks 44 Hawaiian fliers 46 Ward off 47 Like 8-Down 48 Time issue?

The women’s ice hockey team (314-1, 2-9 ECAC) takes to the ice tonight to take on the red-hot Red Raiders of Colgate (12-9-2, 6-4-2 ECAC) in Meehan Auditorium.

49 “Piece __”: Stone Temple Pilots song 50 Sidestep 54 Stud fee?

55 Assembly instruction 57 Tinker-to-Eversto-Chance stats 58 Link letters 59 2000 Viacom acquisition

The Raiders are riding a five-game win streak. The Bears are coming off a two-loss weekend but hope to pull off a repeat of their 4-3 victory over Colgate earlier in the season.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

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