Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 36 | Friday, March 13, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
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Tricks of the trade With PW show, Brown is about to become even more magical
By Sophia Li Features Editor
Andrew Evans ’09 has picked up a few tricks in his time — magic tricks, that is. He even invented one, inspired by the Fourth of July. The trick begins with someone picking a card. Then the magician buries a fuse and lights it. The fuse burns to the ground and explodes in puff of smoke. And the card? “Burnt and buried underneath the dirt,” Evans said. Evans, a magician since he was in eighth grade, has long been entranced by the tricks and illusions of a trade that deals in secrecy and the power of mystery. Enchanted by the lure of the impossible, he has moved past purchasing props — he now devises his own tricks. “You figure out what would be cool if it could happen, but it can’t,” Evans said. “And you figure out how to make it happen.” Evans has used this curiosity to build a repertoire large enough to put on an hour-long spectacle, “Illusions of Grandeur,” which will run at Production Workshop this weekend.
Conjuring up a bag of tricks The show, which Evans prepared in part by spending hours researching magic tricks in the John Hay Library, includes elements far more complicated than the plastic toy tricks he played with as a young child. Evans said he started taking the hobby more seriously after his eighthgrade teacher made a card that Evans selected rise out of the deck. He had never seen a magic trick like that before, and after his teacher told him about a magic shop in nearby Seattle, he was spellbound. “Great magic seems so unattainable that figuring out that you can buy it is sort of terrifying,” Evans said. At the same time, he added, he was excited by the idea that anyone can access such powers of illusion. Evans performs tricks whenever he has a deck of cards, he said. His favorite part about doing magic is the reaction it can provoke. “When someone is so floored by something (that) they’re like, ‘I don’t care how it’s done,’ that’s cool,” Evans said. “That’s the moment of magic that you live for.” Evans has been hired to perform magic at birthday parties, weddings continued on page 6
Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo
Though the University was not planning to build a new pool before structural deficiencies forced the Smith Swim Center’s destruction, that project will now leapfrog construction of the long-planned Nelson Fitness Center.
New pool to advance without fitness center by Brigitta Greene Senior Staff Writer
Acknowledging fundraising difficulties for the proposed Nelson Fitness Center, the University is currently discussing with donors how best to proceed with the project, and it is likely to move forward with a new pool independent of the fitness center, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to President Ruth Simmons. Officials had once hoped to build the new pool and the fitness
center in tandem, as they will occupy adjacent lots, Spies said. But a $14.75 million bequest toward construction on a new swim center, which the Corporation formally accepted last month, may allow the University to break ground on a new pool long before plans for the fitness center are finalized. While the fitness center donors — of whom there are “less than a dozen” — are being consulted, the project, which has been in the planning stages for about five years, is currently “on hold.” Spies said the fitness center and
the new pool would ideally be designed and built at the same time. “If it were possible, we would want to plan them together,” he said. “It all depends on fundraising questions.” The University cannot begin construction on either project until 90 percent of the funds are identified under guidelines set by the Corporation at their meeting in February, Spies said. But while about half of the funds for the $50 million project were “pledged” by 2007, the cash currently on hand continued on page 4
Bookstore’s new digs, cafe a hit so far Alum’s play draws laughs, crowds Off Broadway By Emma Berry Staf f Writer
inside
After months of renovations, traffic at the Brown Bookstore is picking up again, said Assistant Vice President for Financial and Administrative Services Elizabeth Gentr y, who is ser ving as the bookstore’s interim director. The renovations, which included adding a new cafe and relocating the textbook section, began in August. Though initial plans called for work to be finished in early Januar y, workers were still finishing up when students returned from winter break, Gentr y said. But by mid-Februar y, all of the “little things” had been “cleared up,” she said. The store celebrated its grand opening on March 5, with food, live music and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting. The store’s new look comes with expanded hours as well.
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Brown’s Masters in Fine Arts program on the advice of playwright and teacher Mac Wellman. Studying in “The story about the black boy- Providence under Professor of Literfriends and the racist parents. Write ary Arts Paula Vogel, Gionfriddo said that up and re-apply to Brown. You’ll she felt free to write plays that general get in.” audiences wouldn’t necessarily have In the script of Gina Gionfriddo’s sprung for. MFA ’97 critically lauded Off-Broad“There wasn’t a lot of emphasis way play “Becky on being produShaw,” that piece ARTS & CULTURE ceable,” she exof advice — given plained. to a character who is a Brown drop“She’s unshockable,” Gionfriddo out with a complicated life story — is said of Vogel, who is currently on followed by a much-needed “beat.” leave as the chair of the playwriting That’s because the line never fails to program at Yale. “I thought I could get an enormous laugh. write anything.” For Gionfriddo, Brown isn’t just a At the same time, the style she was useful signifier for the liberal guilt that developing as a writer was distinct the play good-naturedly pokes fun at. from what novelist David Shields ’78 It also represents an important stage has called “the Brown aesthetic” — in the sharp-tongued playwright’s ar- metatheatrical gestures, fractured nartistic development. ratives and an often-ironic embrace of After graduating from Barnard continued on page 5 College in 1991, Gionfriddo entered By Ben Hyman Arts & Culture Editor
Courtesy of Elizabeth Gentry
Brown Bookstore staff celebrated the official completion of the renovations at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.
The cafe — officially called the College Hill Cafe, but operated by Blue State Coffee — and the general books area are now open until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Bookstore personnel are “still adjusting” to the remodeled space and new hours, Gentr y said. But despite some kinks, Gencontinued on page 2
Arts, 5
Sports, 7
Opinions, 11
fusion fever The Fusion Dance Company will perform its annual show this weekend.
bears v. dogs Men’s hockey travels to New Haven to take on No. 10 Yale this weekend.
Green BeaNS Drew Harris ’11 wants coffee companies to exhibit more environmental concern.
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“We’re trying to reinforce the bookstore as a destination.” — Josh McCarthy, College Hill Cafe manager
Panel: Asian Americans a political force
by Anish Gonchigar Contributing Writer
About 20 students gathered in Salomon 001 yesterday to listen to a panel discussion about Asian-American political involvement that featured local political figures. A wide-ranging discussion between four panelists centered on how to get Asian Americans more involved in politics. “Political involvement is not always an individual movement,” said Michael Liu, founder of Azine, an online publication about AsianAmerican issues. “There’s a collective factor.” Ramey Ko, founder of the independent grassroots organization Asian Americans for Obama, said he believes technology has brought about a return to more conventional politics. “In many ways, new communication technology has revitalized older kinds of political organizing,” he said.
This development has had a particularly significant impact in mobilizing the Asian-American community politically, Ko said, because Asian Americans make up a very technologically literate community. The discussion then turned to the question of how to get Asian Americans more involved in the political process, especially in running for public office. Xay Khamsyvoravong ’06, the deputy chief of staff for the state treasurer, Frank Caprio, said Asian Americans need to talk more about their personal stories to better connect with other communities. “Asian Americans need to open up a little more about their own stories to make inroads with other groups,” he said. He said he connected with his Italian-American boss by drawing parallels between his boss’s grandfather’s immigrating from across the Atlantic and his own father’s immigration from across the Pacific.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Asian Americans can embody the spirit of American politics by relating through these common threads, Khamsyvoravong said, but added that he believes many do not do so because they are afraid to discuss their personal lives. Joseph Fernandez ’85, Providence city solicitor and the former co-chair of Barack Obama’s Rhode Island campaign, said he sympathized with that idea, saying he does not like to talk about himself. He added that Asian Americans may be deterred by the intense scrutiny of running for public office, and that being elected to public office is not considered a great measure of success for some Asians. “There isn’t a day that goes by that my parents don’t call me up and call me crazy for getting involved with politics,” Ko said. Panelists remarked upon some of the disparities in Asian-Americontinued on page 4
Customer response to new store positive continued from page 1 tr y said she received “ver y, ver y positive” feedback from students and community members who have visited the bookstore recently. “They’re shocked, actually,” at the difference between the new store and the old one, she said. “It really is a different place,” said Gentry. “I think the changes are quite exciting.” Joy Liu ’11 said she liked the store’s new layout and had an easier time finding her textbooks during shopping period. “I think ever ything’s more organized now,” she said. While she rarely visits the “actual bookstore,” she said she likes to study at the College Hill Cafe. Other students agreed the cafe was the most popular new addition. On Wednesday morning, a few students browsed computers on display and shelves of popular fiction, but nearly all of the tables and armchairs in the cafe area were occupied by students chatting, studying, sipping coffee and eating muffins and croissants. Elissa Barba ’09 said she liked the cafe’s proximity to main campus. Though the Blue State Coffee on Thayer is only a few blocks away, “I rarely go up that far,” she said. “I really hate Starbucks coffee, so it’s nice to have a Blue State closer.”
Barba said the cafe is “almost too small to accommodate enough people,” particularly at lunchtime. According to Josh McCarthy, the cafe’s manager, its busiest hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when students are going to and from class. The cafe has received “enthusiastic response from College Hill,” McCarthy said. “Sales are building ever y day.” This Tuesday was the cafe’s busiest day of sales since it opened Feb. 5, he said. Like the Blue State on Thayer, the bookstore’s cafe offers coffee, tea and Seven Stars Baker y pastries, but it also offers soups and sandwiches from other local vendors, including Narragansett Creamer y and Local 121. “We’re definitely pushing for more of a lunch focus,” McCarthy said. The cafe plans to allow students to pay with their Brown declining balance accounts, an option that should be available within a month, McCarthy said. “We expect it to be very popular,” he said. McCarthy said he is also looking for “musically-inclined students” to participate in open-mic events on Friday and Saturday nights, when the cafe has not been as busy. “We’re tr ying to reinforce the bookstore as a destination for the community,” McCarthy said.
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Friday, March 13, 2009
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“We wanted to offer our customers a piece of art.” — Kim Terry, Gap spokeswoman
At trendy Gap store, clothing by RISD students By Lauren Pischel Staff Writer
Spring Weekend tickets weren’t the only hot commodities to sell out on the first day they were available. The Rhode Island School of Design collaborated earlier this year with Gap, the clothing retailer, to produce a series of unique cardigans that sold out hours after they were put on display at the G.A.P. Adventures New York Concept Store, a space adjacent to Gap’s flagship store in New York City. It was “ver y exciting for the students that their pieces were displayed and exhibited,” said Donna Gustavsen, department head of apparel design at RISD. The collaboration began during Wintersession, RISD’s six-week winter term. Gap approached the RISD president’s office, proposing that students redesign Gap’s classic cardigan. “We are always looking for new and exciting ways to connect with our customer,” said Kim Terry, a Gap spokeswoman. “We wanted to offer our customers a piece of art.” Gap then provided RISD with the cardigans and allowed the students to change them however they pleased. “They wanted it totally open,” Gustavsen said. She added that the
Courtesy of Kim Terry
Rhode Island School of Design students crafted a series of unique cardigans for Gap.
only two guidelines were for the sweaters to be both “wearable and creative.” “What we liked about the project was each cardigan was truly unique and one-of-a-kind blending of a classic Gap item, like the cardigan,” Terry said. The sweaters were displayed and sold on Feb. 27. Terry attributed the collection’s quick sale in part to an article about the Gap/RISD collaboration published in Women’s Wear
Daily the day before the clothes went on sale. This is the first time Gap has collaborated with a design school on this type of project, according to Gustavsen. “We actually felt kind of honored,” she said. Scott Stevenson, a RISD junior who designed one of the sweaters, said Gap’s decision to choose RISD as its partner shows the company’s desire to work with the more cre-
ative aspects of apparel design. Though Stevenson is studying apparel design, the majority of the students who created cardigans were underclassmen and non-concentrators, because many RISD juniors and senior apparel design concentrators were away on internships. Just as Gap did not apply restrictions to what could be done to the sweaters, RISD did not restrict who could participate. Gustavsen said the project was a
perfect fit for RISD’s Wintersession period, a time for students to “take courses that they would not be able to take” otherwise. Wintersession also allows freshmen to experiment with different departments before they declare in the spring, she said. The project also allowed those students in introductory courses to exhibit their work. “This was wonderfully liberating for the students,” Gustavsen said. For Christopher Fernald, a firstyear printmaking concentrator at RISD, the Gap project allowed him to apply his interest in fashion and create his own piece. “For me, it was really a nice way to put a lot of research into practice,” he said. Fernald heard about the project through a friend who was in one of RISD’s introductory apparel design courses. In designing his sweater, Fernald ripped the edges so that the threads became looser and then separated several rows at once into blocks — “creating an overall vertical movement in the sweater from the bottom to the top,” he said. “Using subtractive methods, I could actually expand the volume of the sweater.” Fernald said he was honored to be a part of the collaboration. “I continued on page 4
Panel mulls European migration issues By Luisa Robledo Staf f Writer
Immigrants are in limbo: They reside in one place but their cultural background is from another. In his first public appearance since becoming a visiting professor at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Alfred Gusenbauer discussed the social, ethnic and political struggles immigrants face. Gusenbauer, a former chancellor of Austria, was part of a discussion panel organized by the International Relations Departmental Undergraduate Group that drew an international crowd of around 40 students and faculty members. Nathalie Etoke-Ilda, visiting assistant professor of French studies and Jessaca Leinaweaver, assistant professor of anthropology, joined him in exploring the nature and effects of migration in Europe. Gusenbauer began by explaining the Austrian experience, which he said involved waves of migration hitting the country due to “political conflict in the neighborhood” such as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and wars in the Balkans in the 1990s. Workers who came from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey also migrated to Austria in search of opportunities
Quinn Savit / Herald
A panel including Alfred Gusenbauer, the former chancellor of Austria, discussed European immigration Thursday night. “We have to treat everybody equally,” Gusenbauer said.
to improve their lives. “Austria receives 80,000 migrants annually,” Gusenbuaer said. “This number has been stable over the years.” Gusenbauer said that regardless of the changes in immigration policies, reducing the number of people who enter the country is practically impossible. “Whatever immigration policies you apply,” he said, “the size stays the same.” According to Gusenbauer, conflicts among migrants arise from the disadvantages that descendants of immigrants face. He said the “younger generation does not have the same economical perception” as their parents’ generation had. Additionally, he said, most do not get a professional education or achieve the necessary qualifications to excel in the working world. For many children of immigrants, education often ends at 15, he said. “They are gathering in gangs and staying among each other and
exercising some type of violence,” Gusenbauer said. Etoke-Ilda elaborated on this subject, referencing the riots that occurred in the Parisian suburbs in 2005. The mostly Muslim protests were an attempt to overcome the differentiation of “what is French and what is not,” she said. The protestors were French citizens with French passports, yet they are often treated as foreigners, she said, adding that the values of liberty, fraternity and equality are not applied to immigrant populations. “They feel that ‘this is my country as much as it’s yours,’” EtokeIlda said. Etoke-Ilda’s discussion of the Parisian riots brought up the topic of political Islam in Europe. Gusenbauer said that sometimes the “import of political Islam” brings along the “political conflict of the Middle East into the center of Europe.” The Austrian government reached an agreement with representatives of the Islamic community to limit the
influence of leaders to the religious sphere and not the political one, he said. In addition, Gusenbauer explained that to reduce conflicts and tension it was important that children entered the educational system early. The government has imposed a new law that requires all children between the ages of 4 and 5 to go to kindergarten, he said. The law passed last year and it will come into effect this coming fall. “The law affects all children,” he said. “We have to treat everybody equally.” Gusenbauer also argued that within the European Union, some national leaders are trying to establish free migration. New EU member nations have more limits on free movement across national lines, but by 2011, these will cease to exist, he said. Even so, each country would still have distinct policies to control legal and illegal migration. Leinaweaver illustrated the anthropological aspect of this state-
ment. She mentioned that it was shocking to see that, although the European Union was able to “agree on the flow of money and good across borders,” agreeing on the “flow of humans” was almost impossible. The panel ended with a questionand-answer session, in which several students with international backgrounds brought up their concerns. Some of the questions included what national identity is, whether or not immigrants threaten it and why social tensions continue to exist. Though the panelists had different points of view, they all agreed that existing social norms cause conflicts, and that something has to change with these attitudes in order for true integration to occur. “We are living in societies with increasing social tensions, an increasing gap within the wealth of the society and more and more people coming under stress,” Gusenbauer said. “But, we can still win this struggle.”
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Event dissects AIDS and gender By Sarah Julian Contributing Writer
Quinn Savit / Herald Students gather to discuss ways to increase Asian-American participation in politics.
Asians underrepresented in politics, panel says continued from page 2 can political involvement within the community itself. According to Ko, Asians aged 18 to 29 who were born in the United States had the lowest voting record of any demographic before the 2008 election. But the group with the highest voting record is naturalized Asians over the age of 45, he said. South Asians, Ko noted, have had surprising success in running for public office, occasionally even getting elected in districts whose populations are less than 1 percent South Asian. He gave the example of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal ’91.5, an Indian American who was elected in the deep south. One of the problems the panel addressed was what they said was the lack of identifiable Asian-American
political issues. “I feel that one of the weaknesses Asian Americans have is there is no Asian-American agenda,” Liu said. Asian Americans have issues that can unite the community, but the key is to establish them, he said. After the event, Harmony Lu ’12 said that before coming to the lecture, she had never thought about politics in terms of Asian-American involvement. “It had never occurred to me that there were Asian Americans in politics,” she said. “I thought it was fantastic,” said Joseph Rim ’12. “I didn’t know there were so many Asian Americans just doing stuff.” Kisa Takesue ’88, associate dean of student life, served as moderator of the panel, which was sponsored by the Asian American Students Association.
Funding uncertainties delay Nelson Fitness Center plans continued from page 1 is “significantly less than that,” he said. He admitted that there was some “uncertainty” about the University’s ability to raise the remaining funds. Those concerns will be raised in discussions with current donors, after which the University will be in a position to make further decisions on the project. “We hope this delay is relatively
brief,” he said. Spies did not offer any possible alternative paths that the University might take with construction of the athletic facilities. Jonathan Nelson ’77 — CEO of the private investment firm Providence Equity Partners — donated $10 million to the project in 2004. His gift, along with those of Fredric Garonzik ’64 and Daniel O’Connell ’76, formed the original $20 million specifically allocated to the project.
In a clip from their much-publicized trip to Kenya in 2006, President Obama and his wife Michelle publicly received a test for HIV. It was a display to encourage Kenyan couples to get their HIV status tested together. The clip, followed by the question “All humans have a right to know their HIV status?” marked the beginning of a presentation by Kathryn Rhine GS on women and HIV testing in Nigeria. Rhine, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology and Daniel Smith, a professor of anthropology, dissected the often undiscussed role of gender in the prevention, detection and treatment of the disease in a lecture, “Gender and Global Health,” last night. “We tend to be unaware about the way our sexual identities are not just our sexual identities but also are the way we portray ourselves to the world,” Smith said. The event focused especially on the AIDS virus in Nigeria and the relationship between gender and disease control and prevention. Smith spoke about his research on the connection between men’s sexual relationships and their attempts to live up to expectations about their masculinity. In his discussions with Nigerians, Smith said he has attempted to move past common explanations for men’s sexual relations, especially premarital and extramarital ones. Although he recognized that hormones and ethics are both factors, he found that identity was another main contributor. According to Smith, Nigerian men connect their sexual identity to their modern identity. The culture in Nigeria connects romance and sexuality with being modern. Smith cited the media, especially film, for the prevalent conception that premarital sex is a hallmark of a modern man. He also explained the connection between sexuality and mas-
Min Wu / Herald Kathryn Rhine GS and David Smith, professor of anthropology, discussed the role of gender in AIDS issues.
culinity, in that sex is not just a personal act but also one by which a man might prove himself to fellow males. Smith said that sexual relations are connected to social class and to education. In a country where there is much “conspicuous consumption,” including gift giving and fashion, sex is another way for a man to construct his public identity. Like Smith, Rhine did her work in Nigeria. However, her focus was on women. According to Rhine, many Nigerians do not want to be tested for HIV. This is especially true of women for whom being HIV positive can mean ostracism and abuse. She used the example of “Mary,” a woman who she worked with in Nigeria. Mary’s husband knew his HIV test result but would not share the information with his wife. According to Smith, one possible reason for this is that HIV has come to be a sign of infidelity. However Mary did not want to be
tested herself. Rhine said this could be because the woman did not want to receive a positive test result and then be blamed for being unfaithful. Additionally, Mary, who took care of her husband when he was sick, might have seen the effects of what she believed was HIV and not wanted to know that her fate was the same. The lecture, as a part of the Innovative Approaches to Global Health Lecture Series, was organized by students working with the International Public Health Coalition, a student group at Brown. “The purpose of our lecture series is to encourage a multi-disciplinary approach to global health,” said Chloe Le Marchand ’09, one of the students who organized the series, in an e-mail to The Herald. “We hope to offer alternative viewpoints and in doing so, encourage students in different disciplines to think about how their subject of interest impacts global health,” she wrote.
RISD sweaters make big-time debut continued from page 3
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was totally a Gap kid, up till about freshman year in high school,” he said. “Then to come back to it as my first really creative apparel endeavor made it sort of a full-circle experience.” Stevenson cut up two blue sweaters to create a “unique form.” He arrived to pick up his sweater late, after the stock had been picked through. “Basically I just went in and there were all these horrible colors left around,” he said. But the challenge allowed him to create in new ways, he said. “I think a lot of people went for the wearability route, but I went for my aesthetics,” Stevenson said. “A
lot of people were more concerned with the Gap look.” “Hopefully someone owns my sweater and wants more,” he said. RISD students altered their sweaters in many different ways, including adding trims, ornamentation or manipulation and cutting the sweater up. Bringing a “broad range of perspectives,” Gustavsen said, “the students took risk on their redesigning.” The students also used a wide range of fabrics, including rolled paper beads, embroidery and applique. On one piece, two students collaborated and wrote an Italian poem. Another student treated
paper to make it waterproof and attached it to the sweater. For the show in New York, about 30 sweaters were initially put on display in the Concept Store on Fifth Avenue, and the remaining items were rotated in. The sweaters sold for $68. The price for a normal cardigan is $44. “Because each item was a oneof-a-kind piece, we actually thought it was an acceptable amount,” Terry said. None of the profits from the sweater sales went back to the RISD students, but Gap did make a donation to the school. Terry declined to provide the exact value of the donation but said that “it was a nice amount.”
Arts & Culture The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 13, 2009 | Page 5
Brown gets laughs in NYC show continued from page 1 popular culture. “I often felt like I was Neil Simon in that program,” Gionfriddo joked. “I felt like I was so conventional structurally compared to all the people I was in the program with.” Li’l Rhody to the Big Apple Gionfriddo’s narratives do tend to begin at the beginning and end at the end, but she imbues them with an understanding of emotional complexity, as well as an incisive sense of humor. “Becky Shaw,” now coming to the end of an extended run at Second Stage Theatre in New York City, centers around a recently married couple — Suzanna, a psychology grad student, and Andrew, an unsuccessful writer who works odd jobs and temps in an office. Suzanna sets up her closest friend, a ruthlessly judgmental money manager named Max, on a blind date with Andrew’s coworker Becky Shaw. But the date goes horribly wrong, disrupting the tenuous balance of the characters’ relationships, and the play teases out the implications of this disruption up to a subtle and ambiguous finale. Set mostly in Providence — with jokes about Portuguese landlords and the way Rhode Islanders say “bubbler” instead of “water fountain” — “Becky Shaw” draws heavily on Gionfriddo’s own experiences of life after graduate school. Like Andrew in the play Gionfriddo remained in Providence after graduating, teaching composition classes, picking up babysitting jobs and working temporary jobs. She said her parents, like Suzanna, tended to approve more of the temping. “What was really starting to weigh on me was there was a way of life we had in graduate school,” Gionfriddo said, explaining the connection she feels with Andrew. Scavenging for clothes at the Salvation Army “wasn’t cool after a certain point.” During the eight years Gionfriddo lived in Providence, several of her scripts were produced at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn. and at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Kent. In 2004, she got her break with “After Ashley,” which premiered at the Humana Festival in Louisville and was picked up for an Off-Broadway run in New York. “After Ashley” helped Gionfriddo get her current job as a writer on “Law
and Order.” Laugh line “Becky Shaw” also premiered at Humana, where, according to Gionfriddo, the “re-apply to Brown” line never got the laugh it receives in New York. “Sometimes the audience in New York starts applauding and we have to hold,” she said. “You have no idea how much analysis we have devoted to this,” she continued. “Every show there is a huge response from the audience.” A woman who worked as the play’s dramaturge in Louisville speculated that it was “some sort of backlash to liberalism now that Obama’s been elected,” Gionfriddo said. Gionfriddo has her own theories about why Brown is so good for a laugh. She suspects that parents who have gone through, are going through or are about to go through the college admissions process with their children are a major factor. She stressed that she “would hate for people to think I’m singling out Brown,” but the school’s long-standing reputation as a bastion of liberalism helps to advance the play’s critique of “activism that is self-indulgent and self-serving.” In “Becky Shaw,” most of this critique is voiced by Max, who has no patience for empathy or misplaced emotion. When he hears about a group of students at Brown shipping books to soldiers in Iraq, he bursts out, “When you live in fear of dirty bombs and torture, you do not want a used, highlighted copy of To the f—ing Lighthouse!” Max’s jibes exemplify both Gionfriddo’s acidly funny writing and the complexity of her characters. Viewers appreciate that Max’s manipulative, competitive nature leads him to exaggerate — to try to be harsher and more clearheaded than anyone else in the room under the guise of being honest. His excessive bluntness reminds the audience that the play is a satire, serving to let a little air out of some occasionally bloated ideas. Gionfriddo said she will begin work on a new play, commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, after the television season ends. “I think the reason I keep writing for theater is that people who go to theater, who attend plays, they’re really searching for something important,” Gionfriddo said. “They’re very hopeful.”
Festival focuses on women in Africa The African Students Association is hosting a film festival this weekend in honor of Women’s History Month that will focus on women in Africa. Four films will be screened at the festival, which opens tonight with a 6 p.m. screening of “Yesterday,” which addresses the continent’s devastating AIDS pandemic by telling the story of a South African woman who has the disease. On Saturday, two films, “Sankofa” and “The Black Girl,” will be screened at 2 p.m. “Sankofa” relates the story of a model who learns about the harrowing effects of slavery on women in
Ghana. “The Black Girl” is a French film about a young Senegalese woman who, having moved to France in search of a better life, finds herself confined to grueling work. The closing film, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” will be screened on Sunday at 6 p.m. The documentary chronicles the grassroots activism of Liberian women during both Liberian civil wars. It will be followed by a discussion with Visiting Lecturer in Africana Studies Heidi Gengenbach. — Hannah Levintova
Justin Coleman / Herald
The Fusion Dance Company will perform its 26th annual show three more times this weekend in Alumnae Hall.
Fusion’s creativity on display By Alexys Esparza Contributing Writer
The Fusion Dance Company lives up to its name in its 26th annual show, combining a variety of music and styles of dance. The show opened last night in Alumnae Hall, where the group’s dance moves will be on display for three more shows this weekend. Fusion — a multi-cultural dance group founded in 1983 –– encourages blending and exploring different forms of expression through dance. Karina Fernicola-Ikezoe ’09, co-director of Fusion, said this year’s show displays the “flow of sampling different styles.” During the opening number, the entire company dances to a mix of two melodic songs by French vocalist Camille. “The movement is somewhat pedestrian and is meant to reflect the unease created by (Camille’s) discordant harmonies,” says the show’s program. This “unease” is apparent as the dancers frequently switch formations and the tempo fluctuates. Immediately after that fluid, artistic piece, Fusion shifts gears and jumps into a more upbeat, R&B dance piece that displays the group’s incredible versatility. They move seamlessly from the gentle flow of the introductor y number to the sharp and accented movements of hip-hop. Soon after, the group slows it back down with a performance set to Imogen Heap’s “Speeding Cars.” More traditional, balletic dancing accentuates the mellow undertones of the song. In one of the show’s highlights, three female Fusion members perform a beautiful piece to “Lux Aeterna” and “Coney Island Low” by contemporar y composer Clint Mansell. With graceful movement and a minimal number of dancers on stage, the piece immediately changes the ambiance of the entire show, creating a sense of intimacy between the performers on stage and their audience. Shor ter per formances are dispersed throughout the show to smooth transitions between longer numbers. Often featuring
three dancers at most, these interludes showcase a range of dance styles, including hip-hop and rock. They keep the audience engaged at ever y moment, while reinforcing the versatility on which the group prides itself. “The interludes have definitely stepped it up,” said Fusion co-director Michele Baer ’10. These sporadic interludes — including pieces set to Keri Hilson’s “Turnin Me On” and Beyonce’s “Diva” — are colorful displays that highlight the Fusion members’ ample hip-hop abilities. The group also proves that its creativity extends beyond choreography. Several of the pieces use acting to frame dancing, placing the company’s movement in the context of a larger stor y. One such piece is set to Joshua Radin’s “Vegetable Car,” and dancers act out a classic boy-meetsgirl, boy-falls-in-love-with-girl scenario on stage. Another stor y of budding romance comes in “18th Floor Balcony,” which “uses partnering to explore the tensions and chal-
lenges of a new relationship,” according to the program. Another of the show’s highlights, this piece is unique in that the dancers work with partners to move as one. The penultimate piece of the show features Fusion’s class of graduating seniors. It’s a number that clearly seeks to entertain, transitioning through a medley of different songs and dance styles that range from hip-hop to boy band choreography. The show’s final number, performed by the entire company, ties ever ything together in a triumphant display of energy. It includes hip-hop dance elements set to “Colors” by the Cool Kids and funk-inspired elements set to Santigold’s “Shove It.” Fusion’s energy throughout the show is infectious. “We feed off (the audience’s) energy and they feed off ours,” Fernicola-Ikezoe said. Fusion performs again at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday, with a matinee show at 2 p.m. on Sunday. All performances are in Alumnae Hall.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Friday, March 13, 2009
“I have never performed full-on, overblown illusion.” — Andrew Evans ’09
Allure of illusion inspires Brown magicians past and present continued from page 1
and other events since eighth grade, and he continues to put on shows for his friends and around campus, exploring styles beyond the stage magic that he performed as a teenager. Last semester, Evans held a show in his off-campus house. “I gutted one of my rooms, put up a stage,” he said. The show, “Oikos,” which means “household” or “home” in Greek, attempted to recreate a more intimate style of magic tricks reminiscent of the 1960s. An audience of 25 crowded into the tiny theater Evans had created. One of Evans’ tricks began with a light bulb that lit up by itself. “All the audience members held hands, and we formed a circle, like a circuit,” Evans said. “When we finally touched fingers, the light bulb exploded by itself.” While “Oikos” tried to reestablish a connection between performer and audience that Evans said is often missing from modern magic, “Illusions of Grandeur” seeks to combine intimacy and immediacy with grand illusions. Evans plans to incorporate tricks and illusions that he has never performed for an audience before, he said. “I have never performed full-on, overblown illusion,” Evans said. “I’m terrified. It’s not what I’m comfortable doing.” Evans, an engineering concentrator who has frequently designed sets for PW shows, even designed
the stage for his magic show. “We’re recreating a 1920s theater with chandeliers and a curtain that pulls open,” Evans said. “It’s very classic.” The do-it-yourself, hands-on spirit behind Evans’ ambitions for the show reflects his approach to picking up new tricks and techniques. “I’m interested now not so much in the tricks you can buy, but the things you can learn,” he said. “When you buy a trick, you pay a bunch of money for a prop, but it’s a trick and everyone knows that.” Instead, Evans has found inspiration in books from the John Hay, which boasts an extensive collection of literature on magic, much of which was donated in the late 1980s by Harold Adrian Smith ’30. “Half the effects in the show are from the library,” Evans said. To learn techniques from videos, which have been added to the Hay’s collection since Smith’s contribution, Evans spent hours with a deck of cards in hand, sitting in the library’s coat closet — the only place in the Hay that he could view the videos. “He lived here,” said Rosemary Cullen ’72, the senior scholarly resources librarian at the Hay who oversees the Smith collection. “Videos are great because you can watch someone actually doing it,” Evans said. But books, he added, are the real gems that Smith has left behind.
Storing away his magic The many volumes of the Smith collection — the library has cataloged over 5,000 titles — fill a cramped room upstairs in the Hay. The bookcases, cabinets and tables piled with materials make navigating the room’s narrow spaces difficult. Smith — the magician who donated the majority of the eponymous Smith Collection of Conjuring Books and Magicana — began his lifelong obsession at the age of 13, he wrote in an essay about the construction of his vast collection. The teenager, who would eventually pay his way through Brown with the money he earned performing magic, found that he would even sacrifice food to support his love of the ethereal. “Many a day, I lunched on a fivecent box of raisins to keep from starving to death until I could get home for supper, and I saved up the resulting nickels and dimes to buy a book I wanted,” Smith wrote. By 1940, his collection had grown to about 8,800 books — so many that the magician decided to construct a separate building beside his home in Riverside to house the volumes. Though his collection was large, Smith wrote that his goal was to build a comprehensive collection. Smith’s library encompassed several centuries and multiple languages, including a 1575 edition of “Spiritalium liber” by Hero of Alexandria and the 1584 title “The Discoverie of Witchcraft,” by
Reginald Scot. “He has a number of titles that are not located anywhere else,” Cullen said. But the collection’s rarities do not end with Smith’s books. His menagerie includes other memorabilia: posters, props, wands — even photographs autographed by Harry Houdini. The glass panels of one cabinet show the assortment of unusual objects inside: a pin in the shape of a rabbit coming out of a hat, the large linking rings that Smith frequently used in his magic, a metal flask owned by magician Howard Thurston — and the replica of a head used by American magician Harry Kellar, widely known in the late 1800s and early 1900s for his illusions. The cabinet itself, true to the spirit of its contents, is enigmatic. It can be opened from the side, Cullen said, but the head cannot be removed without taking out the case’s back panel. The prop must have been placed inside before the cabinet was finished, Cullen said. “We need a magician to get it out.” Above the cabinet, the quiet, cluttered room’s wall displays a certificate for Smith’s June 1929 admission into the National Council of the Society of American Magicians — a symbol of the history of collaboration and learning among magicians. Smith, who was elected national president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1948, welcomed fellow magicians, researchers and students to make use of his library, according to Cullen. “He was very kind,” Cullen said. “The world of magic and magicians was really the center of life for him.” A tricky trade Evans’s countless hours in front of the television in the Hay’s coat room have given him a glimpse into the
tricks and techniques of past magicians. But another source of inspiration is much closer at hand. Adam Robbins ’09, a former Herald graphics editor, met Evans in the Sharpe Refectory during their firstyear orientation. Robbins said Evans approached him because he was wearing a black shirt with the phrase, “Got magic?” “Freshman year, we’d hang out and ‘jam,’” Robbins said. The two would show each other new tricks, said Robbins, who held his first show when he was 10. Other magicians “can sometimes be a more discerning audience, because they know what to look for,” Robbins said. The challenge of performing for other magicians has forced Robbins to go beyond his usual tricks. “Once I was challenged to do a certain effect blindfolded,” Robbins said. “I could do the whole thing.” The world of magicians is not an easy one to enter. “It’s kind of a paradox,” Robbins said. Joining the community of magicians is a difficult first step, but professionals and hobbyists “in the loop” know where to go — they attend conventions on magic, circulate newsletters and subscribe to magazines about magic. There are “basic starting tricks that everyone’s willing to teach,” Robbins said. But there are limits to how much a magician will reveal. Robbins has an answer ready for curious kids who want to know how he does his magic. “Very carefully.” Evans will perform “Illusions of Grandeur” Saturday at 9 p.m., Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. and Monday at 9 p.m. in the downstairs theater of the Production Workshop.
SportsWeekend The Brown Daily Herald
T.O. in Buffalo?
Well that was quick. No less than two days after Terrell Owens was released by the Dallas Cowboys, the poison pill of a wide receiver signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the — Buffalo Bills? No offense to Bills fans, but I Alex Mazerov Maz’s Minute would think that such an out-ofthis-universe personality like T.O. would be able to find a franchise with a little bit of pizzazz. Yes, he’s proven himself to be a cancer in the locker room and, at 35, his best Sundays are certainly behind him, but the six-time Pro-Bowler is still freakishly talented and has at least a few productive seasons left in him. It’s not hard to believe then that there would be a number of teams in need of some firepower who’d be willing to take a chance on the highmaintenance wideout. Assuming that Owens’ agent/ shameless blowhard Drew Rosenhaus was telling the truth when he said after T.O. was cut on Thursday that “several teams” had expressed interest in his client’s services, it would have been prudent for the axis of megalomania to spend at least a little more time looking for a team where T.O. Trial No. 4 wasn’t completely doomed to failure. This is a player, after all, who demands absolute perfection from the offensive unit he plays for, which he insists be centered around him. Back in December, for instance, Owens reportedly came close to blows with Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, whom T.O. apparently resented for getting the ball too much. And he consistently blamed Dallas offensive coordination Jason Garrett’s play-calling for his team’s struggles during a disappointing 9-7 campaign in 2008. The Bills’ offense is far from an elite strike force. In fact, it’s been pretty consistently abysmal. Buffalo was 25th in the league in yards gained last year, put up just 15 touchdowns to wide receivers the past two seasons — Owens alone had 25 in that span — and has been ranked 25th or lower in total offense in each of the last six seasons. And who could forget the Bills’ spectacular collapse last season, losing eight of their last 10 games and scoring just two field goals in their final three home games? The addition of Owens to the Bills will certainly take some pressure off fellow outside threat Lee Evans, but it’s difficult to imagine this move turning Buffalo into a contender. If being thrown to by two Pro Bowl gunslingers in Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo wasn’t enough to keep T.O. satisfied, the odds of Bills QB Trent Edwards — who threw just 11 touchdowns in 2008 — keeping No. 81 from griping are about as remote as the Cowboys’ chances of winning it all next year. Alex Mazerov ’10 is putting his popcorn away.
Friday, March 13, 2009 | Page 7
Bears receive All-Ivy honors in 5 sports Sports Staff Reports
Both men’s basketball and men’s hockey had standout players honored with end-of-season All-Ivy accolades this week, while a number of other Bears pulled down weekly honors.
Justin Coleman / Herald Two men’s basketball players earned All-Ivy honors. Matt Mullery ’10 was named to the first team.
Men’s basketball Two members of the men’s basketball team earned All-Ivy honors, as Matt Mullery ’10 was named to the first team and tri-captain Peter Sullivan ’11 received an honorable mention. Mullery established himself as one of the most dominant post players in the Ivy League this year, after starting just 10 games during the 2007-08 season. Mullery finished fourth in the league with 16.1 points per game, adding 6.5 rebounds and shooting a league-leading 60.6 percent from the field. Mullery also made his presence felt on the defensive end, where he blocked a Brown single-season record 59 shots — an average of 2.1 blocks
per game, second in the Ivy League. After a strong freshman campaign, Sullivan stepped up as one of the primary playmakers for Brown on the offensive end, ranking fifth in the league with 14.3 points per game and registering six 20-point games. Sullivan also averaged 4.9 rebounds per game and led the league in playing time, clocking 35.9 minutes per game. Mullery also received Ivy League Player of the Week honors for his play in the team’s last two games over the weekend. It is the second time he has received that award this season. Mullery scored 21 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a 61-59 win over Harvard on Friday and then added 17 points in a 69-59 win in Saturday’s season finale against Dartmouth. Men’s hockey Assistant captain Matt Vokes ’09 and Jeff Buvinow ’12 both received second team All-Ivy honors. Vokes put together an outstanding senior season, continued on page 8
M. hockey to square off against No. 10 Bulldogs Sports Staff Reports
Three teams will host games on Brown’s campus this weekend, but the highest-stakes action will take place on the road, as men’s hockey travels to Yale for an ECAC Hockey postseason matchup. Men’s hockey The men’s hockey team (5-21-5) will look to continue its improbable postseason run against regular-
season champion Yale (20-7-2) in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals. The best-of-three series will run today through Sunday, if necessary, at Ingalls Rink in New Haven. The Bears, who finished the regular season last in the 12-team conference, advanced by sweeping fifth-seeded Harvard last weekend — the first time in conference history a 12-seed defeated a five-seed. Mike Clemente ’12, who earlier this season was splitting time be-
tween the pipes with Dan Rosen ’10 and Mark Sibbald ’09, stopped all 86 shots he faced against Harvard to post a pair of shutouts. Harry Zolnierczyk ’11 scored his first career goal in Friday’s 1-0 win, while Eric Slais ’09 and assistant captain Aaron Volpatti ’10 scored in Saturday’s 2-0 victory. The wins continued the Bears’ season-long trend of success against the Crimson, building on a pair of regular-season ties, but a much
tougher test looms in the Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 10 in the nation. Brown lost twice to Yale this season, but the teams have not faced each other since November. Assistant captain Matt Vokes ’09 leads the Bears with 26 points, followed by Jeff Buvinow ’12 with 14. Mark Arcobello leads the Bulldogs with 15 goals and 17 assists, followed continued on page 8
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Friday, March 13, 2009
S ports W eekend
Spring athletes receive honors continued from page 7 leading the Bears with 11 goals and 15 assists during the regular season, while Buvinow marked himself as a future leader for Brown hockey for years to come, scoring three goals and adding 14 assists in the regular season. Mike Clemente ’12 was named the Inside College Hockey Player of the Week, in recognition of his consecutive shutouts in Brown’s shocking upset of Harvard in the best-of-three opening round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs. Clemente made 39 saves in a 1-0 win on Friday night, followed by a 47-save performance in the seriesclinching 2-0 victory on Saturday. Men’s lacrosse Andrew Feinberg ’11 was named
Ivy League Co-Player of the Week after two strong games over the weekend in a pair of wins for No. 15 Brown. Feinberg led the Bears with three goals in a 7-3 win over Quinnipiac on Friday, then added another three goals and three assists in a 12-11 victory over No. 18 Denver on Sunday. Feinberg is currently second in the Ivy League with 4.75 points per game, having registered 12 goals and seven assists over the first four games of the season. Women’s lacrosse Katelyn Caro ’12 was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll for her performance in the women’s lacrosse team’s 13-12 victory over Albany. Caro finished with three goals and an assist, scoring Brown’s first goal of the game in the second minute and adding
two goals and an assist in the second half. Fencing Adam Pantel ’10 was named the Northeastern Fencing Conference Fencer of the Year after going 26-1 in NFC bouts this season in the foil event. Pantel was also named to the All-Ivy first team and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Jonathan Yu ’11 was also a firstteam All-Ivy selection in the foil, while Peter Tyson ’12 was a second-team selection in the saber, and both received bids to the NCAA Tournament. For the women, Francesca Bartholomew ’11 was a first-team selection in the foil, while Randy Alevi ’10 and Charlotte Rose ’09 were both named to the second team in the saber.
Teams look ahead to weekend games continued from page 7 by Sean Backman with 16 goals and 12 assists. The winner will advance to a semifinal matchup at the Bank of America ECAC Championship, which will take place in Albany on March 20 and 21. Gymnastics The gymnastics team will host the West Chester Golden Rams today at 6 p.m. in its final home meet of the season. Whitney Diederich ’09 and Jennifer Sobuta ’09 will compete at the Pizzitola Center for the final time of their careers. The Bears previously beat the Golden Rams on Feb. 1 by a score of 185.250 to 178.300. Two weekends ago, Bruno tallied 188.400 points to finish second at the four-team Ivy Classic, the best showing for the team since 2002. Four Bears earned First Team All-Ivy Clas-
Why don’t you call or write anymore, sugar? herald@browndailyherald.com
sic honors — Vida Rivera ’11 on the uneven bars, and Helen Segal ’10, Chelsey Binkley ’11 and Katie Goddard ’12 on the floor. Victoria Zanelli ’11 picked up Second Team honors on the bars, beam and all-around, while Lauren Tucker ’12 was named to the second team for the beam. The meet against West Chester will be Brown’s final tune-up before traveling to Yale for the ECAC Championships on March 21. Women’s tennis The women’s tennis team (10-2) will host a doubleheader tomorrow, taking on St. John’s at 10 a.m. and Albany at 3 p.m. Last weekend, the Bears steamrolled West Virginia, 6-1, before slipping past Maryland, 4-3. Youth was served, as Cassandra Herzberg ’12 won all four of her singles and doubles matches, while Catherine Stewart ’12 was the only other player to win both of her singles matches.
Women’s lacrosse The women’s lacrosse team (2-2) will host Harvard (2-2) tomorrow at 1 p.m. on the Berylson Family Fields. Jesse Nunn ’09, who has not played in the last two games, and Kelly Robinson ’09 lead the Bears with six goals apiece, followed by Kaela McGilloway ’12 with five. Goalie Isabel Harvey ’12 has posted a .432 save percentage and a 10.5 goals against average. Jess Halpern leads the Crimson with 15 goals, followed by Kaitlin Martin with 10, while two Harvard goalies have combined for a .405 save percentage and a 10.73 goals against average. On Wednesday, Brown lost to Boston College, 13-5. McGilloway notched two goals and an assist, Robinson added two goals and Bethany Buzzell ’10 added a goal and led the team with two ground balls. Harvey made seven saves.
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Commentary & Letters The Brown Daily Herald
Page 10 | Friday, March 13, 2009
l e t t e r to t h e e d i to r
New Spagfest rules counterproductive To the Editor: Regarding Thursday’s article (“Spagfest: Come one, come all,” March 12): No one mentions WHY Spagfest has become an unmanageable food fight. The key culprit is the rules Brown enacted in response to Bill O’Reilly’s little SexPowerGod expose. Spagfest has been a tradition at Zete since before I was born. Having joined Zete as a freshman in 2001, I have seen nearly a decade of Spagfests, and heard about many more from my elders. Four years ago — the year of the O’Reilly/ SPG scandal — was the first year that Spagfest ever devolved into a food fight. Before that, Spagfest was the feel-good event of the year, beloved by students of all ages and stripes. Two rule changes impacted Spagfest directly. First, the party was required to star t later, at 5 p.m. instead of the traditional 2 p.m. This resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of
students who showed up drunk and rowdy. Second, a $1-per-drink rule was implemented to tr y and stem alcohol consumption. This effectively killed a time-honored rule Zetes used to manage Spagfest — you don’t get ser ved if you are not seated. We bring the food and drink to you, you don’t come to it. This helped keep this complicated party calm and manageable. I don’t expect the University to bend the rules for Spagfest, no matter how much we plead. To them, parties are just lawsuits waiting to happen, and the more restricted they are the better. All I can say is that, in tr ying to make parties more tame, they turned one of the most respected parties on campus into a horror show. I used to come back for Spagfest every year — not anymore. Alumni participation — and by extension, alumni donations — always wanes when the University squelches traditions. Paul Greenamyer ’04 March 12
P ete fallon
opinions extra
What’s America watching? Katharine Hermann Opinions Columnist
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Like most of my friends at Brown, I am a “30 Rock” enthusiast. Apparently, most Americans are not. For the current season, “30 Rock” is coming in 64th out of 164 shows in the Nielsen ratings. I was shocked to discover that it is below such “highly esteemed” shows as “Two and a Half Men” and “Ghost Whisperer.” A recent episode, one that I happened to love, was beat out by a rerun of “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC, as a recent New York Times article (“Sitcoms Ser ve Up Comfort Laughs,” Mar. 1 2009), points out. The fact that more Americans watch “Two and a Half Men” than “30 Rock” makes me feel ver y out of touch with America. I watched “Two and a Half Men” once, on a ver y long plane ride with limited programming, and sat in disbelief that a show with such generic stor y lines, trite jokes and unimaginative sets could actually be made, let alone watched regularly by anyone. I am afraid that “30 Rock”’s lack of widespread popularity is emblematic of a deeper, more troubling problem in the United States. So what, exactly, deters Americans from watching “30 Rock”? I ruled out the possibility that people don’t know about the show or its actors. Tina Fey, the show’s creator and star, enjoyed ubiquity thanks to her frighteningly dead-on impersonation of Sarah Palin. She graced the cover of Januar y’s Vanity Fair. She, and by proxy, her work, are on the American radar. I also don’t believe that “30 Rock”’s problem is its content, or that people would find “30 Rock’s” brand of humor inaccessible, since its humor is not uni-
formly highbrow or lowbrow. There are slapstick moments and esoteric allusions in equal measure. It’s mix of humor is similar to that of “The Simpsons:” intelligent and crude and accessible, on some level, to ever yone. Alessandra Stanley, author of the aforementioned Times article, concludes that “network comedies do best when they follow convention.” I think that her explanation, at a ver y broad level, hits closest to the real answer — Americans won’t give “30 Rock” a tr y because it’s nonconventional. The show is set in New York, it’s not about a family and it stars Tina Fey, whom people associate with politics and wit. The premise of the show is unfamiliar and its image is maybe even a little intimidating, so many Americans decide it’s not for them. An American’s choice of television show might seem trivial, but I am not so sure that it is. That a genuinely funny, innovative and critically acclaimed program struggles to stay afloat says something about the collective nature of our countr y, and, I believe, says something bad. “30 Rock”’s low viewership speaks poorly for the open-mindedness and adventurousness of the average American. Conversely, Brown students seem to have embraced “30 Rock.” I do not believe that this adoration is a sign of the superior intelligence or worldliness of Brown students. However, I think that our acceptance indicates an openness to new ideas and approaches from which our whole countr y might benefit.
Katharine Hermann ’09 is a COE and urban studies concentrator from Portland, Oregon. She can be reached at Katharine_Hermann@brown.edu
correction A comic in Thursday’s Herald (“Socrates,” March 12) was incorrectly attributed. It was drawn by Luke Jeffrey. C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. C ommentary P O L I C Y The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
Opinions The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 13, 2009 | Page 11
Exporting the Brown ethos DREW HARRIS Opinions Columnist Every time I leave Brown, I am struck by my inability to recycle things. Brown makes it easy to recycle. Many Brown buildings contain an array of recycling bins, each for a different material, conveniently located along campus walkways and easily accessible within dorms. But as Brown continues to reduce its carbon footprint in the face of a difficult recession, the percentage of Americans who prioritize protecting the environment has dropped from 56 percent to 41 percent over the past year. In the face of dwindling public support and amidst a torrent of new spending in Congress, I would like to propose a modest alternative solution to America’s recycling blues loosely modeled on a system already in place at Brown. Brown Dining Ser vices has a great program through which students can purchase a mug for $1.95 and subsequently save a quarter on ever y cup of coffee or tea they purchase from BDS (that’s almost a 20 percent savings). This seems like a
win-win to me; if I learned anything during my two-month tenure as a Dunkin’ Donuts team member, it’s that the cups are more valuable than the coffee. As employees, we were allowed to drink unlimited beverages — but we could use only one small, logofree cup per day. If a customer decided not to purchase the coffee we made for him, we would empty the coffee out and, believe it or not, wash the Styrofoam cup with water and put it back on the stack.
world.” The store that I worked at offered no discount for those who brought their own mugs and actually instructed its employees to make their beverages in a new cup before transferring them to the mug. Furthermore, Dunkin’ Donuts continues to sell beverages in Styrofoam cups, a practice that even McDonald’s has abandoned. If Dunkin’ Donuts is the Ford Expedition of coffee retailers, Starbucks is the Chevy Suburban… Hybrid. Their coffee
If Dunkin’ Donuts is the Ford Expedition of coffee retailers, Starbucks is the Chevy Suburban… Hybrid. Not only are disposable cups expensive, they’re also bad for the environment. Americans use 16 billion cups per year, many made of non-paper materials that cannot be recycled. Furthermore, stringent FDA regulations make it difficult to produce cups from recycled materials. Dunkin’ Donuts sells 1.5 billion cups of coffee per year and calls itself the “largest coffee and baked goods chain in the
cups are made of 10 percent post-consumer material, and they offer a 10 cent discount to those who bring their own mugs. But Starbucks’ attempts to cater to the environmental crowd need to go further. Blue State Coffee uses almost exclusively compostable and biodegradable paper goods and offers 25 cents off to customers who bring their own mugs.And their strategy is paying off. Blue State just opened up new
branches in New Haven and at the Brown Bookstore. Commendably, Starbucks has promised to switch to 100 percent recyclable or reusable cups by 2015. But there is more to be done. The more Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts encourage their customers to forgo disposable cups, the less cups they will need to manufacture. Emphasizing the “reusable” part of the Starbucks pledge will be good for the environment and save ever yone money (a 2000 study by the Alliance for Environmental Innovation in conjunction with Starbucks concluded that the company could save $1 million per year by implementing reusable cups). Maybe it’s easy for me to rant against coffee retailers. After all, I don’t drink coffee. (I’ve flirted with tea, but it’s nothing serious.) I think it’s an expensive and fruitless addiction, and so it’s no large leap for me to decr y the waste involved in the production of coffee cups. Still, it’s undeniable that retailers could save resources and money by properly incentivizing reusable mugs.
Drew Harris ’11 recently bought 1,000 shares of Acme Mug Corporation. He can be reached at drew_harris@brown.edu.
Washington’s cultural exchange JONATHAN TOPAZ Opinions Columnist If you haven’t noticed, Republicans are kind of scrambling right now. A racist, pill-popping radio host whom a whopping 2 percent of Republicans see as the party’s national leader is the awe-inspiring patriarch (read: fear-monger) running the show; their top legislative priority is earmark prevention; and there is so much in-fighting that President Obama is having trouble getting his agenda on the front page. Finally, it seems they’re starting to realize that this whole old, uncharismatic, white-guy thing isn’t quite working out for them. Trends in youth voting in the last election have given them a rude awakening. Ever since we 18- to 34-year-olds actually cared and showed up in November, we have been the hottest commodity in Washington. We are an untapped resource, a culturally distinct generation that now has political viability. Turning out the youth vote was once a joke; now it’s a solvable puzzle that everyone is frantically trying to figure out. And the Republicans have become increasingly agitated that they are losing us. If conservative talk radio is your most effective medium, you aren’t exactly adapting to the times. Luckily, at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), the Republicans struck gold. One-upping the Democrats’ youth movement, Republican officials selected 13-year-old home-schooled author and future social incompetent Jonathan Krohn to
speak on the principles of conservatism. Repeatedly interrupted by applause and ultimately given a standing ovation, Krohn won over the crowd. Apparently, conservatives thought that a geeky kid could assume the “de facto leader of the Republican Party” title. At least he, amidst the ideological rift crippling the party, could define the word conservative. Second, the Republicans toiled to elect a qualified, articulate change agent to the head of the Republican National Committee. In a January RNC chair debate, the candidates were asked how to best incorporate
sticking them on the committee and saying ‘gee, look who we got,’ like we do with black folks and a whole lot of other folks around here.” In other words, Mr. Steele looked about as absurdly out of place as Mike Gravel debating Hillary Clinton. Well, Republicans made it clear that any black man would do — Steele is the new Republican National Committee Chairman. Ever since his appointment, Steele has proven himself to be a more legitimate version of Joe the Plumber — a man who is so shocked by his sudden rise to national prominence that he is visibly unable to control his
Turning out the youth vote was once a joke; now it’s a solvable puzzle that everyone is frantically trying to figure out. And the Republicans have become increasingly agitated that they are losing us. young people back into the party — a most crucial question to the party’s recovery. Michael Duncan and others provided concrete examples, such as utilizing technology and coordinating with College Republican groups on campuses. Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a socially conservative African-American, thoughtfully articulated a creative “40 under 40 strategy.” The plan would dictate that 40 percent of all conservative non-incumbent congressional candidates be 40 years of age or younger. Then Michael Steele announced his vision. A nationwide strategy was not needed, Steele contended, but instead a series of personal meetings with young people. Conservatives need to make sure they are “not just
excitement. Most hilarious is Steele’s attempt to save the Republican Party by “hip-hop”-ifying the GOP message. First of all, anyone who saw Steele on D.L. Hughley’s show knows that, when compared to Hughley and his other guest, Mr. Steele looked about as hiphop as Mr. Rogers. Secondly, condescending to minority groups by putting a racially charged cultural phenomenon at the forefront of your strategy isn’t just offensive, it’s straight dumb. And, thirdly, anyone who believes that Steele’s victory for the RNC top spot doesn’t have to do with a disingenuous attempt at reaching out to young voters by selecting a black man seriously needs a reality check.
It’s kind of like promoting as your party’s savior a callow governor who promotes intelligent design and threatened to deny his suffering state stimulus money because he is younger than 40 and of Indian descent. All of this is simply a sign of disrespect and condescension. Political scientists such as Martin Wattenberg have proved that, for years, national politicians have largely ignored young voters and focused their message on older voters. Now, after years of neglect, their attempts to win us over are all on the surface with oversimplified Internet communication, pop culture references and anointed minority public officials in hopes that their old, tired messages will resonate with young voters. There seems to be an understanding on the right that the key to Obama’s victory was winning over overlooked and oppressed groups: women, minorities, young people and homosexuals. And the overt attempt to replicate Obama’s ability to win us over is downright insulting. Obama did not impress us with his youth, or his blackness but with the empathy and respect he granted us despite the fact that we were not reliable voters. Obama did not pretend to be our best friend, or try to impress us by speaking our language, but instead spoke to us like adults. But, at least for now, it is kind of fun to see what pickup lines Congress tries to use on us. And, of course, at least we have the Congressional Republican hip-hop LP to look forward to.
Jonathan Topaz ’12 is a first-year student from New York. He can be reached at Jonathan.Topaz@gmail.com
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Today
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Fusion Dance Company mixes it up
The Brown Daily Herald
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Bears look ahead to weekend match-ups Friday, March 13, 2009
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the news in images
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6:30 PM — Khanzana: South Asian Students Association Annual Culture Show, Saloman 101
8 PM — Brown University Jazz Band Concert, Salomon Center
8 PM — Brown University Orchestra Concert, Sayles Hall
8 PM — Fusion Dance Company’s Annual Show, Alumnae Hall
Sharpe Refectory
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Hot Pastrami Sandwich, Vegan Vegetable Couscous, French Green Beans with Tomatoes
Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Rice Pilaf with Zucchini
Dinner — Cajun Baked Fish, Vegan Stir Fried Noodles with Tofu, Asparagus Cuts with Lemon
Dinner — Breaded Pollock, Grilled Chicken, Risotto Primavera, Cheesy Grits Souffle, Belgian Carrots
Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Tees off 5 __ lazuli 10 Horse of a different color 14 Bind with rope 15 Island north of the Paraguaná Peninsula 16 Upper hand 17 Words before doing 18 Called 19 Track warning 20 “For children 12 and under,” say? 23 Therapist’s concern 24 She beat Martina for the 1999 U.S. Open championship 27 Growing influence of the AARP? 31 1985 Broadway musical based on a Dickens novel 32 Frequent texters 33 Bunch 37 C-3PO, for one 39 Film with Bond girl Honey Ryder 40 Less normal 42 Fished with the National Anguilla Club 44 What “No snoring” might be part of? 49 Geneses 50 Fight sites 52 Spontaneous public meeting? 56 Chow chow chow 58 Award-winning Disney animator Glen 59 Apple or pear 60 Be worthy of 61 Playwright Chekhov 62 Home of Zeno 63 Stargazer’s focus?
64 N. Korean first of 10/9/2006 65 Buc or Phil DOWN 1 24-part classic 2 Spectra 3 Ancient ascetic 4 Slam dunk, so to speak 5 Letter? 6 Saroyan’s “My Name Is __” 7 Shoe company with a big cat on its logo 8 Surefooted goat 9 Extreme cruelty 10 Brought back 11 Dash component 12 Back 13 Bottom line 21 Put down 22 Rendezvous 25 Longtime Georgia senator 26 Kid’s retort 28 “Air Music” composer 29 Hit a low note?
30 “Swan Lake” maiden 33 Vagabond 34 Genesis plot 35 Signifies 36 Cannes Christmas icon 38 Beyond lavish 41 VMI program 43 German village 45 Certain Honshu resident
But coal to John Edwards, who asked his Salomon 101 audience where America was. We thought you wouldn’t notice us sneaking out at night and coming home smelling like other candidates — but you caught us. A diamond to the Key Society, which decided to spice things up this year by scheduling Gala outdoors because it is “difficult to get kids dressed up these days.” Nothing gets people excited about dressing up like a tent on Pembroke Field in early April.
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RELEASE DATE– Friday, March 13, 2009
First off, Mazel tov and a diamond to Bruno the Mascot, who celebrated his Bear Mitzvah with Brown/RISD Hillel this week. (What, you want that we should give to you some fancy tchotchke?)
46 Go back into business 47 Open, as a scroll 48 Toledo’s river 51 Spread 53 Carnival follower 54 Overdue 55 Nephew of Cain 56 Cardinals, on scoreboards 57 Boy
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Coal to the researchers who “used a computerized model to synthesize an agarose gel to create spheres of cells.” That sounds suspiciously like the recipe for making Sticky Rice with Edamame. Speaking of rice, a coal to Providence Place Mall’s Cathay Cathay, which sued its food court neighbor, Gourmet India, to maintain its monopoly on white rice. We guess you didn’t get the memo, but we ushered in a new, colorblind era when we elected Barack Obama president — there isn’t supposed to be tension between the rices anymore. A supportive diamond to Frankie Martinez ’10, the lone male member of Brown’s 15-person cheerleading squad. You may not have to pay for pom-poms, but it must be a pain to carry around all of that extra equipment. Coal to Mayor David Cicilline ’83, who announced his re-election bid on YouTube. Unless your video includes the phrase “jizzed in my pants” or is set to a foreign pop hit with fake English lyrics, we doubt anyone will watch it. A diamond to the men’s basketball team, which beat Harvard on a buzzer-beater last weekend. Earlier in the season, Harvard beat Boston College, and Boston College beat powerhouse North Carolina, so by the transitive principle ... you might not want to pick UNC in your March Madness bracket this year. And, finally, a cubic zirconium to this year’s new online Spring Weekend ticketing system, which caused the Brown Concert Agency to discharge all of its special ticket packages unexpectedly after less than four minutes. BCA swears this has never happened before.
comics Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley
xwordeditor@aol.com
03/13/09
The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb
By Dan Naddor (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
03/13/09