Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 19 | Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Recent grads seriously injured in hit-and-run Phelan ’09 pushed roommate out of car’s path By Goda Thangada Senior Staff Writer
Erinn Phelan ’09 and Alma Guerrero ’09 MD’13 were struck by a car and seriously injured in a hitand-run accident in Brooklyn at 4:30 Sunday morning. Phelan pushed Guerrero out of the way of the car, Alma’s father Fidel Guerrero P’09 told the New York Daily News, and is currently in critical condition. Guerrero is stable, with non-life-threatening injuries, said Lt. John Grimpel of the New York Police Department. Since the accident, Phelan has been surrounded by friends and family at her bedside in Kings County Hospital, according to friend Rob Warner ’10.5. Warner said Guerrero had a broken collarbone and may be released soon. Phelan and Guerrero were crossing the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Prospect Place when a northbound 1993 green Acura Legend struck the two, according to the police report. The vehicle was found abandoned after the accident, according to police reports. The front windshield was
Students weigh in on budget
M. hoops shocks Princeton
smashed. A cab driver, whom the Daily News identified as Muhammad, witnessed the incident and called the police, Grimpel said. Muhammad told the Daily News, “I heard a big boom. Then she took off. She started driving faster and (passed) me. It was a young woman driving.” Police sources searched for Cindy Jasmin, 31, the registered owner of the car, for more than two days before she agreed to speak with the NYPD. Detective John Sweeney of the NYPD confirmed to The Herald on Tuesday night that police had made contact with Jasmin, who hired a lawyer before meeting with detectives. Sweeney said Jasmin claims her sister was driving the vehicle when it struck Phelan and Guerrero. The case remains under investigation, with the warrant for the arrest of the perpetrator still outstanding. “We can’t assume anything,” Sweeney said. A large digital signboard has been placed at the scene of the accident, broadcasting a plea for tips. Guerrero, who attends Alpert Medical School, was visiting Phelan, her roommate of three years, for the long weekend. Phelan has been working as
By Tony Bakshi Sports Staff Writer
Steve Gruber ’10 is a backup point guard who averages just four points a game. But in the waning seconds against Princeton on Saturday night, his record was irrelevant. Gruber sunk two clutch free throws with eight seconds remaining,
SPORTS
Jonathan Bateman / Herald
Steve Gruber ’10 came off the bench against Princeton and made all six of his free throw attempts, helping the basketball team go 2-0 last weekend.
By Alex Bell Senior Staff Writer
President Ruth Simmons’ decision to leave Goldman Sachs’ Board of Directors earlier this month was not influenced by the Corporation, members of Brown’s highest governing body told The Herald. “I want to make it as clear as I can that, as she has noted, President Simmons kept the senior leadership
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C o m e BAC k K I d s
FEATURE
Jonathan Bateman / Herald
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served” by being made public. In an interview with The Herald earlier this month, Simmons said she felt strongly that she doesn’t “know enough as an individual” to make the decision to leave Goldman’s board without others’ input, so she discusses the matter with a committee of the Corporation periodically. Before Simmons chose to leave Goldman’s board, she discussed the continued on page 5
F— their lives: Students find outlet on Brown FML During reading period, with the inevitability of finals mounting, stressed and anxious students cling desperately to their last moments of freedom, and humiliating moments have a way of accompanying this ner vous tension.
Men’s hockey achieved two major comebacks back-to-back.
inside
apprised of her thinking and solicited our views,” said Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76 P’07, the Corporation’s leader and the University’s highest officer. But the senior leadership’s view, he said, “was that this really was a decision for her to make.” When asked what thoughts Simmons expressed in such discussions, Tisch said this sort of conversation from within the leadership of the Corporation would not be “well-
By Nicole Boucher Staf f Writer
Most college students rarely have the opportunity to help craft nine-figure institutional budgets. But five Brown students — the student representatives to the University Resources Committee — do just that as they advise senior administrators on the University’s annual budget. The committee, chaired by Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, is responsible for drawing up budget recommendations for the president to present to the Corporation, Brown’s highest governing body. The URC consists of six elected faculty members, two staff members, five senior administrators — including Kertzer; Rajiv Vohra P’07, dean of the faculty;
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Corp. stayed out of Goldman decision
By Max Godnick Senior Staff Writer
News.....1-5 Spor ts...6-7 Nation....8-9 Editorial..10 Opinion...11 Today........12
helping the Bears (10-17, 4-6 Ivy) grab an upset victory over the title-contending Tigers (16-7, 7-2). The night before, Brown avenged a heartbreaking home
But beginning Dec. 8, students were able to relieve their stress through Brown FML — a Web site where students can anonymously post stressful or embarrassing experiences, usually with a touch of humor mixed in. The use of the phrase “FML” (F— My Life) to denote a particularly negative or embarrassing experience skyrocketed after the
debut of the original site, FMyLife.com. As the phrase became integrated into teenage popular culture, more forums appeared documenting unfortunate but humorous events in the lives of young adults. Brown FML is a school-specific Web site following this trend. The Brown site is par t of the larger College FML project, which was initiated by Har vard freshman Jonah Varon and now includes over 50 colleges. Varon said he hopes that the forums serve not only as a place for students to complain but also as opportunities for contact between fellow students. Varon said he envisions the individual college FML site as “an anonymous forum where students can communicate.” continued on page 2
News, 3
Sports, 6
Opinions, 11
Engineering change A proposal for a school of engineering at Brown is slated to be passed
hoops for haiti Women’s basketball team raised thousands of dollars for Haitian relief
Eco-Friendly apathy Sarah Yu ’11 calls out students for their environmental laziness
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