Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxlv, no. 61 | Wednesday, September 1, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Big Boi to headline BCA fall concert

Coffee and couches: new campus center debuts Blue Room returns after $20 million Faunce renovations

By Alicia Chen Senior Staff Writer

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any campus space with comfy couches and food must be in want of students. The Brown community’s enthusiastic adoption of the new Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center — completed after a year of extensive renovations to Faunce House — is no exception to the rule. Since its opening Aug. 16, a steady stream of community members have taken advantage of the Campus Center’s roomy interior spaces like the new Blue Room and the Leung Gallery

to relax, meet with friends and eat.

The main level features an open floor plan, a quiet reading area and an airy new Blue Room with more seating and food options. The upper floors of the Campus Center also bring together different administrative offices — like the Student Activities Office and the Curricular Resource Center — and student group offices — like Brown Student Agencies and Brown Student Radio — which had previously been scattered all around campus.

In the time before the start of classes, students have already begun using the center. “It looks very nice, but it’ll be interesting to see how it functions as a space,” Chase Huneke ’11 said.

The overarching goal of the new

By Suzannah Weiss Arts & Culture Editor

Max Monn / Herald

The design of the new Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center responds to requests for more informal gathering spaces.

continued on page 4

New donations to U. fell by a quarter last year Campaign exceeds expectations four months before end

By Sydney Ember News Editor

Financial gifts and pledges to the University fell nearly 25 percent last year, even as the University’s ambitious fundraising campaign continues to outperform expectations.

New gifts and pledges fell from

$180 million to $135.3 million in the last fiscal year. Total cash gifts fell 14 percent, from $193.4 million to $167 million.

But despite the continued slide in fundraising figures, optimistic administrators have increased the total goal for the Campaign for Academic Enrichment — President Ruth Simmons’ $1.4 billion fundraising effort that launched in 2002 — to $1.6 billion, four months before it is slated to end Dec. 31. The campaign’s total currently stands at $1.54 billion.

The fundraising drop-off has

hindered the campaign, which was on pace 18 months ago to top off at $1.7 billion, said Ronald Vanden Dorpel MA’71, who was senior vice president for University advancement before he retired on June 30.

“Our pledges were substantially down because of the economy,” he said. “People weren’t willing to commit large amounts.”

The downward trend in fundraising began in fiscal year 2009, when new gifts and pledges fell nearly 22 percent, from $230 million to $180 million, Vanden

Dorpel said.

Though administrators at the time called the total for 2009 a success, the figure was somewhat buoyed because the University expedited some outstanding pledges from high-profile donors, Vanden Dorpel said. By calling in outstanding pledges — arranged contribution commitments that can cover several years — the University reduced the number of pledges in the pipeline for this year, Vanden Dorpel told The Hercontinued on page 4

By Alex Bell Senior Staff Writer

Mocha can do just about anything except register for classes. Banner’s new course scheduler can do that, though it lacks some of Mocha’s user-friendly features.

But a union between these two

FEATURE systems is unlikely to occur.

Max Monn / Herald

inside

“Untitled,” by Arthur Carter ’53, moved onto the Quiet Green last month with the class of 2014 — but the sculpture, scheduled to be uninstalled in three years, will graduate a year ahead of time. See page 3.

www.browndailyherald.com

continued on page 2

Filling our shopping carts with classes: the Mocha story

mo v in g in

News.....1–5 Sports.....7–8 Editorial....10 Opinion.....11 Today........12

OutKast rapper Big Boi will headline Brown’s fall concert, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18, on Lincoln Field, according to a Brown Concert Agency press release. The concert will also feature Stegosaurus — the stage identity of DJ James Hinton ’10, a former BCA booking chair.

The agency “really wanted to expand the fall show this year,” said Booking Chair Abigail Schreiber ’11. She predicted that Big Boi, also known as Antwan Andre Patton, will “appeal to a wide variety of Brown students” and make the concert “more inclusive.”

With his first solo album, “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty,” named Billboard’s release of the week in July, Big Boi has been far from an OutKast. The hip-hop artist, songwriter, producer and actor is “on most people’s radars,” Schreiber said, adding that several popular magazines praised the album. “Since when does the New Yorker write about hip hop?” she asked.

Stegosaurus composes “a lot of creative mixes and mash-ups that we thought would really enhance the Big Boi show,” Schreiber said. Hinton, who has released two albums, performed as a DJ in Providence

Brown’s new brew Anyone who has felt appreciative enough of Mocha to look at its “About” page is familiar with its story.

Four computer science concentrators created the software over the 2005-06 winter break as an alterna-

tive to the Brown Online Course Announcement system, or BOCA. Written in the programming language Java, their brainchild came to be known as Mocha. Since its launch in 2006, Mocha has been immensely popular among the student body.

Despite its popularity, Mocha has not officially been supported

by Brown. Since the Office of the Registrar does not send course information to Mocha’s developers, Mocha’s course listings and course information may be out of date at any time. When the site’s developers realize the Registrar has updated Brown’s class listings after the initial course announcement, they repeat the process of downloading continued on page 3

News, 3

Sports, 7

Editorial, 10

giving back Student-run non-profit helps direct funds toward college scholarships

Big Kicks Men’s soccer prepares for its fall season with a renewed competetive edge

margaritaville Applauding Brown’s decision to compromise on Thayer St. Chipotle

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

herald@browndailyherald.com

Page 2

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

“It will be a mini-Spring Weekend.”

— BCA Booking Chair Abigail Schreiber ’11

Big Boi on campus; alum to perform as well continued from page 1

and various cities while he was at Brown studying music and physics, according to Administrative Chair Serin Seckin ’11.

When scouting out options for the fall lineup, “we considered Beach House, which ultimately fell through because they had a family commitment,” Seckin said. “But hopefully this will be great too.”

With Big Boi’s performance “a lot cheaper than we had expected” and an alum as the supporting act, BCA has saved money on the concert, Seckin said. The agency plans to use the surplus to hold more small

concerts throughout the year.

The 2010 concert takes place earlier than most fall concerts in hopes of warm weather and catching students before the pace of the semester picks up, Schreiber said. The outdoor location is a break from recent years, when Alumnae Hall, this year’s rain location, housed the fall concert.

“We’re really excited to have fall concert outside,” Seckin said.

Concert agency members spent time “reevaluating our shows over the past few years and realizing how much students enjoy Spring Weekend,” Schreiber said. Perceiving that outdoor concerts were part of its appeal, they chose to replicate

that ambiance this September, she explained. “It will be a mini-Spring Weekend.”

The day of the concert, doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and the main act will appear after sundown to accommodate students observing Yom Kippur.

“We are aware that it’s Yom Kippur and we have made sure that the headliner goes on after sunset,” Schreiber said.

BCA is still “figuring out the specifics” of the ticket sales process, she said, adding that more information will become available on the group’s website, www.brownconcertagency. org.

Courtesy of Brown Concert Agency

Big Boi will perform — weather permitting — on Lincoln Field, a change of venue for the fall concert.

Alum’s loopy steel sculpture ‘Untitled’ brings chatter to Quiet Green

By Anita Badejo Staff Writer

Those strolling across the Quiet Green may notice an addition to campus scener y. “Untitled,” created in 2003 by Arthur Carter ’53 and displayed on the north end of the Green, will be a fixture on University grounds for the next three years.

According to a University press release, Carter enjoyed success-

ful careers in investment banking, business and newspaper and magazine publishing before beginning to create art.

Carter and President Ruth Simmons decided to feature “Untitled” on campus, said Jo-Ann Conklin, director of the David Winton Bell Gallery.

Simmons asked the University Public Arts Committee to organize the arrival of Carter’s work. It was installed Aug. 20 and is on loan

from the Utilities and Industries Management Corporation in New York City.

An abstract sculpture of stainless steel bent into loops and rings, the piece is characteristic of Carter, whose work almost always involves metals fashioned into elliptical shapes. According to Conklin, Carter uses elliptical designs to highlight his works’ “movement through space.”

Conklin added that Carter gains

inspiration from modernist artists, such as Andrew Calder, David Smith and Piet Mondrian.

Still, she said, onlookers should not get caught up in overanalyzing the artwork. Carter’s art is “abstract, about making things, about the materials and kinds of feeling you get from the materials.”

“Untitled” fits its new home, reflecting light in a dark portion of the Green near Manning Chapel, said Conklin. “It’s a good piece for that place. It sort of brightens it up,” she said.

The Quiet Green isn’t the only place Brown community members and visitors will enjoy new artwork this year. Since the Public Arts Committee receives 1 percent of funds devoted to any major University construction or renovation,

there are numerous other projects in the works.

For example, the committee has also arranged for a new sound art installation to be featured starting next week in the newly opened Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, Conklin said.

“Advice from a Former Student”

by American artist Nina Katchadourian ’89 — an edited compilation of pieces of advice from various Brown alums, ranging from recent graduates to a 95-year-old man — will be in the new Information Center, where visitors will begin their campus tours.

When taking note of new campus art features, it may be best to leave analysis behind and “just enjoy the way it makes you feel,” Conklin said.

sudoku

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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 3

C ampus N EWS

CIS head provided support to Mocha founders continued from page 1 the course descriptions to refresh Mocha. But they have no warning of when these updates come after each semester’s course announcement.

Co-founder Dan Leventhal ’07 explained that Mocha’s developers never made a strong push for access to Brown’s raw course data.

“Nobody really felt like it was that urgent,” Leventhal said. “We already had something that worked.”

Leventhal also said the developers figured the University’s Computing and Information Services and the registrar’s office had more than enough on their plate dealing with financial and scheduling setbacks in launching Banner, which finally became active in April 2007.

“At no time were we feeling like we were being blown off,” he said. If the students had gone to Brown administrators and said Mocha would no longer be able to run without access to the course data, he said, he suspects an agreement would have been reached to keep Mocha operational.

In good company Michael Pickett left a post at Duke University to become Brown’s vice president for computing and information services in 2007. Leventhal, then a senior, was a member of the search committee that selected Pickett after Banner was launched.

“He has a big job in front of him, which would be true for anyone coming here,” Leventhal told The Herald in an April 4, 2007, article.

“At the same time, I think that bringing in someone new who doesn’t have experience with how things are done at Brown could be great for the University. He brings a whole new perspective and approach to the position.”

In the same article, Pickett told The Herald, “Brown is different from a lot of other universities. There is a spark of creativity and innovation here among students, faculty and administrators that I’m excited to be a part of.” And Pickett still stands by those words.

In an interview with The Herald earlier this week, Pickett said he has always considered helping Brown entrepreneurs succeed an important part of his job.

As the son of an inventor, Pickett easily assumed an advisory role to the young Brown innovators.

Going so far as to take the students out to dinner a few times, he talked with them about business models and what they wanted to see happen with their creation. Preserving the functionality of Mocha for Brown students was a priority for all parties from day one, Pickett said.

In 2008, Mocha’s crew incorporated the site into a limited liability corporation called Siliconfections.

They moved it off of the Brown computer science department’s servers, and paid for web hosting with the commissions they made when users clicked on links from their site to Amazon.com.

Pickett also set up talks with

the Brown Bookstore, leading to Mocha’s inclusion of links to buy textbooks from the store’s site.

“We wanted to make sure they didn’t step on any toes in a way that could be avoided,” Pickett said. “And I think ever yone got what they wanted.”

A protege comes along In 2007, Leventhal said Mocha’s developers had two or three rounds of meetings with CIS in which the idea that the University might buy or otherwise acquire Mocha was discussed.

“They didn’t really want to pay us the kind of money that we thought it was worth,” Leventhal said. “We’d rather keep running it and learning from it than get a hundred dollars for it.”

“Plus, taking on a new piece of code is not necessarily cheap if you’re not familiar with it,” Leventhal said, adding that the developers would not be interested in maintaining a program for the University that they did not control.

He also had concerns that if the developers did sell the company and Mocha declined in quality, they would be disappointed. Besides, making money was never the developers’ goal since they founded Mocha, he said.

After most of the developers graduated and spread out across the country, Leventhal said, talks became more difficult to arrange.

“I may not have put the right deal on the table at the right time,” Pickett said. “But I think they just wanted to run it for themselves.”

The year that most of Mocha’s developers graduated, the University began developing what Pickett called a “rough prototype” of the course scheduler application that was released on March 15.

“It’s not intended to knock Mocha out of the water,” Pickett said.

“And we’re not going to get into the business of linking to Amazon or anything like that.”

More than 5,000 students have used Brown’s course scheduling application this semester, Pickett wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

The average cart size is about six courses.

Leventhal was a bit surprised when he found out the University was making its own system. But he said Mocha’s founders — all of whom now have full-time jobs — will continue to run the site as long as it is used.

“One of the things we always liked about Brown is that it’s easy to shop courses,” Leventhal said.

“But if you don’t have the right tools, there are going to be courses you don’t see.”

Pickett said he hopes to see more innovation on the part of students stemming from the flow of public information out of the University as Mocha did.

“As an entrepreneur, you try different things and sometimes it will work out and sometimes it won’t,” Pickett said. “But either way, you learn from it.”

Courtesy of Graciela Kincaid

Cody Simmons ’10 (third from right) founded CO-Fund, a non-profit that facilitates scholarship donations.

New group funds scholarships

By Thomas Jarus Staff Writer

When people see friends struggling to pay for college, they might ask themselves how they could make a small but meaningful contribution to their education. With his new nonprofit organization, CO-Fund, Cody Simmons ’10 wants to make it easy for people to donate to a range of deserving high school students in need of scholarships.

Through its website for online person-to-person donations — co‑fund.org — the group allowed its selected students last semester, known as fellows, to pool dona-

tions from family, friends, church organizations, sports teams and other contributors, with the goal of collecting $2,500 of scholarship money for each selected fellow.

The group’s “CO” stands for “college opportunity.”

Graciela Kincaid ’12, head of student relations, said CO-Fund’s work could make a big difference.

“I think that not being able to pay for college is a surprisingly common experience and I don’t think it gets talked about that much,” she said.

Simmons said the organization is based on the idea of helping others the same way that one would

help “your mom’s friend’s son.”

During organizational stages, CO-Fund worked closely with the Social Innovation Initiative, a program run by the Swearer Center for Public Service as a part of its Social Entrepreneurship Program.

Alan Harlam, director of social entrepreneurship at the Swearer Center, said his field “involves people who start businesses that are literally purposed around solving a social mission.”

For CO-Fund, the Social Innovation Initiative bridged the gap between the Brown community continued on page 5

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

C ampus N EWS

Fundraisers to focus on construction, scholarships continued from page 1

ald last October.

Before the recent financial crisis, which caused the University’s endowment to lose $740 million and stymied fundraising ef forts at universities across the countr y, Brown averaged an annual draw of $235 million during the campaign.

Though the endowment received $55 million in new gifts — up from $44 million last year — the gifts did not significantly affect the total because the annual draw on the endowment was increased to 6.5 percent, said Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration.

Though exact figures for the endowment are not yet available, Huidekoper said, the University still has a long way to go until the endowment returns to its pre-2009 total of $2.8 billion.

“It’s still a ver y shaky market,” she said. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Gili Kliger and Julien Ouellet / Herald

Green shoots Though the endowment has not grown significantly and fundraising numbers continue to slide, bright spots remain in an other wise gloomy economic

situation for the University. Last year, the Brown Annual Fund, the University’s general fundraising campaign, reached its goal of $36 million, up from $35 million in the 2009 fiscal year. The scholarship fund suppor ting undergraduate

financial aid — which raised its goal from $300 million to $400 million in October 2008 due to continued success — recently passed $300 million, Vanden Dorpel said, though administrators said it may be difficult to reach the $400 million mark with only four months left in the campaign.

“I think under the circumstances, it was really an efficient year,” he said. “We finished the year well on a number of fronts.”

As the campaign winds down, advancement leaders are focusing on completing fundraising for the Metcalf Chemistr y and Research Laboratory renovation project and the new Medical Education Building, as well as continuing the push to raise funding for undergraduate scholarships, said Steven King ’91, who replaced Vanden Dorpel as senior vice president for University advancement. He said the University has set a target of $140 million in new gifts and pledges for the current fiscal year, with an increased drive to raise funds to support the University as a research institution.

“We want to continue to build the momentum and meet the annual goals for the University,” King said. “There’s no shortage of needs.”

news in brief

New U. website coming soon The University will have an updated website this fall, which will include a new home page and updated department sites, courtesy of the public affairs office and Computing and Information Services.

The site will have several features that will make navigating the home page much easier, said Scott Turner, director of web communications.

New additions will include gateways directed toward specific audiences, videos and a guide to upcoming events, he said.

The idea for a new website began two years ago, when the Media Relations advisory council suggested that the site be improved and updated.

Turner said the current site “didn’t flow” and the new site will “meet the needs of the audience.”

Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, said that the new site will “capture the culture and distinction of Brown University” and that “the growing value of the Web” fueled the need for a more modern website.

The home page will be updated first, and the developers will then work with faculty to update the sites of each academic department, Turner said.

The development of the website has been publicized through the Brown University website redesign blog, which documents each update. The website developers have tried to make the project as open as possible by using the blog and test-runs of the new site to get user feedback, Turner said.

— Fei Cai

New Blue Room well-received by coffee-drinking students continued from page 1

www.browndailyherald.com

center is to help facilitate a greater “sense of community,” said Ricky Gresh, senior director for student engagement and chair of the Stephen Robert ’62 P’91 Campus Center planning committee. The Plan for Academic Enrichment, President Ruth Simmons’s strategy for improving undergraduate life at Brown, outlined a need for a campus center that would encourage more informal interaction between University students, faculty and staff, and help support students’ academic and co-curricular goals, Gresh said.

Five main priorities came out of the discussions during community forums and planning committee meetings, he said. Participants expressed the need for the eatery to have more

seats and longer hours, a floor plan that created a sense of “arrival,” a feeling of community and more event and informal gathering spaces.

Donations by former University Chancellor Stephen Robert ’62 and several anonymous benefactors funded the renovation. A tuition surplus last year was used to fast-track the re-opening of Faunce to this August.

Gresh said the renovation cost about $20 million.

“I used to come here, but just to pick up something from the Blue Room. Never to hang out, eat or do work,” said Edjola Ruci ’12. “Now it’s more modern and social. There are so many nice spaces. I think this will be the new spot on campus where everyone will fight to get a table. It’s going to be interesting to see how long the couches remain clean, though.”

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS Student group connects donors with college-bound students continued from page 3 and the outside world.

“They needed to partner with organizations to find students and, through relationships with the Swearer Center, we were able to find great organizations that were already involved in college access,” Harlam said.

These groups, which help recommend the fellows, include College Visions — an organization in Providence that works with high school seniors — and the University’s College Advising Corps.

After students are selected, their profiles appear on CO-Fund’s website, where potential donors can learn about them and their situation.

Though the fellows never need to repay CO-Fund for their scholarship, they are urged to “pay it forward,” an aspect of the program that Simmons called “morally binding.”

In order to pay it forward, fellows can choose one of four options: working with CO-Fund or its partner organizations after graduating, donating to other CO-Fund students, participating in community service projects or attending graduate school.

The CO-Fund staff doesn’t “want the repayment of this money to be a financial burden to someone who is coming from a financially disadvantaged family,” Harlam said.

Three of the four inaugural fellows are starting college this semester, and the other is a college sophomore.

A fellow named Maritza, who just graduated from Classical High School in Providence, has her first college classes Wednesday. She said she hopes to pursue a double

major in psychology and linguistics at the University of Rochester and aspires to work in speech pathology.

To protect her identity, the group did not release her last name.

“I feel really lucky that I got chosen,” she said. “I think there should be more organizations like CO-Fund.”

Kincaid and Katie Goddard ’12, head of educational research and resources, received Starr Fellowships from the Swearer Center this summer to work full-time on the organization, Harlam said.

Kincaid said their work included researching fundraising, completing grant applications and learning about social media strategies involving Facebook and Twitter. Kincaid and Goddard also examined last semester’s results. Through evaluating their “pilot launch,” Kincaid said they hoped to determine “what elements of our model should be changed or reconsidered and how we could make it better next time around.”

Kincaid said she thought the company’s launch went well and she was pleased that the fellows’ scholarship money was distributed to their colleges.

“I’m really proud that we got our first tuition payments out and that a lot of it was raised through contributions on the website,” she said.

Both Simmons and Kincaid said CO-Fund is off to a good start, but they are still looking to improve.

“We definitely wanted to raise more than we needed for these first few students and we’ve done that,” Simmons said.

Simmons said that CO-Fund needs to raise funds for future fellows and get more college students involved with the organization.

Page 5

SportsWednesday The Brown Daily Herald

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 | Page 7

WOMEN’s SOCCER

Ten fresh faces set to take the field this fall

BY Tony Bakshi Sports Editor

After a class of eight seniors graduated last fall, women’s soccer Head Coach Phil Pincince admits he does not quite know what to expect from his fresh-faced squad in the upcoming season.

“I think 2010 is going to be a

mystery ride,” Pincince said. “I have no idea where it’s going to take us.”

A class of 10 freshmen — one forward, five midfielders, two defenders and two goalies — was brought in to replace the outgoing team members. The roster changcontinued on page 8

MEN’s SOCCER

Squad’s goal: surpass 2009 success

By Katie DeAngelis Sports Staff Writer

Just as Spain’s FIFA World Cup did not come overnight, Brown’s men’s soccer team knows that further success at the big tournament will only come with strong preparation.

“We’ve been in preseason now for over a week and the team is looking really good,” co-captain David Walls ’11 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

“Almost all the team has met the fitness standards which shows that over the summer the players put in a lot of work and have returned in good shape.”

Co-captain Paul Grandstrand ’11 echoed the sentiment in an e-mail to The Herald. “Everyone has put in hard work during the summer on their own by playing on (Player Development League) teams across the country or by training with other high-level players.”

Former Assistant Coach Patrick Laughlin takes over the head coaching position and is joined by Assistant Coach Andrew Biggs, a former head coach at the University of New England.

Both captains agreed that the new coaching staff has brought spirit to the team. Grandstrand wrote that Laughlin “has brought some new energy into the team” and that Briggs “has already made an immediate impact on our training.”

Walls said there is still a battle for key roles even though 10 starters are returning from last year, crediting Laughlin and his new coaching style for the competitive spirit.

“There are lots of places up for grabs and the competition amongst players is very intense,” Walls wrote.

The players are optimistic that the new competitive energy will lead

Jonathan Bateman / Herald file photo

Defenseman David Walls ’11, an All-Ivy Honorable Mention, returns to the men’s soccer team as a co-captain.

to success on the field. Though the Bears came in second in the Ivy League and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, Walls said he thinks the team will go further this year.

“We are very excited to start the season,” Walls wrote. “We have a demanding schedule but one in which I think we can be successful.”

The Bears finished 11-3-5 last

year, with a 5-2 record in Ivy League play that only trailed Harvard’s 5-1-1 mark. They outshot their opponents 15-11 per game and outscored them by a 2-1 ratio.

The soccer team kicks off the season with the Ocean State Cup at Bryant University on Friday. Its first home game will be on Sept.

10 against the University of South Carolina.

Page 8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S ports W ednesday

WEDNESday, September 1, 2010

“Nothing is impossible with a young team.”

— Phil Pincince, women’s soccer head coach

Young women’s team gears up for the fall season

Jesse Morgan / Herald file photo

Last year’s women’s soccer team graduated eight players.

continued from page 7 es will be evident immediately, as these new faces will take over for stalwarts all across the field, beginning at the goalie position.

Mar y Barrett ’14 and Amber Bledsoe ’14 will take over for departed keepers Brenna Hogue ’10 and Steffi Yellin ’10, a tandem that combined for four shutouts last season.

“It’s exciting and scary at the same time,” said Pincince. “We were there four years ago, and the goalkeeping team we developed was outstanding. Now we’re back on that track.”

While Pincince said this year’s team captains “have not been elected yet,” there are a few notable candidates looking to build on their strong 2009 campaigns.

Joyce Chun ’11 made a huge impact last year, leading the team with four goals, including game-winners over Columbia, the University of Rhode Island and Army. She will have to help lead the underclassmen on offense, as the Bears look to improve their goal scoring. Bruno

only tallied three goals in Ivy League play last season on its way to a 2-5 conference record.

Allison Kagawa ’12, an Honorable Mention All-Ivy player last fall, will continue to solidify the backline.

Kagawa started all 32 games in her first two seasons with the Bears.

She will have the unenviable task of helping replace graduated center back Bridget Ballard ’10, a threetime All-Ivy player.

Because of the roster turnover, Pincince has set reasonable expectations for his squad, he said.

“Last year, with our seniors, was a season that we expected a lot from, and we finished seventh,” said Pincince.

Despite the drastic changes, Pincince is optimistic about his young squad’s future. He said he always aims for the team to finish in the top half of the Ivy League.

“You can’t have high expectations on day one, but I’m telling you, nothing is impossible with a young team.”

The team starts the season at the Dartmouth Invitational this weekend, facing Northeastern on Friday and Colgate on Sunday.

Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Wednesday, September 1, 2010

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After years of rumors and controversy, Chipotle Mexican Grill will finally come to Thayer Street.

A company spokesperson told The Herald that the restaurant should be open around November. But nearby residents, would-be competitors and, until yesterday, even the University’s administration have still hassled the new kid on the block.

The Providence Journal reported earlier this month that Chipotle withdrew its request for a liquor license and a 2 a.m. closing time in the face of an outpouring of opposition. We were initially disappointed to read that the University was among the opponents, along with several individuals who either manage or lease property to other Thayer Street restaurants. According to the Journal story, University spokeswoman Marisa Quinn voiced concerns that another liquor-ser ving, late-night establishment would create more opportunity for alcohol-related incidents.

Just yesterday, Brown and Chipotle reached a compromise, the Associated Press reported. Brown will accept the new location ser ving food until 2 a.m. as long as it ceases alcohol sales at 10 p.m. We applaud the University for revising its position and working to give students another neighborhood dining option. Now, it should persuade other nervous College Hill residents and business owners that this agreement is for the best.

Those still pushing for an earlier closing time fundamentally misunderstand what Chipotle brings to Thayer Street. We believe that few patrons will go to Chipotle to drink heavily. As the Journal article notes, there are already 10 other places on Thayer Street that are licensed to serve alcohol. And any

Chipotle frequenter can attest that the chain’s locations don’t feel like bars — the overwhelming emphasis is on the food.

Rather, Chipotle will become a prime option for inexpensive, natural eats. And considering college students’ sleep and study habits, it’s the sort of option students will want to have available between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. In fact, we would be open to even more restrictions on the restaurant’s alcohol sales if it meant food could be served until the wee hours of the morning.

Ironically, if the goal is to prevent drunkenness and disorderly conduct, then forcing the new location to close early might be somewhat counterproductive. The chain is known for serving large portions of rice, beans and meat. Because having a full stomach slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, these big, filling meals are just what people should eat if they plan on a long night of heavy drinking.

Chipotle’s arrival on College Hill was first reported by The Herald in 2007, but those initial plans fell apart after other Thayer Street business owners successfully appealed a decision by the city’s zoning board. Chipotle has found a new spot, but it appears that at least one of the owners involved in that appeal is now among those calling for the early closing time. We’ve waited a long time now, and the University shouldn’t help self-interested business owners bully us out of those burritos yet again.

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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

wednesday, September 1, 2010 | Page 11

Post-graduation allocation Sarah Yu Opinions Columnist

A student’s journey through college education is about challenges. For us, this means thinking about and accepting ideas outside of what we have become accustomed to, realizing the potential in the cosmic grandeur of the universe and leveraging ourselves to be successful for the rest of our lives.

As a newly-risen senior, it is my duty and honor to welcome first-years beginning their journeys at Brown and to share a little bit about what I have learned by this stage in my own journey.

From my current speculations about the theoretical and practical implications of my future trajectory, I am convinced (or rather, I am in the process of convincing myself) that Adam Smith was, and always will be, correct.

It has not been an easy admission for me, as my Communist-Chinese-turned-welfare-stateAustralian upbringing has always somewhat sheltered me from that rather large and imposing (albeit benevolent) Invisible Hand.

Now, however, as I face my last year in college — and serious contemplation about my impending job search and graduate school applications — I realize that I need to embrace the philosophy that I will always, no matter how much I might want otherwise, be subject to the Hand’s omnipotence.

Why have I finally learned to accept the inevitability of the free market? Well, to put it economically, it is out of rational self-interest.

I would like to be doing something meaningful and productive with my life come June 2011. To me, and undoubtedly to many of my fellow Brown seniors, this means either making a living or enrolling in a respectable post-graduate program.

Our generation, however, has been plagued with uncertainty. In recent years, we have witnessed the global financial crisis and continue

put ourselves, our resumes and our interview smiles to the test for our futures. Yet we’re not guaranteed that this nerve-wracking process will turn out any fruitful results.

In order to reassure our baffled selves, many of us turn to the inevitable scramble of applying for everything in conceivability.

While our elders (and less harried peers) may question the actual utility of the indiscriminate application rush, and we may face some disapproval from parents and various mentors and encouragement to focus our attentions on one

My dear class of 2011 and I are consumers, desperately vying for our demand (work) to be met by what seems increasingly like a scarce and dwindling supply of opportunities. to worry about the high unemployment rates it has engendered. Our disillusionment with corporations (including even institutions of higher education, with steadily rising tuition costs and more competitive admission rates) has left a deep imprint on what we perceive to be our chances of survival in the real world.

After tr ying to maintain a good GPA through a series of internships and extracurricular activities, then spending the fall semester cramming for another round of standardized tests, it will finally be time to

particular area, I see this phenomenon as simply the natural course of the free market economy that comprises college students’ post-graduation options.

Instead of the traditional manner of thinking about graduating seniors in the labor supply of our respective societies, let’s try to reverse the supply-demand charts that our economics professors taught us to memorize. That is, my dear class of 2011 and I are consumers, desperately vying for our demand (work) to be met by what seems increasingly like a scarce

and dwindling supply of opportunities. Applying to everything in sight isn’t a sign of our lack of ambition, misdirection or frivolousness; it is simply an attempt to attain more perfect information in our current market.

After all, keeping our options open and interests broad is something that Brown’s very own Open Curriculum has taught us. With a diverse and vibrant undergraduate education under our belts, it is only natural that we see what is out there and consider trying it all out.

Despite the pressure on graduating seniors to pinpoint our exact future paths, there is perhaps some logic in allowing ourselves this one more chance to diversify our interests as much as we’d like in as many places as we can and hoping that the Invisible Hand will help match our demand with the available supply, ultimately informing us about our desirability to others in the professional world. I would like to maintain my newfound confidence and optimism in the capabilities of the competitive market as I approach my final year of college, and I hope that the important lesson I have learned will embolden both my peers and those who will soon be in my shoes. Let’s broaden our horizons, and as thus, do justice to our Brown education.

Sarah Yu ’11 considered concentrating in Economics at one point, but then decided to keep her options open. She can be reached at xia_yu@brown.edu.

Scientific misconduct DAVID SHEFFIELD Opinions Columnist Last week, a committee at Harvard ended a three-year inquiry into one of the school’s professors, Marc Hauser. It concluded that he engaged in scientific misconduct. Hauser is a psychologist who studies animal cognition, particularly moral behavior. Scientific misconduct is a serious offense that hampers the advancement of the entire endeavor.

Science is a data driven enterprise. No one scientist can collect all of the necessary data to formulate theories, so researchers must consequentially trust the results of others. This is not a blind trust — results are tested through peer review and replication.

The punishments meted out by institutions and the community can be correspondingly devastating. This makes claims of fraud an appealing avenue for the antiscientific crowd when it does not want to appear antiscientific.

The investigation started when a graduate student and research assistant working with Hauser lodged a complaint with a dean.

The group was working on an experiment to see if rhesus monkeys could determine specific patterns of syllables. Hauser and another researcher watched videos of the monkeys to determine whether they responded to changes in the pattern of syllables that the scientists played for them. Hauser’s results showed that the monkeys did notice the change and were therefore able to determine the specific patterns. Meanwhile, the

other researcher saw no response from the monkeys.

The experiment relied on a subjective analysis of the monkeys’ behaviors, which is why the group used multiple people to analyze the recordings. The two observers inferred contradictory data, so the next logical step was to have other observers judge the results to settle the issue — something that the whistleblowers did want. However, Hauser refused and wanted to publish his results as the correct interpretation.

The graduate student and research assistant should be commended for what they did. They were both heavily reliant on Hauser for their careers and their decision to alert a dean could have backfired.

ally, his colleagues discovered that Schoen was reusing data multiple times. The anomalies soon built, and, within a year, the first committee found Schoen guilty of scientific misconduct.

Such efforts by brave students and diligent scientists make ideologically driven claims of fraud disappointingly weak by comparison. Last year, a hacker broke into the Climate Research Unit’s computers. The hacker stole thousands of emails and distributed them on the World Wide Web. Climate change deniers and sympathetic news organizations mined the e-mails and misrepresented what was written to fabricate a conspiracy by scientists to deceive the public.

Most other media, suffering from a lack of

Efforts by brave students and diligent scientists make ideologically driven claims of fraud disappointingly weak in comparison.

There are numerous other instances of fraud and misconduct in science: Piltdown Man, human clones and the measles vaccine–autism link were all fabricated. One of the seminal recent incidents is Jan Hendrik Schoen’s brief acclaim. In 2001, Schoen claimed that he created a transistor from organic molecules — a hugely consequential result. Other physicists were soon skeptical of his phenomenal work and started looking over them more carefully. Other scientists could not replicate Schoen’s results. Eventu-

science journalists and desiring balance in place of objectivity, credulously reported the controversy.

“Climategate” was front-page news. The later exoneration of the scientists was buried further back.

Of course, a lack of misconduct has yet to stop Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s political hack of an attorney general, from investigating climate scientist Michael Mann, who wrote some of the e-mails. Mann formerly worked at the University of Virginia and held gov-

ernment grants. Cuccinelli is prone to interpreting the law in politically convenient ways and has easily turned Mann into a prop to further his ambitions. Luckily, a judge denied Cuccinelli’s request for a subpoena this week. The witch-hunt is not finished, but the decision is a hopeful sign that the legal system sees through the political pandering.

This does not mean that prosecutors should never investigate scientists. A U.S. attorney is currently examining Hauser’s misconduct because he received federal funding. However, it is a waste of government money to investigate a scientist without a rational justification. Science is effective at policing itself, and frauds are eventually detected. Prosecutors should rely on already established processes to determine frauds and not waste taxpayer money themselves.

All scientists want to make some important discovery. Overturning a well-accepted theory such as climate change or evolution would garner not only the praise of colleagues for correcting a major error but surely fame among the public. Researchers comb over studies for errors — especially ones that contradict their own pet theories. It is preposterous to claim that entire branches of science have entered into pacts intended to deceive. Eventually, someone would present the accurate and devastating contradictory evidence.

David Sheffield ’11 is a mathphysics concentrator from New Jersey. He can be contacted at david_sheffield@brown.edu.

Today The Brown Daily Herald

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New art display livens up Quiet Green

Fresh talent for women’s soccer

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WednesDay, September 1, 2010

Page 12

t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s

5 c a l e n da r Today, September 1

tomorrow, september 2

4 P.M. — Convocation, Main Green

12-1 P.M. — “Oil or Eco-Tourism?

The Threats and Opportunities for Cultural Survival of the Huaorani,” Urban Environmental Lab, Room 106

6-8 P.M. — Sophomore Dessert Reception, Kasper Multipurpose Room

1

4-5 P.M. — Geological Sciences Colloquia, Macmillan Hall, Room 115

menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Pancakes, French Toast, Vegetarian Reuben, Buffalo Chicken Wings, M&M Cookies

Lunch — Chicken Fajitas, Vegan Black Bean Tacos, Caesar Salad Pizza, M&M cookies

Dinner — Spinach Strudel, Steak Teriyaki, Pasta with Eggplant and Olives, Lemon Bars

Dinner — Cilantro Chicken, Mexican Cornbread Casserrole, Stir Fry Pork Lo Mein, Penne Pasta, Lemon Bars

comics Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline

crossword

Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman

Bat & Gaz | Sofia Ortiz

The Adventures of Team Vag | Wendy Kwartin