Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 95 | Thursday, October 21, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Night football games may become a tradition By Ashley McDonnell Assistant Sports Editor
It took months of planning and fundraising to put together Brown Stadium’s first-ever night football game — and already, some University officials are trying to transform the successful one-time game into an annual event.
Money still hurdle in library talks By Alex Bell Senior Staff Writer
SPORTS The idea for the Sept. 26 night football game against Harvard came from the minds of the Brown Football Association President Gerald Massa ’77 and Vice President of Marketing Jon Land ’79. Ironically, the two were inspired by Harvard, which had its first night game in 2007. “It’s not something I ever remember talking about before,” said Associate Athletic Director of Facilities Tom Bold, who has worked in
for international students, FrancoisPoncet said. Unlike at some other Ivy League schools — including Yale, Princeton and Harvard — international student admission is not need-blind at Brown. The organization’s scholarships are generally funded by anonymous Brown parents, alums and friends of the University. Scholarship committee members give speeches at events such as the Family Weekend reception and during Commencement to reach potential donors,
Negotiators for Brown and the libraries union made headway Wednesday on a disagreement over the procedure for hours changes, said Karen McAninch ’74, the union’s business agent. Originally set to expire Sept. 30, the contract was extended until Oct. 14 and again until Oct. 28. After an unproductive start to the week’s negotiations Tuesday, McAninch said Wednesday’s negotiations focused on the University’s desire to shorten the six-month moratorium the union could impose on changes to workers’ shifts. Union workers could strike if the union and the University were not able to reach an amicable agreement during the six-month period. McAninch said bargainers reached a “tentative resolution” to shorten this period to three months. The new agreement would stipulate that hours changes could occur only for “good business reasons,” that employees must have a certain amount of notice and that workers could not be forced to work past midnight, she said. The University was previously pushing for a policy of only 45 days’ notice, according to McAninch. “This was a big issue,” she said.
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Jonathan Bateman / Herald
More than 17,000 people turned out for Brown’s first home football game, an event that may become annual.
Brown Athletics since 1984. “The timing for the game was right this year because of the fact that Harvard was the first Ivy home game.” Massa’s original e-mail to Head Coach Phil Estes at the end of this
February proposed having the night game in 2011. Estes replied, “Why not Harvard 2010?” according to Massa. Estes’ e-mail may have been simple, but planning for the game
in only seven months was not. It required the support of many of Brown’s administrative groups, particularly the Department of Facontinued on page 8
Profs. try to Group aids applicants from abroad connect God and science By Anna Andreeva Staff Writer
By Jake Comer Contributing Writer
“Would a person committed to seeking truth and avoiding error believe in God, given the evidence and reasons available to her? That’s the real issue.” Assistant Professor of Philosophy Jason Brennan’s question at the outset of last night’s Janus Conversation, “Can God Exist?” set the tone for the evening, in which he and Professor of Biology Ken Miller ’70 P’02 spoke for about 20 minutes each to an energetic audience that nearly filled List 120. Brennan and Miller concerned themselves less with the precise question for which the event was named than with an assessment of the relationship between theism and science. They shared the point of view that religion and science are compatible and agreed that, as Miller said, it would be ridiculous to make science the enemy of God. It’s a stereotype, Miller said, that “science is at war with religious faith.” But neither his nor Brennan’s positions were in line with that idea. The question of the evening, was, as Miller posed it, “Is religion reasonable in an age of science?” Brennan set out to prove that each person should grapple with that question for his or her own benefit.
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News.......1–6 Sports.....7–8 Editorial....10 Opinion.....11 Today........12
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Negotiations progress on hours changes
The Brown International Organization Scholarship Committee is on its way to complete fundraising for its fifth endowed scholarship, to be awarded by the Office of Admission to an international student as part of the organization’s endowed scholarship fund. The committee is a student group that aims to diversify the international undergraduate population through two programs — its scholarship fund and an ambas-
sador program, according to the group’s website. The fund was created in 1997 by a group of students, and since then has funded four scholarships, said Anne Francois-Poncet ’10.5, senior adviser to the committee. “Ideally, we would like to establish one fully endowed scholarship every year,” she said. “The most important thing is to create awareness,” said Angela Wu ’11, committee president. The international organization’s long-term vision is to have Brown adopt a need-blind policy
Left of center, east of Slater: R.I. Socialists meet in Wilson By AJ Warren Contributing Writer
At 7 p.m. on Thursday nights, Wilson 301 transforms from a classroom into a hotbed of radical political activism. Bed sheets adorned with black, stenciled letters drape from the chalkboards, reading “Fight for Civil Rights,” “Stop Israel’s Slaughter
FEATURE in Gaza: Cut off U.S. Aid!” and “Tax the Rich, Stop the Racism, Stop the War.” An array of books set up like a buffet lines a slim table along one wall, covering topics from the Iraq war to Mexican immigration. Hanging from the classroom’s open door is a red flag emblazoned with a black fist and the letters
“I.S.O.,” proclaiming this a meeting of the Rhode Island Chapter of the International Socialist Organization. This semester, the ISO is revitalizing its presence on campus. While the organization has existed at Brown periodically since the late 1970s, the group’s numbers have swelled in attendance this fall, attracting nearly 50 attendees to an Oct. 14 discussion on Islamophobia. Why, with Democratic control of in both houses of Congress and the White House, is socialism gaining popularity? “It’s the curse of getting exactly what we want,” explains Josh Kilby, a self described “community agitator” from Providence and ISO party member. Disillusioned with President continued on page 6
AJ Warren / Herald
The state chapter of the International Socialist Organization comprises some students, but mostly non-affiliated community members.
Cool chemistry
Scoring goals
Feature film
Chemists find ways to biodiesel development
Soccer midfielder Laura Pitney ’14 is athlete of the week
Nicholson ’12.5 critiques response to ‘The Social Network’
News, 2
SPORTS, 8
Opinions, 11
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
“Organic chemistry has applications even in alternative energy.” — Jason Sello, assistant professor of chemistry
Chemists research improved biodiesel synthesis U. looks to
MyCourses replacement
By Sahil Luthra Contributing Writer
Two Brown chemists have developed a more efficient way to produce biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. Using two catalysts common in organic chemistry, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jason Sello and Postdoctoral Fellow Aaron Socha were able to synthesize biodiesel in a single reaction vessel, according to a University press release. Their findings were published in the Oct. 7 issue of the journal Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry. Traditional methods of synthesizing biodiesel from waste oil require two reaction vessels. The method developed by Sello and Socha is six times faster than current methods, consumes less energy overall and is more environmentally friendly, according to the release. “We wanted to do research that had implications for alternative energy, and biodiesel is certainly an attractive area,” Sello said. Sello said he and Socha began their research in the middle of 2009. Their research was accepted by the journal on July 19 and was published online “almost immediately,” he said. The biodiesel conversion requires one reaction to convert free fatty acids to biodiesel and another to convert triacylglycerols to biodiesel. The former is traditionally catalyzed by sulfuric acid, and the latter by potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The reactions must be performed separately or else the acid and base yield soaps. In developing the new procedure, the chemists considered catalysts that could complete the reaction in a single vessel and that were readily available, low in cost,
By Nicole Boucher Senior Staff Writer
Courtesy of Mike Cohea / Brown University
Aaron Socha, left, and Jason Sello conducted research to streamline biodiesel production.
low in toxicity and stable in the presence of water and air that might be in the waste oil after cooking. They opted to use bismuth triflate and scandium triflate, in part because bismuth was relatively cheap and his lab had experience with scandium, Sello said. When the catalysts did not yield biodiesel under standard conditions, Socha suggested using a microwave reactor. Socha said there were “not many but (still) a few” papers that set some precedent for using a microwave reactor. The combination of the two catalysts and the microwave reactor successfully yielded biodiesel at 150 degrees Celsius. After demonstrating a successful yield, the researchers sought to minimize the temperature, the amount of catalyst and the time needed for the reactions. Sello said they also tested “every possible component of waste vegetable oil”
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to verify that the reaction would still be successful. The catalysts in the free fatty acid reaction can be recycled up to five times while still obtaining a 97 percent yield, according to the press release. Two external grants supported the research. The National Science Foundation provided Sello with a grant for $170,000. Socha’s fellowship, awarded by the American Competitiveness in Chemistry, is also funded by the NSF, with $200,000 split over two years. Sello said the University’s $15,000 R.B. Salomon award also funded several projects, including this research. “We often think about organic chemistry in terms of making drugs, but this is a very nice demonstration that organic chemistry has applications even in alternative energy,” Sello said. “It really does highlight the power of organic chemistry.” Few scientists are researching biodiesel synthesis in an academic
setting, Sello and Socha said, which is why they think nobody else had tried this approach before. Additionally, chemical engineers who look at biodiesel do not necessarily know all the current catalysts being used in organic chemistry, Sello added. “In principle, anyone could have done this, but I think we were just in a unique position just given our perspective here,” Sello said. Sello said that the report in the journal was simply on “an academic scale” and that he and Socha have not yet started testing the chemistry on an industrial scale. Socha said that until the price of biodiesel becomes competitive with the price of oil, biodiesel cannot become “the next fuel.” Socha said that he is “not really jumping at the opportunity to commercialize this” yet because of the other advances needed before biodiesel becomes usable on a large scale. But he said he does plan to file a patent disclosure.
The Academic Technology Steering Committee is soliciting student input as it begins the process of replacing the MyCourses site, said Catherine Zabriskie, director of academic technology services and vice chair of the committee, at the Undergraduate Council of Students’ general body meeting Wednesday. The current version of MyCourses will not be supported by its vendor beyond 2013. As a result, it must be replaced, either with the new 9.0 version of the Blackboard system — the program currently used by the site — or with a new system altogether. Given the technical need for a transition, Zabriskie said, the committee can now also address the “fact that everyone hates the system we’re currently offering” and decide if it wants to move away from Blackboard altogether. The committee should serve as the voice of the University community in the realm of technology, said Butch Rovan, associate professor of music and the committee’s chair. Feedback and assessment will be a vital step in the transition, he said. Students can fill out a survey, available on MyCourses until Nov. 12, to provide their own visions of change. One will win an iPad, Rovan said. Zabriskie said complaints range from a simple dislike of the interface to frustration with its limited interactive capabilities. Professors have expressed interest in a system that facilitates interaction with other universities and between classes, Zabriskie said. MyCourses also does not currently have the capacity for to incorporate Brown’s various technology systems, she added. For instance, grades entered on MyCourses must be entered separately for official documentation on Banner. Several council members expressed support for adopting a system that is not solely based around courses. Some suggested a more central site designed to coordinate events, groups and general life on campus with academia. The committee plans to collect feedback this fall and will move to evaluating the options over the winter. It hopes to make recommendations in the spring and move to implementation by next summer, Zabriskie said. There is potential for the new system “to evolve into something much more” than is currently offered, Zabriskie said. UCS also discussed its many semester-long projects at the meeting. The Admissions and Student Services Committee will be conducting an audit of satellite gyms next week, based on input from Assistant Athletic Director Matthew Tsimikas. continued on page 6
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Ambassadors beef up international recruiting continued from page 1 Francois-Poncet said. Efforts are also being poured into revamping the scholarship committee website to improve visibility, she said. The committee is only in charge of spreading awareness and fundraising, not the selection process, Wu said. The admission office allocates the scholarships based on need and availability, Francois-Poncet said. “We’re not in control of the finances, so the different funds vary in terms of how much they yield,” she said. At any given time, four students are receiving these scholarships, Francois-Poncet said. The committee doesn’t know who benefits because all financial aid is confidential. “We are not necessarily aware of how many students have benefitted exactly, but we think it’s been pretty significant in the lives of a handful of students,” she said. Last year, the committee decided to approach the other side of international admissions, establishing the organization’s Ambassadorship Program, which is open to any students who anticipate spending an extended period of time abroad. The purpose of the program is “to raise awareness about Brown abroad and to increase Brown’s internationalization, global presence and competition internationally,” Francois-Poincet said. Ambassadors reach out to high schools not targeted by the admission office and make a “Brown Near You” presentation from the perspective of students. They can also accompany admission officers to complement the official presentations. The idea for the program came from speaking to international students about their experiences, Francois-Poncet said. “A lot of us were unable to benefit from the students’ perspective,” she said. “This is an important aspect of the whole application and decision process.” Having ambassadors speak to prospective applicants “gives the school a face,” Wu said. “The best part was seeing the students’ excitement,” said ambassador Melissa Kiplagat ’13. Kiplagat gave an informal presentation at the Hillcrest Secondary School in Nairobi, Kenya, which she attended. “In the U.K., you can’t major in certain things without the right A-levels. I think finding out that they could come to Brown and do whatever they wanted to was an
eye-opener,” she said. “The most challenging thing was to try to give a fair picture of the entire community,” ambassador Urmila Chadayammuri ’13 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “The best part was definitely when the questions started coming in,” she wrote. The scholarship committee acts as the liaison between ambassadors and the admissions office, Wu said. “We want the program to be really systematized and to create a whole Brown network abroad,” FrancoisPoncet said. “If all the students get together and do this in an organized way, we can actually reach out to a lot of high schools and students,” Wu said. A little over 100 trained ambassadors have come out of the Ambassadorship Program to date, and about 48 are currently abroad, Wu said. The program also aims to help students returning from abroad reconnect and adjust to being back on the Brown campus through welcome-back socials, she said. The Office of International Programs has been instrumental in making the Ambassadorship Program possible, Wu said. Associate Director of International Programs Ned Quigley has served as a mentor for the program, providing feedback and support in reaching out to students going abroad, Wu said. There has been an active movement in admissions toward internationalizing, Quigley said. “This kind of outreach is not done by many colleges internationally,” Quigley said. “That distinguishes this program.”
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“Imagine teaching words without poetry.” — Shelby Knox, feminist activist
Love Your Body Day raises sex-ed awareness By Ben Kutner Contributing Writer
A lack of comprehensive sexual education is one of the greatest challenges facing today’s young people, a feminist activist told Macmillan 117 Wednesday evening as part of a day-long celebration of sexual health. Love Your Body Day, held by Students for Choice, was “a day of celebration and a day to accept our bodies for what they are, whatever size,” said Cara Mones ’11, the group’s co-president. The event was co-hosted by the Brown Sexual Health and Education Empowerment Council, Queer Alliance, Health Ser vices, the Rhode Island National Organization for Women, the Sexual Health Awareness Group, and other organizations, according to the event’s Facebook page. Many of these organizations had tables on the Main Green for much of Wednesday afternoon. Yoga and self-defense lessons took place throughout the afternoon. Students also had the opportunity to hear feminist activist and writer Shelby Knox speak in Macmillan 117 in the evening. Knox, 24, spoke about sexual education and was the subject of the 2005 documentary, “The Education of Shelby Knox.” She is a blogger on feminism and sexual health for the Huf fington Post and is a contributor for the The F-Word, a feminist quarterly. “I’ll be talking to college students about how they can be active in the school community at Brown and the schools where they came from,” Knox told The
Herald prior to her presentation. Knox is from Lubbock, Tex., which she called the second most conser vative town in the United States. When she was 15, she took a virginity pledge. It was “not something I thought that much about. It was something you had to do,” she told the predominantly female audience in Macmillan 117 on Wednesday night. She explained that her interest in activism began when a high school friend became pregnant. Knox witnessed the town and school’s resulting castigation of her friend. She explained that young women would seem to disappear in her high school and come back the next year. Knox was in a youth group that challenged the town school board over the school’s sexual education program, which taught only that students should be abstinent until marriage. “I realized no one was going to speak for me or my peers,” she said. Many abstinence-based pro-
grams teach blatantly incorrect facts, she said. She was taught that “half of homosexuals die before the age of 40,” she said. “New York City still does not mandate comprehensive sex-education,” she said. “The school district is supposed to give us the best education that they could have.” “Far too many schools are teaching abstinence only,” Knox told The Herald on Tuesday. “We can’t have young people all over the countr y getting different levels of facts.” Knox never meant to make a career out of activism, she told the audience. “I found myself as the young activist face of sexual education,” she said. “Imagine teaching words without poetr y or teaching music without singing, clapping, and dancing,” Knox said, comparing this to teaching only abstinence. “We have to stop treating sex as if it’s this horrible evil thing that we have to keep away from,” she said.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
“It’s a nice diversion from the Rock.” — Hollis Mickey ’10 GS, on the RISD Museum
a r t s a n d c u lt u r e i n b r i e f
For college students, RISD hosts a night at the museum For many college students, museums conjure images of family outings or rainy days. For few do they bring to mind wild nights out. But “RISD Museum After Dark: College Night” is geared especially toward college students, intended to introduce them to all the museum has to offer. The event, tonight from 6 to 10:30 p.m., will bring together student performers from the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown to create a night of mixed art forms, including visual art, music and spoken word poetry. Local food will be served throughout the night, and several events will take place simultaneously, allowing museum-goers to enjoy a variety of performances. The exhibit boasts do-it-yourself artwork, RISD student musicians, a gallery talk by Hollis Mickey ’10 GS about the museum’s Lynda Benglis exhibit, a screening of RISD student shorts and a discussion about the moon by artist Tristin Lowe and Professor of Geological Sciences Carle Pieters. Project V.O.I.C.E., a spoken-word group composed of Sarah Kay ’10 and Phil Kaye ’10, will perform for the first time in Providence since they graduated. Deborah Clemons, assistant educator of public programs at the RISD Museum, said the night’s mixture of art forms occurs naturally in their galleries. “I think for us, being in the gallery spaces and offering different art forms is something that we do quite regularly, so that’s our first instinct,” Clemons said. Clemons said the auditory, visual and tactile
components of the evening will fit together nicely. “It’s good to have as many senses as possible being engaged,” she added. Clemons and Mickey, who worked as an intern at the museum this summer, designed the event for college students to showcase their work and appreciate one another’s talents, though all are welcome. Mickey sees college students and teenagers as demographics “overlooked” by museums , she said. Since the event is free, Mickey and Clemons said they hope to attract students who have never been inside the museum before. Though the museum is open until 9 p.m. once a month, this event is the first of its kind organized for college students at night, according to Clemons. Information was given to nearly all colleges in Rhode Island and several in Massachusetts, and Clemons said the event can accommodate hundreds of students. Kaye urged students to visit the museum tonight, if only for a few minutes. “What a wonderful moment to have all these avenues, all these forms of art in this space a 10-minute walk away from you,” he said. According to Mickey, “it’s a nice diversion from the Rock.” The RISD Museum entrances are located at 20 N. Main St. and 224 Benefit St. For a full schedule of events, visit www.risdmuseum.org. — Caroline Hughes
Stephanie London / Herald
By lowering its operational expenses and altering its workforce, the Faculty Club managed to cut its budget.
Faculty Club reduces expenses by $50,000 By Leonardo Moauro Staff Writer
A joint effort between the Faculty Club and the Brown Organizational Review Committee succeeded in reducing the club’s expenses by $50,000 last fiscal year, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential and dining services. The ORC repor t issued last Februar y called for a transfer of surplus funds from the Office of Residential Life and Brown Dining Services to the Faculty Club, which corresponded to $100,000 and $102,000, respectively, at the end of the fiscal year ending June 30. As part of this budget reduction plan, the ORC — which along with the University Resources Committee was charged with cutting $30 million from the University’s budget for the past fiscal year — recommended that the Faculty Club reduce the Dining Services subsidy by $50,000, Bova said. The ORC also recommended that the club continue its “ongoing revenue-enhancing initiatives,” according to the report. Because the restaurant is financially affiliated with three other University departments — ResLife, Dining Services and Auxiliary Properties — the annual budgets for all four units combined “are designed to come out to zero,” Bova said. When setting the Faculty Club’s budgeting for the fiscal year, revenue is not projected to meet expenses, he added. The funds that ResLife and Dining Service contribute to the Faculty Club are used to aid the restaurant in meeting its expenses, Bova said. The use of the contributions “is not discretionary. I know exactly what we are using that money for and where it goes,” he added. This goal to reduce the Dining Services subsidy by half has been reached because “of the Faculty Club coming and working with the ORC,” Bova said. The restaurant adopted three broad measures to attain its goal. The first was reduc-
tion in operational expenses, which involved spending less on dining equipment. The second was savings from “creative workforce redistribution,” which involved “some salary savings,” Bova said. The third involved generating income from external business. But because the Faculty Club is organized primarily as “service to the University in providing for faculty and student lunches,” it does not aim at turning a profit, Bova said. Most universities have some form of faculty dining, and these “are not necessarily stand-alone entities financially,” he added. ResLife and Dining Services, as University departments, are not designed to net profit either, Bova said. “If there are residual monies at the year’s end, those monies are reinvested in the buildings,” he added. The late-summer opening of the restaurant to the general public on Friday evenings had been part of the third portion of the plan. The decision was designed to attract outside business and to reduce disparity between revenue and expenses, Bova said. “We’re opening up, people can give a look and hopefully they will like what they see,” he said, adding that he hoped this would bolster restaurant memberships and event reservations. But the program has since been phased out due to lack of popularity, Ann Hoffman, director of administration for Dining Services, wrote to The Herald in an e-mail. As for future budgetary aims, “our goal would be to get revenue and expenses to combine to zero,” Bova said, without contributions from other departments. But he added that this objective might not be achievable in the current restaurant market. The Faculty Club is “a great hub” for the University, designed to service students, faculty and staff, Bova said. But without external department subsidies, it wouldn’t be able to operate, and “there would be nothing to take its place,” he added.
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“Everything is really contingent on that.” — Karen McAninch ’74, of the library union, on money
U. continues negotiations with union continued from page 1
“Getting it resolved was a big step.” The University also offered to hire a union door guard for the Sciences Library during the day, McAninch said. Since last year’s restructuring brought the elimination of 12 positions in the libraries’ bargaining unit, preserving the union’s bargaining power has been a high priority for the union. With the issue of hours changes mostly put to bed, McAninch said the next issue will be language related to the University’s ability to drop health care providers with wide geographic networks. But McAninch said that based on informal conversations she has had with University administrators, workers’ abilities to seek outof-state care will likely be left intact. The last major hurdle will involve a quantitative disagreement over the percentage of health care premiums workers must contribute. Library workers currently contribute 6 percent of health care costs, and McAninch said the University is pushing to raise that portion to 15 percent in three years, with a 1.25 percent increase in pay per year. “Until we know how the money will all pan out, everything is really contingent on that,” she said. Director of Labor and Employee Relations Joe Sarno ’91 wrote in an email to The Herald Wednesday night that over the past two days, the union
Lydia Yamaguchi / Herald file photo
Students, staff and others gathered Oct. 14 on the steps of the Rockefeller Library in response to proposed contract changes.
and the University have “tentatively resolved” issues important to both sides, and the University’s bargaining team looks forward to “continuing productive negotiations with the union.” The federal mediator who has been working with the parties was not
available for this week’s bargaining sessions. McAninch said negotiations may or may not continue Thursday afternoon, depending on the availability of the mediator. McAninch projected the final quantitative issues would be resolved by late this week or early next week.
www.blogdailyherald.com
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
“Who has the monopoly on violence? The state.” — Paige Sarlin GS, of the International Socialist Organization
From Wilson with love: Socialists gather on campus continued from page 1
continued from page 2
Obama who, in Kilby’s words, “has performed staggeringly well for the ruling class,” the group is hoping to “build a political alternative to the left of the Democratic Party.”
The Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee is also working to see if more seminars should be added in the morning to accommodate athletes. The council will release its fall agenda on Friday, encompassing all its goals for the semester, said Molly Lao ’12, the council’s communications chair. Next week, UCS will hear a presentation from Kelly Garrett, coordinator of the LGBTQ Resource Center.
A diverse membership Kilby, like many of the ISO’s newest recruits, is not a Brown student. The group estimates that about 30 percent of its membership is local residents or students with no affiliation to the University. Of the members present Oct. 14, older attendees included Brian Chidester, a schoolteacher from Bristol, and Shaun Joseph ’05, now pursuing a doctorate in computer science at the University of Rhode Island.
Prospective student Aaron Plave and his mother saw posters advertising the meeting while touring campus and decided to visit. “You probably wouldn’t see this kind of discussion at other schools,” Plave said, before his mother added, “Well, maybe at Wesleyan.” Plave said political activism and intellectual freedom attracted him to apply, although he said he finds the socialist group “hard to judge.” The recent resurgence of the ISO is led by Paige Sarlin GS, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in modern culture and media who also received a master of fine arts in filmmaking from the Art Institute in Chicago and considers herself “thoroughly overeducated.” “I think what we suffer from at Brown is status quo — the assumption that we all agree,” Sarlin said. Students refrain from honest political discussions and are “wary to ask what people really think,” she said. Sarlin said she believes that Brown students “are quite different, and we should take a stand and disagree.” In the spirit of the Marxist tradition, the ISO believes that “dialogue is the most democratic process,” she said. Unlike socialist reincarnations of past decades, the Rhode Island ISO is concerned with a variety of current political and social agendas. Kilby found the ISO through his involvement with the LGBT movement and the National Equality March. His partner is a Dominican immigrant, and the two became interested in immigrant rights and labor issues together.
“All LGBT aren’t all flabby old white people,” Kilby said. “Some of us are immigrants, and all of us are workers. The oppression of one group is directly tied to the oppression of another, and I’m here to tear down the whole damn system.” ‘Tax the rich, end the wars’ The presentation on Islamophobia was delivered by Lindsay Goss GS, a second-year doctoral candidate in theater and performance studies. Goss passionately read from her laptop computer for nearly half an hour, accusing a variety of politicians of “whipping up racism against Islam and Arabs,” decrying President Bush’s “open-ended project of imperialism in the oil-rich Middle East,” and criticizing Obama’s weak-kneed response to Florida pastor Terry Jones’ threat to burn a Quran. The crowd chuckled sardonically when Goss quoted Bush or conservative pundit Ann Coulter. Towards the end of her speech, Goss compared modern Islamophobia to Richard Nixon’s use of the “dog whistle of racism” to rally Southern voters for his presidential bids. As if by command, Krupskaya — Sarlin’s dog, the group’s unofficial mascot, named for Vladimir Lenin’s wife — sprung to life from the floor and wandered happily through the rows of attendees, provoking laughter. During the question-and-debate portion, an attendee dressed in a black hat covered in rows of buttons with a matching, spray-painted coat wondered, “What about capitalism causes Islamophobia?” Another man with a long beard discussed the possibility of undercover FBI informants penetrating the group’s meetings. Meanwhile, the group passed around a bag collecting contributions to fund its activities and provide childcare for members during events. “It costs money to host these meetings,” one member said. Sarlin’s response to one concern was cut short when her allotted time elapsed and the moderator promptly rapped the table with a closed fist, moving the meeting to its next topic. The group uses this method to main-
tain order during often-passionate discussions. ‘Some kind of communists?’ The ISO does not currently support any political candidates, and is unaffiliated with any parties running for office this fall. Kilby emphasized that the group does not subscribe to the “watered down” socialism practiced in some European states. Rather, the ISO advocates for the complete “overturning of the capitalist system.” But Sarlin said the group does not currently advocate violence. “Who has the monopoly on violence?” she asked. “The state.” Sarlin said the ISO boasts a mere 1,100 members nationwide and works solely for the “emancipation of the working class.” A political party “should be the expression of the people,” she said. “Right now, we are not an expression of the people.” Violence cannot be a strategy while the ISO is small, she said. But, “at some point in the future, when the numbers are big enough,” Sarlin said, the people will have to “defend themselves against the state.” The ISO stands simply for the belief that “people don’t want a small group to make decisions for the majority,” she said. Instead, “ the majority should make a system for the majority.” Sarlin pointed to the French workers commune of revolutionary France as an example of workers’ councils elected from the people. “We don’t have a concrete plan,” she said. “But we have some models to go by.” At the end of the meeting, the group invited its members to continue their discussion at the Trinity Brewhouse downtown. ISO members eagerly discussed political matters as they hurried out the door, packing up the flags and books that decorated the classroom. One student called out, “Comrades, let us go!” as he headed out the door. “Comrades?” joked another member. “What are you guys, some kind of communists?”
SportsThursday The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, October 21, 2010 | Page 7
No Bad-games Allowed: NBA preview NBA is a fantastic acronym. All of the letters flow together and meld with each other. It almost always makes for a great phrase to boot — Non-Biting Attack-dog, New Bicycle Sam Sheehan Aler t, Newly Sports Columnist Betrothed Aunt. These are all great NBAs. But the National Basketball Association is by far the greatest of them. If American sports were a group of datable young people in a movie, NFL would be the attractive airhead, MLB would be the wrinkly, abrasive chain-smoker, NHL would be the hot one who isn’t actually hot to anyone because of the time he got too drunk and vomited into a radiator at a party and the NBA would be the friend that gets dressed up for homecoming and then everyone suddenly realizes how fine she is. (MLS is the shut-in with all of the turtles who watches the Home Shopping Network and reeks of cabbage.) There’s been a surge in the popularity of basketball in recent years, and people are starting to notice just how fun it is to watch. With all of the fantastic plot lines swirling around the league, there’s never been a better time to be a fan. The NBA has taken off its proverbial paint-covered overalls and glasses. This is the year of basketball. I remember promising myself, as I watched Kobe Bryant go 6-for-24 shooting in the most important game of his career and then still receive the MVP award, that I would never care about basketball ever again. I lasted until the following morning, when the video of an inebriated Ron Artest giving the funniest postgame conference of all time circulated around the
Internet. How can I not love a league where a man like that can be a star? But what does the NBA hold in store for us this season? The emergence of the young man that is going to save basketball? Carmelo Anthony in a Knicks jersey? A possible dynasty in Miami? A higher blood alcohol content for Artest? The health of the aging Celtics The Celtics are an old team. They were a bunch of old guys when they won the title in 2008, and adding 34-year-old Jermaine O’Neal and 38-year-old Shaq didn’t exactly shake that stigma. But old or not, these guys all play with the intensity of rookies. It’s the Celtics’ fiery passion that allows them all to play at the level they do. Kevin Garnett brings the intensity and it spreads like wildfire to everyone else. While Rajon Rondo’s outside shooting and team rebounding will be other issues to keep an eye on, the key for the Celtics will be the ability of these older men’s bodies to keep up their intensity — that and the amount of arthritis medication that they keep on the sidelines. I think if the Celtics stay healthy, this team is one of the best in the Eastern Conference. The season opener with the Heat will be an interesting contest and a great game for newcomers to the NBA to watch. Speaking of the Heat… The expectations on the Heat Anyone who watched more than two minutes of SportsCenter this summer knows about LeBron James and his surprise signing with the Heat. Anyone who consoled a crying Cavaliers fan when the news broke knows what a devastating blow it was to Cleveland. But murdering sports in his home state was just the first step for James, who now shares a team with two other All-Stars. No
team will be under heavier scrutiny and face more boos this season than the villainous Heat and their threeheaded monster of James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. These guys know that they are expected to win a title, and it’s going to be interesting to see how this team handles that pressure. Oh, and how long it takes before they realize Joel Anthony is a terrible center who can’t rebound and plays spotty defense. Carmelo Anthony slowly ruining the Nuggets I was talking to a friend the other day who didn’t know that free throws came after fouls in basketball. That same friend asked me the other day, “Why haven’t the Denver Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony yet?” That’s how public it is that Anthony is demanding a trade to New York. You see, this is a nightmare situation for the Nuggets. With the exception of the aging Chauncey Billups and the departed Allen Iverson, Anthony has been the lone superstar for the Nuggets his entire career. As an incentive to keep him in a Nuggets jersey, his contract three years ago was structured so he could opt out of the contract at the end of this season and declare for free agency. The Knicks and Nets know that Anthony wants out of Denver and that continued on page 9
Field hockey
No. 4 Princeton sticks it to Bruno in weekend game By Sam Sheehan Contributing Writer
The field hockey team (2-10, 1-3 Ivy League) had no luck against Princeton in the 2000s, losing all 10 games by wide margins. The 2010 contest was no different. The team fell 7-1 to No. 4 Princeton (10-2, 4-0) over the weekend at the Class of ’52 Stadium. The Tigers dominated in most aspects of the game, outshooting Brown 36-1. Tiger forward Kathleen Sharkey led the quick Princeton offense, notching two goals (a conference-high 22 on the season) and an assist. But there was at least one bright spot on Saturday. Midfielder Charlotte Small ’14 netted her first collegiate goal in the closing moments of the first half of f a feed from for ward Leslie Springmeyer ’12. The assist was Springmeyer’s second on the year, which set up the strong counterattack one-timer by Small. “(Springmeyer) gave a beautiful pass across circle,” said Head Coach Tara Harrington ’94. “On the reception, there was an immediate shot by Charlotte. It was
to the opposite post, and it would have been hard for anyone to stop that shot. It was beautiful.” Small’s goal was the first goal by a player coming off Bruno’s bench this year. After the goal, Bruno’s defense was able to keep the slipper y Princeton attackers in front of them, and the ‘D’ only allowed one goal in the second half. “With the speed that Princeton possesses, it took us a little bit to settle in, to communicate and to be confident (on defense),” Harrington said. “I think at halftime we sorted some things out and the women went back out in that second half very determined to communicate, be in good positions defensively and stick to our game plan.” Goalie Lauren Kessler ’12 recorded 13 saves between the posts, with seven of those stops coming in the second half. Tricaptain midfielder Katie Hyland ’11 also recorded a defensive save. “A lot of what our team did in the second half was ver y smart play, very strong play against one of the best teams in the country,” Harrington said.
Page 8
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
S ports T hursday
Thursday, October 21, 2010
“It was the best feeling.” — Soccer’s Louisa Pitney ’14, on beating Harvard
First night game puts It’s all in the family for Pitney ’14 football in spotlight athlete of the week
By Madeleine Wenstrup Sports Staff Writer
Midfielder Louisa Pitney ’14 led the women’s soccer team in an undefeated week, as the squad shut out URI last Wednesday afternoon and beat defending Ivy League champions Harvard on Saturday. As time was winding down against the Crimson, Pitney received a high cross from forwardmidfielder Mika Siegelman ’14 and headed it in to give Brown a 2-1 lead and eventual win. Pitney had a role in tying the score, too, starting the play by taking the corner kick to assist on back-midfielder Diana Ohrt’s ’13 goal. This week, Pitney has been named the Ivy League rookie of the week for the second time this year. Her contributions to the team have been substantial, and after this weekend, she has earned a total of two goals and three assists on the season. For her outstanding performance this season, and especially this weekend, The Herald has named Louisa Pitney our athlete of the week. Herald: How and when did you first get into soccer? Pitney: Well, I’ve kind of always played, so I can’t even remember starting because my dad plays and my older brother plays soccer, and so together they kind of got me into it. Your brother plays at Middlebury, right? Yeah, he’s a junior. Do you guys ever play together? Over the summer, yeah we do, we go kick around together. Actually, on Saturday, he scored the game-winning goal for Middlebury, too, so it was a good day for the Pitneys!
continued from page 1
Jesse Morgan / Herald
Herald Athlete of the Week Louisa Pitney ’14 has been named Ivy League rookie of the week twice already this season.
When you play together, is it friendly or is there some sibling rivalry going on? Well, he is obviously better than me, but I don’t know, it’s usually friendly. But I think the scoring thing is kind of competitive. We always try to one-up each other in terms of scoring. Do you know what you want to concentrate in? I was thinking probably environmental studies or English. I really like that — one of those two. That’s what I am leaning towards right now, but I still have no idea. Do you have a favorite class right now? Yeah, my environmental studies
class is my favorite. It’s like international policy — it’s really cool. It’s kind of scary, though. I am the only freshman in it, so that’s hard. It’s only 20 or 25 people — a little intimidating. What is your favorite thing about Brown? The people (laughs). Is that lame? I don’t have a whole lot of time right now, actually. That’s kind of nice — I’m always busy, always occupied. I like that. Let’s talk about this season. You have a huge freshman class this year. How have you guys bonded? Well, first (Head Coach) Phil (Pincince) had the 10 of us come in by ourselves for two days for preseason, which he’s never done before. It’s always the whole team comes at the same time, but he had the 10 of us come together, which was a really good idea because we weren’t intimidated, and we kind of made friends with each other before everyone got there. What has been your favorite moment this season? Beating Harvard, probably. The game had been talked up so much. All the alumnae were there, and they were all like, “Beat Harvard!” And we did. It was the best feeling, especially coming from behind. That was so much fun.
cilities Management and the Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs. One of the most immediate problems with having a night game was that Brown Stadium is not designed to hold a night event since the stadium only has emergency lighting, Bold said. Additional lights were needed to illuminate the field for the game. In order to judge just how many light units needed to be rented, Facilities Management went out at 9 p.m. to judge how dark it would be. “If you take a look at the rugby field, they have temporary construction lights to practice,” Bold said. “We had to bring 10 of those units in to surround the football stadium.” The 10 light units cost roughly $50,000, a sum that the football association raised through e-mailing and calling alums. “They were very successful pretty early in that campaign to get that money,” Estes said. “The alumni were very excited by the opportunity of having a night game.” Even with the money and the lights, the community affairs office had to make sure the community surrounding Brown Stadium would not oppose a night game. The response was generally positive, but only “in terms of it being a one-time thing and that we weren’t considering putting permanent lights in the stadium,” Bold said. In the end, all the preparation paid off in more ways than one — Brown defeated Harvard 29-14, the Brown and residential communities were brought together and 17,360 fans attended the game. “We expected a big crowd,” said outside linebacker Robert Gillett ’11. “But we didn’t expect it to be as crowded as it was.” Some dispute over the crowd’s actual size remains — 17,360 was too high of a number, according to Bold, while Massa said the numbers were “being revised upward.” Regardless of what the exact number was, the crowd was much larger than at most home games, which have an average attendance of only 6,600 people, according to Massa. “It was the biggest crowd I’ve
seen in all my years here at Brown,” Bold said. “It felt like almost the entire student body was there for the game.” The huge increase in fan support that night helped the team crush Harvard, Estes stated. “The players felt the atmosphere on every snap,” he said. After seeing the crowd during warmups, “I thought they may have been too excited,” Estes said. “I thought that maybe we should calm them down a little, but I’m glad I didn’t.” From the football association’s standpoint, the increase in attendance made the game a huge success. Massa said one of the original reasons for having the game was to try to generate more interest in Brown football and increase attendance to all home games. “Everyone had something to do with winning that game that night,” Massa said. “I’m hoping some of those same students will come to the game against Cornell,” which will take place Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Estes said players always have more energy when they practice at night. Quarterback Joe Springer ’11 agreed. “It’s just a change of pace,” Springer said. “When we get the opportunity to change it up a little bit, we go out with a little more energy.” Having night practices and games is also a nostalgic throwback to high school years, when most football games are played at night, according to Gillett. He said night games also tend to be more fun. “I’d rather play a night game any day,” Gillett said. “I think there should be more night games — that we should have at least one a year.” Though the football association and the athletics department are only at the early stages of future planning, Massa said he hopes that night games do become a yearly tradition. He and others involved have had informal talks about holding an annual night game. Next year, and in all odd years following, the game would be against the University of Rhode Island for the Governor’s Cup, while all the even years would pit the Bears against Harvard under that plan. Funding for the lights would still come from the football association. Whether more night games are to come still remains to be seen, but even if they do become a tradition, the coaches, fans and players — particularly the seniors — will always remember their participation in this year’s game. “I got to leave here with something to hold on to,” Gillett said. “Whenever I look at it, my name will be on the roster for the first night game ever in Brown history.” “It was really a remarkable experience,” Springer said, “and a game none of us will surely ever forget.”
Thursday, October 21, 2010
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS
Page 9
“The first devotion of any person of faith should be truth.” — Ken Miller ’70 P’02, professor of biology
Regardless of faith, profs push for truth and reason Sheehan ’12 continued from page 1 He pointed out that many beliefs that are insulated from or simply not incompatible with science, and thus cannot be disproved, do not necessarily merit serious consideration. He used the example of a hypothetical belief that an invisible demon was living in his refrigerator as an idea that cannot be disproved by science. “It would be dumb to actually believe” such a notion, “and it would even be dumb to be agnostic about it,” he said. Brennan added that many theistic beliefs are just as impossible to disprove as the existence of invisible demons. “I’m not here to argue against theism, and I’m not saying that theists are making a bunch of bunk
claims,” Brennan said. Instead, he issued a warning for theists from a philosophical standpoint. “You want to make sure you have actual reasons for what you say,” he said. Miller took a different tack to illustrate a similar position. Miller sought to debunk the “stereotype” he outlined of faith’s necessary conflict with science, saying, “It’s self-evident that science can be done and done well by people with faith,” specifically citing the career of Georges Lamaitre, the Belgian scientist and priest who Miller said suggested the idea of an expanding universe to Albert Einstein. As far as religion and science are concerned, a person need not side with one and abandon the other, he said. His idea, rather, was that the immaterial can be real in the same
way that truth can. He extolled the virtues of thought and reason and said that, just as scientists pursue the truth of the material world, “the first devotion of any person of faith should be to truth.” Though the two lecturers walked the audience through two different academic fields and arguments, they ended up in similar places. Their shared message was that there can be a place for God in an age of science — Miller asked those with faith to employ their spirituality in the pursuit of truth, while Brennan suggested that people reach their beliefs through reason. The audience offered up a number of questions after the lecture, including skeptical inquiries regarding the compatibility of science and religion.
Miller responded to an audience member’s questions about why God would choose evolution, a “really nasty way to make people,” as the method for creating humans. Miller’s response, indicative of the tone of the evening as a whole, recognized the quest for truth inherent in scientific material analysis and religious immaterial experiences. “It’s a reality of life that every living thing will someday die,” Miller said. In a world with no pain or death, “there’s no need for medicine, there’s no need to discover. That is, to me, a world in which human beings would be forever held in a juvenile state ... (with) absolutely nothing to struggle with and nothing to strive for.” The Janus Fellows organized the evening’s conversation, their second of the year.
Undergrads pursue green degrees, but jobs lag By Tim Barker St. Louis Post-Dispatch
NEOSHO, Mo. — With the nation investing billions of dollars in clean energy, it stands to reason that tiny Crowder College should be quite popular these days.
HIGHER ED After all, this is a place that’s been educating students about alternative energy for more than three decades. The school offers degree tracks in solar, wind and biofuels. It offers courses both locally and through its online program. Yet fewer than 60 students are pursuing green degrees from the school. That’s not terribly surprising, considering that jobs in this sector have been slow to materialize. It’s a market, instructors say, that depends heavily on using government incentives to get companies to invest in green endeavors. And that’s just not happening right now. “Frankly, with these market conditions, it’s turned out to be very hard to make a living in this industry,” said Daniel Boyt, whose uncle founded Crowder’s alternative energy program in the 1970s. Boyt studied wind technology at Crowder and returned last year as a full-time instructor. It’s not that the government hasn’t tried, at least on the money side of the equation, with the Obama administration setting aside $25 billion in stimulus money for clean energy. So far, the investment hasn’t yielded the kinds of results the administration had hoped for. The community college near the Ozark Mountains with 5,200 students seems an unlikely place to serve as the state’s go-to school for all things green. Many schools around the state have their own green-flavored programs. But in 1992, Crowder was designated by the Legislature as the state’s renewable energy education center. Later this year, school leaders hope to break ground on a $7 million home for its Missouri Alternative
and Renewable Energy Technology Center. Among the students enrolled in Crowder’s alternative energy program is Edwin Moore, a freelance writer from nearby Anderson, Mo. Like many students in the program, Moore sees it both as an opportunity to learn something that could help his current job and something that could lead elsewhere. “As much as I enjoy my work, it would be nice to have a steady paycheck and health insurance,” said Moore, who’s studying biofuels with an eye toward working in a cornbased ethanol processing plant. It’s a similar story for Victorio Angulo, a chemical engineer based in Bentonville, Ark. “I’d like to work more in that area,” Angulo said. “And one thing might lead to another.” But figuring out whether Angulo and Moore will get those green jobs is a bit of a guessing game. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics only recently started tracking the sector, figuring the nation had around 2.2 million green jobs. The bureau has not yet offered forecasts on expected growth from the sector. Economic experts, however, aren’t optimistic. The problem, some say, is that the U.S. lags in green industries compared to Europe and other parts of the world. And it’s still cheaper to use traditional energy sources — though most expect that to change. To some, it’s simply a matter of making it happen. Dan Eberle, the former director of Crowder’s alternative energy programs who’s building a similar program at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan., sees parallels to the 1950s when the country decided to build a network of roads across the nation. “When we wanted to build the interstate highway system, we incentivized it. We made it possible,” Eberle said. The $25 billion set aside by the Obama administration two years ago has, thus far, produced little in terms of job growth.
previews NBA season continued from page 7
the Nuggets will have to oblige him or risk getting nothing for him when he opts out. With this knowledge, they can offer Denver a “take it or leave it” kind of trade in which they only receive some non-impact players for their star forward. As you can see, the Nuggets must choose between losing Anthony at the end of the season or losing him now and only getting some bad players for him. It’s a terrible situation that is going to set this franchise back three or four years. So thanks from the Mile High City, Carmelo! Be sure to let everyone here know if you want your knife returned when they pull it out of their backs. Things I would rather do than watch the probable finals matchup of Heat-Lakers Walk on broken glass. Run my hand through a wood chipper. Watch a season of Two and a Half Men . Allow the New York Times to print the picture of me at my junior high prom. Take an applied math class. Hook up with Snooki. Fall down the SciLi elevator shaft. Take a punch to the face from Kimbo Slice. Clean the floors in the Bio-Med building with my tongue. Contract syphilis. Break a thermometer into my eyes. ... You get the point. Check back next week for part two.
Elie Gardner / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A wind turbine turns behind a solar house, built in 2005 for the Solar Decathlon competition at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo.
“It’s happening. But it’s happening at a very slow and methodical pace,” said Rico Kolster, a Kansas City-based lawyer on Bryan Cave’s energy industry team. Kolster said efforts have been hampered by the higher costs of alternative energy. He said businesses also are leery of incentive dollars, which they fear will come with regulatory strings such as increased scrutiny, mandatory federal contracting guidelines and minority business requirements. At the same time, smaller start-ups eager to grab the federal money often lack the resources and expertise needed to secure the funds. And it’s not even clear that new jobs will do anything more than put back to work those people who’ve been idled by the move away from coal-powered plants and other traditional power sources. Others, however, say the problem with creating green jobs is the same one experienced by virtually every other sector during these tough economic times. “It’s not good. But that’s because the overall job market is not good,” said Robert Pollin, economics professor at the University of Massachusetts and a consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy on stimulus spending.
Sam Sheehan ’12 went 6-24 on a test once and got a letter that wasn’t an M, a V or a P. Talk sports with him at sam_sheehan@brown.edu
Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald
Page 10 | Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sun rises, sun sets Herald inbox waits for you Your letters, your love
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Last week, the candidates for governor of Rhode Island came to campus for a debate. On Thursday night, the campaign will return to Brown as Democrat Angel Taveras and independent Jon Scott, candidates for mayor of Providence, debate in MacMillan 117 at 7 p.m. Once again, we applaud the Taubman Center for Public Policy on bringing such an important event to Brown. The winner of the election on Nov. 2 will run Providence for four years and will undoubtedly significantly affect the University. Without question, the most pressing issue facing the City of Providence — as with the state and nearly every other government in the country — is its budget deficit. In this year alone, the city will likely have to borrow almost $50 million to cover its expenses. As last year’s student tax proposal illustrates, the city’s shortfalls have the potential to directly impact students. What’s more, the state occasionally balances its budget by cutting aid to cities and towns, meaning that next year’s financial straits might be even worse than anticipated. Both candidates are skeptical of increased taxes. So our first question is: What, specifically, would the candidates be willing to cut to balance the budget? The next mayor will also need to help get the city’s economy growing again. Brown has worked closely with city government to develop the “knowledge economy” in the downtown Jewelry District around the Alpert Medical School’s new building. What specific plans do the candidates have to promote development in this area? Many in Providence remember that under Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. Providence was one of the most corrupt cities in the country. We expect that things will never be as bad as they were under his
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watch, but corruption remains a problem. What are the candidates’ plans to fight corruption at City Hall? Will they prioritize efforts to clean Providence up? During last week’s gubernatorial debate, the candidates discussed the possibility of consolidation of local services as a way to save money. We’re curious to hear where the candidates stand on this issue. Can consolidation save money without jeopardizing quality of services? On a slightly different note, we saw that both candidates’ websites promised to look into ways to get tax-exempt institutions like Brown to contribute more to the city’s bottom line. In 2003, Brown and other Providence schools signed a memorandum of understanding with the city, promising $50 million in voluntary payments to the city over 20 years. While Brown has a meaningful role to play in helping to improve Providence, viewing the University as an untapped well of tax revenue would be counterproductive and damaging to both Brown and the city. Where do the candidates stand on the issue of Brown’s tax status, and on the student tax that was proposed last year? Our final question is a simple one: What role do the candidates see Brown playing in the larger Providence community? How do the students fit in as temporary citizens of Providence? We’re grateful that the candidates decided to hold their debate on campus, and we hope students take advantage of this opportunity to take part in their city’s election. We hope the next mayor will work with the University to ensure a cooperative relationship between Brown and the city government.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, October 21, 2010 | Page 11
Blame it on the filibuster? BY william tomasko Opinions Columnist In about two weeks, Americans will vote in the Congressional midterm elections. The media is focused on predicting how many seats Democrats will lose, particularly whether the party will lose caucusing majorities in the House and Senate. Unfortunately, the media is also promoting a myth about how the Senate works. Current headlines, including “Senate control leans toward Democrats,” “Republicans improve chances for Senate control,” “Race to control Senate,” and “New polls show Senate control rests on four toss-up states,” all contain a major misrepresentation: They assume that the modern Senate is controllable. Even if Republicans win a 51-seat Senate majority in November, they will hardly have the ability to manage the chamber. If Democrats hold onto a similarly slim majority, they will also be unable to have “control.” One reason for any majority’s lack of power is the filibuster, a practice that requires a three-fifths majority of 60 votes to end debate on a bill and actually move to a vote. The Constitution’s framers never planned to allow for a de facto supermajority requirement to pass legislation. In Federalist No. 58 of “The Federalist Papers,” James Madison rejected requiring “more than a majority” to pass legislation, because then “power would be transferred to the minority,” and “the fundamental principle of free government would be reversed.” Despite the founders’ intentions, the Senate still adopted the undemocratic practice of the filibuster. “When we scour early Senate
history,” explained Sarah Binder, a George Washington University professor of political science in testimony before Congress, “we discover that the filibuster was created by mistake.” In 1806, a rule that could have let a simple majority bring a bill to a vote was deleted, yet it took several decades before senators realized they had created a way to filibuster. During the rest of the 19th century, Senate minorities only undertook 23 filibusters. For much of the 20th century, a filibuster occurred on average just once a year. But the frequency steadily increased in recent decades, and after Republicans lost their Senate majority in 2006, they filibustered twice as of-
mandating that the reform needed a 60-vote supermajority to pass. The chamber’s norms have changed rapidly. This practice, though, is unsustainable. With the exception of the second half of 2009, Democrats haven’t controlled 60 or more Senate seats since the 1970s. Republicans haven’t had that big a majority since before the Great Depression. If both parties continue to insist upon supermajority votes for virtually every bill, then neither party can expect to enact its biggest priorities for any more than a few years every century. Of course, the new 60-vote requirement isn’t the only tool the minority can use to stop the majority from passing bills voters elected
The Constitution’s framers never planned to allow for a de facto supermajority requirement to pass legislation. ten as Democrats had in the previous session, bringing the total up to a record high of 139 for the 110th Congress. It’s now taken as a given that a bill needs a 60-vote supermajority to pass the Senate. However, even as recently as 2003, then-President George W. Bush was able to pass a significant expansion of Medicare with only 54 votes in the Senate. On that bill, several members voted for cloture to end the filibuster and bring a vote, even though they later voted against the bill, allowing it to pass by majority-rule. However, when the Senate considered its health care bill this past year, the Republican leadership barred its members from voting against the party’s filibusters, effectively
them to pass. Any one senator can dramatically slow down the chamber’s operation because any member is allowed to request a hold on a piece of legislation or a nomination. For example, one of President Obama’s nominees to the Federal Reserve, Peter Diamond, has had to wait six months to get a Senate confirmation vote because one senator, Richard Shelby, R-Ala., thinks Diamond doesn’t have sufficiently broad macroeconomic experience. Last week, Diamond won the Nobel Prize in Economics, but Shelby still won’t budge. Similarly, Obama’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, has waited months for a Senate confirmation
vote because one senator, Mary Landrieu, D-La., has placed a hold based on unrelated concerns over an oil drilling moratorium. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, if senators used their full powers of holds and filibusters on every presidential nominee, it would take nine years of floor debate before a presidential administration could be fully staffed. The report’s author, Ian Millhiser, concludes, “So long as unanimous consent — all 100 senators — is required to move Senate business forward in a timely manner, it will remain far too easy to abuse the Senate rules and bring progress to a standstill.” The Senate would be ineffective enough if it could only be controlled by 60-vote supermajorities. However, holds and individual obstruction mean that it often takes complete unanimity to manage the chamber smoothly. Because the Senate has not been running smoothly, 420 bills were passed by the House in the last two years that have never even been considered by Senate. Of those bills, 404 passed the House with at least 60 percent support. Unless Senate procedure can be reformed to allow simple majorities to pass bills and confirm nominees within a reasonable timeframe, neither party can hope to enact its agenda or run a presidential administration. If neither party can fulfill the agenda it was elected to fulfill, then elections become less meaningful — and voters lose some of their ability to influence the direction of government.
William Tomasko ’13 is a political science concentrator from Washington, D.C. He can be reached at william_tomasko@brown.edu.
‘The Social Network’: zeitgeist of our generation? BY lorraine nicholson Opinions Columnist “The Social Network” hit theaters a couple of weeks ago, capturing the number one slot at the box office for two weeks and counting. The “Facebook movie,” as my mother would call it, was extremely well-done. Director David Fincher relies on muted colors and a fastpaced script penned by Aaron Sorkin to tell a riveting tale of the socially inept Mark Zuckerberg. The film serves as a vehicle for some of the hottest young stars in Hollywood right now: Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man) as Zuckerberg’s best friend, Eduardo Saverin; Rooney Mara (the next “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) as Zuckerberg’s ex-girlfriend Erica Albright; and Jesse Eisenberg (future Oscar nominee) as Zuckerberg himself. The bottom line: You should go see it. I did have some minor issues with the film — for instance, did anyone notice the fake snow or Garfield’s yellow face? My biggest concern, however, lies with the critics’ response to the film. In her review for the New York Times, notoriously sharp film critic Manohla Dargis describes, “ ‘The Social Network’ is less of a biopic of the real Mr. Zuckerberg than a gloss on the boot-up, log-on, plug-in generation.” She represents one of many critics who have come to the same conclusion: “The Social Network” is the zeitgeist of our generation. Sure, having grown up in the era of computers, I know more about the “interweb” than my parents do. I had no problem keeping up
with the fast-paced dialogue of the intensely riveting script. Although I don’t have a Facebook profile of my own, I know what membership entails. However, despite the seemingly modern subject matter, “The Social Network” portrays a world filled with issues that are, quite frankly, old-fashioned. Sexism? Financial greed? Harvard? Say it ain’t so. There are two college-aged female characters in Sorkin’s masterpiece. The first one, Erica, we meet immediately. After exchanging some well-written, feisty words with her thenboyfriend Zuckerberg, she is never heard from again. Predictably, the Facebook creator takes
detailed in the so-called zeitgeist “The Social Network,” I long for the days of the sphere of domesticity. Throughout the narration, the film flashes forward to two separate depositions brought against Zuckerberg: one by the ex-best friend, Eduardo, and one by the evil Winklevoss twins. Because the material in the movie is inspired by court depositions, the producers did not have to buy “life rights.” The entire framework of the film, then, is defined by the giving and receiving of money. In the end, Eduardo gets his money. The lawyers get their money. Mark Zuckerberg gets his money. Sean Park-
How could a movie that allegedly “defines our time” be so driven by the degradation of relationships and prominence of greed? to his LiveJournal page (remember those?) for a post-breakup rant, making misogynist cracks about her breasts. The other female character, played by ex-Disney star Brenda Song, starts her relationship with Eduardo by performing oral sex in a public restroom. The relationship ends when she sets a silk scarf on fire while Saverin tries to have a conversation on his cell phone. Does Sorkin accurately depict a new world defined by the derogation of the educated, sexually liberated female? Is misogyny not passe? If forced to choose between the role of the objectified girlfriend and psychopath, I select neither. In fact, based on the gender roles
er, founder of Napster, gets his money. And eventually, they all live happily ever after, with ruined relationships, money and a defamatory biopic. The theme of corporate greed more appropriately belongs in “Wall Street 2,” or, more idealistically, its ’80s predecessor. How could a movie that allegedly “defines our time” be so driven by the degradation of relationships and prominence of greed? I imagine the typical Brown student as someone who legitimately wants to change the world. College life used to be portrayed as a time of innocence and idealism. “The Social Network,” however, presents
a distinctly different picture. One scene sticks out vividly in my memory of the film. The exchange takes place in a generic nightclub between Zuckerberg and the slimy Parker. Picture Victoria’s Secret models, fancy martinis and kitschy colored lights. Parker, played a little too convincingly by pop star Justin Timberlake, convinces an entranced-looking Zuckerberg of Facebook’s potential. While portraying the perks of the high life, Parker’s face is illuminated by the whirling colors of the nightclub below. He looks like the love child of the Wizard of Oz and Satan, a role Parker assumes proudly. Like the generation before him, Zuckerberg bites the forbidden fruit of financial succes and, as a result, throws his friend under the bus. Perhaps Fincher cannot properly make a movie about our generation because he’s not part of it. Unfortunately, this solution is too idealistic. The terrible behavior of the characters detailed is less a testimony to the filmmakers’ lack of prowess than to the backwardness of the times. Hopefully, when a director of our generation ventures to make a blockbuster about contemporary culture, he’ll paint a distinctly different picture. Until then, it’s up to us to provide the material. “The Social Network”: zeitgeist of our generation? I certainly hope not.
Lorraine Nicholson ’12.5 is a literary arts concentrator from Los Angeles, Calif. She can be contacted at Lorraine_Nicholson@brown.edu.
Today The Brown Daily Herald
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U. celebrates Love Your Body Day
Field hockey falls to Princeton
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s
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Missed Post-? No, it’s not just your copy of the paper — there’s no Post- Magazine today. Pick up tomorrow’s Herald for the very special Post- Family Weekend Magazine, and be the envy of your friends (and family).
2 c a l e n da r Today
october 21
4 P.M.
ToMORROW
comics october 22
The Adventures of Team Vag | Wendy Kwartin
5 P.M.
Falling Whistles: Peace is the New
Shakespeare on the Green presents
Frontier, Saloman 101
King Lear, Quiet Green
7 P.M.
8 P.M. Providence Mayoral Debate,
2010 Family Weekend Dance
MacMillan 117
Concert, Ashamu Dance Studio
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH
Parmesan and Herb pizza on Wheat Crust, Vegan Nuggets with Dipping Sauce, Krinkle Fries
Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap, Eggplant Parmesan, Fair Trade Chocolate Cookies
Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
DINNER Roast Pork Calypso, Tortellini Angelica, Vegan Tacos, Eggplant and Ricotta Pizza
Roasted Honey and Chili Chicken, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Creamy Polenta with Rosemary
crossword
Dr. Bear | Mat Becker
Cabernet Voltaire| Abe Pressman
Bat & Gaz |Sofia Ortiz