Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 108 | Tuesday, November 9, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Whitehouse: rising water threatens the Ocean State By Alex Bell Senior Staff Writer
About a dozen students and a few adults formed a circle around U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, DR.I., Monday night in the Rhode Island School of Design’s Tap Room for a 45-minute discussion about energy policy. “The stor y at home is a good story,” Whitehouse said, sitting casually on a stool. “The story nationally is a little more problematic.” Whitehouse said the Republicans recently elected to Congress, with a few exceptions, were “climate deniers.” Those who ignore climate change present a “loser economic argument” because the failure to act now will cost more in the future and would allow other countries to gain technological advantages
over the U.S. in the production of alternative energy technologies, he said. “Trying to get ahead of that is much to our economic interests,” Whitehouse said. “But in the same way that they don’t believe in climate change, they don’t believe in economics.” When asked why Republicans so rarely support alternative energies from a perspective of national security, Whitehouse was frank. “They’ve made a ver y clear choice that they’re going to side with the strong industrial interests, and not the national security community.” Whitehouse, who serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, among other assignments, gave the group a brief continued on page 2
Vote today on library contract By Alex Bell Senior Staff Writer
Alex Bell / Herald
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse urged students to use their creativity, and their votes, to further environmental issues.
Twitter fad Convocation addresses Cambodian rights skips over campus By Fei Cai Senior Staff Writer
By Sarah Forman Staff Writer
Twitter was supposed to revolutionize communication. Seemingly ever y news outlet, business and celebrity jumped on the Twitter bandwagon soon after its 2006 launch, using the microblogging site to self-promote and spread information in the form of 140-character tweets. The trend has also reached academia, and a nationwide Faculty Focus survey from this fall found 35.2 percent of college faculty members use Twitter. But Brown has largely steered clear of Twitter-mania — relatively few professors use it as a tool to interact with their students or to promote individual research.
Over 70 students filled Peterutti Lounge Monday night for the opening convocation of the 10th annual Southeast Asian Heritage Week. The week, titled “Re(RIGHT)ing What We SEA,” is sponsored by the Watson Institute, the Program in
Literary Arts and the Third World Center and will feature events including a traditional activity night, a debate on the Burmese elections and a cultural performance titled “Legends of the SEA” by a Balinese dancer. “In order to value the students and value the faculty at Brown, we need to make note that we are here
By Anne Artley Staff Writer
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inside
Herald File Photo
65,000 square feet of land formerly belonging to the nightclub Shooters may be added to India Point Park.
www.browndailyherald.com
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So long to Shooters, hello to waterfront
‘Another layer’ “Most of the academic needs are covered by WebCT, the MyCourses system,” said Art Salomon, assistant professor of biology. Salomon said he considered incorporating a Twitter feed into his lectures for BIOL 0280: “Introductory Biochemistry,” which already has a class blog and internet-accessible videos of every lecture.
News.......1–4 Metro..........5 Editorial.......6 Opinion.......7 Today..........8
in the community,” Rujapak Sutiwisesak ’12, one of the coordinators of the event, told The Herald. The opening convocation consisted of a welcome by co-coordinators Sutiwisesak and Sharmala Narasingam ’13, both international students from Southeast Asia,
The University and the libraries union reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year labor contract Monday night, more than a month after the last contract was set to expire. After six straight hours, negotiations ended around 8 p.m., according to Karen McAninch ’74, the union’s bargaining agent. She said the union’s bargaining team was not totally satisfied with language relating to a commitment to preserve union work, but was content with the resolution of compensation issues. McAninch said she did not want to share the specifics of the agreement before the members formally vote on the contract at their meeting today at 2 p.m. She said the bargaining committee will recommend that members accept the deal. “It’s really for the members to decide at this point,” she said. The tentative agreement is contingent on the union’s acceptance by this Wednesday, McAninch said.
The old Shooters Nightclub building is facing its final days. Rhode Island voters approved a ballot question last Tuesday that allows the state to purchase the Shooters property. Officials plan to tear down the former club, build a public marina, establish a water taxi service to Newport and add the site’s 65,000 square feet of land to India Point Park, said Michael Sullivan, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Plans for a multi-story restaurant are also in the works. The property will cost the state $3.2 million, and construction costs will add on at least an additional $3 million, Sullivan said. Renting the land to different organizations could generate some revenue back for the state, he said. He described the purchase as a “win-win situation” for both Rhode
Island and private corporations. “The land is publicly owned, and the public is guaranteed to have access to the land, but the size of privately owned buildings would have to be approved by the state, and the building owner would still pay taxes to the state.” The Shooters nightclub closed over 10 years ago and has remained vacant since that time. Rhode Island environmental groups share the state’s vision for the land expansion. Environmental advocacy organizations such as Save Our Shores, Head of the Bay Gateway and the Rocky Point Foundation campaigned to put the issue on the ballot. Over the past year, representatives spoke at rallies and talk shows and put out YouTube videos about the importance of the land to Rhode Island citizens. The issue holds a special interest for John Torgan, baykeeper and continued on page 5
Going green
Working out
Cricket, tea
Three-week competition pushes students to go green
A new all-female boxing gym opens on Angell Street
Stephen Wicken GS analyzes cultural gaps abroad
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metro, 5
Opinions, 7
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Hockey’s hopes high for 2010-2011 season
“Instead of repeating each others’ knowledge, they were able to reinforce it.” — Alina Kung ’12, symposium chair
Strait Talk hosts annual symposium By Hannah Abelow Contributing Writer
Despite their disappointing weekend, the season is certainly still young, and the men’s ice hockey team will look to bounce back and achieve its larger goals for the year. Head Coach Brendan Whittet ’94 talked of his hope for this year’s team to bring back a hockey atmosphere similar to the one he experienced in his playing days on College Hill. “I want us to have Brown pride and have this place rock like it did when I played here,” he said in an interview prior to this weekend’s games. “My vision is this place packed, with students hanging from the rafters and having a great time.” The team is young and, already in the first few games, freshmen are playing key roles. Dennis Robertson ’14 leads the team in goals and shares starting defensive duties with Matt Wahl ’14. Marco de Filippo Roia ’14 has started two games as goalie and Garnet Hathaway ’14, Mark Hourihan ’14, and Jake Goldberg ’14 have all scored points. “It’s a big class,” Whittet said. “We expect a lot of them. They’re coming into a situation where we’re going to have to lean on them a little bit.” Brown ice hockey competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a competitive league in which Harry Zolnierczyk ’11 said the Bears “can’t take any team lightly.” While this is the case, several Ivy teams stand out on the schedule. “Every league game is big,” Zolnierczyk said. “But Cornell and Yale, they’re always teams we want to knock off.” The team is in a period of transition, with 10 new faces and the loss of last season’s scoring leader Aaron Volpatti ’10, who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in this spring’s National Hockey League draft. But Whittet said this has done nothing to diminish the squad’s expectations for the season. “Our goal each and every year is to win the national championship,” Whittet said. “That’s why we play the sport.” The Bears have nearly two weeks off before travelling to Colgate, Cornell, New Hampshire and Boston University in November. The next time the team will return to the Meehan will be for a weekend set against Union and Rensselaer on Dec. 3 and 4.
From Oct. 30 through Nov. 4, the student group Strait Talk hosted the sixth annual Brown University Strait Talk Symposium, addressing issues related to the cross-strait conflict between mainland China and Taiwan. The symposium included a conflict resolution exercise among 15 Chinese, Taiwanese and American delegates and several public events. Symposium Chair Alina Kung ’12 said the events were planned by a steering committee of 15 to 20 people over the course of the last two semesters. In order to participate in the symposium, delegates went through an application process that included an online application and phone interviews conducted by members of the steering committee, she said. Kung said there was “a very rigorous applicant pool” and that she was “very happy with the delegates this year.” The 15 delegates — five each from mainland China, Taiwan and the United States — spent 30 hours in an “interactive conflict resolution workshop,” Kung said. “They also brainstorm, discuss and finalize peace projects and articulate
— Ethan McCoy
report on the state of the oceans. “We’re punishing our oceans in so many different ways,” he said. “Ocean acidification is one, and pollution is another.” In Rhode Island, oceans are expected to rise by eight to 12 inches by the end of the century according to conservative estimates, he said. Whitehouse said he is working to garner approval to set up a National Endowment for the Oceans, which would distribute money to study and restore the nation’s oceans and other bodies of water. The initiative, which he called bipartisan, is his biggest project right now in the Senate and comes at an important time, he said. “The rate of change that is being witnessed is faster than the ability of science to model from historical
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Tuesday, November 9, 2010
a concrete plan for the future” in the form of a consensus document, she said. “It’s remarkable that we were able to come up with a consensus document given our different political ideologies and values,” said Justin Lee ’14, an American delegate at the symposium. He also said the symposium succeeded on a personal level, as he felt that “lasting friendships” had been built across delegations. The public events included three panels in addition to a Peacebuilding Talk and Workshop, a Peace Action Roundtable discussion and a final presentation where the delegates presented their work to the Brown community, according to an announcement from the Watson Institute for International Studies. The panels addressed topics such as the growing connections between Taiwan and mainland China in the private sector, different understandings of the status of Taiwan in relation to mainland China, and issues about colonization in the region, according to the Watson Institute. Associate Professor of Histor y Kerr y Smith moderated one and gave the opening remarks for another. “I was really happy with the pan-
elists this year and every single one offered an interesting perspective,” Kung said. “Instead of repeating each others’ knowledge, they were able to reinforce it.” The delegates attended each of the public events in addition to completing their hours of conflict resolution work. “The public events were extremely important because they grounded the conflict resolution that we were doing in actual facts and public policy,” Lee said. This past weekend, the delegates and organizers of the symposium travelled to New York City for a presentation at the Asia Society. Kung said the presentation was “very well received” and that “the guests and scholars who were there raised very interesting and important questions for the delegates.” This symposium followed a format very similar to that of previous years. But, Kung said, “this year we’ve reached a new high in the creativity and the diversity of the sponsorship we’ve received and increased our organizational capacity.” “I was happy with the rigor of our public events, the investment and care that the delegates put in, and the responsiveness and commitment of the steering committee members,” Kung said.
Apply art to climate, senator says continued from page 1
data,” Whitehouse said, which is all the more reason to devote more resources to studying environmental changes. Whitehouse predicted that environmental changes could soon cause international conflicts, as flows of rivers change and no substantial treaty exists to stop countries from waging warfare by means of pollution affecting other countries. When asked by a RISD student what young artists could do to help the environmental cause, Whitehouse encouraged connecting art and design to the issues in a way that frames the debate constructively. “Climate change is somewhat complicated,” Whitehouse said. “If only someone could just display it in a way that’s simple and convincing.” Whitehouse recalled that in try-
ing to persuade Pakistani officials to pursue the Taliban within their borders, one of the pivotal turning points came when the Pakistanis came to see their situation in the context of a picture of a Pakistani girl being whipped by the Taliban. “In the viral world that we live in, it can be very little things,” he said. “There’s a sort of guerilla potential there to find it and grow it and sort of get it out there.” Students should also vote if they want to help the cause, Whitehouse said. He attributed much of the ground gained by Republicans in Congress last week to low youth turnout compared to the turnout of young voters in 2008 for President Obama. The event was organized by the Rhode Island Student Climate Coalition, a network of local college environmental activists.
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“You don’t really know the students who have (Facebook) friended you.” — Art Salomon, assistant professor of biology
Over 7,500 follow public affairs Twitter continued from page 1
In order to make his 250 students feel less inhibited about asking questions, Salomon said he wanted to leave a Twitter feed up on one of the screens during class. Students would be able to mark their tweets to go up on the feed and use it as a forum to request clarifications and explanations. But Salomon said he later realized “anybody could post anything,” so he dropped the plan and instead created a TA-monitored live blog in class for students to ask questions. “I’m surprised by the number of people who do use it,” said Stephen Groening, Mellon postdoctoral fellow in the Cogut Humanities Center for the department of Modern Culture and Media. Groening studies communication technologies and media flows and said that Twitter’s largest contribution to academia has been facilitating conversations at conferences. When many different panels and programs take place at the same time, academics can use Twitter to communicate between rooms and let each other know about the research and discussion happening around them. Twitter users can receive tweets via cell phone, so information is always within reach. Groening, who does not use Twitter, said that while Twitter can “add another layer of conversation” at these academic conferences, online communication is “not a replacement for social life.” The real collaboration and communication still happens in person, even if a series of tweets and re-tweets facilitates the decision to get together. For some faculty and staff members, however, Twitter can be a forum for academic discussion and outreach to students and peers. At other schools, especially larger colleges and universities that incorporate long-distance and internetbased learning, Twitter is used as a teaching tool. Dave Parry, assistant professor of emerging media and communications at the University of Texas at Dallas, has even created a website and blog showing educators how to incorporate Twitter into their curricula. @BrownProfs: No tweet? But Brown has not quite made it that far, and the few Brown professors who use Twitter mostly keep their tweets out of the classroom. Professor of Africana Studies Tricia Rose MA’87 PhD’93 frequently tweets to about 1,500 followers on current events and cultural works as ProfTriciaRose. Mordechai Rackover, associate university chaplain and rabbi at the Brown/ RISD Hillel, takes a more personal approach as MRackover, telling his 115 followers about his cooking habits and family life. Both Rackover and Rose publicize their connections to Brown on their Twitter pages, but the University does not supervise the pages to see how its name is being used.
“The University does not monitor or track social networking activity among the wide array of campus users, though we do offer resources as requested to help departments and others who may want to launch a site,” Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and university relations, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. Quinn wrote that her office is drafting guidelines for University community members to “encourage thoughtful and effective use of social media.” The Of fice of Public Af fairs and University Relations has yet to publish these guidelines, but it sometimes shares the drafts with departments who request help with social media networking, wrote Scott Turner, director of web communications, in an e-mail to The Herald. Depar tments and of fices at Brown have the most readily visible Twitter presence. Over 7,500 people follow the Twitter maintained by the University’s public affairs office, which includes headlines and links to University press releases. The Career Development Center and the Brown Alumni Magazine have also built up their Twitter presence, and each has close to 700 people following their tweets about events and publications. As with any other social networking site, Twitter users need to be careful about the information they share, especially when they hold positions of authority, said Groening. Users “either have to use it as a politician” would and limit all postings to academic-related subjects or be ver y careful about privacy settings, he explained. “Academics are well aware that they can be found,” he said, and most professors are tactful about what they post online. Though Salomon ultimately decided not to use Twitter, he said he has found interactions on social media networks like Facebook to be a little bizarre, since he is “friends” with many students he does not know. “You don’t really know the students who have friended you,” said Salomon, who said he accepts friend requests from students even when he does not recognize their faces. But because his classes are so large, social networking is sometimes the most personal connection he can have with his students. “The only reason they’ll come to office hours is because they want a recommendation to med school,” he said. “You’re like, ‘Okay, I don’t know you!’ ” Even though few Brown professors have joined the Twitter revolution, social networking still facilitates interactions between students and professors, especially as more communication occurs online. There are “plenty of undergraduates who are much more comfortable typing things out on the computer” than they are raising their hands in class, Groening said.
Glenn Lutzky / Herald
Students, Fellows, and Cambodian refugees discussed the infringement on rights and freedoms in Cambodia.
SEA convocation pushes freedom of speech continued from page 1 reflections by seniors on their experiences as Southeast Asian students and a talk with Visiting Fellow in the Watson Institute Kho Tararith and translator Sokvann Sam. “Geographically and historically, Southeast Asia has been situated between China and India. There has been a growing importance placed on this region,” Sutiwisesak said to the audience. But Sutiwisesak acknowledged that there are still many problems in the area. Tararith, a Cambodian poet, shor t stor y writer and activist against social and economic problems in Cambodia, addresses many of the problems of Southeast Asia in his work. He became a fellow in August after being invited to be part of the Watson Institute and literary arts graduate program’s International Writing Project. Tararith spoke about many contemporar y issues in Cambodia, emphasizing problems with land rights. He cited the ongoing Shukaku Inc. sand-pumping issue in the Boeung Kak Lake area of Cambodia as an example. Shukaku Inc., owned by the Cambodian People’s Party Senator Lao Meng Khin, began pumping sand into the lake as part of a redevelopment project, according to a Nov. 8 article in the Phnom Penh Post, an English-Cambodian newspaper. Over 3,000 families live in the area, and the pumping has resulted in the flooding and destruction of more than a dozen homes, Tararith said. “English is a language of universal communication,” Tararith told The Herald. Because many Cambodians do not speak English, they cannot obtain news from outside the country and most of the media within Cambodia is controlled by the government, he said. Writers cannot write what they wish if they want to receive sup-
por t from the government, he said during the talk. “Everything is spied on by people who have ranking.” Writers who have tried to fight back by criticizing the government are either put in prison or mysteriously murdered, he said. “We want power. We want to write and we want to criticize, but we do not just want to please the government.” Sam, a refugee from the Khmer Rouge rule, also spoke about his experiences in Cambodia and in the U.S. “The Cambodian government pays no attention to the people’s cry,” he told the audience. Interested students suggested bringing outside news to Cambodians through the Internet, but Sam answered that not all
Cambodians have the luxur y of the Internet. “It is very rare,” he said. “Only the city people can get access to the Internet, and the government checks all the lines.” “People abroad can express, but how many people can read?” he added. In the face of this bleak outlook, one student asked why people like Kho and Sam continue to resist. “We have to show (the Cambodian people) what is good,” Kho answered. “I tr y to show them what is right about human rights and democracy that I see because I can come abroad.” “There is so much potential in this region that is always forgotten,” Narasingam said. “We are survivors.”
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“What I want for Brown is for students to feel like they are part of something.” — Adam Maynard ’11
Competition fosters green awareness By Alexandra Macfarlane Contributing Writer
The Department of Facilities Management has partnered with a student group to give the campus a chance to compete for the title of greenest in that nation. Brown has entered the Campus Conservation Nationals 2010, a competition which awards schools across the country for the greatest reductions of water and electricity use for the three-week period from Nov. 1–19, according to its website. The competition brings together 40 schools from all over the country and asks individual students to commit to small goals to reduce reliance on electricity and water. The goals are small and specific, involving commitments like taking the stairs instead of an elevator, washing clothes or taking showers in cold water rather than heating
water up, or turning off lights in public spaces when they are not needed. Brown got involved last spring when Christopher Powell, director of sustainable energy and environmental initiatives for Facilities Management, wanted to create a way to increase awareness about reduction on campus and was contacted by the Lucid Design Group, the company that is sponsoring the competition. Administrators hope to use this competition as a springboard to a heightened awareness on campus about ways to reduce, Powell said. The competition will encourage community members to think about energy use and “teach students, faculty and staff by example,” he said. Powell’s office is partnering with the student group Eco Reps to promote the competition to students on campus. Students can register for the competition on the Eco Reps
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
website and then follow tips on the group’s blog to help reduce energy and water use, said Adam Maynard ’11, the student sustainability outreach coordinator for Eco Reps, who is organizing student participation in the competition. Maynard said the competition will show students “simple changes we can make and the dramatic impact those changes can have.” Students should make small commitments to reduce and try to get other students interested, Maynard said. The competition not only runs between schools but also between buildings on campus so students have the “ability to rally their dorm,” he said. “What I want for Brown is for students to feel like they are part of something and that they are part of something great,” he said. This is the competition’s first year, though Brown held an informal, internal competition last spring, Powell said. The Eco Reps hope to include about 25 percent of the campus in this year’s competition, Maynard said, though they would like half or more of the student body involved in future years. President Ruth Simmons will host a pizza party for the residence hall that reduces its energy and water the most, according to the Eco Reps website.
higher ed news roundup by sarah forman staff writer
Arizona bans affirmative action Voters in Arizona last week approved a ban on affirmative action in public colleges and universities. Proposition 107 prohibits “granting preferential treatment to or discriminating against any person or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin,” according to the ballot presented to voters Nov. 2. The measure will not only affect admissions and outreach programs at Arizona’s institutes of higher education, Inside Higher Ed reported Nov. 3, but also hiring practices and scholarship allocations. California, Michigan, Nebraska and Washington all have similar bans, according to the article.
Bomb threats at Western Illinois University Three times in 12 days, 800 students were evacuated from a Western Illinois University residence hall following bomb threats. Bomb-sniffing dogs and state bomb squads were brought into the residence hall all three times, the Galesburg Register reported Nov. 5. University police, state authorities and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials have yet to make arrests following the two latest threats — on Nov. 4 and 5 — and officials warn that the culprits could face federal prosecution. On Oct. 25, authorities were called to the same building after a freshman student called police from his cell phone with a bomb threat, the Voice of Aurora, Ill., reported Nov. 4. He later told police that he made the call because he was curious about how long it would take police to respond, according to the article.
Panel recommends doubling higher ed funding in Colorado A panel in Colorado has recommended that the state double funding for public colleges and universities to $1.5 billion a year, the Denver Post reported Nov. 5. The Higher Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee recommended raising taxes in order to finance the budget increases in its report, released Nov. 4. The committee stated in its report that since 1980, Colorado has cut state contributions to higher education by 70 percent, leading to underperforming state school . The proportion of income Coloradans spend on higher education is one fourth the national average, according to the report.
Metro The Brown Daily Herald
“Everything you learn here, you can use to defend yourself.” — Lorie George, Striking Beauties boxing instructor Tuesday, November 9, 2010 | Page 5
White House honors local arts initiatives By Max Ernst Contributing Writer
Stephanie London / Herald
Striking Beauties, a new boxing and yoga gym catering exclusively to women has opened on Angell Street.
It’s gals only in new Angell Street gym By Anna Lillkung Contributing Writer
Striking Beauties may sound like College Hill’s newest salon, but in fact it is nothing like a day at the spa. This all-female boxing gym — which opened at 189 Angell St. at the end of October — offers classes in boxing and yoga to women of all ages and experience levels. The gym is owned by Dena Paolino and four-time world champion boxer Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt, who together run another gym of the same name in North Attleboro, Mass. Paolino said she started the business because she felt women lacked opportunities to take up the sport. Most boxing gyms cater exclusively to males, and, aside from her gyms, there are only two other boxing gyms exclusively for women in the United States, Paolino said. The turnout at the first Striking Beauties location has been strong, attracting women from as far away as New York, Paolino said. Paolino, a native of Rhode Island, was encouraged by the success of the first gym to open a second location in her home state, she said. The gym is geared towards both fitness and competition, both the casual and the serious boxer.
Paolino said she recommends the sport for women because it is “stress-relieving” and the “number one calorie-burning exercise.” She called boxing “a lot of fun” and billed it as an opportunity to meet new people. The gym will also offer hot yoga classes by this Wednesday, Paolino said. She hopes to attract customers from Brown with a student discount and touted the benefits of boxing for young women, she said. “The knowledge that you can take care of yourself” makes boxing empowering, Paolino said. Evgeni Tzvetkov, a boxing instructor, called the sport “physically and mentally demanding.” “It keeps you honest with yourself,” he said. Paolino said mothers of teenage students at the North Attleboro location have remarked to her that the classes have built confidence among their daughters, some of whom have been the victims of bullying. Lorie George, another Striking Beauties instructor, said, “Everything you learn here, you can use to defend yourself on the street.” She encouraged Brown students to communicate their timing needs and said the gym would tailor its schedule to accommodate demand.
Two Rhode Island-based after-school programs, Community MusicWorks and RiverzEdge Arts Project, were recognized among 15 programs from across the nation as recipients of the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards at a ceremony in the White House Oct. 20. The $10,000 award recognizes programs that foster creative thinking, help students develop skills that facilitate academic success and change the character of their communities through unique program models, according to the website for the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. “You’ve seen how the arts and humanities can broaden their horizons and help them discover a talent or a mission or a sense of purpose that they never knew they had,” said Michelle Obama at the awards ceremony, according to the website. The National Endowment for the Arts received nearly 400 self-nominations from organizations across the country this year, according to the Providence Journal. From this applicant pool, 50 organizations were selected as finalists for a competition that would ultimately select only 15 award winners. On tour, in tune Community MusicWorks was founded in 1997 in Providence with a fellowship from the Swearer Center for Public Service with the goal of “exploring ways education can be a means to social justice,” said Sebastian Ruth ’97, founder and artistic director. The mission of Community MusicWorks is to transform the community and the lives of students through the diffusion of free-of-charge music education, according to the organization’s website. “It is a really nice honor to receive this award. It’s validation that the work we’re doing has national significance,” Ruth said. “The award is both financial and a moment of national spotlight.” With 14 staff members and 110 students of all ages, the program focuses on lessons, studio classes and ensemble performance. “The program has taught me problem solving and leadership skills,” said Natasha Rosario, a longtime Community MusicWorks participant. “It has helped me think of music as not only a profession, but also as a hobby and a way to communicate with others.”
Marina planned for nightclub land continued from page 1 director of advocacy of Save The Bay, a nonprofit that works to conserve the Narragansett Bay region. He grew up in Providence and has been involved with Save the Bay for 18 years. “When Shooters was there, it was just a loud, cheesy scene,” he said. “It was not really an asset. To have
given it back to the public is a big benefit to our community.” Torgan said he remembers when he was a child, and the India Point area was heavily polluted. Now, he says he “can’t wait to take (his) kids and go fishing.” The India Point Park addition was part of a larger open spaces ballot question last Tuesday. The state will use the remainder of the
$14.7 million to expand Rocky Point State Park and restore Fort Adams in Newport. Officials also pointed to Newport’s bid to host the 2013 America’s Cup, the most prestigious international sailing race. Planned water taxis would provide further transportation to and from the Cup, leaving “far less of a carbon footprint” than other transit methods, Sullivan said.
An entire busload of students from Community MusicWorks made the trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the awards ceremony. On their trip, students performed in three different locations around the capitol to display their accomplishments to the public. Some of the award money will be used to finance their trip to Washington, while the rest will be used as additional funding for youth programs, Ruth said. Paying students for art The RiverzEdge Arts Project in Woonsocket was also honored by the White House. RiverzEdge is both a nonprofit organization and a social enterprise, which provides “talented, underserved teens hands-on work experience in graphic design, digital photography, screen printing and visual arts,” according to the organization’s website. A group of professionals who were concerned about violence in the community and the displacement of youth from employment opportunities founded RiverzEdge in 2002, said Executive Director Rebekah Greenwald. The program’s mission is to provide paid employment in the arts, academic support and pathways to higher education. In order to receive a stipend for their work, students must maintain a “C” average, actively pursue a high school diploma or GED and apply to college. “We were selected for the award based on our program model and the results we produced — especially the quality of output from our studios. We had to submit examples of work from the studios and report on all of our activities,” Greenwald said. With 52 youth in the paid arts and business programs, 30 to 50 youth participants in summer programs, 150 youth involved in Mobile Studio
— which engages youth in teaching skills to other artists — and 50-75 youth involved in off-site arts programs, RiverzEdge reaches a wide segment of the community. “This award is an incredible recognition for what we do. To be seen and recognized across the national landscape is such a treat for us,” Greenwald said. Aside from the program’s 100 percent high school graduation rate, students in the program attest to its much more personalized impact on their lives. Jamel Williams, a student who has participated in RiverzEdge for a year and a half, said that if he hadn’t joined RiverzEdge, he “wouldn’t have known as much” as he does now, “especially about computers.” “I was in the arts already, but the program has given me more skills to plan my future with,” he added. RiverzEdge will directly apply the award money to its arts and business program and to the purchase of studio supplies. The award itself will also have a positive impact on funding by expanding the organization’s profile in the community, Greenwald said. The national recognition of these two programs, as well as their empirical results, underscores the impact of co-curricular resources in Rhode Island. “This year’s NAHYP Awardees exemplify how arts and humanities programs outside of the school setting can impact the lives of our young people,” said Margo Lion, co-chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, according to its website. “By tapping imagination, encouraging collaboration and teaching discipline students achieve greater success and are opened up to the possibilities of a new and hopeful future.”
Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald
Page 6 | Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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Anyone who takes a realistic look at our nation’s fiscal situation will see that both spending cuts and tax increases are necessary to get the federal budget back on a sustainable path. For those who disagree, we direct you to an excellent editorial in Monday’s Washington Post, which lays out just how the federal debt might be stabilized if tax increases are entirely off the table. It isn’t pretty. This “spending cuts only” strategy would require, among other things, committing to a series of increases in the retirement age and massive cuts to defense spending. State budgets are also facing significant strains. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, half of states resorted to tax increases in 2009. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities projects that here in Rhode Island, the state will confront a $395 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2011. Surely, it wouldn’t be prudent to plug that entire hole with only tax increases or only spending cuts. Despite the seriousness of the situation, few politicians at the local, state or national level are willing to get into specifics. Which programs are going to face spending cuts? By how much are taxes are going to increase? Across the nation, many newly elected representatives will take power next year without having clearly laid out the details. So, is there any hope for a substantive, truthful conversation about taxes and government spending? We think so. In the Rhode Island gubernatorial race, voters chose the one candidate who offered more clarity and forthrightness about the sacrifices he was going to ask citizens to make. Last January, when Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 announced he was running
for governor as an independent, he also endorsed a plan to apply a 1 percent sales tax to certain items previously exempt from state’s usual 7 percent tax. Chafee faced a barrage of attacks for the plan, and other candidates were not eager to offer their ideas in similar detail. Republican John Robitaille promised to veto any budget that contained a tax increase, the Providence Journal reported. And after Moderate Party candidate Ken Block proposed a particular tax cut, his campaign manager told the Journal that the amount of lost revenue was “unknown” because the campaign did not have access to the “complex economic models” needed to crunch the numbers. We applaud Chafee for his courage in taking a politically unpopular position and his refusal to insult the intelligence of the electorate. And we are glad that Rhode Island voters rewarded the candidate who offered the most specifics. Clarity on fiscal policy is especially crucial right now. The economic recovery hinges on businesses’ investment and hiring decisions, and uncertainty only makes them more hesitant. Chafee’s plan won’t singlehandedly balance the state’s budget — according to the Providence Journal, it is projected to raise about $90 million in revenue. But Chafee’s campaign demonstrated a serious commitment to both fiscal balance and substance in political discourse. Other candidates across the state and the country should take note.
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
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 | Page 7
Study abroad with these simple lessons BY stephen wicken Opinions Columnist The winds are stronger, the days are longer, the nights are wronger. Winter is here, and with it come deadlines for study abroad programs. As an English student of French history in the U.S. with an American wife and Polish legs, I’m no longer sure which is Abroad, let alone where I left Study. Allow me, however, to share some of my hardearned, slightly soiled transatlantic wisdom with you as you consider your international options. 1. Americans don’t “get” cricket. Not the rules, I mean. I have a friend from Pennsylvania who follows cricket more closely than I do. His imaginary cricket team beat mine online, and it stung. This, in fact, is the problem. My friend thinks cricket is a sport. To him, it’s something to compare with baseball, where men with first names that are actually surnames enhance their bodies with steroids so as to spit brown substances further. Cricket, on the other hand, is really more of a tradition. The most important standing in a cricket league relates not to matches won and points scored, but to the quality of lunches and teas supplied at a team’s home pavilion. It doesn’t matter that your team is an all-conquering behemoth if all you can offer visiting teams is a packet of store-brand crisps and a warm can of Fanta. Form is temporary. Little triangular sandwiches, cakes and tea from the pot are permanent. This is why all my cricket shirts are covered in stains. 2. The social norms of British and Ameri-
can education are hopelessly out of sync. At my state secondary school in England, the most exciting days of the year were the ones on which we didn’t have to wear school uniforms. These were usually the last day of each term (always a half-day, thus reducing the amount of time we could spend insulting one another’s trousers) and the imaginatively-titled Non-Uniform Day. Sports games brought no fanfare, generally taking place after school in front of a crowd of one slightly creepy old man with a worn-out Labra-
trances to the Portakabins that functioned as classrooms. And this was a good school. So when I moved to America and found out that proms were a real thing, complete with silly dresses, portraits and hired limousines, instantly I surmised that a small gulf existed between my newfound friends and me. Thankfully, I know where to get my hands on a good supply of mud. 3. Anglophones — especially the ones who seldom go east across the Atlantic — have some ridiculous impressions of French
There are certain cultural and ideational gaps between these great nations that seem set to endure. They need not be concrete barriers to mutual understanding, admiration or even a quick fumble under the table in a hotel bar. dor. School discos were so anesthetized by teachers, cheap fizzy beverages and mindtwistingly awful novelty pop hits, that generally they were less exciting than a normal school day. In this climate, concepts like “Homecoming,” “Prom” and “seeing daylight after the end of the school day” take on an otherworldly quality. To my schoolmates and me, the idea that school events were supposed to be “magical,” to be looked back on as some of the most wonderful times of our lives, or even to be remembered at all, would have been considered a lingering side-effect of hitting one’s head while slipping over in the ever-present mud that surrounded the en-
fashion. Google that phrase (or just shout it out your window) and someone will knock on your door and start telling you about Coco Chanel and Yves Saint-Laurent. That person almost certainly will be a thirty-something American woman who has moved to Paris after breaking up with her publisher boyfriend and who now writes a blog about being a thirty-something American woman who has moved to Paris after breaking up with her publisher boyfriend. This woman will use words such as “classic,” “elegant,” “sexy” and “the.” She will drop in expressions like “chic” and “je ne sais quoi.” What this lady will miss completely is the fact that most French people dress like
German ferry-boat crewmembers. There are, of course, large numbers of elegantly dressed young women across France who shimmer past one in the street in a fabulous cloud of cashmere, perfume and self-regard. The main reason that these creatures look so maddeningly wonderful is that they do most of their sashaying down streets populated by people in flowery acrylic cardigans and Doc Martens. They sweep past cafes full of men in shiny nylon shirts and weirdly tapered jeans. They strut past bus stops of children with oversized leather jackets and rat-tails. In many ways, small-town France is less Manhattan than Missouri: People unironically wear clothing with American flags and nonsensical slogans like “COOL U.S.A. #27.” They wear basketball shoes. They wear Nirvana t-shirts. Long-sleeved Nirvana t-shirts. There are, then, certain cultural and ideational gaps between these great nations that seem set to endure. They need not be concrete barriers to mutual understanding, admiration or even a quick fumble under the table in a hotel bar, but they are differences to which we must all be sensitive, like a thirty-something American woman blogging about not fitting into a dress in a Parisian boutique. With them in mind, go forth, dear readers — just stay out of the mud.
Stephen Wicken GS, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Department of History, splits his time making fun of people’s trousers in the U.S., U.K. and France. He can be reached at stephen_wicken@brown.edu.
What actually happens on Wriston... BY Aaron Bartnick and Andrew Alvarez Guest Columnists Last week, a column written by Chris Norris-LeBlanc ’13 (“Wriston — Shape up, or ship out,” Nov. 4) accused the Greek system of encouraging sexual assault, brainwashing its members and generally providing no positive service to the University. The column describes Wriston Quad as an anarchical black hole where sexual assault is not only actively encouraged, but also protected, alternately likening Wriston to Las Vegas and portraits of violence in the media. He accuses Greeks of institutionalizing sexual assault by stripping them of their individual principles and forcing them to conform to the “archetypal oafish behavior of a ‘frat boy.’” We can only assume that Norris-LeBlanc has never actually been to Wriston and is instead characterizing fraternities based on the caricatures set out in various straightto-DVD lowbrow comedies (we recommend “American Pie Presents: Beta House,” it’s a great film). Norris-LeBlanc’s perception of fraternities as “a collection of glorified party-planning committees” is woefully uninformed, and we seek to dispel the negative stereotypes put forth in his column here. Wriston Quad is not a haven for sexual assault, nor is such behavior encouraged or even tolerated by its residents. Norris-LeBlanc believes that there is an unspoken code among Greeks that “what happens on Wris-
ton, stays on Wriston.” You will not hear people speak of such a code, nor will you find it written down. The reason, of course, is because there is no such code. If you ask a Greek about it, you are likely to be met with a quizzical expression or perhaps outright laughter. Wriston is not an entity that exists outside of the University’s control, nor do its residents receive special treatment from the University by virtue of their Greek status. Fraternities do not seek to protect risky behavior by insulating their members from the
On the contrary, Greek houses are places to build moral character and to continue identity development. Sexual assault is an appalling crime that unfortunately occurs on many college campuses. However, far from being the source of this problem, Greeks at Brown are actively involved in the fight against it. In addition to undergoing party management training, all Greeks are trained in sexual assault awareness, making Wriston one of the safest social spaces at Brown. If you attended Consent Day this fall, you may have no-
Greeks do not brainwash their members to encourage sexual misconduct or other damaging behavior. To suggest that fraternities actively encourage such behavior is deplorable, and indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of fraternities and their values. University. In fact, fraternities encourage individual responsibility. Most fraternities, as well as Greek Council itself, possess internal judicial bodies that deal with disciplinary issues, and fraternities at Brown are fully cooperative with the University on issues ranging from discipline to social policy. Greeks do not brainwash their members to encourage sexual misconduct or other damaging behavior. To suggest that fraternities actively encourage such behavior is deplorable and indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of fraternities and their values.
ticed the large number of men volunteering at the event. Most of these were members of Sigma Chi, which has been supporting Consent Day for the last two years. Greek participation in safe sexual education extends beyond Consent Day: the Sexual Health Education and Empowerment Council, which works to promote sexual health and wellness on campus, is steered by members of Zeta Delta Xi. The idea that Greek life is simply a fouryear party that encourages dangerous behavior is a misconception fueled by negative
stereotypes. In reality, Greek life is grounded in strong values and a goal of giving back to the community. Fraternities seek to instill values of friendship, service, leadership and personal responsibility. These values serve as a strong foundation for men as they transition from adolescents to young professionals, and the people with whom they share the Greek experience become lifelong friends. Many of the nation’s most prominent political and business leaders credit their Greek experience with giving them the tools to succeed in their careers. It is no wonder that Norris-LeBlanc was unaware of this, as he admits that his method of research was “simply Googling the words ‘fraternity sexual assault.’” Had he conducted any substantive research he would have found that, in addition to providing a social release for this campus’s hardworking student body, fraternities at Brown also support a variety of local and national charities and are actively involved in numerous campus organizations and varsity sports. Greek life is also on the rise at Brown, with over 230 freshman joining fraternities, sororities and co-ed societies last February. Norris-LeBlanc has called on fraternities to “shape up or ship out.” We appreciate his concern, but we are happy to report that the Greek system is in great shape and here to stay.
Aaron Bartnick ’11 is the President of Sigma Chi. Andrew Alvarez ’11 is the Chair of Greek Council.
Today The Brown Daily Herald
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Student group hosts annual symposium
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5 November 9
5:30 p.m.
ToMORROW
comics NovemBER 10
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
5:00 p.m.
Group Run with the Brown Running
Pixar Animation Information
Club, Sciences Library
Session, Career Development Center
7:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
De-Mystifying and De-Stigmatizing
David Sedaris Reads at the Brown
Mental Illness, Hillel
Bookstore, Brown Bookstore
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH
BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Linguini with Tomato and Basil, Swiss Fudge Cookies
Buffalo Wings with Bleu Cheese Dressing, Zucchini Parmesan Sandwich, Swiss Fudge Cookies
Dr. Bear | Mat Becker
DINNER Carne Gizado, Artichoke and Red Pepper Frittata, Wild and White Rice Pilaf, Magic Bars
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48 / 37
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
c a l e n da r Today
to m o r r o w
Female boxing gym opens on Angell St.
t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s
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to day
Chicken Helene, Curried Couscous, Noodles Alfredo, Whole Green Beans, Magic Bars
crossword
Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
Bat & Gaz | Sofia Ortiz
Classic Deo | Daniel Perez
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