Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Daily

Herald

the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 42

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Since 1891

Reactions to BCA lineup mixed

By Katherine Long Senior Staff Writer

Herald file photo

BCA’s Spring Weekend picks have some students enthused and others apathetic.

By Sinclair target Contributing Writer

An auburn-bearded man, green foliage caressing his tilted, half-naked frame, clutches a pan of roadkillturned-possum stew in a photo with the caption “Acorn with Possum Stew, Wildroots Homestead, North Carolina.” His stance and eye contact — on display in an exhibit at the David Winton Bell Gallery — suggest he is offering a share of his meal to photographer Lucas Foglia ’05, lecturer at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Arts & Culture This photograph motivated Foglia to pursue his interest in selfsufficient individuals in southeastern America. This led to a solo exhibition entitled “Lucas Foglia: A Natural Order,” on display until May 27.

The exhibition features photography from Foglia’s upcoming first book, “A Natural Order,” and photography from Foglia’s ongoing series, “Frontcountry,” which focuses on mining boomtowns and farming communities in rural western America.

“A Natural Order,” an 80-page work, portrays Americans who left cities and suburbs to live selfsufficiently in rural southeastern continued on page 3

inside

The other bill would eliminate certain tax exemptions currently enjoyed by educational institutions and libraries. Any property used for activities not directly involving education or any income derived from activities not directly involving education would become taxable.

Carnevale could not be reached for comment, but state Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, who is cosponsoring the emergency services bill, called it a “fairness issue.” He continued on page 2

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city & state nicipalities to levy a dormitory fee on any “private non-profit institution of higher education,” amounting to $150 per dormitory every semester. Under the law, each dormitory “bearing a discrete name or number” would constitute a separate dormitory.

Fencers finish 13th at NCAA Championship By nikhil parasher Sports Staff Writer

A record six fencers represented Bruno at the NCAA Division I Championship last week and led the team to a 13th place overall finish in a field of 25 schools. Teddy Weller ’13 and Kelly McGuire ’13 led the way for the Bears, racking up nine points each. Christine Whalen ’15, Barrett Weiss ’15, Kathryn Hawrot ’14 and Cory Abbe ’13 also competed in the tournament.

sports Each weapon had 24 competitors. For the men, McGuire finished 18th in epee, Weller finished 20th in sabre and Weiss came in last in foil.

On the women’s side, Whalen and Hawrot came in 19th in sabre and foil, respectively. Abbe finished 21st in epee. Brown was only one of nine schools to have at least one fencer compete in each weapon.

Despite finishing in the highest position among Bruno competitors, McGuire said he had hoped to do better at the tournament.

“I could not get focused, and I got kind of flustered,” he said. “So the next day I kind of refocused and had a really excellent second day.”

The record number of competitors comes only a season after the men’s and women’s fencing programs were almost eliminated from the University’s varsity athletics program. Head Coach Atilio Tass said the large number of fencers Brown sent to the tournament demonstrates the success and bright future of the program.

“Having so many people qualify — the result speaks for itself,” Tass said. “It has been a great season, and we are looking forward for next year.”

Tass said he was happy with his players’ performances at the tournament, adding that he believes that each continued on page 5

Rhode Vegas BetterRide Proposed bill would allow table games at R.I. casinos

City & State, 5

Chizen ’14 thinks SafeRide needs an overhaul opinions, 7

Courtesy of Brown Athletics Teddy Weller ’13, Kelly McGuire ’13, Kathryn Hawrot ’14 and Barrett Weiss ’15 were four of the six people who represented Brown at the NCAA championships.

Improved

Men’s golf team makes up ground

Sports, 8

weather

By meia geddes Staff Writer

A bill introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives in February would allow municipalities to charge institutions with tax-exempt property — such as the University — for emergency services such as fire, police and rescue. The charge would be proportional to the assessed value of the property and could be as high as 25 percent of the taxes that would have been collected without tax-exempt status.

The bill was introduced by state Rep. John Carnevale, D-Providence and Johnston, who has introduced two other bills also targeting nonprofits. One bill would authorize mu-

By simon de jesus rodrigues Contributing Writer

The John Hay Library, which houses the University’s special collections and rare books and manuscripts, will welcome a new leader of its staff July 9.

Thomas Horrocks, associate librarian for collections at Harvard’s Houghton Library, was recently selected from a pool of over 50 applicants to become the University Library’s director of special collections. He will fill the position vacated by Samuel Streit, who is leaving the post after over 30 years.

The library announced that it was looking to fill the position last May and received an outpouring of interested applicants, said University Librarian Harriette Hemmasi.

Hemmasi, whom Horrocks will report to, cited a number of qualities that distinguished Horrocks from the applicant pool.

“Tom had the right background,” Hemmasi said. “He has worked with excellent special collections and has been in a number of leadership positions.”

The most important facets of Horrocks’ position will be the management of primary sources

Bill seeks to increase U. payments

Photography exhibit offers lens into selfsufficient life

news.....................2-3 CITY & State............5 editorial................6 Opinions.................7 SPORTS.....................8

Student response to the Spring Weekend lineup has been mixed. Many students have complained that they are not familiar with the performers, while some who know the bands have expressed enthusiasm. The lineup includes electronic acts the Glitch Mob, Sepalcure and Twin Shadow, hip hop artists Childish Gambino and Cam’ron and rock band the Walkmen.

The Brown Concert Agency’s addition of the Walkmen to Saturday’s set two nights ago happened to respond to a common complaint among students that there was not enough rock music in the original lineup, said BCA Co-Chair Gillian Brassil ’12. But some students said the addition of the Walkmen is meaningless to them because they had never heard of the band. The relative obscurity of most of the acts was a common

complaint among students.

“I’m not really super excited about going to a show with performers I’ve never heard of,” said Yotam Tubul ’14. “Instead of getting three indie bands, (BCA) could have pooled their money and gotten one well-known band.”

Emily Goldman ’14 agreed. But she added that Diddy-Dirty Money, a headliner at last year’s Spring Weekend, “is pretty mainstream, and he kind of sucked. Maybe it’s for the best.”

BCA has posted a playlist of songs from Spring Weekend performers on its website in previous years to allow students to familiarize themselves with the music. This year, the agency decided not to post a playlist because BlogDailyHerald “had already done such a good job getting the music out there,” said BCA Public Relations Chair Emma Ramadan ’13.

Hay names next special collections director

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Next Hay librarian to manage renovation

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ToMORROW

The Brown Daily Herald Tuesday, April 3, 2012

April 4

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11:30 A.m.

“Deaf Holocaust” Lecture

Hillel

8 p.m.

Heavy Petting, A Stress Relief Event

Main Green

6 p.m.

Evening with Sheldon Whitehouse

State of Medical Marijuana

Wilson 101

Smith-Buonanno 106

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH

Italian Meatball Grinder, Linguini with Tomato and Basil, Curried Chicken Saute

Shaved Steak Sandwich, Bruschetta Mozzarella, Sauteed Mushrooms, Swiss Fudge Cookies

DINNER Artichoke and Red Pepper Frittata, Carne Gizado, Vegan Indian Chickpeas, White and Wild Rice Pilaf

Tuscan Pork Roast, Linguini with Tomato Basil, Parslied Rice, Moo Shu Chicken

Sudoku

Cr ossword

for teaching, learning and research in the Hay collection and the publicizing of collection exhibits.

Horrocks was an appealing candidate because of his strength in collection-building and analysis, Hemmasi said, and he is “wellprepared for outreach.”

The impending renovation of the Hay’s first floor served as a critical factor in Horrocks’ selec-

tion, Hemmasi said, as it will be his duty to navigate the renovation. Horrocks has relevant prior experience with renovations, she said. Hemmasi also noted her faith in Horrocks’ “special personality and strength of will,” describing him as consultative and eventempered with defined ideas.

“Tom has been involved in making the wheel and pushing it,” Hemmasi said.

Jennifer Betts, University archi-

vist, noted that Streit “left a void” Horrocks will fill. In his time as director, Streit significantly built up University collections and wrote the guide to special collections. Betts said she is confident Horrocks will ably succeed Streit’s legacy.

“He is very knowledgeable about special collections, and he is open to concerns,” Betts said.

“He’ll be a good addition to the administrative leadership.”

Bill would charge tax-exempts for services continued from page 1 pointed to the University’s property purchases on Providence’s East Side, calling them part of a “commercial real estate investment operation” that should be taxable but is not.

“It’s not so much the part of Brown that is used for education (that is the problem),” Trillo said. Instead, he said the problem is “the real estate holdings, which are basically commercial holdings, and the fact that, because the University owns them, they are tax exempt.”

State Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, who is also co-sponsoring the emergency services bill, said the University has moved away from having buildings used solely for education.

When the University rents its land, it can depress the property market, where it has “an unfair advantage over for-profit landlords,” he said.

The University currently pays $1.6 million on properties not used for educational purposes, but the bill would add language clarifying that tax exemption can apply only to

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buildings used strictly for the institution’s mission.

Handy also said the kinds of institutions targeted by the legislation involve large concentrations of people who would perhaps be more likely to require emergency services. “I don’t want to pick on Brown in particular, I actually think you guys are better than the average 20-year-old,” Handy said. “But on average, folks have more energy when they’re 20 than when they’re 40.”

Handy clarified that he thinks Brown already contributes significantly to the city. But he said a large number of the benefits Brown and other nonprofits bring to the state, such as increased payroll tax revenues, do not reach the city of Providence.

Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, called the legislation “counterproductive,” adding that it would threaten the tax-exempt status of all nonprofits and could hurt the University by “undermining our commitment to being need-blind, to being a stable

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employer and to being a productive partner for the long-term economic stability of our city and state.”

Quinn said the University is working hard to combat the legislation. Daniel Egan, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island, argued on behalf of Brown and other schools at a March 29 hearing of the emergency services bill before the House Finance Committee, she said.

She added that Brown has contacted legislators to express opposition to the bill.

“Brown, together with the other colleges and universities, are leading employers, and that’s critically important,” Quinn said.

Quinn also pointed to ongoing conversations between the University and Providence Mayor Angel Taveras as a possible solution to the problem.

Handy said if Brown and Providence were able to come to a voluntary agreement, he would “suggest the legislation is no longer necessary.”

Brown for Providence, a student group advocating the University increase its payments to the city, is not supporting the bills. Ben Wofford ’14.5, a Brown for Providence member and Post- staff writer, called the bills “awful, outrageous and obnoxious” but added that they are a result of the University’s inability to make progress in negotiations with the city.

Wofford advocated Brown agreeing to greater contributions. “Every expert has told us universities with positive long-term relationships with their city don’t get into tax disputes,” Wofford said.

All three bills are currently pending, either awaiting a hearing or being held for further review by the House Finance Committee.

Campus News 3

The Brown Daily Herald Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Human condition photo exhibit comes to List Students most excited for Gambino continued from page 1

America. The title originated from a conversation Foglia had along with the definition of “natural order” — that the world is subject to natural laws.

Foglia took more than 40,000 photographs over a five-year period for “A Natural Order,” he told The Herald. Rather than letting a story shape the photographs he chose to take for the book, Foglia “chose the best pictures that created the best story,” he said.

Jo-Ann Conklin, director of the gallery and curator of the exhibition, said she wanted visitors to see the variety of Foglia’s photography immediately as they enter the exhibit, which loosely follows the arrangement of the photographs in the book.

Foglia said he attempted to display first-generation, off-the-grid individuals surprisingly in touch with the modern world — for example, those who charge their cell phones with solar panels — but found that any variations on this theme were “too obvious” for photography that is meant to allure viewers, he said.

Steve Goldsmith, a visitor to the exhibition, said it is curious that in an exhibition about returning to nature, there is a “tension” between the subject matter and the advanced technology necessary to portray it.

When it comes to photography, “it’s about making a seductive picture,” Foglia said. “I want every picture to feel like it has something surprising in it,” he said.

Though Foglia is one of the youngest artists the gallery has shown, Conklin said she “felt very confident that his work would stand up and be known over time.”

Conklin knew Foglia as a student at Brown, and they have kept in touch since then, she said. When Conklin saw his work, she said it “looked like a great series.”

Foglia appreciated that the University allowed him to pursue what he cared about, funded his passion and encouraged him to engage with the community in social service projects, he said.

The open curriculum allowed Foglia to take classes related to his interest in photography both at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design. When Foglia exceeded the limit of courses to take at RISD, he continued taking courses and was ultimately granted credit, he said.

The 29-year-old has practiced photography since high school and values it as “a mechanism for getting to know people,” he said. Photography helps relationships become even more personal, he added — for example, giving subjects the photographs he takes creates a “safe space” in which subjects know he will return.

During his work for “A Natural Order,” Foglia was “a visitor who stayed around long enough to get to know people well,” he said.

Foglia said he grew up in a culture based around growing food in the suburbs on an underdeveloped farm. While this made him and his sister feel different from their neighbors, “the values felt relevant” later when Foglia decided to photograph people and their relationship to land, he said.

Arnold Newman, a portrait photographer, taught Foglia that the best photos come from “your own backyard,” Foglia said. For Foglia, this backyard includes the people who claim and reclaim their connection to land, which has tied his art together over the past 10 years, he said. “I like the idea of people trying to live self-sufficiently,” he said.

Foglia chose the rural southeast because he had social contacts in the area and because of the number of people trying to live off the grid in

continued from page 1 Lisa Cheung / Herald

Alum Lucas Foglia ’05 has a display at the Bell Gallery based on his new book.

the southeast because of its climate, plentiful fresh water and affordability, he said.

“Almost most importantly, I like the way it looks,” Foglia added, explaining that the rapid green growth can make a person feel “completely isolated” even if they are fairly close to other humans.

“I think he’s a really talented photographer,” Conklin said. “He’s really good with composition and color, so I want people to come and be drawn into that and enjoy it and have a positive aesthetic experience.”

Karen Donovan, who visited the exhibition with her niece Julia Soares, said the photographs portrayed different ways of living with great technical skill.

The photography is “stunning, very grounded and very close to the earth,” Donovan said. Soares commented on a powerful image of a dead, poisoned bear that, with a bit of imagination, resembles a large and hairy human.

“There’s no real formula” when it comes to choosing subjects, capturing certain moments in photography or determining the length of a project, Foglia said. “Photography still feels like an impulse” and is “intuitive,” he added.

At Yale’s Master of Fine Arts program in photography, Foglia said he found their core philosophy was that “a photograph is an interpreta-

tion — it’s not a fact.” A photograph’s form and content give it meaning, he added.

Because Foglia’s photographs are not meant to completely document his subjects’ lives — indeed, many approach a self-sufficient lifestyle differently — Foglia has compiled a list of recommended authors and texts on his website and on display at the exhibition for those interested in learning more.

The exhibition also provides free zines — small publications — for visitors on how to live self-sufficiently and as a farmer. It includes an audio recording by Forrest Gander, professor of literary arts and comparative literature at Brown, reading a poem compiled from interviews Foglia conducted.

Gander will do a reading at the opening reception for the exhibition April 5 , and Will Allen, chief executive officer of Growing Power, Inc., and storyteller Doug Elliott will give lectures held in conjunction with Foglia’s exhibition April 9 and 13, respectively.

Foglia said he plans to continue taking photographs he hopes are “personal and relevant.” He added that he would like his work to be “used” by subjects, to whom he gives the photographs, by local and national organizations and in art shows that involve speakers outside the art world.

“We felt that if we posted a playlist on our website, it would be redundant and mimicky,” Ramadan said, adding that the blog receives more traffic than the BCA website.

Though the reaction to the lineup as a whole has not been wholly enthusiastic, many students are excited to see Childish Gambino, also known as Donald Glover, an actor on the hit TV series “Community” and a former “30 Rock” writer. Childish Gambino was one of seven artists students said they most wanted to see at Spring Weekend, according to a fall poll conducted by BCA and the Undergraduate Council of Students.

Korama Danquah ’13 said when she heard Childish Gambino was performing, she “had a panic attack.”

“I was breathing so fast I needed to take a puff on my inhaler,” she said.

“It’s like a dream come true for me.”

“He says that he makes music for ‘whack blacks to blast back,’” she said.

“And me — I identify with that. I am a whack black. Discovering him made me love rap music again.”

A smaller but no less vocal group of students said they are especially excited to see the Glitch Mob Saturday night.

“The Glitch Mob are incredibly engaging performers,” said Dan Jacobson ’14. He added that when he saw them in concert, he was especially impressed by their “complex, multilayered” light show and their use of touch screens that faced the audience to cue samples. continued on page 5

City & State 5

The Brown Daily Herald Tuesday, April 3, 2012

First-years BCA praised Bill looks to boost R.I. gambling industry lead fencers for student consideration at NCAAs

By Sarah Perelman Contributing Writer

continued from page 1 of the six could return to the tournament next season.

“This is a very dedicated group of people, and they love what they are doing,” Tass said.

McGuire, a first-time participant at the tournament, said he thinks the Bears can feature even more fencers in the tournament next season, noting that the team has several talented players beyond the six who competed at nationals.

“I think we definitely have a group of incredibly competitive and strong athletes,” McGuire said. “Everyone does really push themselves pretty hard, and it’s been fun because every year now … the team has improved.”

None of the competitors at this year’s tournament were seniors, and half of the competitors at the tournament were underclassmen.

“This experience — it builds for the future,” Tass said. “The fact they have qualified as a freshman or sophomore … is very, very impressive.”

Tass said the strong first-year performances from Whalen and Weiss were particularly impressive in light of the turmoil surrounding the program.

“It (was) a very difficult recruiting season, especially because, at the time I was recruiting, we didn’t know exactly what was going to happen with the program,” Tass said. “But I think (recruits believed) that we were not going to be cut.”

The NCAA tournament ended what Tass called “a great season” and, with several talented underclassmen fencers, the Bears have reason to be encouraged for next season.

“There’s just more room for improvement, and everyone seems to think that’s the way it’s going,” McGuire said.

continued from page 3

“That helped connect the performance with the audience in a way that I think is really unique in this kind of music,” he said.

Many students also lauded the agency for taking student opinion into consideration when deciding the lineup. In the past, students have complained that the booking process was not transparent and that the group picked bands based on personal preference. While similar criticisms were not uncommon this year, they were tempered by praise for the agency’s efforts.

Eddie Grystar ’14 said the fact that the lineup has so much electronic music “signifies not only the growth in the popularity of electronic music over the past few years, but also the fact that the BCA is responding to that popularity.”

The concert agency set up a table on the Main Green this year the day after the lineup was announced to respond to student questions and comments. Ramadan estimated roughly 30 students visited the table throughout the course of the day.

Jacobson, who spoke to BCA members at the table, said he could not imagine a way to make the booking process more transparent without sacrificing that “awesome moment where everyone’s super excited, everyone’s texting and calling their friends, because they just found out the lineup.”

And though they may not know many of the bands slated to perform, students say Spring Weekend is about more than just the music.

“It’s about the experience,” Goldman said. “It’s about going and having fun with your friends and being in a huge crowd with other Brown students.”

The Rhode Island Senate is slated to vote this week on a measure that would allow Newport Grand Slots to host casino-style table games. The proposal passed the state House of Representatives with a 69-3 vote March 6. If it passes the Senate, the measure will be placed on the November ballot for voter approval.

“It is difficult to be competitive without table games,” said Diane Hurley, chief executive and owner of Newport Grand. Casinos in the state will soon face increased competition due to a recent law passed in Massachusetts allowing three new casinos to be built, she added.

Rhode Island needs “to preserve revenue,” said state Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, who sponsored

the bill. “I strongly urge people to vote in favor of table games.”

Trillo has also proposed the establishment of a Casino Impact Study Commission to examine the prospects of building a large “supercasino” in the state to better compete with Massachusetts casinos and increase revenue. He introduced the idea of creating the commission in December, but the proposal was not discussed until three weeks ago.

The commission would investigate the possibilities of building a supercasino either in downtown Providence or in Quonset Point, both of which are easily accessible and centrally located. Sixty-four members of the state House of Representatives have already voiced support for the plan, Trillo said.

Newport Grand was “never built to be a casino,” Trillo said,

comics

drawing a distinction between the state’s small casinos and the largerscale establishment he envisions.

The location of Newport Grand does not have the travel access or other tourist destinations necessary to draw large crowds, Trillo said. He said the same of Twin River Casino, which already has a table game proposal on the November ballot. Introducing a third, larger casino would attract more people to Providence, Trillo said.

Hurley said she has encountered little opposition to her request for table games and added that she is confident the Senate will vote in favor of the proposal.

Newport Grand “has caused no problems for the city,” Hurley said, adding that table games would create incentive for people to gamble in-state rather than going to Massachusetts.

Fraternity of Evil | Eshan Mitra, Brendan Hainline and Hector Ramirez

6 Editorial Editorial

Debunking the student-athlete myth

The Brown Daily Herald Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Editorial cartoon

by lo r e n f u lto n

“This is my stage!” yelled Anthony Davis, University of Kentucky’s freshman basketball phenom, triumphantly into the crowd at the Louisiana Superdome. His Wildcats had just advanced to the national championship game, and Davis, a behemoth man-child with a unibrow,, already has a presumed virtual lock on the number one selection in the 2012 NBA draft.

Until then, though, Davis won’t see a cent — even though during his time at Kentucky, the university made millions from his services in the form of prestige, advertisements, ticket sales and television contracts.

There is plenty of rightful indignation when these student-athletes accept illegal benefits — but it is instead time for the NCAA to stop pretending to protect the sanctity of the “amateurism” and pay their student-athletes.

Reggie Bush and Terrelle Pryor, two former college football superstars, were mired in controversy after claims that both had received improper financial benefits, which the NCAA prohibits on the grounds that they are detrimental to the standards of amateurism. The NCAA policy states that collegiate amateurs should not receive benefits when other, more average students — and student-athletes — have no access to them.

We find this logic misguided. A recent Atlantic article mused that the phrases “amateurism” and “student-athlete” are “cynical hoaxes … propagated by the universities so they can exploit the skills and fame of young athletes.” The term “student-athlete,” at least in large state-funded institutions like Ohio State University, means absolutely nothing to these institutions. At these colleges — where athletics compete with academics for top billing — student-athletes are not recruited to play at their highest level while also obtaining a degree. They are brought to the university as cash cows.

Ohio State’s priority for Pryor was not for him to become a highachieving student. Rather, the school intended him to be an instant moneymaking machine. Indeed, these sports-crazed institutions have been shown to let student-athletes retake exams over and over, illegally mark higher scores on their tests and allow some student-athletes take exams for other student-athletes. Perhaps it is time to stop pretending that these future millionaires are just students like the rest of us and allow athletes to receive just pay for their exorbitant services to their schools.

Yet the human cost of the self-serving “amateurism” myth is found in the vast majority of college athletes who don’t play professional sports and therefore don’t make the millions that come with them. Those who desperately cling to notions of the sanctity of “amateurism” note that college athletes receive scholarship money. However, once these athletes retire, their universities do not have to foot their medical bills or support them in any way. Three-hundred-pound offensive linemen, many of whom develop diabetes from their weight and brain trauma from football’s physical toll, are left to pay thousands in medical bills after college ends. While Davis and Pryor will make their money back in the pros, former student-athletes often struggle financially after college, while their universities pocket millions in revenue without remorse.

We urge all universities to take a second look at their priorities regarding student-athletes and make a serious reconsideration of their commitment to serve all of their students, athletes or not. It is disappointing that we must affirm that universities were established as institutions of learning, not disingenuous, profiteering corporations.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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“I was breathing so fast I needed to take a puff on my inhaler.”

— Korama Danquah ‘13 See BCA on page 1.

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Opinions 7

The Brown Daily Herald Tuesday, April 3, 2012

SafeRide’s makeover

By Steven Chizen Opinions Columnist Brown University SafeRide is a failed institution. From personal experience, SafeRide proves to be inefficient and simply ineffective in providing its potential users with safe and accessible transportation throughout campus. Given Brown’s condensed campus, the shuttle’s route is overly circuitous. The University is more than overdue to create a committee composed of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and community members to scrutinize SafeRide and concoct a plan to fix it, alter its function or potentially terminate its existence.

First, we must question whether there is a large enough demand for SafeRide on campus. Brown is rather small, with its buildings densely packed among just a handful of city blocks. Students hardly ever walk more than 15 minutes to travel from one location to another, and that’s only on the most extreme commutes. Those who reside off-campus might have to walk further, though biking is a sufficient and healthy alternative. Schools across the country do have shuttles that enable students to travel from their dorm to class, such as the Circulator at Washington University in St. Louis, or the Tiger Tram at Princeton. These schools, however, are physically much larger that Brown, and students actually utilize bus services. At Brown, on the other hand, SafeRide is only active

during the evenings and are not accessible to students during the day. After all, Brown has a city campus, and students never genuinely need to rely on a van to return to their dorm. Ultimately, SafeRide really only benefits graduate students and faculty who travel downtown to the medical school, and they utilize the Downcity and South Main Express shuttles that operate during the day.

While crime has increased in recent months, SafeRide doesn’t promote a safer environment at night, despite its mission

location.

The failings of SafeRide should be utilized as a foundation to build a new and improved transportation service at Brown.

First, the University should keep SafeRide’s original transportation services to and from the Alpert Medical School, as it provides a valuable service for the plethora of medical students and faculty who use it on a regular basis. On-campus transportation should be the focus of the majority of the changes.

Through surveys and research, the Uni-

The failings of SafeRide should be utilized as a foundation to build a new and improved transportation service at Brown. statement claiming to provide safety-oriented transportation services. Since there are limited vans traveling along an inefficient route, students must wait up to 23 minutes for a van to arrive, according to the service’s real time online map. While waiting at shuttle stops, students are vulnerable to robbery or mugging. Too many times have I wanted to travel in a SafeRide vehicle back to my dorm at night, only to be told that the van is not at an official stop or that it is only for on-call riders, who must be preregistered and live in certain areas off campus. While the new texting service that enables students to locate vans via phone is helpful, it doesn’t solve the wait time and simply encourages students to walk if the van is far from their

versity needs to determine whether students actually desire transportation here on College Hill in the first place. If they don’t, the University should strongly consider abolishing the Brown Campus Shuttle and allocating the funds used for it elsewhere, such as improving residential facilities. If students do indeed value a campus transportation system, the shuttle route should be altered, with the van following a more direct route. For example, there ought to be two vehicles traveling opposite directions along a loop from Wayland Arch to the Rockefeller Library, then to Pembroke Campus via Brown Street, across Thayer Street to the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, down Hope Street to Barbour Hall and finally back to

Wayland Arch. The current route is similar to this, but makes unnecessary stops at places like the Department of Public Safety that clearly add minutes to the wait time.

This route should take no more than eight minutes, a reasonable time to wait for a shuttle going each way. Or, depending on student desires, maybe there ought to be a van from Wayland Arch and Faunce Arch to the OMAC — a gym shuttle. Results might also suggest that students should be able to ride SafeRide during the day, traveling from their dorm to classrooms that are farther away, such as those on Pembroke campus.

Ultimately, anytime Brown SafeRide is mentioned in conversation, it has a negative connotation. A myriad of students have never used it, some have ridden it only to be taken on a inefficient journey around College Hill that takes longer than walking, while others have been rejected due to not being at an official stop. It’s time for a change, and the University needs to inquire why this system has failed so many students. Brown has always been a campus focus strongly around its students. The administration must question systems that students complain about, with the intent to make them stronger. Until then, SafeRide will continued to be a symbol of inefficiency on campus.

Steven Chizen ’14 is investing in a DPS Segway to remedy the SafeRide problem.

Rides can be scheduled by emailing steven_chizen@brown.edu.

Better living at Brown

By Ethan Tobias Opinions Columnist On-campus housing will get a new look by fall 2013 (“Campus housing to be renovated, transformed,” Feb. 13). Keeney Quadrangle will be split in three and, along with Pembroke, will become exclusively firstyear dorms, while sophomores will be clustered in doubles near the Main Green.

Most juniors and seniors will end up living in singles and suites on the periphery of campus. The result is a complete reshaping of on-campus life at Brown.

Some have lambasted the plan as destroying first-year communities such as Perkins Hall, Littlefield Hall and Hope College. In his letter to the editor (“Letter: Housing changes to erode Perkins community”), Ben Friedman ’09 called Perkins a “unique first-year experience” and lamented the University’s choice to convert it into singles for upperclassmen.

However, the plan is an exciting development that, if implemented fully, could improve the quality of life on campus. A proposal to add weekend dining to the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall and to turn Andrews Dining Hall into a campus center would create a stronger Pembroke community. It would also increase sophomore housing and create more cohesive sophomore communities.

I have much sympathy for critics who have difficulty watching key features of Brown’s undergraduate experience trans-

form before their eyes. I lived in Keeney my first year at Brown, and whenever I meet a current first-year who lives in Keeney, I feel a small connection to him. We both have that Keeney sense that allows us to navigate the labyrinth that is Keeney and provides us a keen eye to spot missing exit signs. By changing the dorms at Brown, it feels as if the University is altering a small part of its identity.

However, the University is a constantly changing being, and the nostalgic concerns of upperclassmen and alumni are outweighed by the benefits of the hous-

ically it sounds nice to have first-years living alongside upperclassmen to foster inter-class friendships, the reality is that upperclassmen are largely settled and looking to live with their friends rather than among first-years. Yes, there are many first-years with plenty of upperclassmen friends, but most probably met through clubs or classes — not in a Keeney bathroom.

Additionally, the planned changes will dramatically increase the amount of housing available to sophomores, meaning that theoretically there should be enough beds to prevent them from having to go on sum-

The fact is that not everyone will magically become friends with the people on their hall. By clustering firstyears together the University can increase the likelihood that they will have at least some of their closest friends nearby.

ing plan. When Keeney was constructed in 1957 as part of a major expansion, it was probably criticized as destroying the traditional first-year experience. Now it is a pillar of the first-year experience for 600 students every year.

By consolidating all first-year housing in Keeney and Pembroke, the proposal saves unfortunate upperclassmen from having to live in Keeney again during their sophomore or junior year. While hypothet-

mer assignment. This is definitely a good thing. And by clustering sophomores on the main campus, the plan allows sophomores to create new communities while still being close to old friends.

Most students would probably say the creation of more cohesive on-campus communities is a good thing. While Perkins, Littlefield and Hope created strong friendships among some first-year residents, the smallness and exclusivity of these dorms

created relative hardships for others. In Keeney, if a student were to get in a falling-out with the people on her floor, she could just go down the stairs and be in a completely new unit. If that same student had been in Perkins, she might have spent a lot of lonely nights in SafeRide vans going back and forth from her newly made friends.

The fact is that not everyone will magically become friends with the people on their hall. By clustering first-years together, the University can increase the likelihood that they will have at least some of their closest friends nearby.

University administrators are tasked with coming up with the best solutions to issues with on-campus housing. If this renovation plan meets its goals, it will mean a load of good things and plenty of clean, fixed-up rooms. There will be many fewer students forced into triples and stronger first-year and sophomore residential communities. Rising sophomores will have less stress approaching a housing lottery that promises to give them a relatively good room close to campus. This plan is a bold one that, if implemented properly, will change part of the undergraduate experience for the better. And to all the naysayers, keep in mind that after four years, no one at Brown will be able to remember the undergraduate experience any other way.

Ethan Tobias ’12 wonders how close friends can be if they cannot withstand living across campus from each other. He can be reached at ethan_tobias@brown.edu.

Daily Herald Sports Tuesday the Brown

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Crew

W. Lacrosse

Crew gets ‘wake-up call’ in first two races

Bruno trumps Stanford, falls to Dartmouth

By Sam Rubinroit Assistant Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s crew teams hit the water over break for the first time this spring, earning mixed results despite high expectations.

The women’s team entered the season with a target on its back after earning the NCAA Championship in 2011 and a No. 4 national ranking. Nonetheless, Liz Hutsell ’12 said the team felt no added pressure as the defending champions.

“It’s no different this year, because Brown had a good history even before the current members of the team came to the school,” she said. “I think there is always pressure to live up to that, whether we won the last season or not.”

After a long winter of training, the Bears were eager to get back on the water as they travelled to Princeton March 24 to face the No. 3 Tigers and No. 9 University of Michigan.

“You train indoors for the whole winter, so that first race is always exciting to see where you stack up … rather than just doing it in isolation,” Hutsell said.

With a time of 6 minutes, 43.1 seconds, Michigan won the varsity eight 5 seconds ahead of Princeton and 11 seconds ahead of Brown (6:45.5). Michigan (6:43.9) also took first in the second varsity, followed by Princeton (6:46.4) and Brown (6:51.0).

In the varsity four, Princeton (7:35.0) beat out both Brown (7:46.6) and Michigan (7:51.0).

The Tigers also clinched the third varsity eight in 7:08.1, eight seconds ahead of the second-place Bears.

“It was a really tough race,” Hutsell said. “Those teams are so good, and they both did a great job.”

The Bears then hosted their first home race March 31 on the Seekonk River, squaring off against Radcliffe, Harvard’s varsity squad.

“Home court advantage may be mostly psychological, and I don’t know if there are any tangible benefits, but it’s always nice to be on your home course,” Hutsell said.

The Bears’ varsity eight posted the fastest time of the day at 6:16.0 to outgun Radcliffe. But the foes from Cambridge bounced back to clinch victories in the second varsity eight, third varsity eight and varsity four.

Having slipped three places to No. 7 in the national rankings, the Bears will return to the water Saturday as they travel to in-state rival University of Rhode Island.

The men’s squad also entered

its spring season with high hopes.

The Bears varsity eight posted an impressive showing in the fall at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Mass., finishing third among college teams in a competitive field.

The Bears opened their spring schedule on the road against Yale March 24, battling unfavorable weather conditions and a breakage in one of their boats.

Alex Fleming ’12 called the race “a bit of the mess” but said the setbacks were not solely responsible for the team’s performance.

Yale came out on top in the freshmen eight, finishing in 6:21.6, three seconds ahead of the Bears. The Bulldogs held on to win the second varsity eight in 6:26.7, only 1.2 seconds ahead of Brown’s time.

The weather deteriorated as the day drew on, resulting in the slowest times in the varsity eight race. Yale was again able to outpace the Bears, finishing in 6:43.7, a mere two seconds ahead of Bruno.

Fleming said the combination of losing and the horrid weather helped to motivate the Bears moving forward. “It wasn’t really the start to the season we were hoping for, and we were all left hungry to get a race in cleaner water to see how fast we were.”

The Bears had their chance with a rare opportunity to travel to the West Coast, where they took on the defending champion University of Washington March 31.

The Huskies won by a sixsecond margin in the varsity eight, and clinched victories in the freshman eight, second varsity eight, third varsity eight and combo eight races.

After its impressive showing in the fall, the team had higher expectations for the start of the season, Fleming said.

“We had a lot of positive results in the fall, which is why guys are a little bit disappointed with our first two race results,” he said. “It’s definitely a good wake-up call.”

Nonetheless, Fleming said traveling cross country to face one of the nation’s top programs is an invaluable experience.

“We were happy that we got to see how fast we were and what the West Coast speed is like,” he said.

“They performed better than us on the day, but that’s good motivation for us in training. We still have a few months before the Ivy League championship and the national championship.”

The Bears host their first home race of the season Saturday as Ivy League rival Harvard comes to town.

By nathaniel huether Contributing Writer

Over spring break, the women’s lacrosse team split a two-game home stand, beating Stanford 14-9 March 25 before falling 14-8 to No. 11 Dartmouth March 31.

Brown 14, Stanford 9

The Bears (5-4, 1-2 Ivy) started off strong, scoring three goals within the first five minutes. The game was a high-scoring affair — after only 10 minutes of play, the score was 4-3 in favor of Brown.

The Cardinal (2-5) and the Bears traded goals throughout the rest of the first half, and Bruno grabbed a 9-7 advantage going into the pause.

After the break, the Bears took control of the game. Less than five minutes into the second period, Danielle Mastro ’14 scored twice and Lindsay Minges ’13 once, giving the Bears an 12-7 lead. The Cardinal only managed two goals in the second half.

“For our first game after spring break, and to play well and together as a team, it was a great win,” said Head Coach Keely McDonald ’00.

Dartmouth 14, Brown 8

Bruno came into the match hoping to improve upon its 1-1 record in the Ivy League. But it did not take the Big Green (7-1, 3-0 Ivy) long to begin dashing those hopes.

After just 10 minutes, Dartmouth had a commanding 4-0 lead.

Though Tara Rooke ’13 put the Bears on the board with an unas-

Jesse Schwimmer / Herald

Kaela McGilloway ’12 had a goal and an assist in Brown’s loss to No. 11 Dartmouth 14-8.

sisted goal, Dartmouth answered with a score of its own. Back-andforth scoring continued for the rest of the half, and the Big Green held an 8-4 lead going into the break.

The Big Green kicked off the scoring again in the second period. But the Bears began to mount a comeback — Grace Healy ’14, Alexandra Crerend ’15, and Bre Hudgins ’14 all scored, narrowing the Bears’ deficit to two.

In the end, their offensive efforts were not enough, and Dartmouth went on a four-goal run to seal the win.

McDonald commended her team’s will to fight back against a very strong Dartmouth squad but said she felt her team could have done more during the match.

The Bears will have a chance to even their conference record on the road against Harvard April 7.

Golf

Bears lose by the skin of their teeth By connor grealy Sports Staff Writer

In its first outing of the spring season, the men’s golf team narrowly missed edging out the University of Arizona. Fighting windy conditions and rustiness, the team fell two strokes short, dropping the contest, 313-311.

Arizona “is a very tough school to play against. It has historically been a leader in the NCAA,” said Head Coach Michael Hughes. “There were very windy conditions, but they only nipped us by two shots.”

The contest had a very different result from last year’s, in which the Wildcats outshot the Bears by 30 strokes.

“It would have been nice to knock off Arizona since they gave us a pretty bad beating last year,” Hughes said.

The Brown squad, though able to practice in the week leading up to the tournament, has yet to play as many tournaments in the spring as its warm-weather counterparts.

“To be honest, when we played U of A, they had already played six tournaments,” said captain J.D. Ardell ’13. “The expectations were really low. It was a great showing on our part.”

Justin Miller ’15 continued his standout play for the team and finished with a 73, one-over par, for the tournament — the lowest score for the Brown squad.

“Justin continues to lead our team. He’s been the lowest scorer in almost every match since he’s been here,” Hughes said. “We’re going to ride him right to the finish line.”

Aside from the play from Miller, fellow first-year Jon Greb ’15 notched a 78, while Ardell and Peter Callas ’14 both carded 81 for the day.

Kyohei Itamura ’14 shot an 84 to round out the scorecard for Brown.

“I think you could really tell by the end of the trip, everyone was playing really well — back on form,” Ardell said. “I’m excited to see how the next few weeks transpire.”

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The team has also added to its deep rotation with the addition of transfer Nelson Hargrove ’13.5 from the University of North Carolina, whom Ardell said he believes will have an immediate impact on the team.

“This is definitely the best team that I’ve been on,” Ardell said. “We’ve been towards the bottom of the Ivies for the past few years, so we have something to prove.”

Bruno will have its first look at the Ivy League competition this upcoming weekend April 7 and 8 during the Yale Invitational.

“It’s the opening of Ivy League play and will be a good barometer of how we’re going to match up,” Hughes said.

Hughes said he expects the progress made during the fall and the growing cohesiveness of the team will bode well for the rest of the team’s spring campaign.

“This is pretty much going to be the team for next year, too,” Hughes said. “If we can keep our heads about us, I think we can surprise some people.”