April 12, 2013

Daily

THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 51

INSIDE

Page 2

Major changes Proposal may alter community health degree Page 5

Game off

Poll finds students attend more arts than sports events In a typical semester, how often do you attend... a varsity sports game? on-campus extracurricular events in the performing or visual arts, such as plays, a cappella concerts or dance performances?

35%

Percent of students

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5%

Le ss

th an

O

on N ce e p ver er s n em ce e p ste er r se O me n s c O e ter n pe ce r ev m er on y th tw o w M O e o nc ek re e s th p an er o we n e ce k p er w ee k

0%

Page 8

Salvia smoking Lecture explores the plant’s history and growing market today

tomorrow

44 / 38

57 / 41

Herald

since 1891

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

UCS, UFB leadership candidates square off at debate The three presidential candidates shared their priorities and vision for the coming year

By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Candidates for Undergraduate Council of Students and Undergraduate Finance Board leadership positions confronted questions of need-blind admission, student government transparency, community engagement and student activities funding at the candidate debate Thursday night.

The UCS presidential candidates grappled with questions of working toward expanding financial aid and need-blind admission with finite financial resources.

Todd Harris ’14.5 said the student body must have a voice in choosing which financial aid-related goals the University should prioritize — whether implementation of universal

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

All three candidates said they supported the mission of the Brown Divest Coal campaign. They also championed the notions of student government transparency and being more receptive to student interests. need-blind admission or reduction of student loan debt.

“I would open that question up to the student body,” he said. “UCS always talks about what we have done.

Instead we should be asking, ‘What do you want to see?’”

Daniel Pipkin ’14 said it is important to examine financial aid from both “micro” and “macro” perspectives. The

UCS president must consider smaller concerns like increasing financial aid packages as well as larger goals such as implementing need-blind admission for all appli/ / UCS page 7

Financial aid office posts undocumented student policy RUE Its website has been updated with information about undocumented students’ financial aid eligibility

By SONIA PHENE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Undocumented students have been able to receive financial aid from the University for at least’ seven years.

But this fact was not readily available online until March 21, when the Office of Financial Aid updated the frequently asked questions section of its website to include information for undocumented applicants.

The site now says financial aid is available for undocumented students who apply for it and demonstrate financial need. Undocumented students are admitted through a need-aware process and can receive University and outside scholarships but not federal or state funding.

Though the policy on financial aid

for undocumented immigrants is not new, the update was published after the Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition asked for the information to be made available online, said Jim Tilton, director of financial aid. The policy has been in place since at least 2006, when Tilton came to Brown, he said.

Other Ivy League intitutions do not have their financial aid policies on undocumented students readily available, said Maria Camila Bustos ’16.

The coalition pursued this issue because they wanted the information on an existing policy to be made more accessible, said Esteban Roncancio ’15, a member of BIRC. Roncancio, who was undocumented when he applied to transfer to Brown in 2012, realized he could receive aid by talking with Alejo Stark

’13, a student who was undocumented when he applied to the University and a friend from Roncancio’s hometown, he said.

“I was lucky to know someone who I could ask,” Roncancio said. “I would never have known that I would be able to receive aid otherwise.”

Stark, a member of BIRC who applied to transfer to Brown in 2010, learned of Brown’s policy while he was considering where to apply. He called each school’s financial aid office and asked about receiving aid as an undocumented student. He said the availability of this information online will have an important impact for future undocumented students who apply.

“I didn’t know who was on the other end of the line,” he said. “As an undocumented student, there is a certain fear that inhabits you and prevents you from doing certain things.”

The University of Chicago, Vassar College and the University of California at Berkeley “have had this information online for more than three years,” Bustos said.

The online update also coincides with a period of immigration reform in the United States, Stark said, adding that the update came after President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals passed. The law allows undocumented young people who came to the United States before the age of 16 and are in school, are in the military or have obtained a high school degree to apply for temporary work status.

The update to the financial aid website comes after a three-year process, BIRC members said. In 2010 and 2011, the group met with the Admission Office and the Office of Public Affairs and University Relations. But the site wasn’t / / Aid page 3

Ebisu surprises with experimental options The restaurant offers an interactive dining experience with scrumptious appetizers

By MADELINE BERG ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

With California rolls now offered at the Gate and a noodle bar featured at the Sharpe Refectory, Japanese cuisine is featured on campus with less-than-fresh fish and dry rice. But for an experience beyond the sashimi platter and miso soup offered at Thayer Street joints, venture to Ebisu, a Japanese restaurant just a 10-minute drive off the Hill.

Before writing off the intimate space

as a typical Japanese restaurant or questioning the decision to leave behind the comforts of Shanghai’s fishbowl, take a look at the menu.

The cuisine offered at Ebisu includes a variety of unique choices such as trendy tapas plates and do-it-yourself shabu shabu.

Ebisu’s extensive tapas selection provides the widest range of creative flavors. Prices are reasonable, so diners can experiment with several dishes — it is best to go as a group to try as many plates as possible. Edamame, which can be ordered with a conventional sprinkling of sea salt, is also offered tossed in a garlic chili oil, a spicy and refreshing take on a classic dish. The crispy Brussels sprouts also present an unexpected twist on an everyday vegetable. Slightly crunchy and enhanced by spices and puffed rice, this unusual preparation gives the vegetable a welcome makeover. / / Ebisu page 2 Robata

COURTESY OF SHIRA ATKINS

Edamame and crispy Brussels sprouts serve as deliciously spicy starters, while a range of vegetables for dipping make the shabu shabu flavorful.

program sees low enrollment

The program’s applicant pool size is closely tied to the availability of financial aid

By MAX SCHINDLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Applicant interest in the Resumed Undergraduate Education program has declined over the past few years, which University administrators and RUE students attributed to limited financial aid, a lack of name recognition for the program and changes in the expected course load.

Approximately four RUE students matriculated in the fall 2012 semester and one student matriculated this spring, said Matthew Ricci ’16, student coordinator and president of the Resumed Undergraduate Students Association. The RUE program, established 40 years ago, accepts students who graduated high school six or more years ago but have yet to receive bachelor’s degrees, according to the program’s webpage.

Annual enrollment data for RUE students was unavailable as of press time. In past years, the University has declined to release statistics about the applicant pool and matriculation information due to privacy concerns, Ricci said.

RUE admission is financially needaware, and there is a limited pool of funding available for aid, according to a University veterans report issued in October. The amount of funding available has been stagnant in recent years, the report found. And the limited financial support for / / RUE page 3

2 university news

Proposal reimagines community health degree

C ALENDAR TODAY

APRIL 12

3 P.M.

TOMORROW

APRIL 13

12 P.M. Thingyan Water Festival

Brown Folk Festival

Pembroke Park

Ruth Simmons Quad, Sayles Hall

6 P.M.

Two new proposed requirements and a name change would go into effect in fall 2014

9 P.M. Relay for Life

Casino Royale Formal 2013

OMAC Indoor Track

The Underground

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Pasta with Eggplant and Olives, Onion Rings, Frosted Brownies

Chicken Fingers, Vegan Nuggets, Lobster Bisque, Mediterranean Bar, Frosted Brownies

DINNER Roasted Pork Loin with Herbs, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Stuffed Shells Florentine, Pound Cake with Peaches

Bourbon BBQ Beef Sandwich, Macaroni and Cheese, Brussel Sprouts, Bananas Foster, Pound Cake

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

By SARAH PERELMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A proposal to change the name of and requirements for the community health concentration is pending approval from the College Curriculum Council, a body that reviews undergraduate curricula, said Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences William Rakowski.

This is an appropriate time to “align (the concentration) more closely to the direction we’re going as a school,” said Susan Allen, professor of health services policy and practice, since the Corporation approved the creation of the School of Public Health in February and the school now seeks accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health. Allen heads the Community Health Undergraduate Working Group, which is responsible for discussing and drafting the proposal.

The concentration would still require 12 courses but would replace the general introductory methods course with new introductory courses in epidemiology and biostatistics, Allen said.

The revised concentration uses ideas from national standards for public health programs, emphasizing competencies that will be advantageous to students who wish to pursue post-baccalaureate degrees or apply for jobs in the field, said Terrie Wetle, associate dean of medicine for public health and public policy.

If approved, the new require-

/ / Ebisu page 1 yaki, skewers of meat and vegetables cooked on a charcoal grill, are another dependable appetizer choice. All twoskewer orders are under $10. The sweet and savory enoki maki — featuring enoki mushrooms wrapped in zucchini — are an umami sensation that would delight any mushroom lover. Be prepared to exert self-control, or these petite skewers will be gone in just one bite.

While these amped-up flavors were often appreciated, the kitchen occasionally used spices too liberally. The tom yum soup, a popular spicy Thai broth, was left largely uneaten due to the fiery seasoning. Those with meek taste buds should be wary and inquire about the spice level of certain dishes, if unsure.

When it comes to main courses, it is best to bypass common noodle dishes, which are no more interesting

ments will go into effect in fall 2014, Rakowski said.

The proposal also suggests renaming the concentration “public health” instead of “community health,” Allen said.

“We think an undergraduate concentration in public health will communicate more clearly to students what it is focusing on,” Wetle said, adding that the name change could draw in more concentrators.

The new name will also help graduates applying to jobs because employers are familiar with public health, Wetle said.

Employers are sometimes confused about what community health entails, Rakowski said.

The new course offerings are possible due to the expansion of the school’s faculty over the last several years, and they match the program’s shift toward public health, Wetle said.

“Epidemiology has always been an important part of public health,” she said. “For community health it may not have been quite as central.”

The courses will provide students with a good foundation to enter advanced courses in these areas, Wetle said, adding that graduate courses in the subjects are already open to undergraduates.

“I really believe there will be a big advantage teaching (biostatistics) ourselves,” Wetle said, because it will allow the department to teach statistics with data sets that address public health issues. Currently, students take statistics classes from other departments, like applied math or anthropology.

The proposed concentration merges two of the area requirements — U.S. Health Care Organization and Policy

and Global Health — into one category, leaving room in students’ schedules for two additional required electives that count toward the concentration, Rakowski said.

“It’s giving a little more flexibility and choice of courses,” Rakowski said.

Once the school is able to offer more courses in each of the areas, the categories will be separated again, he added.

As part of the proposal process, the Undergraduate Working Group presented its ideas to a focus group of eight Public Health Departmental Undergraduate Group leaders, Allen said.

All eight supported the changes, said Shannon Whittaker ’14, one of the DUG E-board members. “The only thing I didn’t like was that we wouldn’t be part of it,” she added.

The new introductory courses, especially biostatistics, will give students an advantage if they choose to pursue a master’s degree, Whittaker said. The name change will also be helpful for students when they apply for jobs, she said.

Students are especially excited about the increased flexibility that the additional electives will allow, said Allie Rosen ’15, a DUG E-board member. Rosen said she likes the addition of a public health statistics class because it will give more attention to the “quantitative side of public health.”

Rosen said she would also be interested in an Sc.B. option for concentrators and hopes administrators will look into this option as the school grows.

Though the timeline for the CCC’s decision is not yet clear, “I’m certainly hoping to have closure by early fall if not by the end of spring 2013,” Rakowski said.

than those served up on College Hill. A dish of wok-fried noodles, tofu and vegetables — yasai yakisoba — was rather goopy and reminiscent of a standard mall food court lo mein.

Instead of a noodle or rice dish, opt for the shabu shabu — a term that translates loosely to “swish swish.” This Japanese hot pot allows diners to create their own meals by “swishing” various meats and vegetables into broth until cooked. There is a vast selection of broths, as well as noodles, fish, meats and vegetables to dip, with hefty portions coming in below $17.

After experiencing the spicy tom yum soup and being warned the seafood broth was quite fishy, the vegetable broth seemed like the safest option. Though it may seem bland at first, citrusy ponzu and nutty sesame sauces — which may be added at the diner’s discretion — bring up this basic broth’s flavor level.

Diners may also mix in chopped chilies,

scallions and minced garlic to adjust the taste of the dish to their liking.

The meats and vegetables have varied cooking times, allowing diners to savor each element when it is ready and constantly enticing with new flavors.

The meal gets tastier with time, as the meatiness of the mushrooms or slight saltiness of the chicken infuse the broth with flavor.

Though this unique experience involves more work than the typical restaurant meal, it offers a fun communal option perfect for breaking the ice on a first date or catching up with old friends.

The menu offers a selection of wines by both the glass and bottle, as well as specialty sake drinks. The crisp chardonnay provides a simple counterpoint to the spicy dishes. But the saketini tropical cloud, a coconut and sake drink, was heavy and muddled, not the desired refreshing sipper the name would suggest. For those under 21 or serving as designated drivers, the restaurant offers free soda refills.

The Ebisu staff readily offers advice and attentively checks on diners, willingly making additions and substitutions to orders. While patient in explaining the technical instructions of the shabu shabu, they were unable to provide the deeper history and traditions behind the dish. The efficient service was a bit speedy for diners seeking a leisurely experience, but the wait staff was happy to allow customers to linger.

Though students may do just as well ordering a typical noodle dish or Japanese staple on Thayer, the experimental options offered at Ebisu provide a novel dining experience deserving of the longer commute.

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university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

/ / Aid page 1 updated until the group met with the Office of Financial Aid this year, they said.

“This year, it took BIRC a concentrated effort and extensive followups with various administrators and deans to finally get to Tilton,” Stark wrote in an email to The Herald.

Administrators seemed to have some hesitation about the change, group members said.

“They were worried about funding because there are people who fund Brown who are not amenable to bringing in so-called ‘illegals,’” Stark said.

After meeting with the financial aid office and suggesting ways to phrase the policy and where the information should be located on the website, the office put the information online, Bustos said.

“They were very well-organized and came up with language from our own policy,” Tilton said, adding that it was easier to process the update because BIRC was not asking the office to change any of its policies.

Tilton said he is glad the change was made.

“We didn’t purposefully keep the information off the website,” Tilton said. “Students brought our attention to the issue, and we had a very good, thoughtful exchange with them in working to resolve it,” he said, adding that in the process of making

information on financial aid available online, certain groups may be unintentionally missed.

Undocumented applicants go through a financial aid application process similar to that of students who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents. Brown is needaware for these applicants, so the financial aid office works with the admission office to determine an applicant’s need and admission status, Tilton said.

“Strictly from a financial aid perspective, we’re not breaking any laws because we are not using federal or state funding to finance packages of undocumented students,” Tilton said.

“The University’s (Office of the Vice President and General Counsel) would have given the policy some thought before implementing it,” said Attorney Len O’Brien, who offers on-campus legal aid.

“Providing University-based financial aid to undocumented students” does not present any legal risks, wrote Edward von Gerichten, associate counsel at the Office of the Vice President General Counsel, in an email to The Herald.

The web update should not create legal problems because “the statement by the financial aid office is for the purpose of providing information about the practice of the University regarding aid for undocumented students,” he wrote.

/ / RUE page 1 RUE students is a major obstacle for applicants, said Ricky Gresh, senior director for student engagement.

Director of Financial Aid Jim Tilton said the University allocates between $600,000 and $650,000 annually for RUE students’ financial aid. This year, 16 RUE students are receiving aid, he said.

In January, the Committee on Financial Aid — one of the University’s six strategic planning committees formed this year — recommended universal need-blind admission for all applicants.

The shift to need-blind admission for RUE students is contingent on the size of the program, Tilton said.

“The cost depends on where we go, how we go and what we do” with the RUE program, Tilton said.

Most RUE students depend on University aid in order to attend Brown, wrote Eric Hunter, assistant director of admission, in an email to The Herald.

“Considering rising tuition rates and a stagnant economy, … we must be need-aware in making our admission decision for the great majority of RUE cases,” he wrote.

There is a clear connection between financial aid and the shrinking of RUE’s applicant pool, said Alex Mechanick ’15, president of Brown for Financial Aid. “When you don’t guarantee people the financial resources that they need, they’re not going to be as predisposed or able to attend,” he said.

Expanded online and part-time op-

tions for non-traditional students in recent years might also explain a decline in the number of RUE applicants, Hunter wrote. In order to reverse the downward trend, the University could prioritize recruitment and publicity for the RUE program, though it might detract from other admission efforts, he wrote.

In the past few years, the University shifted the course load policy for RUE students, Gresh said. Previously, RUE students could more easily enroll on a part-time basis, but currently, students are expected to study full-time. Parttime status is granted on an application basis.

“There used to be a clearer sense that you could do the RUE program with part-time status if you have families and other things,” Gresh said. “My understanding is that Brown has been strengthening the language.”

Ricci expressed a similar concern that the University was impeding on the ability to enroll part-time.

“When the University changes the policy to take a reduced course load, that exacerbates the tension … between focusing on our academics and our finances,” Ricci said, referring to the fact that some RUE students must work while studying.

Many RUE students face challenges and distractions that do not apply to most undergraduates, including child care, marital relations and off-campus living, Ricci added.

The lack of name recognition for the RUE program is another possible

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reason for the decline in applicants, Ricci said. Even on campus, a number of faculty members aren’t aware of the program, he said.

“It puts the RUE student in an awkward situation — they’re older in an undergrad class, and they have to explain things,” Ricci said. “You know, ‘I had to bring my kid to the hospital and I couldn’t do my paper.’”

Half the students in the RUE program were veterans last year, Gresh said, adding that if the University focuses on recruiting veterans due to limited financial aid, “we may adversely affect the diversity of … RUE students from non-military backgrounds.”

Most veterans who arrive at Brown enroll through the RUE program, including Ricci, a Navy veteran.

The RUE veterans are partly covered by post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits, including funds from the Veterans Association and the Yellow Ribbon program, Tilton said.

The University currently offers 20 total slots through the Yellow Ribbon program, each worth $10,000 per student. That number will increase to 30 funded recipients for the 2013-2014 academic year, Tilton said.

James Rattner ’15, a student coordinator in the Office for Student Veterans and Commissioning Services and a former Herald senior staff writer, expressed concern about the relatively small number of veterans at Brown. “It weakens the diversity on campus,” he said. “Student veterans have a unique perspective.”

4 arts & culture

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

Gilbert and Sullivan troupe takes a stab at opera on the high seas Students put on a humorous production of the famed opera ‘The Pirates of Penzance’

By EMMAJEAN HOLLEY STAFF WRITER

Look out, mateys — swash-chucklin’ lines on the plunders of men-o’-war are coming about.

Whether you keel over luffing or just beam your aft off, you shanty be starbored with the mast-sea cast of “The Pirates of Penzance,” Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan’s current production directed by Robert Volgman ’14.

The production is accompanied by a live pit orchestra, led by musical directors Zach Wilson ’12 and Adam Kacew ’14.

“The Pirates of Penzance” is a comic opera originally written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. The storyline follows the misadventures of Frederic, who believes his indentured servitude on a pirate ship expired with his recent twenty-first birthday. He wants to marry Mabel, the beautiful daughter of Major-General Stanley, but his plan is hindered when he learns of a loophole in his contract.

Because Frederic was born Feb. 29, he technically has a birthday just once every four years, meaning he has 63 more years of servitude before he is free. Torn between his sense of duty and his devotion to Mabel, Frederic finds himself caught in a bind.

Volgman — who first saw the opera

as a five year old — said “The Pirates of Penzance” is his favorite production

by Gilbert and Sullivan. “I thought it was hilarious. I loved the over-the-top characters and the way it didn’t feel like any other opera I’d seen before and after that one,” he said. The same could be said for Volgman’s production. The dialogue is self-consciously witty, and the presentation of humor is tight and whimsical.

In addition to the “great music,” he said, the play successfully conveys political and cultural satire, consistently poking fun at the stuffiness of the traditional Victorian opera as well as at social practices of the time. Despite its antiquated setting, the play remains popular because its humor and heart are not bound by a specific era, Volgman added.

“Many of the ridiculous aspects of culture we see in (“The Pirates of Penzance”) are still relevant today,” he said, citing Mabel’s “diva” personality and the major-general’s pomposity as examples. “But it’s still real, even beyond the jokes. There’s real emotion in Mabel’s pain when Frederic leaves to follow his duty, even if it starts out seeming absurd, and the story is ground in this realness.”

Buck Greenwald ’15 plays MajorGeneral Stanley, characterized by an over-exaggerated superiority complex.

Greenwald’s stage presence and sense of comic timing make him well-suited for the chest-puffing conceit of the role. “(Major-General Stanley) tries really hard to appear fierce and important, and

EVAN THOMAS / HERALD

Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan’s latest effort stages bloated personalities in absurd situations, doling out musical numbers and social criticism with wit and whimsy. he goes way over the top to prove this image to people,” Greenwald said. This tendency is exemplified in “The MajorGeneral’s Song,” in which he unleashes a rapid-fire and tongue-twisting stream of obscure academic references.

“To be honest, I don’t know what most of it means,” Greenwald said of the song. “I just try to think of Gimli from ‘Lord of the Rings.’ He’s my inspiration for this character.”

Emma Steele ’15.5 plays the female lead, Mabel. Steele immerses herself in the role remarkably, her performance

punctuated by forward body language and saucy grins, making for convincing chemistry between the onstage lovers.

“My vision of Mabel is someone who is young and has very little experience — but she wants to be experienced,” Steele said. “That’s why she gets so excited and just grabs at life.” Steele is successful at this, infusing Mabel with archetypal naivety.

The rare and stunning quality of Steele’s angelic soprano stands out even from the collectively talented cast. She not only exercises a comfortable mastery of technical skill, but she can also charge her voice with emotional depth ranging from playfulness to despair over the course of the show. While Steele said she has received formal voice training, the natural clarity and consistency of her vibrato suggests a generous dose of raw talent.

In addition to directing, Volgman plays the lead character of Frederic.

Though he said this duality of perspectives allows him to “perform both roles

better,” there are moments when he does not seem fully invested in the acting.

Kacew said conducting for an opera is a “totally different ball game” compared to leading an orchestra on its own.

“The point is no longer to be in charge of everything,” he said, “but to link up the orchestra with the singers and make sure that a whole range of colors, both instrumental and vocal, end up matching at the end of the day.”

While singers modulated tempo well among themselves, there could be tighter cohesion between the actors and the orchestra, as the timing was slightly off on several occasions. This was usually resolved within several measures and generally did not detract from the quality of the performance.

The colorful orchestra, excellent casting and palpable energy between the actors made “The Pirates of Penzance” a spritely and highly enjoyable production. The opera will run Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. in Alumnae Hall.

arts & culture 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

Poll: Arts events prove more popular than sports

STAFF WRITER

Three quarters of undergraduate students reported attending an extracurricular event in the performing or visual arts at least once per month, whereas only a third said they attend varsity sporting events with the same regularity, according to a Herald poll conducted last month.

Over 30 percent of respondents never attend sporting events, but only 5 percent of students never attend arts events.

But, these trends were not universal among all students. Of students who reported playing on a varsity sports team, 86 percent attend games once per month or more, compared to only 22 percent of non-athletes.

Athletic Director Jack Hayes said it is important for universities to offer a variety of events for students to attend and activities that engage attendees.

“We encourage our student-athletes to go to as many non-athletics events as possible,” Hayes said.

Students responding to the poll results described a fundamentally arts-oriented campus culture without a strong sense of school spirit for sports teams.

“We are a pretty artsy school,” said Kirsten Belinsky ’15, who plays on the women’s soccer team. “Brown isn’t known for its athletics.”

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

Attendance at varsity sporting events tends to spike during night games and homecoming, said student athletes Patrick O’Neill ’15 and Brian Barr ’15.

In a typical semester, how often do you attend... a varsity sports game?

35%

on-campus extracurricular events in the performing or visual arts, such as plays, a cappella concerts or dance performances?

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

on Ne ce ve pe r r s O e nc m es e te pe r rs em O es nc te e O r pe nc rm e ev on er th y tw o w M O ee nc or ks e e th pe an rw on ee ce k pe rw ee k

SPORTS STAFF WRITER AND SENIOR

“The theater community and the sports community are both really self-selecting, isolating communities that only hang out with each other,” Ragland said.

“I think the (athletic) community runs on tighter circles, so athletes will support each other more so than nonathletes,” Belinsky said.

Jones said she observed trends in attendance at her own meets that support the poll’s findings. “As an athlete you expect to see your fellow (students) at sporting events, but the attendance is not always very good,” she said. “Even though the attendance isn’t great at sporting events,” most of the sparse crowd is populated by athletes, she said.

Other students raised issues of accessibility and convenience for different types of events.

Attending an a cappella concert or a theater performance is “much more accessible than a several hour long sports event in the middle of the day,” said Nate Wardwell ’14, former “Czar” of the Intergalactic Community of A Cappella, an umbrella organization for a cappella ensembles on campus.

“The performing arts scene just sort of fits better into day-to-day life than the sports scene does,” he said, commenting on student’s busy schedules and many commitments.

“When you go to a sports event, you really commit two to three hours of your time, whereas you can go into (David Winton Bell Gallery) and be there for five minutes and see part of the show and come back out,” Bostrom said.

Attendance can be attributed to event timing and publicity, Hayes said. Even though events may be

Percent of students

By ALEXANDRA CONWAY AND ANDREW SMYTH

“When people go to the gallery or something in the (Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts), it feels like a very authentically Brown experience,” said Brette Ragland ’13, board member of Sock and Buskin and Musical Forum, “while going to a football game doesn’t feel that way.”

Abigail Jones ’15, member of the women’s cross country and track teams, agrees that the arts have a larger following than sports. “If I could change anything about Brown, it would be more school spirit,” she said.

Jane Lancaster PhD’98, campus historian, said the perception of Brown as “artsy” may be a relatively recent phenomenon, possibly because of the incorporation of the visual and performing arts into formal academic departments during curriculum reform in the ’60s and ’70s.

“I don’t see Brown students as particularly sporty,” she added.

“Sports really aren’t on everybody’s radar here,” said Naomi Varnis ’16. “I really think that’s just the nature of the school that Brown is. If you wanted sports, you’d go to a big sports school, like the University of Texas or (the University of Mississippi).”

Leslie Bostrom, professor of visual arts and department chair, attributes attendance at sporting events to student’s desires to participate in a community.

“It’s very different with art. Both things are personal, but (the arts experience) is not as tribal. It’s more individual in a sense,” she added.

Students said athletes operate on different schedules and within separate social circles, affecting their interactions with the rest of the student body.

Le ss th an

More than 30 percent of undergraduates reported never having attended a varsity sports event

GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

The Herald poll conducted in March shows that students are more likely to attend events in the performing and visual arts than varsity sports. well-publicized, it is also a challenge to find times when everyone can go, he added.

“People don’t come to Brown because of athletics per se, but at the same time there have been a couple of football games where the attendance was great, like the Harvard game, so it just shows there is potential for Brown students to be interested in athletics,” said football player Patrick O’Neill ’15.

“The night games are something that attract more students to attend,

and there should be more included to get more attendance at athletics events,” said Brian Barr ’15, a member of the swim team.

Students said extracurricular events in the arts and sports are supplementary to their academic commitments.

“You know the phrase, ‘Work hard, play hard?’” Wardwell said. “I think it means that (when) people ... get down to work ... they buckle into it, and then they’ll set aside time to be social.”

6 science & research

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

Nearly 400 students seek summer funding through UTRAs

By ALEX CONSTANTINO STAFF WRITER

Applications for Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards increased significantly this year to nearly 400 applicants, said Besenia Rodriguez ’00, associate dean of the college for research and upperclass studies and director of the UTRA program.

Following recent outreach efforts from the Dean of the College, the number of applicants from the humanities and social sciences continued to rise this year, though data regarding the breakdown of awards by discipline were unavailable.

The competitive aspect of the program this year has been compounded because unusually few students are turning down the awards, leaving most waitlisted students unlikely to receive funding, said David Targan ’78, associate dean of the College for science education and former co-director of the program.

The UTRA program typically supports around 220 students each summer, Targan said, giving $3,000 stipends to individuals and $2,500 to

members of team UTRA projects. He said the program is special because it allocates “upwards of $600,000 a year” in a way that “is not tied to any agenda” of the federal government, an arrangement not shared by many universities.

The UTRA program is “by far” the largest source of University-supported fellowships, he added.

Targan and Rodriguez were unable to offer a direct reason for the spike in applications, but Targan suggested the across-the-board cuts to government agencies under the federal sequester may have contributed.

“It’s certainly possible that has played a role here,” he said, citing anecdotal conversations with faculty members but emphasizing the lack of hard data. He noted that the response to federal grant reductions is typically to “cut around the edges” or cut non-critical programs, something he said often includes those for undergraduates.

In recent years, the program has also worked to reduce the underrepresentation of awards in the humanities and social sciences. Though direct data were not available, only five out of 112 UTRA posters presented at the 2012 Summer Research Symposium were from humanities departments. But this number likely under-represents humanities and social science dis-

ciplines that place less emphasis on posters, Rodriguez said.

The program invites some students in those disciplines to give talks about their work “since the poster session may not be the best vehicle,” she added.

Targan said he believes the underrepresentation is due to a lack of applications, and Rodriguez has led outreach efforts to encourage students from underrepresented disciplines to apply.

Rodriguez said the campaign has included faculty advising lunches and outreach to junior faculty members through the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning “to help them think about how to incorporate undergraduate research into their own scholarship.” The program also offers some endowed UTRAs that “are earmarked for certain fields,” some of which are in the humanities, she said.

Rachel Kaplan ’15, a former Herald photographer who is researching obsessive compulsive disorder this summer on a neuroscience UTRA, cited a pre-medical research culture as the reason she applied.

“A lot of pre-meds do research,” she said, and upperclassmen pre-meds typically “tell all the underclassmen what to do.”

Rodriguez said one goal in the outreach efforts is to promote a similar

UTRA posters at 2012 Summer Research Symposium 50

46

43

40

Number of posters

The program has recently seen a steady increase in applicants from the humanities

30

18

20

10

0

5 Physical Sciences

Life Sciences

Social Sciences

Humanities

GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

The vast majority of the 112 UTRA posters presented at the 2012 Summer Research Symposium detailed projects in the physical and life sciences. “culture of research” among undergraduates in the humanities and social sciences that is “not just at the level of a senior thesis.”

A second goal is to increase the number of applications from those fields, which she said is steadily oc-

www.browndailyherald.com

curring. Consistent with that trend, Kaplan described her friends as pursuing an even balance of disciplines, with half receiving UTRAs for the life and physical sciences and the other half doing “social science and anthropology and even art history,” she said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

science & research 7

Lunchtime lecturer removes haze from salvia trade The plant is now a globally traded drug and is popular as a legal alternative to marijuana

By PHOEBE DRAPER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Salvia divinorum — the purple-flowered plant native to the Mazatec region of Mexico — has emerged as a globally traded commodity, Paja Faudree, assistant professor of anthropology, said Thursday at the final science and technology studies lunchtime lecture of the year.

While salvia is known by some as an ornamental garden-dweller, “most people under the age of 30 will not tell you about the salvia you can grow but the salvia you can smoke,” Faudree said to an audience of about 10 faculty members, post-doctoral and graduate students in the Science Center. She

/ / UCS page 1 cants, he said.

Afia Kwakwa ’14 called need-blind admission for international applicants an “important” priority, citing her background as a student from Switzerland. Implementing need-blind admission for international applicants would help the University expand its scope and global image, she said.

The transparency of student government to the Brown community emerged as another major topic of discussion among the presidential candidates.

“The biggest mistake student government has made is in terms of transparency,” Pipkin said. Student government should make a greater effort to solicit student feedback instead of remaining an insular institution, he said.

Kwakwa agreed that UCS has “not

received a two-year grant to study the plant.

When smoked, the plant triggers “an incredibly intense but short-lived high,” she said.

Faudree proceeded to delve into the plant’s past and present uses in its native land as well as its burgeoning presence in the global market.

Salvia entered U.S. popular culture in the 1950s when New York banker Gordon Wasson traveled to the Mazatec region and participated in ritualistic mushroom ceremonies involving salvia, Faudree said. A sensationalist LIFE magazine article popularized Wasson’s exploits, putting the “backwater” region of Mazatec “on the map” and spurring a wave of tourists, she said.

Salvia had traditionally been used by shamans in Mazatec as part of ritualistic healing ceremonies. The sudden surge of tourists eager to try the newly discovered hallucinogen catapulted

salvia into the mainstream market.

Though the shamans traditionally ground the plant to make tea, Americans wanted to smoke the substance, Faudree said.

The Internet market — for both smoke-able salvia leaves and salvia seedlings — boomed as the substance became popularized through a series of YouTube videos depicting ecstatic or catatonic salvia users near the turn of the century. “Virtual tourists” began to buy salvia through a number of online vendors, a practice that continues today, she added.

“In the last decade it has become widely available,” Faudree said.

The salvia market currently engages a diverse set of players. Foragers, farmers and middlemen in the Mazatec region provide salvia to users ranging from the clients of traditional shamans to Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students, Faudree said.

The pharmaceutical industry has

also jumped on board because “research on hallucinogens is now kosher,” Faudree said. Researchers recently discovered that the plant binds to a different neuroreceptor than other hallucinogenic drugs, she added, pulling up a recent scientific journal article on the plant.

The United States has not placed a national ban on salvia, but many states have banned or instituted laws to control distribution of the plant, Faudree said.

“There’s an ongoing process by which salvia is being declared illegal,” she said. Salvia abolitionists label it a “gateway drug” and condemn the “abhorrent behavior” it evokes, she said.

But identifying salvia as a gateway drug may be misleading, Faudree said, noting that many Brown students with whom she spoke while conducting her preliminary research had used marijuana prior to using salvia.

“Many users say the high is so in-

tense it’s uncomfortable” and doesn’t allow the user to “inhabit an alternate reality” like they may experience when using marijuana, Faudree said.

In addition, there are very few “salvia purists,” she said. In Mazatec the plant is sometimes coupled with other hallucinogenic substances such as morning glory seeds and mushrooms.

Faudree plans to return to the Mazadec region this summer to conduct interviews and write a book about salvia. She said she will also observe shamans using salvia for its traditional medicinal purposes.

As a linguistic anthropologist, Faudree said she is most interested in examining the semiotic and linguistic exchange that accompanies the material exchange of salvia. Differences in use of language — such as whether a person refers to salvia as a drug or a medicine — can reveal how people understand their own relationship to the plant, she said.

opened up enough venues for student feedback.” She suggested each UCS committee sponsor an event aimed at gathering student input.

Presidential candidates also discussed ways to bolster student engagement with the Providence community.

Pipkin argued against the notion that community service is solely an “extracurricular experience.” Service should be “coupled with academics” and integrated into course curricula, he said.

The candidates all said they both supported the Brown Divest Coal campaign and were in favor of the University divesting from coal.

After answering questions from both the audience and the moderator, Professor of Theater Arts and Performance Studies Barbara Tannenbaum, candidates posed questions to one another.

Harris asked his competitors what

the UCS president could not do.

“The UCS president cannot do anything alone,” Pipkin said, adding that communication between the president and executive board is crucial.

Candidates for UFB chair considered ways to improve and maintain the relationship between UCS and UFB. Leila Veerasamy ’15 said the two bodies should come together for a “weekly briefing” but otherwise remain separate.

“I don’t think we should get involved in each other’s politics apart from that,” she said.

Alexander Sherry ’15 said he served on UCS last year when controversy arose after then-UCS President Ralanda Nelson ’12 proposed a referendum that would let UCS determine its own funding independent of UFB. In order to prevent a repeat “breakdown of communications” between

the two organizations, UFB must “work closely” with the UCS Student Activities committee, he said.

Veerasamy said the board must match UFB representatives with student groups related to their interests.

Sherry said it was necessary to make UFB representatives meet with their student groups earlier in the funding process.

Sam Gilman ’15, the unopposed candidate for UCS vice president, did not attend the debate because it conflicted with a conference he was attending in Washington, D.C. “I wish I could have made it back for the debate,” Gilman told The Herald. “Despite missing the debate, I plan to put on a vigorous campaign in other ways.”

Gilman’s absence will not damage his campaign, since he has no competitors, said Caleb Miller ’16, UCS Elections Board chair and a senior

staff writer for The Herald.

Though unopposed, Gilman must receive 5 percent of the student body vote to be elected.

There were no candidates for UFB vice chair present at the debate because there are no candidates for the position. Veerasamy and Sherry both said they would run for vice chair if they lost this election.

The debate was co-sponsored by The Herald and the UCS Elections Board. Voting opens Tuesday at noon and continues until Thursday at noon.

A campus-wide email will be sent to students with a link to the voting survey.

This was the first time the moderator was affiliated with neither The Herald nor UCS, Miller said. He added that Tannenbaum was a “crowd favorite” and said the UCS Elections Board will ask her to moderate again next year.

Neuroscientists discover ALS drug pathway A drug used to treat ALS also affects a channel implicated in spinal muscular atrophy

By ANDREW JONES STAFF WRITER

A recent molecular discovery by neuroscientists at Brown and Boston Children’s Hospital has brought researchers closer to finding a possible treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, a debilitating neuron disease that causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.

By testing a drug that normally treats ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — in animal models of SMA, researchers found the drug affects channels that are implicated in the disease, a discovery which may provide insight into new treatments.

The research, published Wednesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, was largely sparked by the scientists’ increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of SMA and ALS, said Anne Hart, professor of neuroscience and senior author of the paper.

One of the most significant simi-

larities between the diseases is that they both involve “SK” potassium channels, Hart said.

SMA — the leading genetic cause of infant death — is caused by the diminished function of the Survival Motor Neuron protein, according to the study.

Riluzole, a drug commonly given to ALS patients, counteracts this genetic defect by restoring axon growth, the study reported.

“Riluzole makes neurons grow out the way they should,” Hart said.

Riluzole acts as a “dirty drug,” meaning that it binds to several different types of channels and changes the function of each, Hart said.

By activating and deactivating each of these channels individually and studying the effects of Riluzole on each, the team was able to conclude that the drug acts through the SK channel, which is implicated in SMA and ALS, she said.

Though this is just the first step in understanding the SK channel’s role in SMA and ALS, further research could eventually lead to improved treatment of the diseases, Hart said.

“This doesn’t mean that SMA patients should be asking physicians for

Riluzole,” she said.

The researchers at Brown treated C. elegans worms with the drug, while partner researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital studied the drug in mice, giving the study “cross-species importance,” said Maria Dimitriadi, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at Brown.

She added that it is “exciting” to “collaborate with people who work with other models.”

The researchers chose to work with a worm model primarily because the worms grow quickly and their “nervous systems are smaller and simpler, and you can find things faster,” Hart said.

The researchers plan to continue studying the SK channel in more detail, she added.

The scientists encountered just one primary technical obstacle over the course of their research — finding a worm with the disease, Dimitriadi said.

While it normally takes researchers two to three weeks to find the desired model, it took them months to screen over 500 worms to find the “very exciting mutant,” Dimitriadi said.

8 arts & culture

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

PW exposes dark side of Romeo and Juliet Students produce a modern take on Shakespeare’s bestknown romance

By MARI LEGAGNOUX CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Smoke billows across the stage, filtering and dampening beams of blue lighting.

Jazz plays in the background. Columns connected by web-like arrangements of rope comprise a minimalistic set. The first players emerge, clad in punky leather vests and combat boots. From early on, the audience knows this is a grim, stifled Verona. The bleak atmosphere permeates, shaping the city’s citizens throughout the play.

“The play is way darker than people really assume it is,” said director Emma Johnson ’14. “The idea of star-crossed lovers and love at first sight is actually kind of terrifying. In going along with their love, Romeo and Juliet are guaranteeing their own suffocation.”

The play adheres to a traditional script, but the subtext behind the lines is explored in an unconventional way.

The well-known line, “O Romeo, Romeo!

Wherefore art thou Romeo?” is transformed from an innocent exclamation of love to an expression of desperation. “Juliet is thinking that if he weren’t Romeo Montague, if his name were anything else, they could be together,” Johnson said.

“We were striving for a Juliet who

was a lot more powerful and fervent than she is usually played,” said Nora Rothman ’13, who played Juliet. She said she added a lot of emotional intensity to the part and wanted to expose Juliet’s nondelicate side.

Jesse Weil ’16, who played Romeo, said powerful, authentic emotions were key to the production. “It’s real because it’s spontaneous and exciting and overwhelming. I’m at the age when I can relate to a lot of these things, and finding the realism in that novelty makes the acting more grounded.”

Weil said he felt the modernization of the performance helped “lessen the gap between the play’s circumstances and the audience.” But “it was less about modernizing the emotions and more about finding how they resonate with me and recognizing that certain things are timeless,” he added.

“Working with the production team was one of the most fulfilling parts of the process,” Johnson said. “I wanted to modernize the play and create a cohesive atmosphere.”

Rothman said the re-imagination “will excite the audience in a more sensory way.”

During the play’s classic soliloquies, characters are isolated by light and sound, accentuating the intensity of the moment. Beams of light shine upon them from above, or in certain more haunting moments, from below.

The music features a mix of electronic beats and classical overtures. “I used electronic beats to create a kind of ambience

and also to guide the rhythm of the lines,” said Ursula Raasted ’14, sound designer of the show. “Then when Romeo and Juliet are together and allowed to be in their own world, there is a transition into more classical music and solo piano.”

Sarah Gage ’15, who played Lady Capulet, composed the play’s love theme.

“The structure of the love theme is that they each have their own individual theme. But the first half of Romeo’s theme and the second half of Juliet’s theme come together to make the love theme,” she said. “They’re two individual people, but when they meet their two parts fit totally and completely and perfectly together.”

This blending of disparate melodies creates a feeling of unity and is one of the performance’s strongest points.

The play is dark, but there are moments of humor mixed in. The role of the nurse is an often underrated element of “Romeo and Juliet.” Contributing what may be the performance’s most successful comedic intrusion, Skylar Fox ’15 plays the role in drag.

“It’s tough sometimes because the costume is ridiculous,” he said. “But I think the key challenge is to play this part honestly because in this character there’s a lot of humor and a lot of comedy but also a lot of tragedy.”

Though the production runs over three hours with an intermission and would have benefitted from certain cuts, it makes up for its unnecessary length with an unflaggingly energetic cast and an intriguingly dark approach to this classic romance.

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sports friday 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

/ / Pitching page 12 be the pitcher’s earned run average (ERA), the number of runs scored for which the pitcher is held accountable divided by his innings pitched and multiplied by nine. Compared to wins and losses, ERA is a phenomenal tool for measuring pitching ability. But, of course, that isn’t saying much.

As with most of the worst conventional baseball statistics, the biggest problem with ERA is its blind internalization of factors that are out of the player’s control. In 1999, Voros McCracken dropped a bombshell on the baseball world with his argument that pitchers have very little control over the destinies of batted balls that land within the field of play. Though this theory has become more nuanced over time — pitchers do have a large degree of control over the types of batted balls they induce and certain kinds of pitchers are better at inducing weak contact than others — the basic idea is that strikeouts, walks, hit-bypitches and (to a lesser extent) home runs are the only outcomes of plate appearances that are truly under the pitcher’s direct control. The difference between a groundout and an infield hit or between a flyout and a bloop single is mostly up to the hitter, the fielders, the ballpark conditions and luck.

The term “earned run” also opens a Pandora’s box of arbitrary distinctions that would seem ridiculous if they were not so engrained in the game. A run that scores thanks to a fielding error is not counted against the pitcher — if the third baseman bobbles a would-be groundout and the batter comes home later in the inning, that run should not have scored, so the pitcher is not to blame. But if a third baseman fails to field an identical ground ball simply because he could not get to it in time, the play is ruled a clean hit and therefore the pitcher’s fault. (This confusion is rooted in the near-existential insanity of fielding stats — we’ll get to that next week.)

Rather than using these superficial statistics, the best way to get a sense of

a pitcher’s skill is to look at the numbers that are most under his control — namely strikeout, walk, home run and ground ball rates. Several statistics have been developed for the MLB that use these variables to estimate pitchers’ true-talent ERAs. Unfortunately there are no such estimators for the Ivy League, but these same input numbers will still give you a better picture of how good the Bears’ pitchers are than the ones you’ll see featured in the box scores.

What does this mean empirically?

Looking at Bruno’s current roster, the starkest manifestation of ERA’s fickleness is starting pitcher Anthony Galan ’14. After six starts in 2013, Galan has a 4.06 ERA, almost a three-run improvement on his 7.02 ERA from 2012.

Yet he’s walked or beaned 20 batters against just 16 strikeouts so far this season, actually a downturn from his 26 free passes and 42 strikeouts last year. So how has he managed to put up better numbers than he did in 2012?

The answer lies in batting average on balls in play (BABIP), the proportion of batted balls hit inside the field of play that fall for hits. BABIP is the easiest way to get a sense of how exogenous factors have affected a pitcher’s performance (a small deviation from the league mean might be attributable to the player’s skill, but most outliers are the results of random chance). So far in 2013, opposing hitters have a relatively low .269 BABIP against Galan — in 2012, it was an eye-popping .402. For some perspective on how bad the breaks were for Galan last year and how much better his fortune has been this season, the Bears’ overall BABIPagainst this year is .335 — which just so happens to be the midpoint between Galan’s two extremes.

It’s still too early in both the NCAA and MLB seasons for most of the statistics to be significant, and pitchers are known for being less consistentthan their position-playing counterparts. But even once the numbers start to stabilize, don’t be fooled into thinking that the numbers you hear about on ESPN mean much at all.

/ / Twitter page 12 of tweets — if people can say Twitterverse and Twittersphere, I can invent words too). But this is boring, akin to having someone narrate a movie to you that you cannot see or hear.

Analysis tweets during games are the lynchpins of the sports fan on Twitter. As much as people consider themselves armchair experts, there is only so much you can read into stats and numbers. For any self-respecting fan, following accounts of sportswriters, former players and that guy from your high school who feels the need to give his profound opinion on any current event (okay, not this guy) is a must.

But these types of information and insight can be found on live blogs and gamecasts across the web. What makes Twitter so unique for following games is the randomness and humor of it all. With a diverse set of accounts to follow, anything coming through the feed can catch you off-guard and make your fan experience all the more entertaining.

For Monday’s game, these tweets

were fast and furious. My favorite set had to do with Michigan guard Spike Albrecht, a freshman averaging 1.8 points per game who was pressed into service due to Burke’s foul trouble and responded by pouring in 17 first-half points — and launching himself into his 15 seconds of nationwide fame.

Not only was Albrecht mentioned in over 46,000 tweets in a single hour, but his personal account was also discovered by fans, the most enterprising of whom combed back through his previous posts and retweeted the best. Thus, only on Twitter could I see — just after ESPN informed me that Albrecht had knocked down his third three of the half — Albrecht himself tweet, “These Harlem Shake videos are hilarious!” and “Taken 2 was kinda dope!” (thanks to Grantland’s Rembert Browne). So goes the irreverent world of Twitter.

Then there are the delightful oddities of a game itself that may fly under the radar of a typical viewer, but not the Internet. Take, for example, the father of Louisville guard Peyton Siva.

After a Louisville bucket extended the Cardinals’ lead to 60-56 with 9:51

left in the game, the camera found Mr. Siva at just the right moment, as the proud and portly dad, clad in a custom-airbrushed tank top, chain and Transition Lens-esque tinted sunglasses, unleashed the king of all dad fist pumps. Within five minutes, a GIF of the celebration was all over Twitter.

Through the idiosyncrasies of Twitter, emblematic of the Internet as a whole, a fan can gain a unique and sometimes overwhelming point of entry into sports. Being a Twitter sports viewer can key you into analysis, obscure statistics and the minds of those who make you laugh.

But 140 characters can only do so much. As much as Twitter made my national championship experience enjoyable, nothing can replace the thrill of watching a legendary game as it unfolds. The Twitterverse is great, but real life is better.

Ethan McCoy ’14 invites you to join the cult and follow him at @ethan_mccoy.

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10 diamonds & coal DIAMONDS & COAL

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

EDITORIAL CARTOON b y a n g e l i a wa n g

A diamond to Classic Cafe for its creative omelet names, like “Up yours chicken little” and “Kiss my hash.” It’s not often we find hangover food with names so appropriate to our day-after moods.

Coal to director Jeff Zimbalist ’00 who said that to balance his responsibilities as a director and editor he has to be “able to lock myself up as a hermit,” though he admitted the strategy is “very incompatible with life.” Preaching to the choir in the Sciences Library.

A diamond to the Paja Faudree, assistant professor of anthropology, who said, “Research on hallucinogens is now kosher.” If you need subjects, we might be able to help you find volunteers.

Coal to Peggy Chang, director of the Curricular Resource Center, who said that if students are interested in pursuing minors, as is possible at Harvard, “There should be a discussion.” Hasn’t she seen the t-shirts at the bookstore?

Students only go to Harvard if they can’t get into Brown.

A diamond to the student who said, “I can’t remember the last time I … pre-registered for a class.” We find your spontaneous, devil-may-care attitude refreshing.

Cubic zirconia to the “Pirates of Penzance” actor who cited Gimli from “Lord of the Rings” as the inspiration for his character. As long as he’s not the inspiration for your table manners.

A diamond to Lecturer in Biology Richard Bungiro, who sang “Afternoon Delight” at an event to support Medical Equipment Donations International and said, “If you don’t think this is the best version of this song, I will fight you.”

While he does that, we will fight images of our professors getting jiggy with it.

Coal to the student who said, “I don’t see Brown students as particularly sporty.” We aren’t terribly posh, so you just shot down our only chance at joining the Spice Girls.

A diamond to the Rhode Island General Assembly for legislation that went into effect this week decriminalizing marijuana. The timing — less than two weeks before one of our favorite holidays — is beautifully convenient.

Coal to the Calcutt Middle School sixth grader who said he would not have been disappointed if he lost the Supernationals chess tournament — where he was competing against high schoolers — because it was his first time at a national tournament. Your lack of ambition is disappointing.

A diamond to postdoctoral researcher Maria Dimitriadi who screened worms looking for a “very exciting mutant.” We hope that, when the mutant was found, it was of the teenage turtle variety.

Coal to the Office of Residential Life for creating a “fake building” students could choose in the housing lottery. We can only assume that providing fake housing is an underhanded ploy to save money and that fake food in the Sharpe Refectory is next. Oh wait...

t h e b row n da i ly h e r a l d Editors-in-Chief Lucy Feldman Shefali Luthra

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Research on hallucinogens is now kosher.”

— Paja Faudree, assistant professor of anthropology See salvia on page 7.

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taking sides 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

Should the U.S. have a civil service requirement?

YES

NO

your own political views. More imporby seeing where the shortcomings ADAM ASHER tantly, of government lie, citizens can more effecOpinions Columnist tively target their reform efforts.

Who could more successfully push for lower health care costs? Someone who has Two summers ago, I worked in the Dis- worked for the Centers for Medicare and trict Office of my congresswoman, as- Medicaid Services and has seen how pricsisting mostly with Medicaid and Social es are set for government health care proSecurity casework. I learned a lot about grams, or someone who has not? By workwhat government can and cannot do. For ing within the government, you have the example, if people living the poverty line unique opportunity to see how the politihad surgery and Medicaid had neglected cal process works. to pay the hospital, they might find themIf all people in America had the opselves hounded by calls for the payment, portunity and the obligation to work for for which they weren’t responsible. In that their government at the beginning of their case, we could call careers, we would the hospital and have a more intell them to lay off, formed and investwhile also telling ed citizenry. From By seeing where the the local Medicaid reading his past office to pay up. work, I know Hudshortcomings of That was the son is a proponent easy part. The hard government lie, citizens of limited governpart was when an ment. But as matold woman called can more effectively target ters stand today, we who didn’t qualiregularly give govtheir reform efforts. fy for Medicaid or ernment access to other kinds of govour money when ernment assistance we pay taxes. Giving but was still having it access to a small trouble paying for her dialysis, due to lack portion of our time is no different. In some of health insurance. In that case, there was cases — like the draft — we already do. nothing we could do besides send her on And if you hate working for the govher way with a nice letter. That encoun- ernment, great! You know exactly where ter with the cruelty and unfairness of our to start dismantling it to build something health care system is part of what pushed better. We can all agree that there are mame to develop the belief that we desper- jor systemic flaws in our government toately need a national health insurance pro- day. If we ever want to have a shot at true gram. change, we have to start from a baseline Not everyone faced with this situation of true knowledge. Requiring citizens to would agree with me. Some might con- serve their country for a period of time is clude that we need to ensure that medical the best way to ensure this happens. costs are low enough that everyone can afford health care. And that’s okay. I believe that the United States should institute a Adam Asher ’15 is concentrating in clascivil service requirement because worksics. Follow him on Twitter ing in government forces you to challenge (@asheradams).

of citizens,” but the principle is the same.

Many will object, saying civil service can OLIVER HUDSON be beneficial to society. To accept this view Opinions Columnist means to accept two beliefs. First, that requiring people to “do good” is right. Second, that civil service brings about more benefits The idea of a civil service requirement to society than would otherwise arise if peois repugnant to believers in a free soci- ple were left to choose their own pursuits. ety. “Civil service” is a feel-good phrase Since I have addressed the first belief ’s insult obscuring a disturbing philosophy that to human dignity, I shall address the second your life does not belong to you but to belief. the government. You may have ambiEconomist Adam Smith famously said, tions and your own idea of what “civil ser- “By pursuing his own interest he frequentvice” means, but the government has pri- ly promotes that of society more effectually ority in deciding your future. Only once than when he really intends to promote it.” you are emancipated from your period of Smith’s claim has been born out in history. civil servitude may Those societies with you pursue your the greatest level of dreams. well-being today Imagine if a group have fewer restricof others voted to deon freedom to Slavery gave a person’s life tions cide how you would act in self-interest. spend a period of to the highest bidder. Civil According to the your life. Would you 2012 Fraser Index of want that? Would Service gives a person’s life Economic Freedom, you not ask whether freest countries to the “civil service” project the you should have the in the world are conright to decide your with the highest vote tally. centrated in Europe, own future? Well, North America and how then could you certain regions of accept civil service, Asia, while the least which would allow free are in Africa and even more people the Middle East. It is you don’t know to decide part of your future. clear that this freedom, not a mandatory civSlavery gave a person’s life to the highest bid- il service requirement, has meant the differder. Civil service gives a person’s life to the ence between desirable societies and undeproject with the highest vote tally. sirable societies. To make life better, let’s alIt is no surprise that civil service re- low people to pursue what they think is best. quirements existed in those societies with A civil service requirement is bad morality the least respect for human dignity. In Nazi and bad economics.

Germany, the “Law of the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service” forced teachers to teach a Nazi-approved curriculum. In In the words of John Galt, “I swear by my North Korea, men must join the military for life, and my love of it, that I will never live three to five years because it is the “supreme for the sake of another man, nor ask anduty and honor of citizens.” Unfortunately, other man to live for mine.” many wouldn’t bat an eye if told mandatory Contact Oliver Hudson ’14 at recycling was the “supreme duty and honor oliver_hudson@brown.edu

Hudson’s Rebuttal

Asher’s Rebuttal

Adam Asher makes two arguments for a civil service requirement. First, he says, “working in government forces you to challenge your own political views.”

Second, Asher says that experience in government makes you see “where the shortcomings of government lie,” preparing you to reform government. To Asher, these two reasons are sufficient to conclude that everyone should work in government.

Asher’s argument boils down to the following — I like something, therefore it should be required of everyone. That is, Asher thinks civil service is good and therefore everyone else should do it too.

Asher cites no evidence besides his experience working in his congresswoman’s office to conclude that everyone in America should work for the government.

Consider an identical argument.

Perhaps I work at an ice cream store and come to believe eating different ice creams challenges my views about different ice cream brands. Perhaps I also think eating ice cream gives me experience to reform the shortcomings of the ice cream industry. So I argue that ev-

eryone must work in ice cream stores. I think Asher would not agree with this hypothetical situation requiring everyone to work in ice cream stores. So why does he accept this exact reasoning when the requirement is about work in government?

Besides the philosophical flaws in Asher’s reasoning, some of his claims are false. He argues that those with experience in politics have a greater chance to reform politics. But it is accepted wisdom that people with a financial interest in a situation generally do not make objective decisions. Why, then, wouldn’t involvement in politics encourage “reforms” for the benefit of politicians and the politically connected but not necessarily for the American people?

Asher claims taxes and the draft are precedents for requiring citizens to give their time to civil service. But whether something similar has been done in the past has nothing to do with whether it is right. Asher has noble intentions about improving government. But his proposal would deny the fundamental American rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

If you don’t believe government has any positive role to play in its citizens’ lives and no right to make demands of them, then in your eyes, I’m not going to win this argument.

As I said in my opening statement, when we ratified the U.S. Constitution, we entrusted our government to levy taxes and gave it the right to a portion of our money. Entrusting government with a portion of our time is no different.

Hudson says, “The idea of a civil service requirement is repugnant to believers in a free society,” going on to point out that the requirement has existed in such states as Nazi Germany and North Korea. Cherry-picking such extreme examples makes for an intriguing piece, but it fails to tell the whole story.

Two other examples of countries with civil service requirements — military conscription, specifically, which I am not advocating — are Switzerland and Finland. Switzerland was in fact rated by the Heritage Foundation — a conservative thinktank — as one of the top five most

economically free countries in the world. Finland, meanwhile, is consistently praised as a paragon ofboth freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Clearly, other free societies have not found the idea of serving one’s country for a brief period to be so morally repugnant.

To counter Hudson’s quote from what I’m sure is his well-thumbed copy of “The Wealth of Nations,” let me invoke the words of President John F. Kennedy.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the famous words of his inaugural speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” There is also a second, lessquoted part of the speech, though. It reads, “Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

Short of a revolution, our government is not going anywhere. If we want to make it better and serve the people more effectively, it is our obligation to be a part of that solution, a goal that can be furthered by enforcing a civil service requirement.

daily herald sports friday THE BROWN

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

SABERMETRICS

Rethinking pitching statistics LEWIS POLLIS

ETHAN MCCOY

Sports Columnist It’s the first thing the announcer says when the pitcher takes the mound.

“Justin Masterson went 11-15 last season,” or “Justin Verlander has 17 wins on the year.” For more than a century, wins and losses have been the first indicators most fans look to when they argue the merits of different pitchers. And they couldn’t be more meaningless as measuring sticks of pitching skill.

The very words “wins” and “losses” carry a certain gravitas. If a pitcher comes away with a big ‘W’ it means he carried the team on his back. If he ends up with an ‘L’ it means he didn’t do his job. “He” went out and faced the other team. “He” was the driving force in his team’s victory or defeat. And, of course, it was solely within “his” power to make sure that his teammates scored more runs than their opponents.

Of course, this is sheer lunacy. The starting pitcher is not the only player on his team. There are batters. There are fielders. Heck, there are even other pitchers! Not to mention that the other team also has batters and fielders and at least one other pitcher. Even if both starters throw complete games — a rarity in the modern era at any level — a minimum of 19 other players will shape the outcome of the game, as well as the coaches, the umpires, the wind, the size of the ballpark, the muddiness of the dirt and what the second

A brave new world: Sports in the Twitterverse Sports Columnist

KATIE LIEBOWITZ / HERALD

With all the emphasis on a pitcher’s wins and losses, fans often overlook the statistics that more accurately display pitcher ability. baseman’s girlfriend said to him as he left for the stadium. You wouldn’t hold the author of the article on page three accountable for the entirety of this newspaper.

Put it another way: When looking at the final standings, would you conclude that the team that wins the most games necessarily had the best pitching staff? No? Then why give final standings even a second’s thought at the individual level?

The situation gets ever hairier when relief pitchers come into play. Wins and losses are assigned only to pitchers who are removed from the game after the last lead change. So, if a starter pitches eight shutout innings and leaves with a 1-0 lead but the team’s

closer coughs up the game in the top of the ninth, the starter gets nothing.

And if our team rallies back to win in the bottom of the ninth, the ‘W’ goes not to our starting ace but to our inept closer — who was technically on the mound when his team retook the lead (an event in which he had no hand).

The so-called “no decision” is almost more insulting than an unjust ‘L’ as it implies that the starter had no impact on the game at all. All the while, an incompetent starter who gets shelled for 10 runs on five innings can be called a winner so long as his team scores 11 before he’s sent to the showers.

The next thing you’ll hear out of the color commentator’s mouth will probably / / Pitching page 9

The sporting world witnessed what was one of the most exciting NCAA championship games in recent memory on Monday night, as Louisville, the number one overall seed, narrowly ousted Michigan and national player of the year Trey Burke. The game had everything — from a duel between upstart sharpshooters to huge dunks and momentum swings to a fairytale ending of sorts for a squad whose teammate a week before suffered arguably the most gruesome on-field injury in the history of televised sports.

I, however, missed it all. Cooped up in the Absolute Quiet Room, through tears I declined offers from friends to watch and, terrified of drawing the ire of the scholarly community of the AQR and demonstrating my vulnerability to distraction, refused to bring up a live feed of the game. But that isn’t to say I didn’t “watch” the game. I followed along the entire 40 minutes the way any rational person would — through Twitter.

Twitter has unquestionably altered the experience of the sports fan in a number of ways. Fans now have new insight into the fascinating thoughts of their idols, such as Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who tweeted at God asking why he had forsaken his prayers and allowed him to drop a

would-be game-winning touchdown in a 2010 loss, and Metta World Peace, who asked his 500,000 followers, “Are expensive dogs racist?”

Sports media has also changed dramatically thanks to Twitter. News travels faster than ever before — both a blessing and a curse, as evidenced last year by widespread premature reports of the death of Joe Paterno ’50, not to mention the spread of trade and free agency rumors that proliferate daily. Careers of sports journalists now also hinge on the Twittersphere, as social media-savvy writers have been able to gain popularity and readership and earn jobs at national outlets, while elder statesmen of the trade have been left behind. We also all have Twitter to thank for giving us the egomaniacal monster that is Adam Schefter.

But Twitter has also influenced the in-game experience for the fan, bringing a new and more diverse option than the vanilla ESPN Gamecast — crucial to cubicle dwellers everywhere. Depending on the variety of accounts you follow, a Twitter refresh session during a major sporting event can yield some useful, entertaining and strange insights into the real-life game occurring outside your viewing capabilities. This I experienced fully on Monday.

When you follow a game on Twitter, the most important accounts are the ones that provide reliable updates.

Getting the facts — scores, stats, time left — is the number one priority of the “Tweetee” (definition: the viewer and receiver / / Twitter page 9

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Galan ’14 devours Quakers in 9-0 Ivy win

By SAM WICKHAM SPORTS STAFF WRITER

HOME GAMES THIS WEEKEND SATURDAY

M./W. Track and Field Springtime Invitational 11 a.m. @ Brown Stadium W. Crew vs. URI @ Marston Boathouse W. Water Polo vs.

Mercyhurst 11:30 a.m. @ Aquatic Center W. Tennis vs. Columbia 12 p.m. @ Erickson Complex W. Water Polo vs. Harvard 8:30 p.m. @ Aquatic Center SUNDAY

W. Tennis vs. Cornell 12 p.m. @ Erickson Complex W. Lacrosse vs. Boston College 2 p.m. @ Stevenson Field

Though the men’s baseball team (3-20, 1-7 Ivy) is off to a slow start, pitcher Anthony Galan ’14 has consistently led the squad from the mound. The right-hander held Penn scoreless last weekend, earning a complete game shutout and helping bring the team its first Ivy win of the season.

Galan had seven strikeouts in the outing, and allowed only four hits. He has posted a 4.06 earned run average this season and has started six games, the most of any Bears hurler. For his shutout performance and consistent play, Galan has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

Herald: You pitched a complete game shutout last weekend against Penn. What was clicking for you that game?

Galan: I felt good, and it was actually a nice day so it felt good going outside. I just had them off balance the whole day. It was pretty much in the first four innings, I got a lot of (strikeouts). I knew (Penn was) going to adjust to my off-speed stuff, so I made an adjustment back to keep them off balance.

Can you speak about what the team has been doing to improve in the Ivy League standings? What are some team

goals for the remainder of the season?

We actually started off pretty rough for the first weekend and this past weekend. What we’re trying to do is just keep the energy up. We know we can pretty much compete with any team in the Ivies.

The first weekend, we played against (Louisiana State University), and they’re number one in the country, and we lost on a walk off. So we know we can play against good teams, we just need to keep the energy up and stay positive.

Do you have a go-to strikeout pitch?

It depends. If there is a lefty up, I usually like to go in with lefties. Lots of lefties, especially against righties, always sit on pitches away, especially on changeups, but never on balls in.

Who on earth would you most like to strike out?

I would say Bryce Harper. Just ’cause I like to strike out guys who are very cocky.

Mike Trout or Bryce Harper: Who would you take on your team?

I’d probably take Trout, just because he’s got a shorter swing and a better twostrike approach. He doesn’t strike out a lot and he knows how to get on, and once he gets on he’s still a threat.

Has anyone ever charged the mound on you?

DAVID DECKEY / HERALD

Anthony Galan ’14 has posted a 4.06 earned run average this season and has started six games in the team’s 3-20 campaign.

No, they haven’t. I’ve hit guys on purpose, but they’ve never charged the mound on me.

When did you start playing baseball?

I don’t remember — three or four maybe? It’s always been in my family, and it’s always come naturally.

If you could play for any MLB club, who would it be and why?

It would be the Mets, hands down.

I’ve been a Met fan my whole life, I know New York, I know the fans. It’s just very familiar to me. It’d be like playing in a hometown.

Who is your go-to Backyard Baseball character?

It’s Pablo Sanchez. When I played in Elizabeth, N.J. it was in an all Spanish and Dominican league, and those are literally the kids I played with.