Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 101 | Friday, November 6, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Poll: Students more satisfied with advising For Bears,
By Hannah Moser
and Seth Motel
Senior Staff Writer and News Editor
Student satisfaction with academic
advising is on the rise — 10 percent
higher this fall than a year and a half
ago, a recent Herald poll found. Near-
ly 60 percent of students reported
they were either very satisfied or
somewhat satisfied with advising,
compared to just under 50 percent
THE HERALD POLL
in spring 2008.
A plurality of students, 40.6
percent, responded that they were
somewhat satisfied and 19.1 percent
said they were very satisfied.
First years were much more
likely than upperclassmen to ap-
prove of the advising system, with
75.1 percent reporting satisfaction,
while this number dropped to 53.9
percent among the rest of the stu-
dent body. Both numbers were sig-
nificantly higher than they were in
2008, though that poll was conducted
later in the academic year.
Administrators have changed
many aspects of the advising sys-
tem recently, including a revamped
Faculty Fellows program and the
addition of Advising Central, which
makes faculty members available
throughout the week in J. Walter
Wilson.
Diplomat remembers the wall’s fall
By Nicole Boucher
Contributing Writer
When the Berlin Wall, which served
as a “symbol of difference and di-
vision” between the east and the
west sides of Germany, fell, it repre-
sented the culmination of changes
in Soviet Union policies in the 1970s
and ’80s, Consul General Reiner
Mockelmann told a small gathering
at the Watson Institute for Interna-
tional Relations Thursday night.
Mockelmann, a retired West
German diplomat and director of
the Summer School Wust, spent
most of the lecture outlining his-
torical transitions from the Berlin
Wall’s implementation to modern
concerns in a “unified Germany.”
“The concept of openness”
which emerged under Soviet Gen-
eral Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev’s
perestroika and glasnost — eco-
nomic and political transparency
— in 1986 and 1988 “led to major
changes in Soviet society as well
as profoundly changing East and
West relations,” he said.
Increased demonstrations, in-
cluding a million people gathering
inside
News.....1-4
Ar ts......5
Editorial..6
Opinion...7
Today........8
www.browndailyherald.com
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied
with academic advising at Brown?
Don’t know/
No answer
Strongly
dissatisfied
Somewhat
dissatisfied
The Herald poll was conducted
from Nov. 2 through Nov. 4 and has
a 3.6 percent margin of error with
95 percent confidence. A total of 687
Brown undergraduates completed
the poll, which The Herald admin-
istered as a written questionnaire
to students in the University Mail
Room at J. Walter Wilson during
the day and in the Sciences Library
at night.
A year after being elected presi-
dent, Barack Obama remains popu-
Reiner Mockelmann spoke at the anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall
Thursday.
in protest on Nov. 4, 1989, led to
the final push before the fall of the
Berlin Wall. Between 1990 and
1994, the Reunification Treaty was
passed and the Soviet military left
Germany, he said.
News, 3
is it hot in here?
Pembroke Hall hosts
experts in a lecture on
climate change
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Very
satisfied
Somewhat
satisfied
lar among Brown students — though
he enjoys less popularity than last
year. The poll found that 77.2 percent
of respondents approved of the way
he is handling his job, while most
national polls rank his job approval
at about 50 percent. Of the poll’s
respondents, 57.4 percent said they
somewhat approved of Obama’s job
and 19.8 percent said they strongly
approved. In last fall’s Herald poll,
conducted just before the election,
86.1 percent of students reported
Freddy Lu / Herald
But, Mockelmann said, major
problems arose even with the
Berlin Wall’s collapse. After the
wall came down, many residents
continued on page 3
that they would vote for him.
Seven months after the last poll,
many students are still about as con-
cerned about their families’ ability to
finance their education. While 59.4
percent were confident of their abil-
ity to finance their Brown education,
38.1 percent reported being worried,
including 10.3 percent reporting that
they were very worried.
Student opinion of President
Ruth Simmons remains high, with
77.5 percent of respondents report-
ing approval and 3.6 percent disap-
proval. The distribution between
those who strongly approved and
those who somewhat approved was
nearly even. 18.8 percent said they
did not know or had no answer.
Approval of the Undergraduate
Council of Students is relatively
unchanged since last semester’s
poll. Of those polled, 48.7 percent
strongly or somewhat approved
of UCS, with 10 percent reporting
disapproval. 41.2 percent said they
did not know or had no answer as
opposed to 35.5 percent last year.
The poll found that a plurality
of students support reinstating the
Reserve Officer Training Corps at
the University, which was disbanded
here in 1971. Though more than
one-third of respondents said they
did not know or had no answer, 41.3
percent of students said they would
continued on page 2
Remembering when
GISPs were groovy
By Alicia Chen
Staf f Writer
As students scrambled to pre-reg-
ister for courses this week, cer-
tain people were looking outside
Brown’s course catalog to pick
their classes for next semester.
By 3 p.m. Thursday, those stu-
dents had to submit their propos-
als for group independent study
projects and
independent SPOTLIGHT
study projects
— curricular options created
in 1969 as part of the New Cur-
riculum.
“One of the classic Brown
experiences is to do a GISP,”
said Alison Cohen ’09, who did
multiple independent studies
during her time at Brown and is
studying environmental policy
on a Fulbright Scholarship in
Belgium. Students who have
participated are so enthusiastic
Arts, 5
black, gay at the hay
A Rhode Island College
professor opens a new
exhibit at the John Hay
one last
shot at Yale
By Dan Alexander
Senior Staff Writer
Coming into this season, the football
team’s seniors had — at some point in
their college careers — beaten every
team they have faced except three: the
University of Rhode Island, Holy Cross
and Yale. But the Bears beat URI, 28-
20, in a home game on Oct. 3. The next
week, they took down Holy Cross,
34-31. Now, only Yale remains.
SPORTS
The Bears will kick off against the
Bulldogs at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in
the Yale Bowl in New Haven.
Brown (4-3, 2-2 Ivy) is coming off a
14-7 overtime loss to Penn. The Quak-
ers, now 4-0 in Ivy League play, stand
at the top of the league standings, tied
with Harvard.
“We had a tough one last week,”
said cornerback David Clement ’10.
“Definitely the fact that we haven’t
beaten Yale is helping bring us back.
And we’re definitely as motivated as
any game we have had this year.”
Penn shut out the Bears’ offense
last week, which had led the Ivy
League in scoring before the game.
continued on page 2
they “spread the gospel” to other
students, Cohen said.
GISPs allow faculty to experi-
ment with new courses and give
groups of students a way to pur-
sue what really interests them,
said Professor Emeritus of Engi-
neering Barrett Hazeltine.
Hazeltine, who teaches
ENGN0090: “Management of
Industrial and Non-profit Organi-
zations,” said the
course — long
one of Brown’s
most popular classes — origi-
nated as a GISP.
In the inaugural year of the
New Curriculum, more than
500 students par ticipated in
GISPs. But after flourishing for
the first few years after their cre-
ation — reaching a high of 50
projects in the 1974-75 academic
year — GISPs have faded from
continued on page 4
Opinions, 7
Working hard, or —
Tyler Rosenbaum ’11: Thank
goodness lawmakers faced
up to urgent matters
herald@browndailyherald.com
Page 2 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Friday, November 6, 2009

C ampus N EWS “We definitely have something to prove.”

— Football co-captain Paul Jasinowski ’10 on Saturday’s Yale game

Football faces elusive Alcohol, marijuana remain popular

Bulldogs Saturday
continued from page 1
Paul Jasinowski ’10, a co-captain
and offensive tackle said the Bears’
offense is coming into the Yale game
with a chip on its shoulderpads.
“We definitely have something to
prove against this defense and against
this team,” Jasinowski said.
Brown and Yale (4-3, 2-2) are tied
for third in the league, sporting identi-
cal records. No team with two league
losses has won the Ivy League title
since 1982, and both Yale and Brown
will need a win to keep their slim title
hopes alive.
Like Penn, Yale has one of the
top defenses in the league and an of-
fense that ranks in the middle. Yale’s
defense has allowed just 13.3 points
per game, which is second best in the
league — behind Penn.
“Penn and our defense have some
similarities in terms of scheme,” said
Yale Head Coach Tom Williams.
“We’re going to run our defense and
look to try to contain the Brown of-
fense.”
Head-to-Head: By the Numbers
Brown v.
4-2 (2-2 Ivy) Records
25.4 pts/game Scoring Offense
20.1 pts/game Scoring Defense
115.1 yds/game Rushing Offense
Passing Offense
283.0 yds/game
33.3% 3rd-down
conversions
Versus Common Opponents
W, 34-14 Cornell
L, 14-7 OT Penn
sudoku
“Obviously they’ve got explosive
capabilities,” he added.
Yale’s defense has held the Bears
to only 10 points in the last two years
combined. The Bears’ only Ivy League
defeat last season was a 13-3 loss to
Yale.
“We beat Harvard and we had won
all of our Ivy games up to that point,”
said Jasinowski of last year’s Yale
game. “That was definitely a really
tough defeat for our team because
that was our one loss in the league and
the one that made us end up having
to share the title.”
Yale’s offense — which runs out
of a two-quarterback system — ranks
fifth in the league in scoring. The pass-
happy Bulldogs are last in rushing
offense and second, behind Brown,
in passing offense.
“They have good quarterbacks
and good skilled-position players,”
Clement said. “They throw the ball,
run the ball — they’re definitely a solid
offense. But if we do our jobs and are
more physical than them, we should
be fine.”
Yale
4-2 (2-2 Ivy)
17.9 pts/game
13.3 pts/game
85.3 yds/game
207.7 yds/game
29.7%
L, 14-12
L, 9-0
continued from page 1 Levels of substance use have not
significantly changed since the fall
upperclassman respondents).
Of those polled, 17.1 percent
approve of reinstating ROTC, com- 2007 Herald poll. indicated that they had engaged in
pared to 24.9 percent who said they In this semester’s poll, higher some form of academic dishonesty
would disapprove of reinstating it. numbers of males reported using this semester, most commonly by
In the past month, about three- marijuana than females — 39.1 copying answers off another stu-
quarters of undergraduates have percent to 26.4 percent. Also, sig- dent’s homework or using outside
used alcohol and about one-third nificantly fewer first-years — 67.8 resources in their work without cit-
have used marijuana, the poll found. percent — reported using alcohol ing them properly.
At 77.9 percent and 32.3 percent, than upperclassmen, 82.8 percent of About half of the students have
respectively, they were the two whom said they had drunk alcohol attended at least one varsity sporting
most-commonly used substances. in the past month. (Due to smaller event as spectators this semester.
They were followed by tobacco (18.3 sample sizes, there are margins of First-years were more likely to have
percent), prescription painkillers error of 5.2 percent for male re- attended a game, with 59.4 percent
taken without a prescription (3.9 spondents, 4.9 percent for female responding that they had been to
percent), amphetamines (3.8 per- respondents, 6.9 percent forfirst- at least one game this semester
cent) and cocaine (2.6 percent). year respondents and 4.2 percent for compared to 47.3 percent of upper-
Results of the Herald Poll
1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ruth Tobacco: 18.3%
Simmons is handling her job as president of Brown Prescription Painkillers: 3.9%
University? Amphetamines (including prescription stimu-
Strongly approve: 39.7% lants): 3.8%
Somewhat approve: 37.8% Cocaine: 2.6%
Somewhat disapprove: 2.9% Ecstasy (MDMA): 1.3%
Strongly disapprove: 0.7 % Psychedelic Mushrooms: 1.3%
Don’t know / No answer: 18.8% LSD: 1.0%
Opium: 0.7%
2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Un- Nitrous Oxide: 0.3%
dergraduate Council of Students (UCS) is handling Phencyclidine (PCP: 0.3%
its job? Heroin: 0.0%
Strongly approve: 10.0% Other: 0.4%
Somewhat approve: 38.7% None of the Above: 19.8%
Somewhat disapprove: 8.7% Don’t Know / No answer: 0.9%
Strongly disapprove: 1.3%
Don’t know / No answer: 41.2% 9. Have you done any of the following in class this
semester?
3. Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with academic Copied answers off another student’s homework:
advising at Brown? 12.4%
Very satisfied: 19.1% Used outside resources in your own work without
Somewhat satisfied: 40.6% proper citation: 4.2%
Somewhat dissatisfied: 28.5% Copied answers off another student’s quiz, test
Strongly dissatisfied: 9.6% or exam: 2.3%
Don’t know / No answer: 2.2% Obtained unauthorized test materials in advance:
1.6%
4. How confident or worried are you about your or your Used notes on a closed-book quiz, test or exam:
family’s ability to finance your Brown education? 0.7%
Very confident: 33.2% Submitted someone else’s work as your own in a
Somewhat confident: 26.2% paper, presentation or lab report: 0.4%
Somewhat worried: 27.8% I have not done any of the above: 80.1%
Very worried: 10.3% Don’t know/No answer: 2.8%
Don’t know / No answer: 2.5%
Methodology
5. Would you approve or disapprove of Brown rein- Written questionnaires were administered
stating the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) to 687 undergraduates from Nov. 2 to 4 at the
program, which was disbanded here in 1971? University Mail Room in J. Walter Wilson in the
Strongly approve: 17.9% mornings and afternoons of Nov. 2, 3 and 4 and
Somewhat approve: 23.4% at the Sciences Library on the nights of Nov. 2
Somewhat disapprove: 12.8% and 3. To ensure random sampling, pollsters
Strongly disapprove: 12.1% approached every third person and asked each
Don’t know / No answer: 33.8% one to complete a poll. The poll has a 3.6 percent
margin of error with 95 percent confidence.
6. How many times have you attended a Brown varsity The sample polled was demographically simi-
sports game as a spectator this semester? lar to the Brown undergraduate population as a
0 times: 49.5% whole. The sample was 53.4 percent female, 46.1
1-2 times: 29.1% percent male and 0.4 percent other. First-years
3-4 times: 10.3% made up 26.2 percent of the sample, 28.2 per-
5-6 times: 4.7% cent were sophomores, 22.4 percent were juniors
7 or more times: 6.3% and 23.1 percent were seniors. 63.3 percent

Daily Herald
the Brown
Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260
Stephen DeLucia, President Jonathan Spector, Treasurer
Michael Bechek, Vice President Alexander Hughes, Secretary
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serv-
ing the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday
through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during
Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily
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POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI
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Copyright 2009 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
Don’t know / No answer: 0.1% of respondents identified themselves as white,
24.9 percent Asian, 9.2 percent Hispanic, 5.5
7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack percent identified as black or African-American,
Obama is handling his job as president of the United 1.0 percent American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.6
States? percent Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4
Strongly approve: 19.8% percent identified with a racial group or ethnicity
Somewhat approve: 57.4% not listed and 2.2 percent chose not to answer.
Somewhat disapprove: 11.8% The sum of the percentages is greater than 100
Strongly disapprove: 4.5% percent due to respondents who identified with
Don’t know / No answer: 6.6% multiple ethnic or racial groups.
Senior Staff Writer Hannah Moser ’12 and
8. In the past month, which of the following sub- News Editor Seth Motel ’11 coordinated the poll.
stances — not prescribed to you — have you used? Herald section editors, senior staff writers and
Alcohol: 77.9% other staff members conducted the poll.
Marijuana: 32.3%
Friday, November 6, 2009
C ampus N EWS
Experts urge action on climate German Studies marks
By Ashley Aydin
Contributing Writer
Acknowledging the negative hu-
man impact on the environment
is essential to preventing drastic
climate change, three experts said
in a panel discussion on climate
change at Pembroke Hall Thursday
afternoon.
The event attracted about 30
students and faculty members to
hear Elijah Huge, assistant profes-
sor of art at Wesleyan University;
Timmons Roberts, professor of so-
ciology and environmental studies;
and Hugh Ducklow, professor of
ecology and evolutionary biology.
Roberts emphasized climate
justice and the need for adequate
funding for developing countries
to save the environment. He said
those who are least responsible
for causing the problem of climate
change are also those most likely
to suffer climate change’s impacts,
including hurricanes, sea level rise,
droughts and heat waves.
“Climate change is also going
to affect those least likely to cope,”
he said.
Roberts also listed the neces-
sary steps for people to take against
climate change, which he called an
injustice. The first, he said, is to
stop doing the harm, and the sec-
ond is to assist those who are already
harmed and are most vulnerable.
Roberts also discussed the
“polluter pays principle” — those
who create a mess ought to clean
it up.
“There are 125 countries where
it takes over five of their citizens
to emit as much as an American
(does),” he said.
He also called for developing
mechanisms to extend the Kyoto
Protocol, an international agree-
ment branched from the United
Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, setting targets
for 37 industrialized countries and
the European community to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Huge, an architect by profes-
sion and director of the design firm
Periphery, emphasized the many
effects that architecture has on
the environment, and presented a
few of his projects about the pres-
ervation of wetlands and natural
Hugh Ducklow, from Brown and the Marine Biological Lab at Woods
Hole, spoke at a discussion panel on climate change Thursday.
settings.
He said architecture has a direct
impact not only on the spaces that
it defines, including rooms and
buildings, but also on the broader
environment.
Concluding the lecture, Duck-
low, who is also a biological ocean-
ographer, focused on the debates
about the existence of global cli-
mate change. He said the majority
of climate scientists have accepted
global climate change due to Earth-
model obser vations made over
many decades.
Ducklow said scientists have
come to the general realization
that if the world temperature in-
creases by two degrees Celsius, the
shift would affect the environment
negatively.
“We need enormous changes
in policy to avoid the two-degree-
Celcius threshold,” he said.
Despite the degree of scientific
consensus, a strong opposition
disputes the existence of climate
change to argue against steps to
preserve the environment, he said.
Though there “are significant un-
certainties in science,” Ducklow
said, “there are no reasons not to
act.”
Ducklow said the proportion
of Americans who say climate
change is exaggerated has risen
to 41 percent.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“There are no reasons not to act.” — Hugh Ducklow,
professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, on climate change
Julia Kim / Herald
“We’re not getting better, we’re
getting worse — there still isn’t
enough being done,” he said.
The event was organized by
the Humanities/Science Project,
a three-year-collaborative program
launched by the Cogut Center for
the Humanities and the Faculty
Committee on Science and Technol-
ogy Studies. The project promotes
interdisciplinary seminars and re-
search opportunities bridging the
sciences and the humanities.
fall of Berlin wall
continued from page 1
of former East Germany migrated
to former West Germany for “bet-
ter gross wages, salaries and lower
unemployment rates.”
Rebuilding former East Ger-
many produced mixed results, as
“older structures were saved and
cultural heritage was rescued” but
ultimately “the catch-up process ...
stalled,” Mockelmann said.
He said that to deal with preju-
dice between the previously divided
regions, a “decentralized” approach
must be taken. “There is no recipe
to break down prejudices political-
ly,” he added.
To break down these existing
prejudices and increase educational
opportunities, he cited education-
al programs such as the Summer
School Wust, which was founded in
1991 in former East Germany by,
among others, German Studies Pro-
fessor Kay Goodman. The program
brings English literature, theatre,
music and increased opportunities
for conversation about the culture
to the region, he said.
Nonetheless, he said a “national
pride” is now obser vable which
“was not known in Germany before
the fall of the wall,” he said. “To
be proud of a nation that was only
partly known was difficult.”
Page 3
He concluded, saying, “The
fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago
marked the beginning of a new era
in history — the end of the Cold
War — but a lot has to be done”
to deal with continuing problems
between the East and West sides
of Germany.
Last night’s lecture marked only
one event in the “Freedom Without
Walls” series, sponsored in part by
the German Embassy and hosted by
the Department of German Studies.
The 20th anniversary celebration of
the fall of the Berlin Wall opened on
Wednesday with a screening of the
2003 German comedy “Goodbye
Lenin” and will continue through
the weekend.
The anniversary has prompted
reflection and commemorative
events across the country. German
Chancellor Angela Merkel recently
visited Congress, partly to mark the
anniversary.
“The Berlin Wall is part of a
much bigger picture,” Sergei Khr-
uschev, senior fellow in internation-
al studies and son of Soviet Premier
Nikita Khruschev, told The Herald.
“If you tr y to build any wall, it is
against human nature. You feel you
are resolving a problem and you are
doing nothing. You are tr ying to
stop the movement of a people.”
Page 4
S POTLIGHT
GISPs: Now just an ‘afterthought’ for many students
continued from page 1
view.
“For more than 20 years, the
number of GISPs has hovered in
the mid-20s,” wrote Associate Dean
of the College for Curriculum James
Valles in an e-mail to the Herald.
This semester, 84 students are en-
rolled in 16 GISPs.
Shifting perceptions
Today, fewer students and fac-
ulty members know about GISPs or
consider them to be serious course
options than during the New Cur-
riculum’s early years.
Faculty turnover may have con-
tributed to the decline in awareness
about GISPs among professors. Sev-
enty percent of professors who were
at Brown 40 years ago when the New
Curriculum first began are no longer
teaching, said Arthur Matuszewski
’10, GISP/ISP co-coordinator at the
Curricular Resource Center and
editor-in-chief of post- magazine.
GISPs are also not as well-known
among students as they once were.
Nick Donias ’12, who is developing a
proposal for a spring GISP on multi-
culturalism and identity, said he did
not know the program existed until
Associate Dean of Student Life Kisa
Takesue ’88 suggested one as a way
for Donias to pursue his interest in
cross-cultural issues.
After he sent out e-mails and
Morning Mail notices advertis-
ing his GISP, Donias received 20
responses — a level of interest
that surprised him, he said. A lot
of the students who responded to
Donias’ announcements had also
been unaware of the option to create
a course, he said.
“The ’70s had a lot more accep-
tance of academic experimenta-
tion,” said Hazeltine, who has been
teaching at Brown since 1959. But
in recent years “there’s been pres-
sure on making GISPs more like
regular courses because people are
worried about academic credibility,”
he said.
Professor of English William
Keach, who started teaching here in
1986, agreed. “The culture at Brown
over the past six or eight years has
become somewhat more cautious,
somewhat more risk-averse,” he
said.
Keach, who also has sponsored
several GISPs, said many students
may see GISPs as “not being
courses.”
As Brown’s student culture has
shifted, the increasing opportunities
for extracurricular involvement have
pushed students to look beyond the
classroom, possibly lessening stu-
dent interest in pursuing all possible
curricular avenues.
“Meaning and purpose used to
really be part of the college cur-
riculum. Now they’ve been pushed
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
to the extracurricular,” said Clini-
cal Professor of Engineering Josef
Mittlemann ’72 P’00 P’04.
In the last 40 years, Brown also
has bolstered its course offerings.
With more options than ever, stu-
dents have less need to look beyond
the course catalog to pursue their
academic interests. (This fall’s more
than 900 course options are a record,
according to Dean of the College
Katherine Bergeron.)
Too much work ...
When compared to the time- and
energy-intensive process of creating
a GISP, the ease of enrolling in a
normal course — which only re-
quires entering a CRN number on
Banner — may also dissuade many
students from designing their own
course.  dent study focuses a lot more on the
To propose a GISP, students must
find a faculty sponsor and submit an
application that includes a syllabus,
bibliography and evaluation plan
months before the semester starts.
The College Curriculum Council
evaluates the proposal and either
accepts or returns it with suggested
revisions. The early deadline is to
allow time for revisions and mirrors
the application process for a normal
course, Matuszewski said.  can be difficult.
“I think the GISP process overall
can look daunting, but it is actually a
really great process to go through,”
Cohen said.
Cohen went through the applica-
tion process for her first and only
official GISP, but she chose to do
her next two collaborative study
projects on an unofficial basis be-
cause the GISP application process
was so cumbersome, she said. Co-
hen and the other group members
“signed up for a departmental in-
dependent study under the same
professor under the expectation that
we would work collectively, just as
in a GISP, but with less paperwork,”
she said.  cent decline in student participation
The process also requires stu-
dents to clearly express the course’s
goals and their reasons for creating
a GISP, which may deter some stu-
dents from proposing one.
While normal classes are “more
focused on the product, indepen-
process of learning,” Matuszewski
said. “Really investing yourself in
independent study requires you to
articulate why what you’re doing
matters.”
... Too little time
When faculty members have
other responsibilities, including re-
search and teaching regular courses,
having the time to sponsor a GISP
“I think faculty are busier than
ever, so it is perhaps harder for
faculty to be involved,” said Mittle-
mann, who has declined sponsor-
Friday, November 6, 2009
ing some GISPs because of time
constraints.
Keach said, “I’m glad to be doing
it, it’s a lot of fun to be doing it, but
it’s an additional time and energy
commitment.” 
There should be more incen-
tives for faculty to sponsor GISPs,
Matuszewski said, suggesting that
Brown should work on “appropri-
ately recognizing faculty for their
support of independent studies.” 
But to properly address the re-
in GISPs, “the first thing is for the
administration and the faculty to find
out what’s going on,” Keach said.
While some people believe that
group independent studies deserve
more support, others think the de-
creasing number of GISPs is a natu-
ral consequence of the increasing
diversity of other opportunities on
campus.
“I think over 200 students per
year is still a very healthy level, giv-
en this increase in regular courses,”
Bergeron wrote.
Still, others are concerned
about the decline in GISPs. The
trend “generally reflects a lack of
investment of what it means to really
stick to Brown’s ideals and values,”
Matuszewski said.
“The GISP option used to be seen
as a lot more central to what Brown
was,” he said. “And now it’s become
an afterthought.”
Arts & Culture
The Brown Daily Herald

Friday, November 6, 2009 | Page 5

What Nic Cage and Handel have in common

By Luisa Robledo
Staff Writer
Thanks to Brown’s New Music En-
semble, the famous action scenes of
the Nicolas Cage movie “Con Air”
won’t be scored to the sounds of
“Sweet Home Alabama” this week-
end. Instead, John Cage’s avant-
garde music will be the accompa-
niment in Saturday’s “Cage Match,”
the ultimate “Face/Off” between
the king of silence and the king of
explosions.
“The name is a complete gim-
mick,” said Alex Kruckman ’10, one
of the event’s coordinators. “But it’s
Kayleigh Butera / Herald
going to be an awesome one.”
Rhode Island College English professor Daniel Scott ushered in a new ex-
hibit at the Hay with a lecture about black, gay men in Rhode Island. “Cage Match” will pair up some
of John Cage’s compositions (in-
sound has been drastically changed
by the placement of foreign objects,
such as screws, in the strings, he
explained.
“It’s difficult to organize a pre-
pared piano — a bit risky,” Kruck-
man said. “But we’ve been really
careful and plan to get the instru-
ment tuned afterwards.”
Dupuis will be performing John
Cage’s “Imaginary Landscapes” us-
ing a computer. To honor what Du-
puis called the composer’s “spirit of
randomly determining aspects of the
piece,” he hasn’t chosen the film that
will accompany his piece yet.
“Cage really experimented with
the boundaries of classical music,”
Dupuis said.
The free event will take place
fleeing out of captivity from Egypt,”
Jodry said.
“This piece features mostly
the choir,” he said. “It’s very excit-
ing and has ver y contrasting
movements.”
Jodry called the orchestra writ-
ing “wonderful” and the overall tri-
umphant tone of the piece inspiring.
“We’ll have trumpets, strings and
oboes along with a small baroque
organ and three wonderful profes-
sional singers who are joining us.”
Chorus President Sarah Baker
’10 said the piece has been both fun
and challenging to put on. “There’s
eight parts going on at the same
time,” Baker said, referring to Han-
del’s multi-layered vocal writing. “We
really have to listen to each other.”

Black and gay, on

cluding his most famous one, 4’33” in Grant Recital Hall at 8 p.m. For Baker, the most exciting part
— four minutes and 33 seconds of Saturday. of the rehearsal process was moving
silence) with various moments from from the chorus’ usual rehearsal

display at the Hay

By Caitlin trujillo
Staff Writer
An exhibit about the contributions
of black gay men to Rhode Island,
its culture and its politics premiered
Thursday evening at the John Hay
Library. Rhode Island College pro-
fessor Daniel Scott kicked off the
display with a lecture about his work
documenting the oral history of the
traditionally overlooked minority
group.
Black Lavender 2, which cura-
tor Robb Dimmick spun off from
an earlier Black Lavender exhibit,
broadens its scope to include poli-
ticians, artists, civic leaders and
academics in the state throughout
the 20th century. The first exhibit,
shown at the Hay in 2005, focused
on black gay writers.
The exhibit stands in a small
room near the entrance to the li-
brary, but what it lacks in space to
spread out it makes up in its wealth
of material. The glass cases contain
photographs, flyers, newspaper clip-
pings and other memorabilia that
commemorate the represented
figures.
The writer James Baldwin, who
only visited Rhode Island once to
speak at the First Baptist Church in
America, has a mug in his section of
the display case that is emblazoned
with his portrait. Poet Langston
Hughes is represented by a poem
(“Ask Your Mama!”) that he wrote
in Newport.
Some of the men featured in the
exhibit were visitors — frequent
visitors such as Hughes or one-time
celebrities such as Baldwin. They
were public servants and perform-
ers, artists and writers.
Nicolas Cage’s most celebrated mov- And now for something space in Steinert Hall to singing in
ies, including “Gone in 60 Seconds,” completely different ... Sayles during the week leading up
“Snake Eyes,” “Ghost Rider” and In sharp contrast to “Cage to the concert. The beauty of the
“National Treasure 2,” said Alex Du- Match,” the music department’s building, combined with the “inter-
There is a section titled Black, puis ’10, the other coordinator. other concert offering this week- esting acoustics,” helps her not to be
Gay and Brown, showcasing people “We have around 20 perform- end will be the Brown Chorus’s nervous about the upcoming show,
like Ed Brockenbrough ’95, who ers,” Dupuis said, including Dean of performance of George Frideric she said.
contributed to literary magazines the College Katherine Bergeron and Handel’s 18th-century oratorio “Is- “We’ve worked really hard,”
during his time as a student. Associate Professor of Music Joseph rael in Egypt” this Friday at 8 p.m. she said. “It’s going to be a great
Scott, an English professor at “Butch” Rovan, her husband. They in Sayles Hall. concert.”
RIC who conducted 16 separate in- will present Cage’s “Water Music.” Under the direction of conduc- Tickets cost $10 ($5 with Brown
terviews for the project, said in his Kruckman, who will also be per- tor Fred Jodry, a senior lecturer ID) and are available in Orwig Music
lecture that despite recognition of forming, will use a prepared piano in music, the chorus will tell the Building Room 101 and at the door
these men and their achievements, — that is, an instrument whose “dramatic biblical story of the Jews one hour before the performance.
very few black gay men have yet
come forward with their stories. He
emphasized that Rhode Island’s size
plays a major role in gay black men’s
sense of community — the people
to whom he spoke said the state’s
small size makes it relatively easy for
people to know about each other.
“The positive spin on that is we
have a more intimate community,”
Scott said, but he added that people
were also probably reluctant to share
too much with others for fear of los-
ing their sense of privacy.
Scott said when he asked his sub-
jects what they most wanted to see
happen in the state, many responded
that they hoped they could foster a
better sense of community.
Black Lavender 2 aims to achieve
a similar goal — by commemorat-
ing the achievements of prominent
men, the project keeps alive the
legacies and contributions they
made to Rhode Island, ensuring
that each man’s presence does not
soon wane.
Midway through the night, May-
or David Cicilline ’83 arrived at the
library to present a proclamation
that declared Thursday “Black Lav-
ender 2 Day” in Providence.
Black Lavender 2, on the ground
floor of the John Hay Library, is open
during librar y hours through
J an . 8.
Editorial & Letters
The Brown Daily Herald

Page 6 | Friday, November 6, 2009

l e t t e r to t h e e d i to r

Committee cares about HEI’s

labor practices
To the Editor:
As current chair of the Advisory
Committee on Corporate Respon-
sibility in Investment Policies, a
committee representing students,
faculty, staff and alumni charged
with advising the President and
the Corporation on matters relat-
ing to the social impacts of the
University’s investments, I write
to correct a misimpression given
by the column by guest colum-
nists Mark Morales ’10 and Alex
Campbell ’10 (“The Truth about
Brown’s Investments,” Nov. 5). In
the column, the authors state that
ACCRIP “dismissed our claims as
outside their pur view.” Actually,
the committee met with members
of the Student Labor Alliance about
labor practices at HEI Hotels and
Resorts twice in the 2008-09 aca-
demic year, the second time also
After the second meeting, I
communicated to the student who
had ser ved as contact for the SLA
group that ACCRIP’s members had
discussed the matter and had rec-
ommended to President Ruth Sim-
mons that the University should
communicate with HEI that the
labor practices alleged to have oc-
curred “would be matters of real
concern to the University were
they to be substantiated.” I stated
that our committee “recommends
ongoing engagement between the
University and HEI over these mat-
ters.” Let me add on a personal
note that I commend Morales and julia streuli
Campbell for their concern regard-
ing the workers, and that I write at
this time solely to set the record e d i to r i a l
straight on the role of ACCRIP in
this matter.

Louis Putterman
Farmer Brown
having a dismissed HEI worker Professor of Economics On Tuesday, bioethicist Peter Singer delivered a talk
address us. Nov. 5 on the ethics of human-animal relations. He contended
that humanity has unjustly ignored the interests of
animals for the sake of producing meat, and indicted in
particular the modern practice of factory farming, which
crowds huge numbers of animals together in miserable
production of vast quantities of meat. But this is not
an unalloyed good. The overabundance of meat in the
United States has helped fuel an epidemic of obesity that
now affects roughly one in four of our fellow citizens.
And the difficulty of tracking and inspecting this huge
excess as it is transported and mixed into products such

Letters, please!
conditions, fostering virulent diseases and dangerously as ground beef has led to E. coli outbreaks like the one
concentrating enormous quantities of waste. Singer is a that recently killed two people and sickened many more
gifted intellectual provocateur who has taken a number in the northeastern states.
of controversial stands, and we certainly do not endorse To his credit, Singer admits that for all the problems
letters@browndailyherald.com all of his opinions. But we do recommend that Brown with modern production, meat is still an absolutely vital
actively pursue more humane, healthy, small-scale and source of key nutrients for poor and under-nourished
ecologically sound meat production, not only for its own people worldwide; children of all backgrounds rely heav-
consumption, but for that of its peer institutions and ily on meat to provide iron and protein for their growing
omnivores around the world. bodies. This means that the most privileged members of
The scale and techniques of modern meat production the human race have to provide the impetus for reducing
cause enormous suffering that cannot be ignored. For the scale and inhumanity of meat production. Whether
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d
the sake of increased productive efficiency, factory farms or not you want to admit it, that includes all of us.
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Deputy Managing Editors Senior Editors
routinely confine animals for nearly their entire lives in In cooperation with other institutions of higher learn-
Steve DeLucia Michael Bechek Nandini Jayakrishna Rachel Arndt
Chaz Firestone Franklin Kanin Isabel Gottlieb spaces so small they cannot stand or turn around; their ing in the Providence area, Brown can help lead the
Michael Skocpol Scott Lowenstein only release is slaughter. So far, a handful of states have way. In particular, partnership with Johnson and Wales’
editorial Business restricted such practices. culinary college would directly influence choices about
Ben Hyman Arts & Culture Editor General Managers Office Manager
Sophia Li Features Editor Alexander Hughes Shawn Reilly But the case against factory farming and the current the production and use of meat across the country. The
George Miller Metro Editor Jonathan Spector level of meat consumption extends well beyond altru- University can seek local meat sources with verifiably
Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor
Seth Motel News Editor
istic concern for animal well-being. These gargantuan healthy, humane and ecologically sustainable practices;
Directors
Jenna Stark News Editor Ellen DaSilva Sales operations concentrate their inhabitants’ excrement in it can also research and promote such techniques. As a
Andrew Braca Sports Editor Claire Kiely Sales huge lagoons that regularly seep or burst, befouling University, we can make sacrifices and take the initiative
Han Cui Asst. Sports Editor Katie Koh Finance
Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Jilyn Chao Asst. Finance nearby waterways and wrecking livelihoods based on to reduce meat farming and make it more humane and
Katie Wood Asst. Sports Editor Christiana Stephenson Alumni Relations fishing. And through their heavy use of machinery and sustainable. Or we can allow factory farms and other
Graphics & Photos Managers
their vast numbers of animals, factory farms contribute reckless practices to take a staggering moral and eco-
Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor Kelly Wess Local Sales
Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor Kathy Bui National Sales heavily to the tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide logical toll on this country.
Kim Perley Photo Editor Alex Carrere University Sales released each year overall by fostering, processing and
Max Monn Asst. Photo Editor Matt Burrows Credit and Collections
Jesse Morgan Sports Photo Editor transporting livestock. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board.
production Opinions
The usual defense of factory farms is their efficient Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
Ayelet Brinn Copy Desk Chief Alyssa Ratledge Opinions Editor
Opinions Editor
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Marlee Bruning
Copy Desk Chief
Design Editor
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corrections
Jessica Calihan Design Editor Editorial Page Board
Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor James Shapiro Editorial Page Editor An article in Thursday’s paper (“Buyout plan offered to U. employees,” Nov. 5) contained the information
Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Matt Aks Board member that Brown would pay all but $83 per month of the health-care premiums for employees who take the buyout
Neal Poole Web Editor Nick Bakshi Board member
Post- magazine Zack Beauchamp Board member offer. In fact, the employees would be responsible for the full premium, with $83 contributed by the University
Arthur Matuszewski Editor-in-Chief
Debbie Lehmann Board member each month.
Kelly McKowen Editor-in-Chief
William Martin Board member An article in Thursday’s paper (“UCS votes to increase activities fee by $8,” Nov. 5) incorrectly identified Vice
President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn as the chair of the University Resources
Marlee Bruning, Anna Migliaccio, Nick Sinnott-Armstrong, Katie Wilson, Designers
Committee. Klawunn is not a member of the committee.
Joe Milner, Lindor Qunaj, Copy Editors
A caption on page 1 in Thursday’s paper (accompanying “Filmmaker views Haiti revolution through leader’s
Dan Alexander, Nicole Friedman, Hannah Moser, Night Editors
Senior Staff Writers Dan Alexander, Mitra Anoushiravani, Ellen Cushing, Sydney Ember,
eyes,” Nov. 5) incorrectly identified the man speaking as the filmmaker, Noland Walker. The man pictured in
Lauren Fedor, Nicole Friedman, Brigitta Greene, Sarah Husk, Brian Mastroianni, Hannah the photograph is Professor of Africana Studies Barrymore Bogues.
Moser, Ben Schreckinger, Anne Simons, Anne Speyer, Sara Sunshine, Alex Ulmer, Suzannah
Weiss, Kyla Wilkes
Staff Writers Shara Azad, Emma Berry, Alicia Chen, Zunaira Choudhary, Alicia Dang, C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy
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Opinions
The Brown Daily Herald
Tyler
Rosenbaum
Opinions Columnist
You may not have noticed, but Rhode Island
is a relatively small state. In fact, you can fit
almost 2,500 Rhode Islands into the area of
the United States! It also has a relatively small
population, as states go. So it may come as no
surprise that the General Assembly (the state’s
legislature) meets for only half the year.
Normally, the January through June ses-
sion is enough time for the General Assembly
to get all its business finished. Of course,
even spending half a year might not be nec-
essary — Florida’s legislature, for example,
is constitutionally restricted to meeting only
60 days per year.
But this year, circumstances were very dif-
ferent. Clearly, the situation was dire. So dire,
in fact, that legislators took the drastic step
of coming back to Providence for an unusual
October session.
What, specifically, drove our legislators
back to Providence for two whole days, with
some having to make the perilous journey
from as far as Westerly or Newport? Rhode
Island was facing some serious problems,
which in the aggregate have created the worst
crisis the state has faced in decades.
No, I’m not talking about that trivial eco-
nomic situation. If you read any of the newspa-
pers, you’ll discover the biggest threat facing
the state; indeed, it was the primary target
of this new session: legal, commercial sex.
Yes, although a legal loophole has permitted
Susannah Kroeber
Opinions Columnist
Maine was supposed to be the first. After
ballot initiatives failed in thirty states, in each
case translating to a constitutional amend-
ment to ban same-sex marriage, Maine was
supposed to be the first notch in the win
column for gay rights advocates. Instead, it
followed the herd.
Students didn’t come out in the numbers
expected by gay marriage advocates to sup-
port Question 1. Once again, young people
are being blamed for the failure of this initia-
tive. Perhaps the narrow margin could have
been filled by the numerous liberal college
students who populate the state. But with an
off-year election turnout of over 50 percent
of registered voters, high for any election,
perhaps it is time for the middle-aged cam-
paign organizers to look within rather than
to blame those outside their inner circles.
It seemed that geography would help beat
the initiative. New England states have been
the most resounding supporters of same-sex
marriage, if so far only through legislative
and judicial action. And same-sex marriage
seemingly had momentum on its side. New
Hampshire and Vermont both legalized gay
marriage in the last year, with Maine passing
legislation soon after.
Gay rights advocates had time and money
on their side. They have been active on this
issue in Maine since Massachusetts started
allowing gay marriage in 2004. Conser va-
Got something to say? Leave a comment online!
Mission accomplished!
indoor prostitution in Rhode Island since 1976,
and although the General Assembly has met
for a total of 198 months during the time this
loophole has existed, only very recently have
the pernicious effects of this permissiveness
been felt, apparently.
I, for one, am quite relieved that prostitu-
tion will be criminalized immediately. Rhode
Island likely would not have survived had
it been forced to wait until the next regular
session of the General Assembly commences
in early January to begin fining and jailing
prostitutes.
What use is a solvent state government if,
for example, intoxicated teens can operate
motorboats with impunity?
Another crisis of epic proportions was
averted when the House of Representatives
agreed with the Senate’s plan to ask the state’s
voters whether to change the state’s official
name from “Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations” to simply “Rhode Island.”
Cynics might point out that the referendum
on the straightforward issue will take place
in November 2010, and that therefore the
House’s action could have waited until Janu-
ary. But they underestimate the importance of
planning ahead. Moreover, some voters might
not be appreciative of having only 10 months’
time to make up their minds on such an issue,
preferring instead to have a full year.
Additionally, the General Assembly ap-
Rejected 31 times over
tive groups have only put significant money
into the state this calendar year, in order
to support this particular ballot item. Gay
rights groups outspent conser vatives two
to one, but the rejection of gay marriage in
Maine has filled the coffers of conservative
groups.
Until Tuesday, Maine had same-sex mar-
riage. Against all odds and projections, the
voters took it away.
Gay advocacy groups such as the Hu-
man Rights Campaign set high hopes for
this election and are now trying to forestall
Until Tuesday, Maine had same-sex marriage.
Against all odds and projections,
the voters took it away.
fallout similar to that from the California
Prop 8 debacle last year. At the recent gay-
rights march in Washington, D.C., in Oc-
tober, many of the speakers called for an
all-hands-on-deck approach in Maine, making
gay marriage in one state the sole focus of
this election.
The saddest part of the battle for gay
rights is that marriage is at the center of
what those rights mean, even when there
are so many other issues that unify both gay
and straight communities.
Many gay rights advocates have chal-
proved a law allowing individuals in same-sex
couples to make funeral arrangements for
their deceased partners. This legislation was
urgently necessary to make legislative lead-
ers seem less callous and heartless in their
steadfast opposition to same-sex marriage or
civil unions.
Whether anti-gay Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65
signs the bill or not, the General Assembly and
its overwhelming Democratic supermajority,
by bravely tossing this bone to the gay com-
munity, managed to silence perhaps the most
heart-wrenching testimony presented in favor
of marriage equality at the yearly legislative
hearings on that subject. Undoubtedly, had
the bill not been passed at this special ses-
sion, legislators might have been forced to
hear such testimony on the harmful effects
of their inaction on gay rights again. Truly,
this was a crisis averted.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly,
the General Assembly stiffened penalties on
minors operating boats while intoxicated. Un-
questionably, delaying action on this crucial
measure for two months would have resulted
in a catastrophe of epic proportions.
Unfortunately, other, less pressing business
had to be left until January. Legislators are,
after all, part-time, and do have jobs outside
lenged Obama for not addressing gay is-
sues in the first year of his term. Obama’s
focus has been on health care, which is one
of the most pressing problems for the gay
community. Gay youth are more prone to
suicide and drug and alcohol addiction, and
gay girls are as likely to become pregnant
as their straight peers.
Same-sex couples don’t necessarily get
covered under one partner’s policy. Just
because gays share some of the same is-
sues as straights doesn’t mean we are being
ignored.
My greatest question about this is why
people who care about gay rights keep put-
ting gay marriage legislation up to a vote,
and then futilely hoping for victory. We aren’t
getting brownie points for effort. We keep
losing and wasting our money on campaigns
that don’t have a historical basis for hope.
The problem with the gay rights move-
ment right now is that it is too idealistic, and
is looking towards the wrong ideals to guide
it. A cursory glance back at American his-
tory shows that progressive change does not
come through the voters. It is almost always
Friday, November 6, 2009 | Page 7
of government. It is therefore understandable
that some issues just could not be consid-
ered during this special session and therefore
needed to be postponed.
The main issue that failed the make the
cut was the state’s rapidly worsening fiscal
condition. Some naysayers might argue that
last year’s $60 million deficit and this year’s
projected $60 million deficit warranted more
attention than allowing Rhode Island motorists
to buy license plates that indicate support for
the New England Patriots, or permitting bars
to stay open an extra hour (but not to serve
alcohol during that hour).
Such naysayers, however, clearly miss the
point, blindly focusing on Rhode Island’s im-
pending bankruptcy at the expense of many
more important issues. What use is a solvent
state government if, for example, intoxicated
teens can operate motorboats with impunity?
Can you put a price on the immediate incar-
ceration of women who sell sex in their own
homes? I didn’t think so.
Luckily, Rhode Island lawmakers recog-
nized the pressing issues facing the state, and
they traveled from far and wide to come back
into a special session specifically to address
them. And though the legislators have already
left town, the enduring legacy of their brief
presence will remain with us for quite some
time. The General Assembly bravely faced
the numerous crises confronting the state
and prioritized accordingly. All I can say as an
admiring citizen is: mission accomplished!
Tyler Rosenbaum ’11 is dismayed the
General Assembly didn’t act to penalize
drunken Segway drivers.
imposed on the voters, or on a significant
portion of the voters, to their utter dismay
before that dismay turns to acceptance.
Slaver y was forcibly abolished in the
South despite massive opposition. Women’s
suffrage came through legislative action,
despite widespread protest and almost a
centur y of building momentum for a con-
stitutional revision.
Civil rights were also legislative initia-
tives, and school desegregation and inter-
racial marriage were both judicially imposed.
Abortion was legalized through judicial ac-
tion years before the majority of Americans
believed that it was a woman’s right.
Democracy is about protecting the mi-
nority from the tyranny of the majority. The
majority voting to repress a minority goes
against the spirit of the Constitution. All this
demonstrates is the failure of the American
Republic to protect the rights of all its citi-
zens in a fundamental way. Representative
democracy provides a structure in which
many sets of values should be able to coex-
ist.
Obama promised during his campaign to
fight for equality, but we need to be fight-
ing, too. The gay rights community is not
monolithic: resources need to be allocated
in a way that represents the diverse needs
of a diverse community to achieve results
rather than become rhetoric for a future
campaign.
Susannah Kroeber ’11 really wants
to party it up at a post-election gay
marriage celebration.
 Today
The Brown Daily Herald
big lights will inspire you
Providence was aglow Thursday afternoon, as sunsets creep earlier.
c a l e n da r
Today, november 6
7 pm — MEZCLA “On a Boat,”
Salomon 101
8 pm — Brown University Chorus
Concert, Sayles Hall
menu
Sharpe Refectory
Lunch — Hot Pastrami Sandwich,
Vegan Vegetable Couscous, French
Green Beans with Tomatoes
Dinner — Cajun Baked Fish,
Vegan Stir Fried Noodles with Tofu,
Rice Pilaf
crossword
3
Nick Sinnott-Armstrong / Herald
saturday, november 7
7 PM — Rangeela! with Badmaash
Dance Company, Andrews Dining
Hall
8 pm — Brown New Music Presents:
Cage Match, Grant Recital Hall
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Rice
Pilaf with Zucchini, Baked Vegan
Nuggets
Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
Dinner — Paella with Mussels,
Baked Macaroni and Cheese,
Spinach-Stuffed Tomatoes
Hippomaniac | Mat Becker
to day to m o r r o w
Changing climate change
Black and gay in the Hay
5
Friday, November 6, 2009
49 / 30 52/ 38
Page 8
d i a m o n d s a n d c oa l
A diamond to Sayles Hall’s world-famous organ, which, not unlike the newly crowned World Series
champion Yankees, was born around 1903, fell into disrepair in the 1980s and was restored to glory in the
1990s. Despite those 16-foot pipes, though, it still doesn’t whine as loudly as A-Rod.
Coal to the developer who is proposing to build a $35 million luxury hotel on Brook Street. Beyond
the dissonance between “luxury hotel” and “Brook Street,” we don’t see why more expensive hospitality
is needed when Bagel Gourmet is already charging $9 for Mexican food.
A diamond to bioethicist Peter Singer for sharing an anecdote about how he first became interested
in animal rights when he saw a friend choose a salad over a dish with meat. A lot of Brown students get
where your friend was coming from — though it sometimes has less to do with vegetarianism and more to
do with the fact that those “chopped sirloin patties with onion sauce” look like dirty socks.
A cubic zirconium to a state senator’s proposal to consolidate all of Rhode Island’s cities and towns.
We’re not big fans of such a concentration of power — but it’s probably true that all of Central Falls’ one
square mile could fit snugly into the wine cellar of a Newport mansion.
A diamond to the Food Network for featuring our fine University on not one but two shows this week.
Now that the cable TV floodgates have opened, maybe the Discovery Channel will cancel on the Alaskan
tundra and come here to film “Man vs. Wild: The Friedman Center in February When the Heat is Off.”
Coal to the visiting performer whose avant-garde play “An Oak Tree” involves a second actor who has
not seen the script beforehand. We get it — watching people flounder is fun. But for real entertainment,
you could just watch the second-semester orgo kids get their midterms back next week.
A cubic zirconium to the new Thayer Street restaurant Better Burger Company. Your establishment
sounds good — or at least, as you say, “better” — but if you don’t serve barbeque tortellini pizza or Mexican
Philly cheesesteaks with frozen yogurt, you probably won’t last long around here.
A wistful diamond to Wednesday’s farmer’s market on Wriston — the last of the season — and those
delicious harvest vegetables. It was gourd while it lasted.
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