Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 110 | Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

UCS fails to B u on g iorno , B eppe U. to review

pass voting
change
By Suzannah Weiss
Senior Staff Writer
The Undergraduate Council of Stu-
dents defeated a proposal at Wednes-
day’s meeting that would have made it
easier to pass certain resolutions.
The plan would have allowed UCS
to pass resolutions and student group
categorizations by a simple majority.
UCS currently requires a two-thirds
majority of the voting general body
to pass resolutions, student group
categorizations, revisions to UCS’s
Code of Operations and Constitution
and motions to remove members.
After much discussion, the code
change failed 21-17 — a 55 percent
majority, but not enough to change
the rule.
Campus Life Chair Ben Farber
’12, who introduced the idea at the
policies after
party fight
By Sydney Ember
Senior Staff Writer
Details continue to emerge about the
party last Saturday in Alumnae Hall
that led to the arrest of four men in
attendance. According to the official
Providence Police Department report
obtained Wednesday by The Herald,
an individual threatened to return
to a Brown party with a handgun.
The University and Brown police
are conducting separate reviews of
event management in response to
the incident.
“At least one subject involved in
a disturbance had made comments
Kayleigh Butera / Herald
Italian journalist Beppe Severgnini spoke in Smith-Buonanno Hall Wednesday night about his latest book, “La Bella
Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind.”
continued on page 5
See story, page 3

Most students confident in financing education

UCS general body meeting last week,
said it “makes no sense” that Brown
has not adopted a simple majority
policy, as have all other Ivy League
schools.
Because UCS usually passes reso-
lutions with a large majority, he told
the general body, “this really will only
matter in a couple of situations, but
in general will make us more repre-
sentative of the student body.”
But requiring no more than a
simple majority could “allow for us
to pass half-hearted resolutions,” said
Brittaney Check ’12 at the meeting.
Several members agreed with Stu-
continued on page 4
By Alex Bell
Staff Writer
Though a majority of Brown stu-
dents expressed confidence about
their ability to finance their educa-
tion, a sizable proportion indicated
worry, according to a recent Herald
poll.
The poll found that 59.4 percent
of students reported being “some-
what confident” or “very confident”
with their abilities to finance their
educations, roughly the same re-
sponse as the spring Herald poll’s “options for how they could think loan component in the aid packages
60.2 percent. A total of 38.1 percent about financial aid.” of students who come from families
this semester said they were wor- For example, families with total of incomes greater than $100,000.
ried and 2.5 percent said they did parent earnings less than $60,000 Last month, Provost David
not know or had no answer. and assets less than $100,000 have Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 announced the
Currently, about 41 percent of no parental contribution, and those University’s decision to continue the
undergraduates with assets over policy that it introduced last year of
receive need- HERALD POLL $100,000 have a allowing students to pre-register for
based financial “significantly re- the next term’s classes regardless of
aid, said Director of Financial Aid duced contribution,” according to unpaid balances for previous terms.
Jim Tilton. He said several new ini- the Office of Financial Aid’s Web In his e-mail announcement to stu-
tiatives last year were “completely site. dents, Kertzer reminded families
timely” with regard to the economic Tilton said the University has
crisis to present families with new also “significantly decreased” the continued on page 2

Gov. would consider A pass to N. Korea for students, alums

domestic partnerships By Brigitta Greene
Senior Staff Writer
By Ben Schreckinger ing and possibly supporting domes-
Senior Staff Writer tic partnerships ... so long as any Tourists are allowed to enter only
legislation is not specific to one class two subway stations in Pyong-
Days after drawing criticism for veto- of citizens,” Kempe said. yang, North Korea. Descend-
ing a bill that would allow same-sex “This would not be solely for
couples to make funeral arrange- same-sex couples,” she added. FEATURE
ments for their partners, Gov. Don- According to a Nov. 14 Provi-
ald Carcieri ’65 has announced his dence Journal article, gay rights ing the escalator to the station
willingness to explore the creation groups in the state have criticized platform, they are accompanied
of legally recog- the potential domes- by “minders” — government em-
nized domestic METRO tic partnership as not ployees working with guides and
partnerships in going far enough. translators, watching the visitors’
Rhode Island. The governor’s veto statement every move.
But “nothing has been defined” for the funeral arrangements legis- And though both subway
in terms of the rights that such an lation — which would have applied stations are incredibly ornate
arrangement would afford, said Amy to same-sex relationships of at least — with vaulted ceilings, giant
Kempe, the governor’s press secre- one year in duration — gave three chandeliers and mosaics of happy
tary. The governor’s office is look- reasons for his rejection. Carcieri Korean workers — the experi-
ing at domestic partnership models wrote that a one-year relationship ence itself is eerily calculated,
from states such as Washington and might not be sufficiently committed, said Marie Lee, a visiting lecturer
Courtesy of Matt Reichel
Hawaii, she said.
continued on page 6 continued on page 4 Nicholas Young ’09, Matt Reichel ’09 and Jonathan Warren ’09 (from left)
Carcieri is “very open to explor- took students and academics to North Korea and China this summer.
inside

News.....1-5
Metro.....6
Metro, 6 Post- Opinions, 11
Spor ts...7-8 going green Papa papa papa-rotc follow your heart,
Editorial..10 New legislative panel Mag hits it up with young use your mind
Opinion...11 evaluates state’s marijuana authors and ROTC and One columnist says the
Today........12 policy stuff public option won’t work

www.browndailyherald.com 195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island herald@browndailyherald.com

Page 2 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Thursday, November 19, 2009

C ampus N EWS “It doesn’t surprise me.”

— Director of Financial Aid Jim Tilton, on concerns about paying for Brown

Teach for America’s Some worried about financing education

Kopp receives award
By Sarah Julian
Staff Writer
“Kids in urban and rural areas
have ever y bit of the potential
other kids do,” said Teach for
America founder Wendy Kopp to
a half-full Salomon 101 auditorium
last night.
The Pembroke Center for
Teaching and Research on
Women presented Kopp with a
Leadership for Change through
Education Award at the event.
Kopp accepted the award, saying
her work showed that the current
state of education is “a huge but
solvable problem.”
“We live in the United States
of America,” she said. This is a
countr y that “aspires to give all
of our kids equal chances.” But in
a nation where many classrooms
lack qualified and dedicated
teachers, not every child is given
that opportunity, Kopp said.
Kopp added that many people
believe there are students who
have issues that cannot be solved
by education — for example, as-
sumptions that their parents do
not care or they are not naturally
intelligent.
But in her experience, Kopp
has found that “when you give
kids the chances they deser ve,
they excel.”
The success of TFA has shown
the inherent ability of ever y stu-
dent, she said. Even in classrooms
with low achievement rates, quali-
fied and dedicated teachers can
vastly improve the situation. For
sudoku
this reason, she said, TFA must
“recruit as aggressively as we do
on college campuses.”
Fourteen percent of last year’s
senior class applied to the pro-
gram as a result of TFA’s heavy
recruiting at Brown, according to
Kopp. She also said she is hop-
ing that Providence will be one
of the next cities to start a TFA
branch.
But Kopp recognizes that the
program’s key limitation is “the
short-term aspect of what we do.”
The system needs to change so
that students can be productive
working with teachers who are
“talented, but not superheroes,”
she said.
The other award recipient, Hil-
lar y Salmons, is the executive
director of the Providence After
School Alliance, which provides
students with productive and edu-
cational afterschool activities.
Education “is our collective
responsibility and should be our
nation’s priority,” Salmons said.
She said her dream for Provi-
dence is to extend learning past
the classroom. Students are
currently “hitting the street at
2:30,” she said. Salmons aims
to provide activities so that stu-
dents “will not be able to tell the
difference between school and
afterschool.”
Kate Kolbert-Hyle ’10, who at-
tended the lecture, said Kopp “is
ver y impressive and expresses
her mission well. She doesn’t
hesitate to point out the broader
problems.”
continued from page 1
that other sources of financial aid
How confident or worried are you about your or your
exist, even if students aren’t eligible
for University aid.
family’s ability to finance your Brown education?
Still, Tilton said, “based on the
economy, it doesn’t surprise me
that students and parents would be Don’t know / No answer: 2.5%
somewhat concerned about how
they would pay for college.”
He distinguished between funds
Very worried:
Brown provides students and funds
10.3%
the University can help families find
from other sources. “Our counsel-
ing sessions have become more of
making sure we provide as many
options as possible.” Very confident: 33.2%
Tilton, a former U.S. Department
of Education official, said he encour- Somewhat worried: 27.8%
ages families to seriously consider
federal loan programs instead of
looking only at how much financial
aid students can get from the Uni-
versity. He said Brown is one of the
Somewhat confident: 26.2%
few Ivy League universities involved
in the Federal Direct Loan Program,
which allows students to receive
low-interest loans directly from the
federal government, as opposed to
going through banks.
But when dealing with interna-
tional, transfer and Resumed Un-
dergraduate Education students, said international students have a more aid.
Tilton said, the situation is a little more difficult time finding lenders “If you’re in the middle of the
different. who will give loans to them, but the bracket, Brown doesn’t really sup-
The Admission Office is not University works with ones known port you as much,” he said.
need-blind but rather “need-aware” to make international loans. Stella Chung ’13, whose tuition
for these students, who must declare Chris Sulawko ’13, whose tuition is almost entirely covered by Uni-
on their applications whether they’re is financed almost entirely through versity grants through the Sidney
interested in financial aid. the University, said he feels “pretty Frank Scholarship Fund, said the
While transfer and RUE students confident” that Brown will continue lack of financial availability for mid-
enjoy the same eligibilities for fed- to support him financially. But he dle-income students discouraged
eral loans as other students, “for noted that as his financial situation some of her friends from attending
international students it’s a little improves, he fears the University Brown.
tougher,” according to Tilton. He may take away disproportionately Ben Zhang ’10, an international
student from China who transferred
to Brown last year, said he was satis-
fied with the University’s contribu-
tion of all but $2,000 of his tuition.
He finances the rest of his tuition by
working as a TA, he said.
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.

Daily Herald
the Brown

Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260

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Michael Bechek, Vice President Alexander Hughes, Secretary
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serv-
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
C ampus N EWS
U. 12th-best value among private colleges
By Monique Vernon
Staf f Writer
How much bang are you getting
for your buck?
According to new rankings
in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
magazine, Brown gives the 12th-
best value of education among the
nation’s private universities. The
University came in 7th among the
Ivy League universities, with only
Cornell placing lower and Princ-
eton finishing as the top Ivy in the
nation.
The rankings focused mostly on
universities’ ability to provide stu-
dents with both a strong education
and financial aid. Using a numeri-
cal system, Kiplinger ranked 100
schools based on 10 categories,
including admissions rate, SAT and
ACT scores, cost after need-based
aid and debt after graduation.
Though Brown’s ranking has
remained the same since 2008,
some of the statistics that helped
determine the University’s place-
ment have shifted.
The average amount of student
debt increased to $19,390, while
the amount of grant aid distributed
to students increased to 89 percent.
In 2008, students averaged $15,940
in debt and received an average of
84 percent in grant aid.
continued on page 5
Panel tackles urban policy in the economic crisis
By Nicole Boucher
Contributing Writer
In the year since President Barack
Obama’s election, the revitalization
of the nation’s cities and economy
have emerged as key areas for fed-
eral action. Wednesday afternoon’s
panel called “President Obama and
America’s Cities” focused on the
challenges and opportunities that
lie ahead for urban America, as a
group of four professors and lo-
cal officials discussed job creation
in the recession and Obama’s ap-
proach to urban revitalization in
front of a small audience at Brown/
RISD Hillel.
“What we are trying to achieve
in the city is jobs,” said panelist
Thomas Deller, director of Provi-
In September the class of 2013 started an education which, according to
one ranking, is the 12th-best value among the nation’s private schools.
dence’s Department of Planning
and Development. The economic
stimulus package passed this year
by Congress primarily provided
money for jobs, he said, adding
that a bill currently in Congress
could bring more people into the
workforce through job creation.
Much still remains to be done to
create employment opportunities
in urban areas, said panelist Scott
Lang, mayor of New Bedford, Mass.
Unemployment is currently on the
rise, he said, because the economic
stimulus money “went through a
filter.” Consequently, cities worked
to maintain jobs instead of gaining
them, “not putting a dent in unem-
ployment numbers,” he said.
The bill currently in Congress
“has to be directly correlated with
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Max Monn / Herald File Photo
how many people are put to work,”
Lang said. Job creation is central
to improving the economy, and in
turn, “the economy will dictate how
much we get done in urban areas,”
he said.
Panelists also addressed the
long-term policies Obama has laid
out for urban growth and revitaliza-
tion beyond the current recession.
Obama is proposing improvement
through collaboration between cit-
ies and their suburbs in a system of
metropolitan partnership that does
not currently exist, Deller said.
Such collaboration could result
in a decrease in the “cost of local
government,” he said, but added
that it “takes away from the atten-
continued on page 4
Journalist holds forth
on the Italian psyche
By Goda Thangada
Contributing Writer
Italian journalist Beppe Severgnini
entertained a large audience with
his quips about the idiosyncrasies
of the Italian psyche Wednesday
night.
“Italy is bewildering,” he said.
“Italy is a country that could pro-
duce both Botticelli and Berlusco-
ni. They both have a passion for
blondes, but that’s the only thing
that they share.”
Severgnini also read passages
from his latest book, “La Bella
Figura: A Field Guide to the Ital-
ian Mind,” to the group of local
fans and students crowded into
Smith-Buonanno Hall 106.
Severgnini drew the biggest
laughs when he described Ameri-
can stereotypes of Italy. “American
ladies love Italy,” he said. “In their
Italy, it’s perfectly legal to have
fantasies about anything.”
American women tend to flock
to Tuscany, he added, where their
“main occupation is to drink white
wine at sunset with a young Ital-
ian man who looks like George
Clooney in his 30s.”
Severgnini said he tried to shed
this romantic stereotype in his
book by giving outsiders a glimpse
of the authentic Italian mindset.
“My publisher was horrified,”
he said, “He said to me, ‘You’re
trashing every single American
fantasy about Italy.’”
Severgnini then drew two col-
umns on the chalk board, one for
troublesome traits and another for
good things — represented by the
letters “I” and “G,” respectively.
The first “I” was “intelligent.”
“To be intelligent at all times is
a problem,” he said. “The intel-
ligence I mean is what the British
call ‘cleverness.’ There is a clever-
ness that keeps us down all the
time.”
www.browndailyherald.com
Page 3
Severgnini launched into a cri-
tique of Italian politics with “impro-
vise” and “iniucio,” a Neopolitan
slang term referring to under-the-
table dealings. Italian politicians
“think because they are intuitive,
they can do without what you in
America call ‘homework,’” he said,
adding that the Italian people’s per-
ception of its government leads
them to distrust authorities.
“You accept the fact that who-
ever is in power will sort of care
about his own interests and you
hope that he will care a little about
yours,” he said.
Severgnini countered some
negative traits with Italians’ more
positive qualities, particularly their
generosity.
“Their first reaction is to be
generous,” Severgnini said. “You
instinctively trust people,” he said.
At the same time, he also referred
to Italians as gutsy. “If you’re not
gutsy in Italy, you have a nervous
breakdown,” he said.
Proceeding through the posi-
tive terms, he wrote down “gusto,”
or taste. “We have a kind of flaw-
less sense of beauty,” he said.
Severgnini then moved on
to “genius.” Severgnini liberally
praised Italian talents such as Mi-
chelangelo and Galileo, but added
that the country needs “a little
emergency to get going” and is
“not entirely convinced it can do
and change things.”
“Political life is based on an-
nouncement,” he said, “In politics,
often they use this trick of declar-
ing what they want to do in two,
three years’ time.”
Severgnini said he is worried
about Italy primarily because of
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime
minister, whom he views as a poor
leader.
But “Italy will never fail,” he
said. “We are too old, we’ve seen
it all.”
Page 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Thursday, November 19, 2009

C ampus N EWS “When you’re in North Korea, the government completely

takes over.” — Marie Lee, visiting lecturer in race and ethnicity

Stolen chairs, indecent Alums send tourists to N. Korea

exposure at Rock continued from page 1
“A lot of people have these con-
spiracy theories,” he said. “The most
Young are “wise beyond their years,”
Gold said.
The following summary includes 5:45 p.m. She said she put her wal- in race and ethnicity at Brown. There important thing is to observe and The trio has over five years of
all major incidents reported to the let under her scarf and went to get are myths that the whole metro sys- not assume.” combined experience living in China
Department of Public Safety between some food. When she returned to tem itself is a hoax, that it exists only Group members were forbidden — not to mention significant time
Nov. 3 and Nov. 11. It does not in- the table, she discovered her wallet as an act for foreigners, shuttling from discussing their reactions while in North Korea and surrounding
clude general service and alarm calls. had been stolen. them from point A to point B. in the country. “We were told not to areas — and has come to establish
The Providence Police Department Lee traveled to China and North discuss things at dinner, or in the ele- personal contacts in the region.
responds to incidents occurring both Nov. 7 Korea this summer as a member of vator, or in our rooms,” said Thomas 5 passes, which is named for
on and off campus. DPS does not di- 4:48 p.m. A student stated that the group “5 passes,” a company Gold, a sociology professor at the the region in China where it will
vulge information on open cases that she placed her laptop on a table at founded by Matt Reichel ’09, Jona- University of California, Berkeley. be based, will launch two new pro-
are currently under investigation by the Sharpe Refectory and covered it than Warren ’09 and Nicholas Young “Everything was bugged.” grams next year, offering up to six
the department, the Providence Police with her backpack. The laptop was ’09, which offers summer study and After accidentally leaving his trips over the course of the sum-
Department or the Office of Student in a black case. She then went to get tour programs in East Asia. camera unlocked in the hotel room, mer, Reichel said. A new “North
Life. DPS maintains a daily log of all dinner. When she returned to the This summer’s tour — 5 passes’ Gold returned to find some of his Korea Expedition” will venture
shift activity and general service calls, table, her laptop case and computer inaugural voyage — was an incred- photos had been deleted. into more remote places in North
which can be viewed during business were gone. ible success, Reichel said, adding The group was accompanied by Korea, China and Russia, giving
hours at its headquarters, located at that the social dynamic among the two government-issued tour guides participants the “extremely rare”
75 Charlesfield St. 9:16 p.m. Student complainant 19 group members created an at- and one government-issued minder. opportunity to experience locations
stated that at approximately 8:30 p.m., mosphere of constant intellectual Though Reichel, Warren and Young where few tourists have ventured
Nov. 5 he left Josiah’s to visit some friends. excitement. planned the itinerary, there were a before.
12:26 p.m. It was reported that At 9 p.m., he remembered that he Lee described her experience on limited number of places the group The company’s second new pro-
there had been left his book bag the trip in an essay for the New York was allowed to go, Reichel said. gram, touring both North and South
a larceny of two CRIME LOG sitting on the floor Times magazine in October. After five days in North Korea, Korea, will run either one or two
chairs on Nov. 4 at in Josiah’s. He “When you’re in North Korea, the group flew back to China, where trips each summer. Reichel said he
the Rockefeller Library. The chairs then returned and found his book the government completely takes they had a three-hour “debriefing” anticipates 5 passes will continue
were described as desk-type, with bag, but his laptop was missing. over,” she told The Herald. “To some session to process the experience, to be granted access to the Arirang
higher backs and wheels. They are degree, everything just felt sort of Gold said. Mass Games — a celebrated na-
valued at $650 each. Detectives are Nov. 8 Disney-fied.” “It was very intense,” he said. tionalistic, highly-regimented form
investigating the case, and there are 9:49 p.m. Two female Brown Her essay focused on a particular “Everybody was just holding it in for of performing arts — for at least
suspects at this time. students stated they were in the experience in the mountains outside so long — it was just an explosion another two years.
basement level of the Rockefeller the city. The group was taken by bus of intellectual energy.” Participants cannot be journalists
1:11 p.m. A Brown student work- Library studying in a work station to have a traditional clam “bulgogi,” Students composed about a third or carry South Korean passports,
er at Josiah’s stated that at about 9 when they noticed a middle-aged or barbecue. They were surrounded of the group, and the rest — includ- but aside from that, there are no
p.m. on Nov. 4 she went to the bank male talking on a cell phone. When by smiling, jovial fellow picnickers, ing Grace Lee, Marie Lee’s mother restrictions, Reichel said.
and withdrew $200, placed it in her one of the females took a closer look, enjoying an afternoon in the park. — were professors from various While in North Korea, Lee —
wallet and continued on to work. she realized the male had his penis “I suddenly started to see every- universities. who did not carry notebooks with
When she arrived at work, she put exposed and was looking directly thing anew,” she wrote. “Why were “It was really exciting because of her across the border — took notes
her purse in the back room. She said at her. The subject fled on foot. Of- the picnickers here in the middle of how well people interacted,” Reichel on small scraps of paper and the
when she woke up at about 8 a.m. ficers searched the area with nega- the workday? Why was their food, said, adding that he hadn’t antici- notepad feature of her iPod touch.
on Nov. 5, she went into her wallet tive results. those perfect pyramids of fruit, un- pated that individual members would Though Lee’s skeptical essay in
to retrieve the $200 to put into her touched before they pulled us over? become so close. a national magazine may threaten
safe, but there was only $80 in it at Nov. 9 Even the boy; I peered at his easel as Gold called the group’s intense- her ability to return to the country,
that time. She stated her purse was 4:20 p.m. A Brown student re- I walked back and saw he was using ly close dynamic “extraordinary.” she said it’s a risk she is willing to
never out of her sight except for the ported that his bike was stolen from a kind of paint-by-numbers kit.” He added, “The nature of going to take.
time she was at work. Marcy House. He stated he secured The other group members ex- North Korea is such a draining ex- “As long as I can do these things,
his bicycle in the bike room on Oct. pressed varying degrees of skepti- perience.” I write about them for those people
6:57 p.m. A Brown student 30 at 3 p.m. When he returned on cism, but Reichel said tourists must Though it was their first time who can’t go,” she said. “People are
stated that she went to eat at the Nov. 5 at 5 p.m., he noticed the bi- learn to take their experience “at leading a trip through China and just completely fascinated. Nobody
Sharpe Refectory at approximately cycle was missing. face value.” North Korea, Reichel, Warren and knows what being there is like.”

UCS rejects simple-majority voting Urban development

continued from page 1

dent Activities Chair Brady Wyrtzen

key issue in recession
’11, who said, “If we were to make the
vote a simple majority, our resolu-
tions would mean even less.”
“Why should we change this be-
cause of how other legislative bodies
are operating?” Wyrtzen said.
Part of the reasoning behind
Brown’s two-thirds requirement
involves UCS’s open membership
policy, which welcomes all students
who want to join and can get 150 sig-
natures from their peers, UCS Vice
President Diane Mokoro ’11 told The
Herald. “We can be more certain that
we are actually representing student
voices if we have a two-thirds majority
vote,” she added.
“We don’t actually represent the
student body, in that we weren’t all
elected to be here,” Wyrtzen said
during the meeting.
According to Farber’s research,
Brown and Dartmouth are the only
Ivies whose student government
members are not all elected.
After a heated debate about the
logistics of passing resolutions,
followed by the vote, UCS Presi-
dent Clay Wertheimer ’10 told the
general body that, though resolu-
tions are important, the ways UCS
members “create the most change
on campus” are through working
on committee projects and “going
to the administrators and being
proactive.”
After the meeting, Farber said he
was only “mildly disappointed” that
the code change didn’t pass.
“I’m really pleased that we had
some good debate and some good
discussion about our role as rep-
resentatives of the student body,”
Farber said.
Mokoro said this was “the first
time in the semester that something
that was proposed got this much con-
tention.”
At the meeting, UCS also passed
a revision to the Undergraduate Fi-
nance Board’s constitution updating
the allocation of UFB seats, since
some of the groups that previously
held them are now defunct, and
opened the hearings of the UFB’s
Appeals Board so that third parties
can sit in on them.
continued from page 3
tion that cities need.”
But there is limited incentive
for regions to work together as the
plan outlines, said panelist Wilbur
Rich, professor of political science
at Wellesley College.
Rich emphasized that all ur-
ban policy decisions — especially
plans to support job creation —
must be examined in the context
of “fast capitalism,” a “global hy-
per-competition for production
jobs.”
The New Deal and the Great
Society were “relevant for slow
capitalism, not fast capitalism,” he
said. The Obama administration
stresses “an uplift discourse for
minority communities” in cities,
a plan that is not adapted to the
constraints of fast capitalism, he
said. Policymakers must move
away from plans meant for a sys-
tem based on slow capitalism, he
added, to deal effectively with
urban problems.
Sam Wolfson ’10 said he par-
ticularly enjoyed hearing Lang’s
point of view. “He was practical
and to the point, and it was in-
teresting to get on-the-ground
perspective.”

www.browndailyherald.com
Thursday, November 19, 2009 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Page 5

C ampus N EWS
U. reviews event policies after fight U. ranks 12th for value
continued from page 1

consistent with getting a handgun

and returning to a party on Brown
University property,” according to
the report.
During the “Scandalous” party,
which was hosted by the Delta Sig-
ma Theta sorority, an individual also
“tried to grab at a Brown officer’s gun
in his holster,” PPD Chief Dean Es-
serman told The Herald on Tuesday.
Brown Department of Public Safety
officers also used pepper spray to
break up a disturbance at the event
before they summoned PPD for
backup.
According to the report, Provi-
dence police “observed several hun-
dred subjects” leaving Alumnae Hall
when they responded to the DPS re-
quest at approximately 1 a.m. Sunday.
More than two dozen attendees were
“swearing and yelling obscenities”
at DPS, who notified PPD that they
already had “at least” two people in
custody by the time PPD arrived at
the scene, according to the report.
These suspects, Kenny Jean of
Bridgewater, Mass. and John Ger-
mainmartinez of Boston, were arrest-
ed by PPD at the DPS headquarters
and taken to the PPD central station,
according to the report. Two other
suspects, Jide Disu and Mario Monte,
both of Randolph, Mass., were asked
to leave the scene of the party by
PPD, but, after multiple requests,
were placed in custody and taken
to the central station on charges of
“obstruction of public ways.”
The four suspects are not Brown
students.
The incident has raised questions
regarding party management and
security at the University, prompt-
ing internal reviews by both Brown
Police and University officials.
Providence police are leaving the
review to the University.
“Ever ything went through
Brown,” said Lt. John Ryan, com-
mander of PPD District 9, which
includes Brown. He said DPS and
PPD plan to review the security
plans in place at Brown to prevent
similar situations from occurring
in the future. Though the review is
still pending, Ryan said there were
“too many people for that space” in
Alumnae Hall.
Andrew Annaldo, the chairman
of the Providence Board of Licenses,
told The Herald he sent a letter to
Vice President for Campus Life and
Student Services Margaret Klawunn
Wednesday morning, in which he
asked about safety measures for a
party set to be held at the Brown Art
House on Friday.
“I wanted to know if it was going
to be safe,” he said, though he said
he did not plan to categorically deny
approval for future Brown event appli-
cations. After meeting with Klawunn,
Ryan, DPS officers and students in-
volved in organizing Friday’s party,
Annaldo said he was satisfied with the
measures Brown planned to imple-
ment to prevent similar incidents.
“They’re beefing up security on
the party that’s going to happen on
Nov. 20,” he said, adding that he was
informed at the meeting that Brown
had “more people involved in crowd
control.”
Annaldo said he plans to check on
Brown’s progress regarding event
management in the next few weeks
and will consider all future events on
a case-by-case basis.
“I’m just protecting the public
interest,” he said. “We have a great
working relationship with Brown.”
Klawunn said the meeting with
Annaldo was successful in convincing
the licensing board that Brown was
taking Saturday’s incident seriously
and adopting more stringent manage-
ment and security procedures.
“There’s no blanket opposition”
from the board, she said. “They found
it helpful that we were so respon-
sive to the event that happened this
weekend.”
among private colleges
Places second to last among Ivies
continued from page 3
The gap between Brown and
other Ivy League institutions can
be explained by their approach
to financial aid and differences
in endowments, said Director of
Financial Aid Jim Tilton.
“If you look at all the others,
they don’t have loans as part of
the need-based aid,” Tilton said.
“When you look at particularly
Princeton, Harvard and Yale, they
have a different way to determine
need.”
But Brown has taken steps
toward expanding its financial aid
policy, Tilton said. Many changes
have occurred with the introduc-
tion of the Plan for Academic En-
richment in 2004 and the goals
set by President Ruth Simmons,
he said.
One such change, implement-
ed in 2007, is the University’s
need-blind policy for domestic
students, Tilton said.
Tilton added that the 2001-02
budget for financial aid was $29
million, while the 2009-10 budget
has more than doubled to $76.5
million.
“We tr y to listen to the needs
of our students and families,”
Tilton said. “Brown made and
continues to make a huge com-
mitment to financial aid.”
“Those kind of commitments
continue to add to the overall fi-
nancial aid budget,” he said.
Over the course of three
years, the University’s new poli-
cies have decreased the amount
of loans that students have to
take out and the amount of debt
they have accumulated after
graduation.
Over 62 percent of students
who get financial aid have no
loans, up from 6 percent two
years ago, Tilton added.
The University’s financial aid
program has developed over only
a few years, Tilton said, adding
that in this amount of time “the
kinds of things we can do for our
individual students ... is impres-
sive.”

UC regents approve controversial student fee increase

By Larry Gordon
Los Angeles Times
Caught between state funding cuts and
rowdy student protests, a key commit-
tee of the University of California’s
Board of Regents on Wednesday
reluctantly approved a controversial,
two-step student fee increase that would
raise undergraduate education costs
by more than $2,500, or 32 percent,
by next fall.
If the action is endorsed as expected
by the full board
Thursday, basic WORLD &
UC education
fees, including campus-based charges,
would average $11,287 annually, or
about triple the UC costs of a decade
ago. Room, board and books often add
an additional $16,000.
The regents faced a large and noisy
rally at the UCLA hall where they met,
and demonstrations were also held at
several other UC campuses across
the state. But regents, some saying
it was their toughest decision during
their board tenure, contended they
could not avoid the fee hikes without
damaging the academic quality of the
10-campus university, which enrolls
229,100 students.
“I hate to say it, but if you have
no choice, you have no choice,” UC
President Mark G. Yudof told report-
ers after the committee vote. He said
he empathized with student anger, but
said it would be better directed toward
lawmakers who have cut education
funding.
The regents acted despite appeals
from students such as Victor Sanchez,
president of the UC Student Associa-
tion, who urged the board at least to
postpone a vote until the outlines of next
year’s state budget are clear.
“These proposals are egregious
to say the very least,” said Sanchez, a
UC Santa Cruz senior. He added that
“the dreams of so many are being shat-
tered as we speak. When will enough
be enough?”
Fourteen people were arrested for
interrupting the meeting with anti-fee
hike chants and choruses of “We Shall
Overcome,” halting the session three
times. Outside, some in a crowd of
about 500 students and labor union
activists threw sticks and other objects
and pushed against a
NATION large contingent of
campus police in riot
gear. Several students and police suf-
fered minor injuries, police said.
“Fees are going to be so high that
people are not going to be able to attend
this institution,” said Kenia Acevedo,
a UCLA law student who joined the
protests. “It is a devastation to what is
supposed to be a public institution.”
The fee hikes by UC and similar
increases by the California State Uni-
versity system earlier this year are part
of a national trend. As the recession hit
tax revenues hard, states are shifting
more of the cost of public colleges and
universities to students.
The regents’ finance committee
approved the new fees for UC’s un-
dergraduates by 10-1, with only stu-
dent regent Jesse Bernal voting no.
The full regents’ board is expected to
endorse the change today, along with
some even higher increases for profes-
sional school students such as law and
medicine.
In addition to the jump in basic
fees, students in professional schools
will see an increase in the surcharges
for their degrees ranging from $280
to nearly $5,700 more a year depend-
ing on their major and campus. For
2010-2011, for example, basic fees 14 arrested inside, 12 were students, higher, by about $300, than the average
for business graduate students at UC Greenstein said. of those four institutions, according to
Berkeley will be $41,654, not including Critics say UC should first take a UC report.
living expenses; for UCLA law school, more steps to reduce wasteful spend- In January, the regents reduced
$40,522; for UC San Francisco medical ing, trim the highest executive salaries freshman fall enrollment for the cur-
school, $31,095. and use more income from profitable rent year by 2,300 students, or about
If regents approve the increases, medical centers to aid other pro- 6 percent, because of what they de-
undergraduates will first see a $585 grams. scribed as insufficient state funding.
rise in their systemwide fees for the UC often compares its finances to On Wednesday, they approved a re-
rest of the current academic year. Start- four other public universities: SUNY quest to the state that would increase
ing next fall, they would also pay an Buffalo and top state universities in funding by $913 million and warned
additional $1,344. Illinois, Michigan and Virginia. With that they might cut the freshman class
Given large cuts in state financing the new fee hikes, UC’s costs for un- next fall by another 2,300 if enough
and grim predictions for next year, dergraduates for the first time would be money is not available.
the regents said they had to hike fees
to avoid further reductions in course
offerings, faculty hiring and student
services that were already felt this year.
They also said they do not want to ex-
tend into a second year a furlough pro-
gram that reduces most UC employees’
pay by 4 percent to 10 percent.
UC administrators emphasized that
a third of the income from the under-
graduate fee hikes and half of the extra
graduate fees will go toward financial
aid, and that more than half of its un-
dergraduates would be fully cushioned
from the increases. The regents panel
also approved a policy that would cover
all the basic education fees with UC,
state and federal aid for families with
annual incomes under $70,000, up from
$60,000 this year.
The promises about financial aid
did not calm students’ anger at the re-
gents, however. At one point, the crowd
outside the meeting hall at UCLA’s
Covel Commons surged against the
doors and a few people threw sticks,
plastic bottles and rags dipped in vin-
egar at police, according to UCLA po-
lice spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.
She said campus police used taser guns
twice in light stun mode. No arrests
were made outside the building. Of the
Metro
The Brown Daily Herald
“What I want for this panel is for us to be taken seriously.”
— State Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Dist. 28

Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Page 6

State re-evaluates marijuana policy

By Claire Peracchio
Staff Writer
In the latest development in the
debate over marijuana policy in
Rhode Island, a legislative panel
is evaluating changes to the state’s
laws regarding the drug.
The nine-member commission,
which was created by a state Senate
resolution in July, had its first meet-
ing yesterday at the State House.
The initial gathering focused on
establishing an organizational
framework for future meetings
and also touched on endorsing
possible changes to state policy
after its fourth gathering at the end
of January.
The panel, chaired by state Sen.
Joshua Miller, D-Dist. 28, also in-
cluded Harvard economist Jeffrey
Miron, Brown Professor Emeri-
tus of Medicine and Community
Health David Lewis and representa-
tives from the Rhode Island Fam-
ily Life Center, the Rhode Island
State Nurses Association and the
Rhode Island Association of Crimi-
nal Defense Lawyers. Professor of
Economics Glenn Loury is also a
member of the panel, though he did
adapted to Rhode Island, Miller told
The Herald. In November 2008,
Massachusetts voters approved a
referendum to decriminalize mari-
juana and to impose a $100 fine
on adults who are caught with an
ounce or less of the substance.
The resolution to create the
panel proposed that it address the
ramifications of legalizing marijua-
na, specifically the effects of levying
a $35 “sin tax” on its sale. The com-
mission was also charged with as-
sessing the effects of current laws
on the drug’s availability and use
among the general population, as
well as its ties to crime.
This resolution was the second
recent bill dealing with marijuana
to be considered in the General
Assembly. The first, proposed in
February by state Sen. Leo Blais,
R-Dist. 21, sought to decriminalize
the possession of an ounce or less
of marijuana in a manner similar
to the Massachusetts law but was
scuttled before it left committee.
Miller made it clear that the
panel would be constrained by
the political realities of legislating
marijuana policy evinced by Blais’
efforts.
Rhode Island’s current bud-
get deficit of about $200 million
makes the fiscal, rather than the
social, dimension of any analysis of
marijuana policy especially salient,
Miller said.
The panel discussed a state po-
lice report documenting 391 arrests
for marijuana possession since Jan.
1, 2008. Miller said the report indi-
cated that state resources allocated
to enforce marijuana policy could
be diverted to other areas that the
state deemed more important.
Other commission members
expressed concern regarding the
cumulative expenses linked to mari-
juana arrests, particularly those
associated with detaining suspects
overnight and imposing bail.
Though yesterday’s meeting
was largely procedural, it did offer
an opportunity for panel members
to share their views on marijuana
policy. Miron said a financial out-
look “clearly points toward legal-
ization” as the most advantageous
option, yet he said later that even
this would not make a huge im-
pact in alleviating the state’s dire Kim Perley / Herald File Photo
financial situation. Money, he said, The governor’s office will look to Washington and Hawaii as models of a
should not be the primary reason potential domestic partnership system in the Ocean State.

Carcieri not against

not attend Wednesday’s meeting. “At a minimum, what I want for for loosening restrictions on mari-
One of the primary motivations this panel is for us to be taken seri- juana consumption — instead, the
behind the panel’s creation was the ously,” he said. “I don’t think any focus should be on limiting govern-

need to assess the decriminaliza-
tion of marijuana in Massachusetts
and whether this policy could be
legislation will be taken seriously in
this coming session unless it repre-
sents a relief of resources.”
www.browndailyherald.com
ment interference and improving
people’s welfare.
Lewis also highlighted the im-
portance of reassessing Rhode
Island’s marijuana policy.
“People nationally and in the
state underestimate the costs and
issues with possession arrests,” he
said. “Rhode Island is small enough
and smart enough to think about
marijuana possession as to how
much criminalization should take
place.”
domestic partnerships
continued from page 1
that it was difficult to ascertain the
exact duration of a relationship and
that the bill represented “a disturb-
ing trend over the past few years
of the incremental erosion of the
principles surrounding traditional
marriage.”
Kempe said Rhode Island law
already allows any adult to fill out
a form giving an individual of his
choice authority over his funeral ar-
rangements. The veto message does
not mention this preexisting law.
“I would have been hoping that
(Carcieri) would have had the decen-
cy to pass this one,” Aida Manduley
’11, head chair of the Brown Queer
Alliance — an umbrella organization
of LGBTQ student groups — said
of the bill.
Manduley said the governor’s
later announcement struck her as
an attempt to “save face,” and did
not necessarily represent real gains
for gay rights.
The veto rankled gay rights advo-
cates and was satirized at length on
the Colbert Report. Carcieri, an ac-
tive member of the Catholic Church,
announced his openness to domes-
tic partnerships after meeting with
Queer Action of Rhode Island, one of
the groups critical of his veto.
But according to Kempe, the gov-
ernor has always been open to the
idea of domestic partnerships.
“Nobody’s ever asked him,” she
said. “They’ve just made assump-
tions.”
But the governor’s “actions have
said way more than his words have,”
Manduley said. “Unless we see ac-
tion, I feel they are empty words and
empty promises.”
The title “domestic partnership”
was not necessarily a drawback in
itself, Manduley said. There is no
need to “kill ourselves over seman-
tics,” she said. “I’d rather have the
rights regardless of name.”
But a domestic partnership sys-
tem without full parity would be “bet-
ter than nothing,” Manduley said.
SportsWeekend
The Brown Daily Herald
W. volleyball sweeps
Cornell, loses two games
By Elisabeth Avallone
Sports Staff Writer
The volleyball team concluded a
bumpy season this week with an
exciting sweep of Cornell, followed
by disappointing losses to Columbia
and Yale. The Bears finished the sea-
son 6-19 overall, with a 2-12 record
in the Ivy League.
The Bears toppled Cornell, 3-0, on
Friday night in one of their strongest
performances of the season. They
fought hard against Columbia the
following day, almost pulling off an
upset, but they fell short of victory,
3-2. Yale, one of the Ivy League’s
strongest contenders, stormed past
Brown in a decisive 3-0 sweep.
“We had a fantastic and support-
ive team environment that kept us
motivated and driven through it all,”
said co-captain Moira Gallagher ’10.
“And, as a senior, I would say that
Escareno ’10 shines as cross country ends season
By Fred Milgrim
Contributing Writer
The men’s and women’s cross
country teams traveled to Frank-
lin Park in Boston last weekend to
compete in the NCAA Northeast
Regional meet, with the men finish-
ing sixth overall and the women
taking ninth. The meet wrapped
this year was a rebuilding year and I
know the team will accomplish great
things in the future.”
Katrina Post ’13 recorded a
team-high 11 kills on Friday eve-
ning, sparking a .291 team attack
percentage for the victory over the
Big Red. Brown held the lead for
the vast majority of the match, so-
lidifying the sweep in three sets,
with scores of 25-18, 25-18 and 25-17.
Brianna Williamson ’11 recorded 10
kills and nine digs, while Annika
Gliottone ’12 had a match-high 24 as-
sists and an additional 10 digs. Carly
Cotton ’13 had a match-high 19 digs
to fortify the Bears’ defense.
The Bears saw less success in
their following matches, as they fell
to both Columbia and Yale. Despite
Brown’s 14--7 lead over Columbia in
the first set, the Lions fought back
continued on page 8
up the fall season, highlighted by
another strong performance from
Christian Escareno ’10.
Escareno took 10th place, run-
ning the 10-kilometer course in
31:19. Along with the top-10 finish,
Escareno earned himself Brown’s
first spot in the men’s Nationals
race since 2004. If he places in the
top 40 in the Terre Haute, Ind., Na-
Women’s volleyball closes out the season with a win and two disap-
pointing losses.
tionals race on Nov. 23, Escareno
will add All-American to his resume
as well.
Since the start of the season,
his goal was to reach Nationals
and place in the top 40, he said.
Escareno, who is from Illinois, used
to attend the NCAA meet with his
high school coach.
“I remember always being in
Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Page 7
Nicholas Sinnott-Armstrong / Herald
complete awe of how fast collegiate
runners were,” he said. “Now I get
to run there myself and couldn’t be
any more grateful and proud for the
chance to compete against the top
runners in the nation.”
Leading the women’s team once
again was Ariel Wright ’10, who
continued on page 8
Ochocinco
is numero
uno to me
There are some people in the world
of sports that, well, are hated. And
usually, there are good reasons to
hate said people.
Michael Vick killed dogs. Terrell
Owens is a crybaby. Bill Belichick
is a successful man who was caught
cheating. Barry Bonds has a head
the size of an elevator. Mark Teixeira
has the face of a 10-year-old child on
the body of a
Ethan Hammerman
30-year-old Nail’d
man. Omar
Minaya called out a reporter for,
well, reporting a story. Marty Mc-
Sorley — hockey reference! — hit
a guy in the head with a stick. The
list goes on and on.
As you can see, there are a lot
of people I hate in the sports world.
However, there is one notable excep-
tion to this rule: Chad Ochocinco.
Some cannot stand Ochocinco.
They dislike his antics and feel that he
contributes to the NFL’s prima donna
wide receiver reputation. They hate
the fact that he has larger-than-life
touchdown celebrations and pretends
to bribe referees after questionable
pass completions.
But when I look at the former Or-
egon State Beaver, I see something
different. Maybe not a humanitarian
side, but at least a sensitive, human
side.
continued on page 8
Page 8
S ports W eekend
Wrestlers find individual success
By Han Cui
Assistant Sports Editor
The wrestling team kicked off its
season at the Binghamton Open
on Sunday. Despite missing four
of its projected starters due to in-
juries, three wrestlers placed indi-
vidually.
Greg Einfrank ’10 led the way,
finishing second at the 125-pound
weight class. Bryan Tracy ’10 and
Larry Otsuka ’10 followed by finish-
ing fifth and sixth at the 157-pound
and 197-pound weight classes, re-
spectively. Branden Stearns ’10,
who wrestled unattached to Brown,
placed fifth at 197 pounds, after de-
feating his teammate Otsuka by a
2-0 margin.
“The team did average,” said
Head Coach Dave Amato. “A tour-
nament like this, only individual
performance counts, not the team
performance.”
Einfrank cruised past his op-
W. volleyball focused on progress, teamwork
continued from page 7
for a 25-22 victory and a 1-0 lead.
Brown took control in the second
for a 25-17 victory, tying the match
at 1-1. The seesaw battle continued
as Columbia captured the third set
and Brown retaliated with a fourth
set victory, 25-17. Forced into the
final fifth set, the squads remained
ponents all the way to the final
match before he was defeated by
Garrett Frey of Princeton, 9-4. The
other three seniors who placed each
lost one match in the tournament,
which sent them to the consolation
bracket, where they fought their way
back to be on the podium. Tracy won
his first two matches before falling
in the third round. He won more
matches in the consolation bracket
before losing to eventual fourth-
place finisher Derek Schreiner of
Cornell. Tracy won his final match
against Corey Lear of Bucknell, 7-2,
to claim fifth place.
Otsuka advanced into the semi-
final round before losing his first
match to Martin Porter of Delaware
Valley, 4-2. Once in the consolation
bracket, he won two more match-
es and eventually finished sixth.
Stearns also fought his way back in
the consolation bracket after losing
his second-round match by winning
four matches in a row. He eventually
tied at 12 until the Lions pulled away
for a devastating 16-14 victory over
the Bears.
Liz Mueller ’10 had one of her
best performances of the season,
posting 10 kills and nine digs. Post
recorded 16 kills and seven digs,
and Williamson added 14 kills and
13 digs to keep the Bears in the
www.browndailyherald.com
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“It was a good test for us to see where we are at.”
— David Amato, wrestling head coach
faced off against Otsuka in his last
match and came out on top to claim
fifth place.
Amato was pleased with the four
seniors who placed and the other
upperclassmen who wrestled well
but fell short of placement.
“The upperclassmen, for the most
part, wrestled well,” Amato said.
“The freshmen did OK. There were
some surprises and some disappoint-
ments. I am more interested in how
they respond next weekend.”
Amato said there are techniques
that the whole team needs to im-
prove.
“Conditioning-wise, we are in a
good shape,” Amato said. “But there
are technical things the team needs
to work on, especially in the bottom
position and defense on your feet.”
“Overall, it was a good test for us
to see where we are at,” he added.
The team will travel to Philadel-
phia to compete in the Keystone
Classic this Sunday.
competition against Columbia.
Head Coach Diane Short said
she was pleased with her team’s
hard-fought competition, even
though it produced less-than-sat-
isfying results.
“We had a really disappointing
season from a win-loss standpoint,
but we competed all year,” Short
said. “We may have underachieved
this year, but we are certainly better
than our record shows.”
In its last match of the season
Tuesday night, Brown was dealt
a hard blow from the visiting Bull-
dogs. Despite the efforts of Post,
who again recorded double-digit
scores, with 12 kills and 16 digs, and
‘Tough end’ to cross
country season
continued from page 7
narrowly missed a bid to Nation-
als. She took 17th place with a
time of 22:46 on the six-kilometer
course.
The conditions on Saturday
were poor, and both squads were
affected. It had been raining the
day before, and the squads raced
after a number of high school
meets.
“It was a tough end to the sea-
son. We had goals to finish higher
as a team,” Wright said. “But there
were a lot of positives this season,
and I think we’re all looking for-
ward to fulfilling our potential
come track (season).”
Running well, as he has all sea-
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Hammerman ’13: All
WRs should be like Chad
continued from page 7
Chad Ochocinco was on “Hard
Knocks” this year. The interesting
HBO show essentially served as a
stage for his awesome charisma and
sense of humor. He was by far the
best actor, the funniest character
and the coolest guy on the show. He
was hysterical to watch both on and
off the field. Heck, he even kicked
an extra point in a game! And what
viewer can forget his beautiful call
to Belichick after the Patriots game:
“BEYALL”?
Ochocinco has already been
fined multiple times this season.
So what has he done? Been surly
and just put it behind him? No. He’s
MATCHED the fines and given
them to a charity. Would a thug do
this, have the compassion neces-
sary to make this sacrifice? What
Cotton with a team-high 20 digs, the
Bears were unable to keep up with
Yale, falling in three sets.
“We can’t think about our re-
cord, but really have to focus on
the positive strides that the team
made for upcoming years,” said
Kim Bundick ’10.
The Bears will lose five se-
niors this spring, as they graduate
Bundick, Ann Cowell ’10, Gallagher,
Mueller and Lindsay Walls ’10.
“Even though we didn’t have
the most successful record, I loved
being on a team with such a great
group of girls,” Cotton wrote in a
text message to The Herald. “I am
really going to miss our seniors.”
son long, captain Duriel Hardy ’10
finished 27th for the men with a
time of 32:06. Matt Duffy ’12 also
turned in a solid 32:39, good for
40th place. John Haenle ’11 fin-
ished the course in 32:51, John
Loeser ’10 finished in 32:53, Austin
Snyder ’13 ran a 33:06 and Colin
Brett ’10 turned in a 35:33.
Following Wright on the
women’s side, Kelsey Ramsey
’11 ran well for the Bears, taking
40th place in 23:25. Next were Ari
Garber ’12 in 23:29 and Elaine
Kuckertz ’13 in 23:40. Herald Staff
Writer Lauren Pischel ’11 finished
in 23:45. Also strong this year for
the Bears, Megan Fitzpatrick ’11
finished in 23:53 and Erica Hines
’13 in 24:14.
happened to the NFL as the ME ME
ME league, a confederation full of
prima donnas and misers unwilling
to spend a single dime on anything
that won’t have an immediate effect?
Does Ochocinco buck this trend?
The answer, quite clearly, is
yes.
This year, the Cincinnati Bengals
are 7-2. They have already beaten
both of their main rivals for the AFC
North Division title, the Pittsburgh
Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens,
twice apiece. Ochocinco has been
key to this resurgence and has com-
piled 46 receptions for 668 yards and
five touchdowns this season.
You won’t hear any complaints
this year from Mr. Ochocinco.
Ethan Hammerman ’13 feels
really bad for the Browns this
season.
Equestrian
stumbles
at UConn
By Zack Bahr
Contributing Writer
After winning most of its meets over
the years, the equestrian team faced
disappointment on Saturday at the
University of Connecticut, placing
fifth out of six teams.
The show began promisingly
for the Bears, with Elise Fishelson
’11 nabbing first place in the Open
Flat division and taking away po-
tential points from other teams. Liz
Giliberti ’10 earned a hard-fought
fourth place in the Open Flat and
gave the Bears three points as the
team’s point rider, meaning her
score counted toward the team’s
point total. The success continued
with Cara Rosenbaum ’12 taking
second in the Novice Flats.
The rest of the points would
come from Anna Baker ’12 placing
first in the Walk Trot Canter divi-
sion, and Giliberti placing first in
Open Fences.
But these would be the last
points that Brown scored that day.
“We got really unlucky with our
point riders not getting the points
we needed.” Rosenbaum said. “It
was a ver y mediocre day for the
team.”
The Bears still maintain a com-
fortable 12-point lead in the season
standings, leaving them in a good
position for the rest of the year.
“Unless something goes disas-
trously wrong, we should maintain
first in the region,” Rosenbaum said.
“We are pumped to go out there and
show why we deserve to be first.”
As the semester winds down, so
does the first half of the equestrian
season. The Bears will travel to Wes-
leyan University on Saturday, where
they look to regain momentum and
add to their season standings.
Editorial & Letters
The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Thursday, November 19, 2009

richard stein and paul tran

e d i to r i a l

Reviewing the Review Board

Academic research involving human subjects We believe this is an important long-term reform. A
— from a straightforward interview to advanced main barrier to this reform, however, is the ambiguity
biomedical testing — raises a host of difficult tech- surrounding the federal definition of “research” as
nical and ethical questions. To ensure that students it applies to undergraduate work. Therefore, we call
and researchers on Brown’s campus work effectively on the Office of the Vice President for Research to
and conscientiously, and to comply with federal law, seek clarification from the Department of Health and
Brown requires that all individuals seeking to conduct Human Services. This could best be accomplished
research involving human subjects operate with the through collaboration with similar offices at peer
approval and oversight of the Institutional Review institutions. The University should work with other
Board. schools to design a set of principles for undergraduate
The Herald reported last Wednesday that the IRB research involving human subjects and then approach
has begun implementing reforms recommended in HHS as a group.
a report issued last spring by a Research Advisory Under the current research protocol, a student’s
Board subcommittee. These reforms are primar- faculty adviser, in conjunction with the Research
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d
ily intended to improve the IRB’s Web site, and to Protections Office, determines whether or not the
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Deputy Managing Editors Senior Editors
clarify and streamline the IRB approval process for specific project falls under the federal definition of re-
Steve DeLucia Michael Bechek Nandini Jayakrishna Rachel Arndt
Chaz Firestone Franklin Kanin Isabel Gottlieb undergraduates. search. This, however, creates inconsistent standards
Michael Skocpol Scott Lowenstein The IRB approval process involves significant across departments, and leaves some undergraduates
editorial Business paperwork, as well as a four-to-six hour online course unprepared for research on human subjects. As such,
Ben Hyman Arts & Culture Editor General Managers Office Manager
Sophia Li Features Editor Alexander Hughes Shawn Reilly complete with quizzes on which the researcher must we also support the subcommittee’s recommendation
George Miller Metro Editor Jonathan Spector score at least 80 percent. For undergraduates trying to immediately create some formal avenue by which
Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor
Seth Motel News Editor
to complete a thesis in a single year, the IRB approval even those student researchers deemed exempt
Directors
Jenna Stark News Editor Ellen DaSilva Sales process is lengthy and the paperwork is burdensome. from IRB review receive appropriate training and
Andrew Braca Sports Editor Claire Kiely Sales If the student’s project hinges on information obtained education.
Han Cui Asst. Sports Editor Katie Koh Finance
Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Jilyn Chao Asst. Finance from human subjects, any long delay could seriously We also call on departments to provide under-
Katie Wood Asst. Sports Editor Christiana Stephenson Alumni Relations hamper his or her ability to complete the thesis. Since graduates with the guidance they need to navigate the
Graphics & Photos Managers
about 20 to 30 undergraduates usually seek IRB ap- IRB process. The subcommittee’s report noted that
Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor Kelly Wess Local Sales
Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor Kathy Bui National Sales proval each year, we appreciate recent efforts to make familiarity with the IRB process is present in some, but
Kim Perley Photo Editor Alex Carrere University Sales the IRB more friendly to undergraduates. not all, departments. In particular, departments must
Max Monn Asst. Photo Editor Matt Burrows Credit and Collections
Jesse Morgan Sports Photo Editor One of the central questions the subcommittee offer all potential thesis-writers early warning about
production Opinions faced was whether undergraduate theses count as the IRB approval process, so that the requirements
Ayelet Brinn Copy Desk Chief Alyssa Ratledge Opinions Editor “research” as defined by federal law. If undergraduate do not sneak up on students in their senior year.
Rachel Isaacs Copy Desk Chief Sarah Rosenthal Opinions Editor
theses do meet this definition, then the researcher Given Brown’s growing reputation as a research
Marlee Bruning Design Editor
Jessica Calihan Design Editor Editorial Page Board is legally required to go through the IRB process. university, and a culture that tries to ease adminis-
Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor James Shapiro Editorial Page Editor Otherwise, the University might consider creating trative burdens on students, we are hopeful that the
Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Matt Aks Board member
Neal Poole Web Editor Nick Bakshi Board member an alternate approval process tailored to undergradu- University will continue to reform the IRB review
Post- magazine Zack Beauchamp Board member ates that focuses less on compliance with statutory process. The overarching goal should be to better
Debbie Lehmann Board member
Arthur Matuszewski Editor-in-Chief
William Martin Board member
requirements and more on training students to work balance the need for training and oversight with the
Kelly McKowen Editor-in-Chief
with human subjects. time constraints student researchers face.
Jessica Calihan, Jessica Kirschner, Designers The subcommittee suggested that in the future, the
Jordan Mainzer, Anne Artley, Carmen Shulman, Copy Editors University may want to transition to a system where Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page
Suzannah Weiss, Ben Schreckinger, Night Editors
all undergraduate projects are considered through board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.
Senior Staff Writers Dan Alexander, Mitra Anoushiravani, Ellen Cushing, Sydney Ember,
Lauren Fedor, Nicole Friedman, Brigitta Greene, Sarah Husk, Brian Mastroianni, Hannah a separate, undergraduate-specific review process. com.
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
Having the courage to be free
BY BRIAN JUDGE
Opinions Columnist
There are two types of people in politics:
those who accept the burden of freedom and
those who cling to the comfort of their own
delusions. Contemporary American politics
and culture has been a feeding-frenzy for the
desperate fur y of weak (not stupid) people
who would rather believe in absurdities
than actually think rationally. If you believe
absurdities, you will commit injustice.
Totalizing conspiracy theories are com-
forting because it gives the illusion that
there is some invisible hand pulling the
strings of modern society from behind the
scenes, instead of seeing modern society as
an amalgamation of other scared, confused
people tr ying to get by. Glenn Beck calls it
the Democratic Party, Dan Brown calls it the
Freemasons, Matt Taibbi calls it Goldman
Sachs, Adbusters calls it the Republican
Party. In any case, it’s stupid, it’s wrong
and it’s childish. I was excited about Barack
Obama because he seemed to embody the
maturity and reasonableness that has been
missing from American politics and culture
for the last decade. It’s still missing.
Measured and reasonable is the enemy
of these people because it threatens them
with the possibility that the beliefs that have
given their lives meaning are wrong, untrue
Seven reasons to oppose the public option
BY WILL WRAY
Opinions Columnist
Brown students agree that there is a problem
in the current U.S. health-care system: It isn’t
meeting its tremendous potential to deliver
quality, affordable and timely treatment. In
response, Congress is likely to adopt one of
the following methods: institute the public
option, or change the arena in which health
insurance companies operate.
Jonathan Cohn, an editor of the New
Republic, came to Brown on Tuesday to
deliver a lecture on health-care reform. He
phrased his argument for the public option
in a form that was particularly compelling
to Brown students: Cohn implicitly placed
the issue of health-care reform within the
broader context of a slow but inevitable
march towards a more enlightened society
in which the government not only protects
a few fundamental rights, but guarantees a
basic array of goods and ser vices.
This is a good stor y, a stirring stor y and
the only stor y public option supporters re-
late when they advocate their plan. Arguing
for deregulation is less exciting. It requires
tracking down and explaining several less
dramatic, seemingly unrelated stories.
The average person can retain seven
dull, unrelated pieces of information (hence
seven-digit phone numbers). Here are seven
dull, unrelated reasons why supporting the
public option isn’t a question of good vs. evil,
but rather the much less titillating question
of effective vs. ineffective.
and unjust. Approaching the world rationally,
that is to say, freely, precludes the comfort-
able security that has swaddled cowards
for generations. It is easy to believe that
capitalism/socialism/oil/money/pesticide/
meat-eating/the Jews/the Illuminati is the
root of all of mankind’s problems. It’s easy,
and it’s wrong.
Most people who profess an interest in
politics exude an absolute confidence in their
beliefs that is immune from the intrusion of
reason or reality. Whether they’re dogmatic
It is easy to believe that capitalism/socialism/
oil/money/pesticide/meat-eating/the Jews/
the Illuminati is the root of all of mankind’s
problems. It’s easy, and it’s wrong.
about free-market capitalism or the righ-
teousness of locally grown food, it is dogma
nonetheless. They know what they think,
and to hell with anyone else. The world is
a big, scar y, complicated place. I am ver y
suspicious of any bright-eyed college student
or high-rolling businessman who claims
to have it all figured out. Conversely, the
equally thoughtlessly dogmatic commitment
to diversity is just as poisonous because
it allows stupid ideas to fester. What we
1. There is no health-care crisis. In the
last ten years, there’s only been a 0.3 per-
cent increase in the number of uninsured
individuals, according to the 2007 Census
Bureau. Three-quarters of the uninsured re-
gain coverage within a year — since tax laws
make it cheaper to buy insurance through
your work, if you change jobs, you lose insur-
ance in the interim. The poorest 14 million
of the uninsured already qualify for public
coverage but haven’t enrolled. Why not?
The law allows them to enroll after they
become sick at the same rate as before they
Supporting the public option isn’t a question of
good vs. evil, but rather the much less titillating
question of effective vs. ineffective.
become sick.
2. The public option wouldn’t “keep
private insurers honest” by setting a price
benchmark. Medicare and Medicaid are
often cited as successful examples of public
plans competing with private, but these pro-
grams do not save money — they just shift
costs onto other consumers. For example,
Congress sets the Medicare compensation
for a $50 procedure to $30, so doctors simply
jack up the price of the procedure paid by
private insurers to $70. The public option
would not make the private insurers honest;
Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Page 11
need is a comprehensive post-partisanship:
a realization that no single ideology is suf-
ficient. This will take the courage to face
ambiguity and uncertainty with resolve and
determination.
Some people find ways to make their
lives meaningful in the absence of some
absolute authority to define it for them. It
often takes the form of the stereotype of
the “coastal liberal elite”: the newspaper-
reading, concert-attending, book-reading
yuppies that are the butt of populist poli-
tics. Hawkers of political rage scorn this
exercise of reason and rationality because
it threatens to reveal the bankruptcy of
their own poorly considered beliefs. Some
families don’t want their kids learning about
evolution because it would threaten their
comprehensive Christian worldview. Other
families don’t want their kids reading the
Bible because it would threaten their com-
prehensive atheistic worldview. Whenever
someone laments the “eroding social fabric,”
it would make them bankrupt.  like cancer without forcing them to buy
3. High prices are another casualty of the
unpopular drug war. Put just a few prescrip-
tion drugs in front of the counter, or at least
let nurses prescribe them, and watch prices
plummet as people skip the costly doctor’s
appointment and buy drugs directly.  health care, yet there is no public option for
4. We can change the system by render-
ing tax-free ever y dollar spent on or saved
for health-care purposes. When individuals
start shopping around and making decisions
to purchase health insurance policies, two
things happen: Consumers become more
proactive about staying healthy, and insur-
ance companies are forced to offer better,
more customized products.
5. We can smooth out insurance regula-
tions in order to lower prices. Each state has
different rules regarding what insurance
plans can be sold in the state, which makes
it ver y difficult for an insurance company
to expand across state borders and restricts
the field of competing insurers.
6. Repealing mandated benefit laws would
lower prices. Allow people to purchase plans
covering unexpected, catastrophic illnesses
it is really just code for “I am terrified of
actually having to figure out how to create
a just society.”
This summer’s health care debates
brought some of the most absurd con-
spiracy theorists out of the woodwork. It
was breathtaking to see people argue in all
seriousness that they were worried about
the United States government euthanizing
the elderly or to see people compare health
care reform to the Holocaust. On the other
side of the ideological divide, there are the
people who think that 9/11 was an inside
job and that George Bush was a puppet for
one New World Order or another. These
people’s opinions should not be taken seri-
ously. They should not be listened to. They
should not be respected.
Politics is the reasonable deliberation
among people who have the maturity to rec-
ognize that their opinions are not universally
right and that they do not know everything.
The apoplectic wailing of cowards who need
an absolute authority structure to define
themselves against is not politics: it is what
teenagers do.
People on both sides of the aisle fear the
collapse of their ideologies because then
they would have to come to terms with the
reality that they have been living a fantasy
all along.
Brian Judge ’11, a philosophy
concentrator from North Carolina, can
be reached at brian_judge@brown.
unneeded and expensive add-ons like chi-
ropractic coverage.
7. There is a simpler way to ensure that
those in dire need of health care are provided
for. People need food more than they need
food, and star vation is virtually unheard of
in the United States. We have a food stamp
program and private charities that act as a
safety net. Why not do the same for health
insurance?  
Public option supporters have done a
great job of framing the test questions in
a manner that appeals to one’s sense of
decency. “Isn’t health care a fundamental
right? Is it ethical for insurance companies
to profit off of those that are undeser vedly
ill? Why is it wrong to keep the private in-
surance companies ‘honest’ with a public
option?” Translation: Have a heart, support
the public option.
Ever y time somebody offers these ques-
tions, instead ask him or her to examine
health-care reform through the lens of three
distinct, open-ended questions. What is the
problem? What is the end goal? How do we
best reach that end goal while minimizing
extrinsic costs?
The government-run public option has
the advantage of appealing to your heart,
yet it carries the unfortunate burden of not
working. It is the role of the heart to identify
a problem.  Let us not forget it is the role of
the mind to solve it.
Will Wray ’10 is in the market for a
heart.
 Today
The Brown Daily Herald
t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s
3 Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
c a l e n da r
Today, November 19
4 pm — “Does Race Matter? Minority
Groups and Political Representation,”
Salomon 101
7 pm — Crazy Sexy Cancer, Salomon
101
menu
Sharpe Refectory
Lunch — Chicken Cutlet Parmesan
Sandwich, Zucchini and Parmesan
Sandwich, Falafel in Pita
Dinner — Spice Rubbed Pork Chops,
Cheese Tomato Strata, Oven Browned
Potatoes
crossword
6
to day to m o r r o w
State panel analyzes marijuana policy
7
Escareno ’10 thrives in team’s last race
58 / 45
Thursday, November 19, 2009
59 / 41
Page 12
comics
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
friday, november 20
5:30 PM — “Explaining Disease
Through Witchcraft: The Example of
HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe,” Haffenreffer
Museum at Manning Hall
8 pm — Body and Sole’s Fall Dance
Concert, Ashamu Dance Studio
Fruitopia | Andy Kim
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Sloppy Joe Sandwich,
Falafel in Pita Bread, Enchilada Bar
Dinner — Roast Turkey in Sauce,
Shells with Broccoli, Stuffing, Mashed
Potatoes
Hippomaniac | Mat Becker
STW | Jingtao Huang
God’s Day Off | Alex Yuly