Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 46 | Monday, April 12, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Gala moves to Andrews, obligations to Westin unclear
By Alex Bell
Senior Staff Writer
Tickets for Saturday’s Gala went
back on sale Sunday after being put
on hold Thursday, a few days after
Student Labor Alliance members
informed the event’s organizers
of claims of unfair labor practices
made by workers at the Westin
Providence hotel, the previously
scheduled location.
The Gala will instead be held in
and around Andrews Dining Hall
and on the terrace above it, accord-
ing to Neil Parikh ’11, president
of the 2011 Class Board. He said
a tent will cover the terrace and
other areas to prevent a repeat of
last year’s muddy Gala.
“It was kind of a last-minute de-
cision, but I think we got lucky,”
Parikh said. The organizers have
received assistance from Brown’s
catering services, who put them in
touch with the company that caters
alumni functions on campus, he
Shortz spells it
out, students
are puzzled
By Alicia Chen
Senior Staf f Writer
As other students relaxed outside
in the sun Saturday afternoon,
Brown’s puzzle fans gathered in
MacMillan Hall 117 to compete in
the second annual Brown Cross-
word Tournament for fame, glory
and puzzle books by Will Shortz,
the event’s host. Shortz is the New
York Times crossword editor and
puzzle master on National Public
Radio’s Weekend Edition Sunday.
Brown students constructed two
of the four crossword puzzles used
in the tournament, said event co-
organizer Natan Last ’12. A puzzle
constructed by co-organizer Jonah
Kagan ’13 will be published in the
Times on April 14 and Last, who
will intern with Shortz this summer,
will have his puzzle published April
30. Kagan and Last create weekly
crosswords for The Herald.
Though Shor tz also hosts
crossword tournaments at other
colleges, he noted that Brown
has the most student crossword
constructors. He hopes to have a
week of puzzles entirely created by
Brown students in the Times next
September, he said.
Participants were divided into
three categories: pairs, Brown
undergraduates and non-Brown
competitors. All competed in the
continued on page 6
inside
News.....1–4
Arts........5–6
News, 3
Sports.....7–8 mad science
Editorial....10 Brown researchers have
Opinion.....11 raked in more than $28
Today........12 million in grant funding
www.browndailyherald.com
Protestors rally against Westin Hotel’s treatment of employees.
added.
The event is organized by the
Class Boards and the Key Society.
Ticket prices for the new venue
will be reduced by five dollars to
$20 in advance and $25 at the door,
BrandingBrown
Honesty is tour guides’ policy
By Max Godnick
Staff Writer
Red brick buildings, wide campus
greens, the New Curriculum, the
Van Wickle Gates: these ideas
represent Brown to the outside
world.
Brown’s image, and how it pro-
motes that image to prospective
applicants, is carefully tailored to
cast the University in its desired
light. Administrators, facilities
Baseball team sweeps
Princeton, Cornell
By Chan Hee Chu
Contributing Writer
It was the kind of scenario that
baseball players act out in back-
yards from the time they were little
leaguers. Josh Feit ’11 stepped up
to the plate in the bottom of the
ninth with two runners on and two
SPORTS
outs. With the score tied, 12-12,
Feit fell behind in the count. But
he battled back and lined a single
to right, giving Brown the series
sweep over Princeton.
That was the only close game of
the weekend for the Bears. They
rolled over their opponents in
Arts, 5
we are all geniuses
In his new book, Shenk ’88
discusses “how people get
good at stuff”
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Phoebe Neel / Herald
according to Parikh, though the
total cost to put on the event is not
yet known.
He said the on-campus event
should cost about $20,000, adding
that he was not sure whether the
Second in a five-part series
managers, admission officers,
architects, Web designers, stu-
dents, faculty and staff all play a
crucial role in crafting and promot-
ing the way Brown sells itself to
the world.
The first on-campus experi-
ence a prospective applicant has
at Brown likely comes in the form
of a tour or an information ses-
sion, which are coordinated by
the Bruin Club, a student group,
in partnership with the Admission
the other three games, defeating
Princeton, 17-4, and Cornell, 13-6
and 15-4.
Brown 17, Princeton 4
In the first of two against the Ti-
gers, the Bears received a quality
outing from starter Kevin Carlow
’13 on the mound.
“It was important for Kevin to
go deep in the game especially
with the wind blowing. We knew
we were going to need our reliev-
ers later,” said Head Coach Marek
Drabinski.
After a shaky first in which he
gave up a run, Carlow settled down
and limited the Tigers’ offense
continued on page 8
organizers would be held liable for a
$20,000 minimum food fee included
in their contract with the Westin,
including a $5,000 deposit that has
already been made to the hotel. The
University’s lawyers were pursuing
the matter, he said.
Brown’s Vice President and
General Counsel Beverly Ledbetter
said she was not the attorney from
the Office of the General Counsel in
charge of the Gala contract, but said
that in cases like this, at least the
deposit would be non-refundable,
and possibly more.
“It would be up to the Westin and
any goodwill they wish to bestow on
the students,” Ledbetter said. The
attorney from her office responsible
for the case could not be reached
Sunday night.
According to an unfinalized
draft of the contract obtained by
The Herald, the only situations in
which the agreement could be nul-
continued on page 2
Office.
“We are not tr ying to sell
Brown to people,” said Chris-
tiana Stephenson ’11, tours co-
coordinator for the Bruin Club
and The Herald’s alumni relations
director. “We are trying to show
people what our lives are like here
at Brown.”
Tours are the primary method
used to show what campus and stu-
continued on page 4
Brown defeated two Ivies this weekend with ease.
Sports, 7
BRown beats penn
The men’s lacrosse team
beat Penn 12-9 to improve
to 5-4 on the season
Former student
claims misdeeds
by U. officials
in sealed case
2006 ouster was result
of false rape charge,
case alleges
By Ben Schreckinger
Metro Editor
A sealed civil case has been filed
in federal court accusing the Uni-
versity, President Ruth Simmons,
Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98,
Senior Vice President for Corpora-
tion Affairs and Governance Rus-
sell Carey ’91 MA’06 and several
other University employees of “acts
tantamount to criminality,” false im-
prisonment, fraud and conspiracy to
defraud, libel and 10 other counts of
civil misconduct.
The claims stem from a Septem-
ber 2006 incident in which a former
member of the class of 2010 was ac-
cused of raping a female student.
The female student and her fa-
ther are accused in the complaint of
extortion, fraud and conspiracy to
defraud, libel and four other counts
of civil misconduct. The Herald is
withholding her name because she
may have been the victim of a sex
crime.
A complaint obtained by The
Herald and filed in Rhode Island
Superior Court last September on
behalf of the plaintiffs — William
McCormick III and his parents — al-
leges that pressure from University
employees and the female student’s
friends over several days led her
continued on page 2
Jonathan Bateman / Herald
Opinions, 11
Religious prejudice
Manas Gautam ’12 argues
that religious people should
not be treated differently
herald@browndailyherald.com
Page 2 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Monday, April 12, 2010

C ampus N EWS
Accused of rape, former student seeks damages from U.
continued from page 1
to make a false accusation of rape
against the plaintiff.
The complaint states that
though an accusation of rape —
which can carry a sentence of up
to life in prison in Rhode Island —
had been made, law enforcement
officials were never notified of the
matter.
This series of events has alleg-
edly aggravated McCormick’s pre-
existing seizure condition. He and
his parents are seeking unspecified
damages from the defendants.
McCormick’s parents declined
to comment and said their son could
not be reached for comment.
The case was originally filed
Sept. 4, 2009, in Rhode Island Su-
perior Court, but according to a
source familiar with the matter, the
defendants removed it to the United
States District Court for the District
of Rhode Island.
The source requested anonym-
ity because there is an order from a
federal judge sealing the case and
the source was worried about po-
tential legal consequences.
In an unusual move, the federal
case, number 09-474-S, has been
placed completely under seal. No
publicly available record of that
case, or the case originally filed
in State Superior Court, number
09-5213, exists.
The complaint alleges that “fi-
nancial self-interest” guided the
University’s handling of the inci-
dent because the female student’s
father, an alum, “has donated and
raised ver y substantial sums of
money for Brown.”
It asserts that the University was
“desirous of keeping (the female
student) content in the Brown com-
sudoku
munity,” causing it to disregard its
own policies and the well-being of
the plaintiff.
The plaintiffs allege that the
female student’s father was “in
regular contact with the adminis-
tration, including calling defendants
Russell Carey and Ruth Simmons
directly.”
The complaint alleges that, un-
der pressure from friends and Uni-
versity officials, the female student
eventually escalated initial “exag-
gerations and half-truths” about
her relationship with the plaintiff
to a false allegation of rape.
According to the complaint, the
plaintiff and the female student
came to be on friendly terms dur-
ing the first days of their freshman
year. But friends of the female stu-
dent allegedly referred to him as
her “stalker.”
The roommate of the female
student allegedly encouraged her
to express her concerns about a
“ ‘creepy’ guy” to their Residential
Counselor — a member of the class
of 2009 — though the female stu-
dent did not provide McCormick’s
identity at that time. The RC alleg-
edly then referred the matter to
the Community Director on-call
at the time.
The Community Director then
referred the matter to Carla Han-
sen, associate dean of student life,
who, according to the complaint,
convinced the female student to
meet with a special victims advo-
cate at the Department of Public
Safety.
Hansen, the advocate, and Di-
rector of Public Safety Mark Porter
are all named as defendants in the
case. In a phone interview with The
Herald, Porter denied any knowl-
edge of the case.
The complaint states that despite
the female student’s resistance to
pursuing the matter, she eventually
acceded to pressure from University
employees to divulge McCormick’s
name, an act which compelled her
to file a written complaint.
McCormick was then served
a “no-contact order” by Associate
Dean of Student Life Terry Addi-
son, according to the complaint,
and “in violation of Brown policies,
he was not provided a copy of the
complaint, nor was he told the sub-
stance of the allegations.”
The plaintiffs allege that the fe-
male student “felt that the Deans
were ‘yelling at her’ ” and “press-
ing her to add to complaints about”
McCormick. Friends of the female
student then allegedly confronted
her and, despite her denials, con-
cluded that she had been raped,
according to the complaint.
The complaint states that the fe-
male student stated in a subsequent
conversation with the friends and
the Residential Counselor that she
had been raped.
The female student and resident
advisor then met with Jonah Ward,
now senior associate dean for stu-
dent life, and Richard Bova, now
senior associate dean of residential
and dining services, according to
the complaint. The RC allegedly
spoke on behalf of the female stu-
dent at the meeting and wrote the
University claim alleging rape on
her behalf.
The complaint states that, “in
violation of its own policies, Brown
accepted (the female student’s) new
allegation of rape as true and re-
fused to provide of a copy of the
complaint to” McCormick. Ward,
Bova and the RC are all named as
defendants in the case.
The complaint alleges that the
plaintiff was detained unlawfully
at the Office of Student Life for
several hours the next day. The
complaint states that McCormick
then met with Carey, Ward, Addi-
son and Margaret Klawunn, now
vice president for campus life and
student services, who collectively
compelled him to leave campus. It
states that Carey handed the stu-
dent a one-way plane ticket home.
Klawunn, who is named as a
defendant, declined to comment
and said she had no knowledge of
the matter.
After McCormick’s return
home, University officials alleg-
edly “actively interfered” with his
“ability to expose the truth and ex-
onerate himself,” by obstructing his
access to documents and witnesses,
according to the complaint.
In an e-mail to The Herald,
Marisa Quinn, vice president for
public affairs and University rela-
tions, wrote, “Matters related to
students and former students are
private and confidential.”
Kertzer declined to comment in
an e-mail to The Herald. Simmons,
Carey, Bova, Ward, Hansen and
Addison did not return requests
for comment.
The complaint alleges that the
female student and her father were
complicit in “extortion” of the for-
mer student “by threatening to
accuse (McCormick) of a crime
or other offense with the intent to
compel him to sign an agreement
to waive his rights and sacrifice
his scholarship and Ivy League
education.”
J. Scott Kilpatrick, the Provi-
dence lawyer listed as the author of
the complaint, acknowledged that
he is the McCormicks’ attorney
but said that, under the present
circumstances, he could neither
confirm nor deny the existence of
any case.
According to the source familiar
with the case, there will be some
type of proceeding before District
Judge William Smith at 11 a.m.
Monday. Smith’s calendar, posted
on the district court’s Web site,
does not include an item at that
time.
Andrews
Dining Hall
to host Gala
continued from page 1
lified are “acts of God, government
authority, disaster, strikes, civil dis-
orders, or other emergencies, any of
which make it illegal or impossible
to provide the facilities and/or ser-
vices” for the event. The Westin’s
management did not return repeated
requests for comment.
Sheetal Sehgal ’10, co-president
of the 2010 Class Board, said near
the end of ticket sales Sunday that
about 500 tickets had gone. The ca-
pacity of the event will be determined
Tuesday by the fire marshal. Based
on that estimate and the weather,
she said, tickets may sell at the door
Saturday as well.
Sehgal and Key Society Secretary
Mayra Reyes ’10, who were selling
tickets Sunday, said very few guests
raised concerns about the venue
change. In fact, many guests that
The Herald interviewed Sunday af-
ternoon were pleased with the new
location.
Jing Xu ’10 said she was excited
about the outdoor venue and happy
to not have to travel to the Westin.
“It’s just so fresh,” she said.
“Dance parties are always inside
and it gets so hot.”
Kelly Glaser ’10 and Patrick
Corey ’10 said they were conflicted
when they found out about the labor
dispute at the Westin because they
did not want to miss Gala their se-
nior year but wanted to support the
boycott. After buying their tickets
Sunday afternoon, they could not
say whether they would have bought
tickets if the event were held at the
Westin, but agreed the venue change
made the decision much clearer.
Nathaniel Ford ’11 said he put
his decision to attend Gala on hold
when he went to buy his ticket last
week in J. Walter Wilson and saw the
Student Labor Alliance’s sign about
the Westin’s labor dispute.
“It gave me enough pause that I
didn’t take immediate action to buy
a ticket,” he said. Instead, he bought
his ticket Sunday, after the venue
change was announced.
Still, some students, like Dave
Gagnon ’10, were not strongly affect-
ed by the change of venue. Gagnon
said he is happy there will be less
“drama” at the new location, but he
just wants to have a good time with
his friends, which he said he could
have done at either location.
In the spirit of reconciliation,

Daily Herald
Gala has even won over a few un-
the Brown
expected guests.
SLA member Rebecca Rast ’13
Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260 said she had considered going, but
George Miller, President Katie Koh, Treasurer decided not to upon learning that
Claire Kiely, Vice President Chaz Kelsh, Secretary the event was scheduled to be at the
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serv- Westin. But in light of the location
ing the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday change, she and fellow SLA mem-
through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during ber Olivia Singer ’12 bought tickets
Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown
Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community.
Sunday, she said.
POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI “We are really appreciative of the
02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195 work Class Board and the Key So-
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Subscription prices: $319 one year daily, $139 one semester daily.
that,” Rast said. “I’m excited to go to
Copyright 2010 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. the Gala, and we’re very happy about
the direction things are going in.”
Monday, April 12, 2010
C ampus N EWS
Despite Goldman publicity, Simmons as popular as ever
By Alicia Chen
Senior Staf f Writer
Questions over President Ruth Sim-
mons’ involvement as a member of
the Board of Directors of Goldman
Sachs earlier this year seem to have
done little to dampen students’ en-
thusiasm for their president. The
most recent Herald poll revealed
that Simmons’ job approval among
Brown students has not changed
from last semester’s 77.5 percent
rating. But many students who sup-
ported Simmons admitted that they
did not keep up with administrative
issues at the University.
“I approve, but I am not totally
familiar with everything she does,”
said Jessica Feng ’12, noting that
she had found little to dislike about
Brown’s administration.
Kibwe Chase-Marshall ’10 said
he is also “for the most part in ap-
proval” of Simmons. Though he is
“not fully aware” of all administra-
tion policies, he is “comfortable not
pursuing complete knowledge of the
inner workings of the administra-
tion” because he prefers to dedicate
his time and energy to other inter-
ests, he said.
NIH awards researchers $28 million
By Ben Noble
Staff Writer
Researchers at Brown have received
over $28 million in funding from the
National Institutes of Health so far in
the federal government’s current fiscal
year, which began Oct. 1.
The NIH is the largest external
source of research funding at Brown,
according to Vice President for Re-
search Clyde Briant.
The highest grant went to Profes-
sor of Medical Science Constantine
Gatsonis, who received over $3.7 mil-
lion from the National Cancer Insti-
tute. He and others at the Center for
Statistical Sciences, which he heads,
will study whether molecular imaging
machines can detect early responses
to therapies used for brain, breast and
prostate cancer patients.
“This imaging holds a lot of prom-
ise,” Gatsonis said. “Very early in
the therapy process, you could see
whether it is actually working.”
Gatsonis said the grant has allowed
Brown to keep researchers that might
otherwise have been let go in a dif-
ficult economic environment. Last
month, the University announced it
would cut 60 non-faculty jobs in order
to cut costs.
“With this kind of funding, we
have been able to hold on to positions
that we would have had to let go,” he
said. “And we have even added new
ones.”
The University is “very happy”
with this year’s funding “but would
like to see the amount of sponsored
funding from NIH grow in the com-
ing years,” Briant wrote in an e-mail
to The Herald.
Brown faculty members have
received 77 NIH grants totaling
$28,290,710 so far, according to data
from the Institutes’ archives, though
more funding could come through by
the time the fiscal year ends in Sep-
Nkechi Eze ’12 agreed that she
does not feel the need to probe fur-
ther into the administration. “My
needs are being met so far,” she
said.
Though students’ critique of the
University did not extend to Gold-
man Sachs, the economy as a whole
was on students’ minds.
Rolando Huerta ’11 said he is
aware of budget cuts at Brown but
understands their “necessity.” He
said he appreciates the University’s
commitment to “expansive financial
aid” during this time.
Feng said she was concerned
about the University’s prioritization
of capital building projects given the
economic climate.
Stephen Beale ’04, co-founder
of the Foundation for Intellectual
Diversity — a non-profit that funds
the Brown Spectator and brings
speakers to campus — said Sim-
mons’ resignation from the Gold-
man Sachs board “shows that she
puts her ideological principles above
pragmatism.” Her commitment to
her values may be the reason why
there was so little backlash, he
said.
Though he is concerned about
tember. Last fiscal year, the University
received $87,593,581 in NIH funding,
thanks in large part to stimulus money
from the American Recovery and Re-
investment Act.
Still, these numbers pale in compar-
ison to those of Brown’s competitors.
Researchers at Harvard have received
over $113 million in NIH funding so far
this fiscal year, about four times more
than their counterparts at Brown.
“Our total research dollar numbers
have been lower primarily because of
our smaller size compared with many
of our peers,” Briant explained. Har-
vard’s faculty, at around 2,100, is about
three times larger than Brown’s.
President Ruth Simmons has made
enhancing Brown’s research capacity
one of her primary objectives in her
remaining years at Brown.
“There is just no way to move the
needle on Brown’s assets, reputation
and rank without committing to more
research productivity,” she said in her
March 18 State of Brown address.
The University has formed new
partnerships with other universities
and hired a political consulting firm in
an effort to raise its research profile
and solicit more federal funding, The
Herald reported last October.
Professor of Pathology and Labo-
ratory Medicine Kim Boekelheide
received just over $3 million from the
National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences to continue his $26
million Superfund Research Pro-
gram.
The project comprises a group
of scientists, doctors, engineers and
government officials studying vari-
ous health risks and remediation so-
lutions for hazardous waste in Rhode
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Page 3
“I approve, but I am not totally familiar with everything she
does.” — Jessica Feng ’12 on President Simmons
the University’s promotion of “left- Do you approve or disapprove of the way
wing” issues, Beale spoke positively Ruth Simmons is handling her job as
about Simmons herself. “I think
President Simmons is charismatic president of Brown?
and inspirational,” he said, adding
that she is “very diplomatic about
how she presents her views” and
“extends olive branches to other
groups.”
Beale called Simmons “the
Obama of Brown University,” citing
her personality, charisma and public
speaking abilities as reasons for her
popularity. “It’s a phenomenon.”
Current students also pointed to
Simmons’ personal qualities as key
to their approval.
Eze said she likes how acces-
sible Simmons is, citing her e-mails
to the community, participation on
panel discussions and open office
hours.
Chase-Marshall said Simmons
is “not just resting on her laurels”
but actively working to improve the
University. “She is very in command
of her position,” he said.
“She cares, she has a good per-
sona, a lot of students and faculty
really respect her,” Huerta said.
Chantel Whittle ’12 cut to the
Julien Ouellet / Herald
chase. “I think she’s fabulous.”
CRUSHING CANCER
Island, according to Boekelheide. The
SRP has partnered with the Rhode
Island Department of Health and the
Department of Environmental Man-
agement.
Funding for the program began in
2005 and was renewed through 2014
with a $15.4 million grant last year,
Boekelheide said.
“The competition is really fierce
for support,” Boekelheide explained,
noting that NIEHS funding requests
for many similar projects at other uni-
versities have been rejected.
“We have been extremely suc-
cessful because we’ve done a really
good job and we have demonstrated
our interdisciplinary integration,” he
added.
Boekelheide also just received a
new, unrelated grant to study envi-
ronmental impacts on fetal develop-
ment.
Jonathan Bateman / Herald
“The intensity, interest and partici- Hundreds of students walked Friday night and Saturday morning
pation in research here is snowball- for Relay for Life.
ing,” he said.
Page 4
Branding Brown
Tour guides reconcile the serious and relaxed faces of Brown
continued from page 1
dent life is like, Stephenson said.
“The information session is much
more concerned with the open cur-
riculum, advising, undergraduate re-
search, study abroad and academic
life,” she said. “But since we go up
Wriston, since we go to Keeney,
you can see how we focus more on
campus life.”
Though Stephenson and her co-
coordinator Bryan Smith ’10 agreed
there is no overarching message
conveyed in all tours, Smith acknowl-
edged that there are themes the Ad-
mission Office attempts to deliver.
“In general, the stock admissions
office answer is that we want to show
that Brown is an elite university,” he
said. “A university that is undergrad-
uate-focused and is uniquely poised,
because we — as undergraduate stu-
dents — have so much opportunity
to get involved.”
Currently, Brown’s hour-long
tours start at the Quiet Green and
end back at the Main Green, Smith
said.
Along the way, high school
students and their families enter
Sayles Hall, walk through Lincoln
Field into MacMillan Hall and exit
onto Thayer Street. After visiting the
park outside the Sciences Library,
tours then go to Wriston Quadrangle
where students see the Sharpe Re-
fectory before passing by Keeney
Quadrangle.
The tour route is not static and
the coordinators — in conjunction
with the Bruin Club and the Admis-
sion Office — are “in an ongoing
discussion on how we can make
the route better and show off more
of campus in an hour,” Stephenson
said.
“We are never 100 percent con-
tent with the route that we have. We
are always trying to make it as cur-
rent and as much improved as we
can,” she added.
Balancing Brown’s image as
both the happiest university in the
country and a serious Ivy League
institution is not always an easy task,
Smith said.
“Brown is in a sticky place be-
cause we are perennially voted the
happiest students,” he said. “But
Removing trash is one of many ways the University’s staff members
maintain the cleanliness and beauty of campus.
there is a thought that if you are at an
Ivy League university, you shouldn’t
be very happy.”
“I try to show that we are very
happy because of all the things that
happen at Brown outside the class-
room,” he added.
Smith said that he tries to be
quite open and honest when tour-
ing students.
“There is nothing that we try to
hide in the tour at all,” he said.
“I openly tell people that the SciLi
was voted the ugliest building in
Rhode Island. I show the building
for what it is,” he said.
That said, Smith added, there
are certain areas of campus that he
chooses to emphasize during his
tours.
“We are trying — as new build-
ings are completed — to take tours
to the newer buildings,” he said.
“There are obvious parts of cam-
pus that we’re excited about. I would
rather take people through J. Walter
Wilson than Metcalf (Chemistry and
Research Laboratory),” he said.
“We want to put our best foot for-
ward but not keep our ugly other foot
hidden behind us,” he said.
Building Brown
Unlike Harvard or Yale, Brown’s
buildings lack architectural unifor-
mity. The University has had to
reconcile its structural diversity by
creating harmony between its con-
trasting building styles.
No one is more responsible for
Brown’s architectural image than
Frances Halsband, the University’s
chief architectural consultant, who
has drafted long-term campus devel-
opment plans since 2003.
She spoke about some of Brown’s
future and current architectural proj-
ects and how they will compare to
the University’s preexisting build-
ings.
“Along the Walk, we are going
to see a coherent and related group
of new buildings that look modern,”
she said about campus growth sur-
rounding the Perry and Marty Gra-
noff Center for the Creative Arts,
which is currently being built.
“On the other hand, the new
(Katherine Moran Coleman Aquat-
ics Center and Jonathan Nelson ’77
Nick Sinnott-Armstrong / Herald
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Fitness Center) is going to go back
to the traditional Brown look and is
certainly a building that will look
like the old Brown campus and not
the new Brown campus,” she said.
“Brown’s brand may very well be
the old campus quad, but that’s not
what its future will be.”
Halsband expressed appreciation
for both the old-fashioned and mod-
ern architectural styles that define
Brown’s look.
“Brown has one of the classic
New England university quads that
can be found,” she said about the
Main Green. “It’s one of the best.”
The University uses the more
traditional features of its campus to
its advantage in promotional materi-
als, Halsband said.
“I think when Brown posts the
nostalgia images,” she said about
photographs depicting historical ar-
eas of campus, “they are the same
images that would make somebody
want to go to Brown.”
“The Green is not only a piece of
architecture, but it reads as a piece
of social space,” she added. “It really
is a gathering place for the Brown
community.”
Brown has emphasized the
Green in its promotional efforts for
decades. The University’s promo-
tional viewbook featured the same
four-page feature on the Green from
at least 1993 through 2001.
The booklet features panoramic
images of the Green along with de-
scriptions of the architecture lining
it.
“A stroll around the Green af-
fords a tour in microcosm of Brown’s
history and a glimpse of the vitality
and diversity of the campus today,”
it reads.
Halsband also offered her hopes
for the future of Brown’s architec-
ture.
“I would hope for, and look for,
more outreach into the community
that Brown is a part of,” she said.
“We are going to see a campus
that does not have iron gates all
around it. Buildings will have more
ground floor uses that are more open
to the public and less closed office
space,” she said.
The new brown.edu
Brown’s Web site is its primary
means of communication to the rest
of the world and is a crucial tool in
promoting its image and themes,
wrote Scott Turner, director of Web
communications, in an e-mail to The
Herald.
Brown is currently developing a
new Web site that will include major
changes to its homepage. Turner
hopes these new changes will stay
consistent with how the University
wants to be seen.
“We expect a more consistent
look and feel for the site, as a whole,
and a more streamlined and less
overwhelming navigation, with key
information surfaced for visitors,” he
wrote, adding that the new homep-
age will add a more personal ele-
ment to the site through individual
anecdotes.
“The Web presence is a chance
to surface key information for audi-
ences and to tell stories about the
people who make up the Brown
“I just show Brown literally for what it is.”
— Bryan Smith ’10, tour co-coordinator
Students returned after Spring Break to find a freshly planted tree on
Lincoln Field, one of the stops on campus tours.
community,” he wrote. “We would
like the new site to be as unique as
the university it represents and to
be highly accessible and intuitive
for all audiences,” he wrote.
Turner wrote that Brown’s Web
site is unique in its emphasis on im-
agery.
“In meetings with stakeholders
we learned that users were pleased
with the uniqueness of the homep-
age,” he wrote.
“People expect the Brown site
to be a compelling virtual repre-
sentation of Brown: collaborative,
independent, interdisciplinary, en-
trepreneurial, creative, diverse and
vibrant,” he wrote. “We try to provide
that experience for users.”
ADOCH and beyond
Once they are accepted to Brown
in the spring, prospective students
are invited to A Day on College Hill,
where they are given the opportunity
to experience life at Brown in person.
ADOCH offers Brown a valuable
opportunity to express the themes,
images and messages administrators
hope will draw accepted students into
the next year’s freshman class.
ADOCH is “where we show regu-
lar-decision accepted students what
the school is all about,” said Eddie
Re ’12, ADOCH co-coordinator for
the Bruin Club.
“We understand that the Brown
lifestyle is our most attractive feature
and that’s what we try to show,” he
said. “We do that not through chang-
ing anything, but by directly showing
all these things that Brown already
has in place that reflect that idea.”
Re emphasized that the Brown
that students see when they are at
ADOCH is the same Brown they
would experience during their time
at the University.
“We are not here to hide anything,
and I don’t think the University does
anything out of the norm,” he said.
Though ADOCH is student-run,
Monday, April 12, 2010
Max Monn / Herald
its coordinators work with liaisons
from the Admission Office, which
oversees the entire application pro-
cess.
Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73
told The Herald that in recent years
Brown has increased its focus on
international, minority, low-income
and first generation students.
Miller said that admission officers
try to emphasize Brown’s challeng-
ing academic program, adding that
some people doubt the seriousness
of Brown’s New Curriculum.
“People think it maybe is lacking
in substance,” he said, adding that
the admission office spends a lot of
time “talking about the opportunity
and the rigor that are embedded in
the New Curriculum.”
He added that the New Curricu-
lum is “more rigorous than the expe-
rience at some of our peer schools,”
and that it “has matured remarkably
well” since its adoption in 1969.
Despite its key role in crafting the
University’s promotional strategy,
the Admission Office is only one
player in a much larger process of
selling the University to prospective
students.
The Web site, campus tours,
information sessions, promotional
materials and ADOCH all offer a dif-
ferent perspective of the University.
Though Brown attempts to promote
its brand, it is really in the minds of
students that the University’s image
is created.
“Over the course of my last two
years,” said Smith, one of the Bruin
Club tour co-coordinators, “I have
been telling people that Brown isn’t
for everyone. Brown is a great place,
so I don’t try to oversell things, I
don’t try to hide things in the shad-
ows.”
“I just show Brown literally for
what it is.”
— With additional reporting by Sarah
Forman
Arts & Culture
The Brown Daily Herald
Poets ‘push the art forward’ at slam
By Fei Cai
Staf f Writer
“Does my sexiness offend you?”
Kai Huang ’11 posed this ques-
tion to a crowd of college poets from
all over the country in a poem based
on Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise.”
While Angelou’s poem is about
the “affirmation of black women,”
Huang’s piece is an “awkward,
partly insecure affirmation of short
Asian men, which ends up turning
into an attack on hypermasculinity
and male privilege,” he wrote in an
e-mail to The Herald.
Huang is among five Brown
students that traveled to Emerson
College in Boston for the College
Unions Poetr y Slam Invitational
April 7–10. The other students were
Phil Kaye ’10, Timothy Natividad
’12, Laura Brown-Lavoie ’10.5 and
Jamila Woods ’11. All five are part
of WORD!, the campus spoken word
group.
The students were selected at a
University competition hosted by
slam poet Jared Paul and are the
first team from Brown to go to the
invitational.
The team placed first in both of
their preliminary rounds and moved
on to the semifinals. Though they
did not qualify for the finals, they
received recognition for “Pushing
the Art Forward,” an award created
In new book, alum explores
‘The Genius in All of Us’
By Sarah Mancone
Senior Staf f Writer
Since childhood, people are told
that they can become whatever
they want, but only recently has
that been described as scientific
fact. In his book, “The Genius in All
of Us,” journalist and author David
Shenk ’88 describes greatness as
a thing to be achieved by anyone,
not an inherent genetic gift.
The book is about “how people
get good at stuff,” Shenk said. It
aims to “help people understand
that talent and intelligence are re-
ally much more about a develop-
mental process” than something
innate, he added.
The first and last chapters of
the book address genetics specifi-
cally in relation to achieving one’s
true potential. These chapters are
intended to inform people in a new
way about how genes work, Shenk
said.
“Genes are not like blueprints
that have specific information about
what a trait is supposed to be like,”
he said, but “have information on
proteins and how proteins are to
be built.”
The activation and inactivation
of these genes is a process that
can be influenced by many factors,
including environmental ones, he
said, adding that “they are more
like switches.”
The reason only some people
become the Mozarts and Einsteins
of the world is not genes, then, but
Monday, April 12, 2010 | Page 5
“Audre Lourde said:
‘The master’s tools
will never dismantle
the master’s house.’
Sometimes when I use pronouns
I wonder whose toolbox I’ve opened.
Like I’m aiming at a nail
but keep on hammering my own thumbs.
This language, his language,
his tool is unwieldy.
Oh! That’s what…
Adrienne Rich said:
‘this is the oppressor’s language
yet I need it to talk to you.’ ”
— excerpt from “That’s What He Said,” written and performed by
Jamila Woods ’11 and Laura Brown-Lavoie ’10.5 at the College
Unions Poetry Slam Invitational
especially for them this year. language — everyday language —
Woods, who wrote and per- can be a tool of oppression, of the
formed the piece “That’s What He subtle pigeon-holing of women,” Hilary Rosenthal / Herald
Jamila Woods ’11 of Brown’s spoken word club WORD! won Best Female
Said” with Brown-Lavoie, won Best Brown-Lavoie said. Poet for her performance at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.
Female Poet. Brown-Lavoie said the Brown-Lavoie added that a poet
honor makes Woods comparable to from the audience approached teams, each of which performed tional. “Competing in the rounds
the Meryl Streep of spoken word her and Woods after their perfor- multiple pieces, in one room. Each was really intense, and to be honest,
poets. mance, saying the poem made him piece performed was given a strict I didn’t enjoy that part that much,”
The collaborative poem, inspired rethink his own work because he three-minute time limit. The indi- Huang wrote in an e-mail to The
by Audre Lourd’s essay “The Mas- had always taken for granted his vidual with the highest score won Herald. “I can’t enjoy someone else’s
ter’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the language and the female characters the round for their team. poetry from the audience if there’s
Master’s House,” reveals the hidden in his poetry. Because it was their first time pressure to score higher than them
connections between language and Each round in the competition competing, the students did not
sexism. “We thought a lot about how involved the rotation of several know what to expect at the invita- continued on page 6
“a lot of things,” Shenk said.
To believe that talent and intel-
ligence are limited, fixed resources
is both wrong and very inhibiting,
he said. People can’t develop an
ability if they believe it is impos-
sible or must “come from within,”
he added.
Even if someone is considered
gifted, that is not a “recipe for suc-
cess,” Shenk said, because people
tend to rely on what they are good
at without attempting to push be-
yond it.
The goal of this book is to let
readers “have a truer understand-
ing of talent and intelligence” and
eliminate the use of descriptions
like “gifted,” “natural-born” and
“hard-wired,” he said. Shenk as-
pires to “make the world a better
place” by helping children, parents
and teachers better understand tal-
ent, he added.
Becoming great at something
“takes hard work and a lot of cu-
riosity,” Shenk said, as well as be-
ing “open to all sorts of different
ideas.”
In addition, achievement re-
quires “having gigantic dreams and
huge ambitions,” he said. It does
not matter if a person achieves his
or her biggest dream, he added,
because just having one is “a very
fulfilling way to live,” makes people
constantly tr y to improve them-
selves and can lead to meeting “lots
of people who are doing the same
continued on page 6
Page 6
A rts &C ulture
N.Y. Times crossword editor mentors students
continued from page 1
first three rounds and were judged
based on time and accuracy. The
top three Brown undergraduate
finishers then moved on to the
final round, which was played on
giant whiteboards for all to see.
First-time competitors Bren-
dan Hainline ’12 and Melissa
Byun ’12 competed in the pairs
division. They partnered up at the
last minute, “borne of necessity,”
Hainline said. Relative novices at
the game — Byun only does cross-
word puzzles “when I find old used
copies in the (Sciences Library),”
she said — Hainline and Byun’s
dreams were modest. “My hope
is to finish a puzzle,” Hainline said
at the competition.
Nathan Margolin ’11 and Sar-
ah Hersman ’10 also competed
in the pairs division. Margolin
regularly completes the Monday
and Tuesday crosswords in the
Times and occasionally attempts
the Sunday puzzle with a partner,
he said. Hersman, on the other
hand, admitted, “I’ve only done 10
crossword puzzles in my life.”
Both teams completed the first-
round puzzle with time to spare
but struggled with the second, for
which all competitors needed ex-
tra time. With a minute and a half
left, Last announced, “You should
just put in some letters. You can
put in all c’s, I don’t know.”
Hainline described his mental
state after the second round as one
of “despair.” Paula Gamache, who
also helps Shortz with his cross-
word correspondence and con-
structed the second-round puzzle
— which will appear in the Times
April 20 — seemed surprised by
the difficulties contestants had
with the second-round puzzle,
saying it was a “Tuesday-level
puzzle.”
Gamache came to Brown to
meet Zoe Wheeler ’12, the only
teenage girl who has published
a crossword in the Times, whom
she mentors, she added.
The tournament’s third-round
puzzle exhibited Shortz’s belief
that “puzzles should embrace ev-
erybody’s culture,” he said. Clues
in Kagan’s puzzle included “34
Across: What Justin Timberlake’s
“ ‘bringin’ back,’ in a song” and “12
Down: Receptacle for Voldemort’s
Soul in Harry Potter.”
Hainline and Byun’s knowledge
of the “SexyBack” lyrics and the
Dark Arts ultimately helped to
propel them to a third-place finish
in their division for that round.
Check out our digital archives at heraldarchives.org
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“That one letter is going to haunt my dreams.”
Margolin and Hersman did not
place, but Hersman said, “We’re
just having fun.”
Between the third and fourth
rounds, Shortz entertained the
crowd with word games.
Jack Gill ’11, Jonah Wolf ’12
and Wendy Kwartin ’11 advanced
to the final round, where each was
given a giant whiteboard, a pair of
noise-canceling headphones and a
20-minute time limit to complete
the puzzle. All immediately knew
“1 Across: Inspiration for the cover
band Bjorn Again” but were sty-
mied by the correct spelling of
“36 Across: Hound.” Ultimately,
Gill earned first place, finishing
a few minutes ahead of runner-
up Wolf.
Last, who constructed the final
puzzle, said he tries to include “as
many awesome words as possible”
in his puzzles.
Gill, who won second place in
last year’s tournament, has done
crosswords since middle school
and described himself as a “daily
Ratty solver.” A good friend of
Wolf’s, the two “bonded over our
love of puzzles,” he said.
Still smarting over his misspell-
ing of 36 Across, Wolf said, “That
one letter is going to haunt my
dreams.”
WORD! builds reputation
in slam poetry world
continued from page 5
when I get up there on stage. I didn’t
listen to the other poets nearly as
closely as I listen to kids at WORD!
here on campus because I was so
nervous.”
Still, he added that “the experi-
ence of going with my teammates
was probably the best thing that’s
happened to me at Brown.”
Despite the differences between
competition and per formance,
Brown-Lavoie said she knew Brown
had a fresh, new voice to add to the
national poetry scene and was glad
to have the opportunity. She also
said she felt supported by the whole
Brown community, which helped
raise funds to send the team to Em-
erson to compete.
“Now Brown has a reputation,”
she said.
Huang wrote there are certain
conventions in slam poetry that are
rewarded, such as performing seri-
ous pieces about oppression and
keeping the emotion angry or sad.
“We really messed with them,” he
wrote, which he gave as a reason for
why the audience of mostly poets
appreciated Brown’s performances
more than the judges.
“Brown poets have a healthy fear
Shenk ’88 reconsiders
talent, genius, expertise
continued from page 5
thing.”
Inspiration for the topic of this
book came from his last book,
“The Immortal Game: A Histor y
of Chess.” While studying scientific
research about what makes chess
players great, Shenk stumbled
upon a new branch of science called
“expertise studies,” which focuses
on the biological, psychological and
cultural bases of becoming an ex-
pert and “thought that would be in-
teresting to write about,” he said.
Shenk added that he has always
been “fascinated by the idea of get-
ting good at stuff,” a topic that “ev-
eryone is interested in and thinks
about.”
He said he uses the advice he
gives in his book in his everyday
life. “I constantly think about these
things as a parent,” he said.
“I am not trying to turn my kids
into super-geniuses,” Shenk said.
Still, he tries to expose them to
many things and give them the
tools to reach their goals. “I want
them to want to be great at some-
thing,” he said.
“Many of the things in the book
resonate with me ver y strongly,”
Shenk said, adding that he tries
to lead his life in a way that makes
his children understand the bases
of talent and intelligence.
Monday, April 12, 2010
— Jonah Wolf ’12
of cliche, both in terms of form and
in terms of content,” Huang wrote.
He cited Brown-Lavoie and Kaye’s
collaborative piece “Cave Woman,”
where Kaye played a spelunker
to Brown-Lavoie’s cave, as an ex-
ample of the team’s originality. “It
was absolutely mind-blowing,” he
wrote in the e-mail. “The piece was
obviously about sex, but it ended
up being about so much more —
about warmth, about the promise
of coming home at night, about the
phrase ‘I love you’ and how cave
people might have communicated
that feeling before they stumbled
across those words.”
Huang also performed an un-
titled collaborative piece with Na-
tividad, which his teammates af-
fectionately call “Kai and Tim Are
Friends,” and a rap in the semifinals
called “Sick.”
But competition is definitely not
the only reason these poets write
and perform. Huang wrote that “the
musicality of words, a belief in social
justice, and the way my own experi-
ences connect with others’ ” inspire
him to write.
“For me and for our team, the
poetry we do is about community —
the community of artists and poets
at Brown,” Brown-Lavoie said.
Shenk’s beliefs about talent and
intelligence pan out not only in his
family life but also in his work. “My
career as a writer has been ver y
challenging and rewarding,” he
said. Some have tried to define
him as a science or technology
writer, he said. But even though
his book has a lot of science in it,
he tries to take an interdisciplinary
approach.
“I am basically just a writer,”
Shenk said. “There isn’t anything
I’m not interested in.”
Shenk traces this fascination
back to his time at Brown, which
taught him “how to be a curious
person,” he said. “Brown had a
profound impact on me,” he said.
“I can’t imagine anything I do now
as a writer and a person without
having been at Brown for four
years.”
“The students are interested in
so many different things,” and often
are interested in more than one,
“finding commonalities” between
different worlds, he said. Brown
students are always “bouncing be-
tween these worlds of study and
thought,” he added.
Shenk added that he still spends
time with many other Brown alums,
who are good to “be with and learn
from and talk to.”
“Brown is a great factor y for
ambition and success,” he said.
SportsMonday
The Brown Daily Herald
M. Tennis
Columbia 6
Brown 1
Cornell 5
Brown 2
SCOREBOARD
no p l ace l i k e home
Shortstop Katie Rothamel ’10 arrives to greet her teammates at home
after a solo home run against Cornell on Sunday.
ATHLETE’S NOTEBOOK
M. crew’s Ben Dann ’12:
Cruisin’ through Crimson
The men’s crew team hosted Harvard
Saturday and sent the Crimson back
to Cambridge in defeat. Brown won
three of five races, and Ben Dann ’12,
the No. 2 seat in the JV boat, helped
row the Bears to one of their three vic-
tories. This is how it went down from
his point of view.
Harvard week is finally over! Our
team can let out a sigh of relief after
a big W this weekend (and Ari can
shave off his mullet and dirt ’stache).
Harvard is our biggest competition
on the East Coast. Although we get
to race them three times, including
Eastern Sprints and IRAs, nothing
feels as sweet as beating the Tide
head to head in a dual race.
We won three out of five races,
including the varsity, JV and 3V. In
the 3V, Kyle Beatty ’12 and his crew
charged out of the stakes guns blaz-
ing — and by guns I mean his jacked
biceps — adding crucial boat speed to
attaining a three-second victory.
The second varsity — or JV — won
by just under a boat length thanks to
Ari Resnick’s ’12 intimidating mullet
courtesy of Brent Mylrea ’11. The
varsity claimed the day with a one-sec-
ond victory, holding off the Crimson’s
sprint. The frosh and fourth varsity
eights came up slightly short, now
having reason to come back stronger
against Harvard down the road.
There are a few things I remember
about this week worth noting. First,
we have a vendetta against Harvard,
and we show it with fierce and sporad-
ic shouts of, “IT’S HARVARD WEEK
BABY YEEEAAAH.”
Second, the majority of the race is
filled with the noise of the coxswain
W. Tennis
Brown 5
Columbia 2
Brown 5
Cornell 2
Hilary Rosenthal / Herald
making calls and directing the boat
when to make moves, but in the last
500 meters, the crowd takes over, and
the only thing I hear is my mom’s
cowbell.
Third, the women’s crew pinned
up catchphrase posters on everyone’s
locker with clever catchphrases,
encouraging guys like Greg Silver-
berg ’12 to “go for the gold!” Or tell-
ing Jacques Greenberg ’12 to, “Jack
them up Jacques!” However, someone
decided to change “up” something
a little more inappropriate, and he
stared at it for five minutes wondering
why anyone wanted him to do that to
the opposing team.
However, whatever Jacques was
supposed to do, Harvard did not stick
around after the race long enough
to see what it was. Traditionally, the
losing team’s coach physically pass-
es the trophy to the winning team’s
coach in a ceremony displaying good
sportsmanship. But after the Crim-
son’s abrupt departure, Harvard and
their legendary Head Coach Harry
Parker are not what I would call good
sports.
Spring racing season flies by faster
each day. Every race lasts close to six
minutes, and preparation for the races
account for thousands of hours train-
ing. It’s crazy to think how much time
is invested into each stroke of a race.
We dream, joke, cry and lose sleep
over races. But overall, we are just
having fun racing and kickin’ ass.
— Ben Dann
Want to write about your sport and
think you can be entertaining? Send
the Herald sports department an e-mail
at sports@browndailyherald.com.
Monday, April 12, 2010 | Page 7
W. Lacrosse W. Water Polo W. Track
Brown 14 Brown 6 First out of seven
Columbia 12 Hartwick 11 teams
Brown 17 M. Golf M. Track
Manhattan 9 Brown, ninth out of First out of six
12 teams, shot 624 teams
M. LACROSSE
In ‘big’ win, Bears topple Penn
By Andrew Braca
Assistant Sports Editor
The No. 20 men’s lacrosse team rose
up to beat Penn, 12-9, on Saturday
in Philadelphia to advance to 5-4
overall and 2-1 in Ivy League play.
“Two games in a row, (against)
Bryant and Penn, it’s been tied in
the fourth quarter and we were the
ones who stepped up and made
plays,” said Head Coach Lars
Tiffany ’90. “We picked up tough
ground balls off the faceoffs, we
made saves, we scored goals. …
The win is big, but it’s how we won
it that’s really big for me.”
Andrew Feinberg ’11 netted
four goals, quad-captain Thomas
Muldoon ’10 added three and
Matt Chriss ’11 made 12 saves for
Brown.
The Bears jumped out to a 4-1
lead with 12:04 left in the second
quarter on goals by Muldoon, Nich-
olas Laster ’12, Feinberg and Rob
Schlesinger ’12. But the Quakers
(4-7, 0-4) scored three-straight goals
to go into halftime knotted at 4-4.
“We lost our intensity in our one-
on-one defense,” Tiffany said.
The teams then traded goals for
the first 16 minutes of the second
half, with neither side able to open
a two-goal advantage. Parker Brown
’12 scored just 13 seconds into the
third quarter, but Penn answered Jonathan Bateman / Herald
in 1:14. Feinberg again gave the Four goals by attacker Andrew Feinberg ’11 propelled the team to a win.
Bears the lead, but the Quakers
responded with two goals to take attack, counter-attack,” Tiffany was a fun lacrosse game to … watch
a 7-6 lead. said. “You have to give credit to (and) to coach.”
Muldoon and Feinberg followed both teams. We were trying to play The Bears then took control of
with goals in the waning minutes as fast as we could, up-and-down, the game. David Hawley ’11 gave
of the quarter, but Penn tied the fast-paced, high-intensity game and Brown a 9-8 lead with 11:56 left, as
game at 8-8 just 37 seconds into the Penn was willing to do it as well, quad-captain Reade Seligmann ’10
fourth quarter. so things loosened up for both of-
“It was punch, counter-punch, fenses in the second half. It really continued on page 8
Page 8
S ports M onday
M. lacrosse scores last-minute win against Quakers
continued from page 7
handed out one of his four assists on
the game. Goals by Parker Brown
’12, Muldoon and Feinberg finished
off the Quakers, giving Brown a four-
goal lead with 42 seconds left, though
Penn tacked on a man-up goal 17
seconds later.
Tiffany said the key to the strong
second-half offense was “unleashing
(the players) and giving them more
creativity and more room to make
plays.”
“Four of the eight second-half
goals were scramble lacrosse, play-
ing fast,” he said. “The ball goes
down, we pick it up and fly from the
defensive end to the offensive end,
creating an odd-man rush on the
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“We must first and foremost focus on being true to
who we are.” — Head Coach Lars Tiffany ’90
opposition.”
Tiffany said that the team will
gain confidence from winning its
second-straight game that was tied
in the fourth quarter. With Brown
having played eight games this sea-
son that were tied or within one goal
in the fourth quarter, and winning
four of them, Tiffany said he can
see a “quiet confidence” emerging
in his players that reminds him of
previous years.
“With the successful teams of
2008 and 2009, we were in many
close games in those years — we
won a majority of them,” Tiffany
said.
The Bears will try to build on
that when they host No. 19 Yale (7-2,
2-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. on Stevenson
Baseball team wins four
games in one weekend
continued from page 1
to just four runs. Carlow went the
distance, allowing only seven hits
while striking out eight.
In support of Carlow, the Bears
offense scored early and often —
blasting a total of five home runs,
including two by Pete Greskoff ’11.
Other standouts included first base-
man Mike DiBiase ’12, who went
four for five with a home run, and
center fielder Nick Punal ’10, who
went four for four, also with a home
run. The Bears ended the game with
17 runs on 20 hits.
Brown 13, Princeton 12
In the back end of the double-
header, the Bears offense contin-
ued their hot hitting. Leading off
the bottom of the first, shortstop
Graham Tyler ’12 crushed the very
first pitch over the left-field fence to
spark a five-run inning. The Bears
added three more runs in the third,
thanks to a two-run single by Matt
Colantonio ’11 and an RBI single
by Greskoff.
But the Tigers’ bats came alive
as they chased Brown starter Rob
Wilcox ’10 after just three and one-
third innings by scoring four runs
off the pitcher. The Tigers exploded
for eight more runs in the top of the
fifth to take a 12-8 lead.
The Bears appeared to be in trou-
ble as Princeton freshman reliever
Kevin Link — previously recruited
by Brown, according to Drabin-
ski — began to dominate Brown
hitters. He struck out the side in
both the fourth and sixth, but the
Bears edged closer in the seventh
by touching up Link for three runs,
highlighted by a towering home
run to left by third baseman Ryan
Zrenda ’11. The three runs cut the
Princeton lead to 12-11.
Keeping the Bears within reach
throughout the latter innings was a
trio of relievers. Walter Albee ’13,
Will Lacker ’13 and Matt Boylan
’10 combined to shut out the Tigers
for the last four and two-thirds in-
nings.
“Our first few relievers struggled
but I thought the last three guys did
a great job to keep us close and in
the game,” Drabinski said.
The Bears also received a critical
boost from their defense by cutting
down an insurance run for Princeton
at the plate in the top of the ninth to
keep the game a one-run affair.
In the bottom half of the inning,
after reaching on a sharp single to
Monday, April 12, 2010
Field. The Bulldogs’ only losses have
come to No. 5 Princeton and No. 12
Cornell.
“While we will face a formidable
opponent in Yale, we must first and
foremost focus on being true to who
we are,” Tiffany said. “That’s playing
aggressive, fast and with our ‘Brown
State’ mentality … and our ‘Brown
State’ edge.”
center, Tyler scored the game-tying
run on DiBiase’s double to center.
After a pitching change, Feit came
to the plate and won it for the Bears
with his walk-off single to right.
Brown 13, Cornell 6
After sweeping the Tigers, the
Bears faced off against the Big Red
Sunday afternoon. Even without the
wind blowing hard like the day be-
fore, the Bears offense got rolling
and scored 10 runs in the first four
innings.
Leading 2-1 in the third, the
Bears broke open the game by
scoring five runs. Greskoff, Feit
and Punal all drove in runs in the
inning.
The Bears extended their lead
by adding three more runs in the
bottom of the fourth.
On the mound, Matt Kimball ’11
cruised through the first five, giv-
ing up just one run. But he ran into
trouble in the sixth, giving up three
runs, including two on a long home
run to left. Kimball shook off the
home run and finished his outing
strong by striking out the last two
batters he faced.
In the bottom of the sixth, the
Bears answered back with three
runs of their own, thanks in part to
a high-arching blast over the left-
center fence off the bat of Cody
Slaughter ’13, the first home run
of his career.
Boylan closed out the 13-6 win
in the seventh.
Brown 15, Cornell 4
Looking to complete a clean
sweep of the homestand, the Bears
looked to Will Weidig ’10 to take the
mound in the second game of the
doubleheader. Over eight innings,
Weidig scattered 11 hits, giving up
four runs, while striking out 10.
Once again, the Bears’ offense
scored early and often, chasing the
Cornell starting pitcher after only
two innings. The Bears scored two
in the first and four in the second
to open up a 6-1 lead. The highlight
of the first two innings was a titanic
blast by Zrenda, which landed well
beyond the left field fence.
After reaching the Cornell bull-
pen, the Bears added to their run
total with six more in the third and
continued to pad their lead with two
more in the fourth and one in the
eighth.
Andrew Bakowski ’11 came on
to pitch in the ninth to seal the 15-4
win.
Higher Ed
The Brown Daily Herald
Surge in hate crimes challenges campuses Fla. U. gets
By Tim Barker
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
It’s tempting to think of college
campuses as islands of enlight-
enment, places where students
embrace new ideas, people and
cultures without the specter of
hate hanging overhead.
Tempting. But it’s not always
the case, as demonstrated by
events on campuses across the
nation in recent months.
There were cotton balls scat-
tered outside the black cultural
center at University of Missouri-
Columbia. There have been racial
slurs and a threat of lynching at
St. Louis University. There was
a swastika scrawled on a bath-
room wall near a Jewish studies
center at the University of Mi-
ami. There were death threats
against black students left on a
bathroom wall at Hocking College
in Nelsonville, Ohio. And a white
fraternity sparked an uproar at
the University of California San
Diego, when it sponsored a ghet-
to-themed “Compton Cookout” to
mock Black Histor y Month.
To be sure, such events have
always been par t of the Ameri-
can landscape. But campus and
diversity experts say they’ve seen
a surge in the past year, poking
yet another hole in what increas-
ingly appears to be the myth of a
Stephanie Cordle / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A cross belonging to an LGBT support group at St. Louis University was
recently stolen in what may be a recent uptick in college hate crimes.
post-racial America.
“I guarantee that any given
campus in the nation will have
small incidents like these in a
given year,” said Darnell Cole,
an associate professor of educa-
tion at the University of Southern
California who studies diversity
issues.
But Cole and others see a cor-
relation between a rise in campus
hate crimes and the increasingly
nasty exchanges taking place
among our nation’s politicians
and leaders — on both sides of
the political spectrum. It would
be naive, they say, to not expect
that discord to show up on cam-
puses.
The nation’s first black presi-
dency, he said, has simply pro-
vided “kindling for the fire.”
It’s difficult to know just how
much hate crime is occurring on
college campuses. Justice Depart-
ment data suggest that 12 percent
of hate crimes occur on either
college or school campuses. The
numbers aren’t broken down to
show how much of it happens
at universities. And experts say
many instances of racial or sexual
slurs are never reported.
Even so, they say incidents
reported in the news and through
their own professional organiza-
tions point to a pattern.
“At least anecdotally, there
seems to have been an increase.
But we don’t know for cer tain
because repor ting is so bad,”
said Brian Levin, director of the
Center for the Study of Hate &
Extremism at California State
University, San Bernardino.
A search for examples need go
no further than St. Louis Univer-
sity, which has witnessed a series
of incidents in recent months.
Racial slurs have been found
scrawled on walls or shouted
at black students. A student in
early Februar y repor ted being
threatened with lynching dur-
ing a confrontation with another
student. And a cross belonging
to a support group for gays and
lesbians was stolen.
University investigations have
resulted in punishments handed
down in two incidents, but offi-
cials say privacy laws restrict how
much they can say.
“All I can tell you is that two of
the students who were involved
are no longer enrolled at the uni-
versity,” said Kent Por ter field,
the university’s vice president for
student development.
Of course, not ever y incident
with racial overtones rises to the
level of hate crime. But even the
lesser transgressions can cause
hurt feelings and, for some stu-
dents, doubts about their future
on the campus.
Such was the case for Erin
Whitley, a freshman at SLU who
learned earlier this year of a Fa-
cebook group for members of her
dorm floor. Among the discussion
threads on the social network-
ing site was a post about things
overheard on the floor: “There’s
nothing I hate more than black
people,” it said.
The comment was later delet-
ed. And several people involved
apologized to her in writing. But
the damage was done: “I thought
we were all really close. But then
to see their true feelings. It made
me feel really uncomfortable.”
In some ways, racial or hate-
driven episodes can push a cam-
pus closer together. At SLU, for
example, students and administra-
tors have rallied in support of the
targeted groups with town hall
meetings, gatherings, diversity
forums and a “We Are All Billik-
ens” campaign, asking students to
sign a diversity pledge and wear
a wristband.
The university’s president, the
Rev. Lawrence Biondi, issued a
campus-wide e-mail in early Feb-
ruary condemning hateful speech
and acts of intolerance.
And while some find reason for
hope in the community’s reaction,
many say they know there is only
so much that can be done to influ-
ence long-held prejudices.
“I wouldn’t say they are really
changing anyone’s views,” said
Michael Harriss, student govern-
ment association president at St.
Louis University. “We don’t expect
them to pick up a wristband and
Monday, April 12, 2010 | Page 9
suddenly feel enlightened.”
Still, some students want more
from administrators. Officials re-
cently received a form-letter e-
mail from more than 120 students
with a list of demands, including:
the establishment of a 24-hour
hot line to assist students who’ve
been threatened; a campus-wide
e-mail alert system to let ever y-
one know when an incident has
occurred and a requirement that
all students take a social justice
class.
“They hear us, but I don’t see
any action taking place,” said Ono
Oghre-Ikanone, president of the
Black Student Alliance.
Por ter field said administra-
tors are reviewing the demands
and that many of many will be
addressed. But he urged stu-
dents to give administrators time:
“Sometimes the process takes
longer than some people would
like it to.”
One of the more frustrating
aspects of these incidents, from
a college administrator’s view-
point, is the fact that colleges are
composed of students with a wide
range of backgrounds.
“Sometimes people think of
college campuses as these isolat-
ed and protected environments,
when in fact they are a micro-
cosm of our broader society,” said
Roger Worthington, the chief di-
versity officer at the University
of Missouri-Columbia.
The Columbia campus had
its own brush with racism in the
early-morning hours of Feb. 26,
when two white students scat-
tered cotton balls outside the
Gaines/Oldham Black Culture
Center. The students were ar-
rested and suspended.
As was the case at SLU — and
vir tually ever y other campus
where such events have hap-
pened — the incident was fol-
lowed by calls for unity. There
was a daylong event organized by
students, along with a town hall
meeting attended by top univer-
sity officials.
That the community rallied
in support of black students has
done a lot to keep emotions in
check, said Kristen Taylor, a
sophomore from O’Fallon, Ill.,
and member of the Legion of
Black Collegians. “It didn’t just
affect the black students on cam-
pus,” Taylor said. “We were all
embarrassed that this would hap-
pen on our campus.”
Lori Brown, associate profes-
sor of sociology at North Caro-
lina’s Meredith College, said
campus dynamics are fur ther
complicated by students of dif-
ferent backgrounds not always
understanding one another and
how painful their actions might
be.
“I do think a lot of white Amer-
ica doesn’t understand that you
can’t play around with things like
‘lynching,’ ” Brown said. “There’s
just no humor in that.”
sex video
pulled from
Web site
By Susan Jacobson
The Orlando Sentinel
It’s been said that any publicity is
good publicity.
But Florida A&M University
was not amused when the name
of its teams — the Rattlers — the
FAMU logo and the school colors
appeared in a video featuring what
appeared to be eight students hav-
ing an orgy.
On Wednesday, the Tallahassee
university settled a lawsuit it filed
last month in U.S. District Court
against the operator of a sexually
explicit Web site that posted the
video. In the settlement, the com-
pany acknowledges that people in
the video were not students and
they were not filmed on campus.
FAMU had described the video
in its suit as “a transparent attempt
to trade on the good name and iden-
tity of Florida Agricultural and Me-
chanical University and its (trade)
marks by wrongly insinuating that
its students routinely engage in the
debasing and degrading behavior
depicted therein.”
RK Netmedia, based in Miami
Beach, has agreed to pay $105,000
to fund Life-Gets-Better scholar-
ships for two FAMU undergradu-
ates and foot the $15,000 bill for at-
torneys’ fees, FAMU announced.
RK Netmedia operates a Web
site that promises “the hottest real
college girls having wild sex par-
ties in their dorm rooms.”
FAMU sued March 16, about
two weeks after the video titled
“BigRattler77” was posted on the
Web site.
The historically black university
alleged trademark dilution and in-
fringement and injur y to its busi-
ness reputation. The FAMU board
of trustees approved the settlement
Wednesday.
A woman who answered the
phone at RK Netmedia said the
company would provide a state-
ment within 24 hours. According
to FAMU, RK Netmedia agreed to
issue an apology and do its best
to prevent the video from being
shown.
It also agreed to destroy all but
one copy that must be kept under
federal law, the university said.
diamonds
andcoal
.com
Editorial & Letters
The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Monday, April 12, 2010

abe pressman

e d i to r i a l
correction
Event ethics
An article in Friday’s Herald (“The Cook recalls the Cuban revolution,”
April 9) misspelled the name of Assistant Director Zach Bleckner ’12. The The annual event Gala will be held this year at There are several ways to avoid situations like
article also misquoted Bleckner as saying the revolution was clouded by Andrews Dining Hall and Terrace — and not the this in the future and also allow issue-focused stu-
political and socioeconomic circumstances. In fact, he was referring to a Westin Hotel — according to an e-mail sent by event dent groups to provide input on event planning.
reality that the play explores, not the revolution itself. The Herald regrets organizers to students April 10. The change comes For one, we’d like to see SLA create a database
the errors. following intense negotiations between organizers of information about ongoing labor disputes in the
and “the Student Labor Alliance, Westin workers Providence area and the labor practices of local em-
and management, University administrators and ployers. This database would allow event organizers
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d legal counsel,” The Herald reported April 9. to identify potential conflicts in advance and seek
Senior Editors
We support the compromise that Gala organizers out responsible businesses. Though it may be pos-
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Deputy Managing Editors
Sophia Li Ellen Cushing and SLA were eventually able to reach. Nonethe- sible for event organizers to find information about
George Miller Chaz Kelsh
Emmy Liss Seth Motel less, the decision clearly was not easy and the event these issues themselves, SLA already has a strong
Joanna Wohlmuth
planners — the 2011 Class Board and the Key So- presence in the Providence community and more
editorial Business
General Managers Office Manager ciety — now face thousands of dollars in potential comprehensive knowledge about labor conflicts.
Anne Speyer Arts & Culture Editor
Suzannah Weiss Arts & Culture Editor Claire Kiely Shawn Reilly losses for breaking their contract with the Westin. Of course, not all controversies pertain to labor
Brian Mastroianni Features Editor Katie Koh In the future, it’s important that issues surrounding practices. For this reason, we believe that other
Hannah Moser Features Editor Directors
Brigitta Greene Metro Editor Kelly Wess Sales off-campus event locations be addressed before issue-focused groups may also have valuable advice
Ben Schreckinger Metro Editor Matthew Burrows Finance commitments are made. for organizations planning large, off-campus events.
Sydney Ember News Editor Margaret Watson Client Relations
Nicole Friedman News Editor Christiana Stephenson Alumni Relations
Employees at the Westin Hotel, the original All relevant groups should have a chance to provide
Dan Alexander Sports Editor venue chosen for Gala, are upset with the hotel’s their knowledge and expertise to event organizers as
Zack Bahr Asst. Sports Editor Managers management over recent salary cuts and increased well. To this end, we’d like to see the creation of an
Andrew Braca Asst. Sports Editor Arjun Vaidya Local Sales
Han Cui Asst. Sports Editor Marco deLeon National Sales health insurance costs. The worker’s union said it event advisory council, composed of representatives
Aditi Bhatia University Sales has filed an “unfair labor practice complaint” with from any student group that would like to help event
Graphics & Photos Jared Davis University Sales
Trenten Nelson-Rivers Recruiter Sales
the National Labor Relations Board, according to a organizers. The council would provide planners with
Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor
Alex Yuly Graphics Editor Maximilian Barrows Business Operations March 17 article in the Providence Journal. information about the conduct of various businesses
Nick Sinnott-Armstrong Photo Editor Jilyn Chao Business Analytics Though the dispute began late last year, the before any final decisions are made.
Max Monn Asst. Photo Editor Danielle Marshak Credit and Collections
Jonathan Bateman Sports Photo Editor Alexander Carrere Special Projects workers did not initiate a boycott until March 18, At the same time, the choice of venue is ulti-
Kathy Bui Staff the Journal reported. By the time the labor issue mately up to those planning the event. We are not
Production
Kelly Mallahan Copy Desk Chief
Opinions became widely known, Gala organizers had already suggesting that SLA or any other group be given
Michael Fitzpatrick Opinions Editor
Marlee Bruning Design Editor Alyssa Ratledge Opinions Editor signed a contract with the hotel, which required a veto power over other groups’ decisions. However,
Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor $5,000 deposit and a minimum $20,000 expenditure in the vast majority of cases, student groups don’t
Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Editorial Page Board
Neal Poole Web Editor Matt Aks Editorial Page Editor on the event, The Herald reported last week. intend to work with businesses that are embroiled
William Martin Board member We applaud the 2011 Class Board and the Key in ethical controversy. Through preemptive infor-
Melissa Shube Board member
Post- magazine Gaurie Tilak Board member Society for their earnest collaboration with other mation sharing and collaboration, student groups
Marshall Katheder Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Topaz Board member groups involved in the issue. Even so, we sympathize can make more informed decisions.
Julien Ouellet, Leor Shtull-Leber, Designers with event organizers for having to navigate the
Zoe Chaves, Kelly Mallahan, Dan Towne, Copy Editors difficult situation, in which they were unsure if the Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board.
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Opinions
The Brown Daily Herald
The estrangement of the anointed
BY manas gautam
Opinions Columnist
I remember reading once that science has
allowed us to become gods before we ever
learned to be humans. Advancements in sci-
ence have allowed us to do everything from
saving lives to enjoying seedless watermel-
on. Such advancements have not only made
life easier but have also improved the over-
all standard of living for everyone. These im-
provements will be vital in closing the third
world divide and helping counter the popu-
lation explosion, food shortages, water pota-
bility and other global problems. But has the
pride of realizing truths about nature and ad-
vanced technology desensitized us toward
life?
The Large Hadron Collider, which was
recently restarted, has made me think
about the limit to which I would accept the
slightest negligence that might threaten
humanity. The point to be noted is that the
LHC was created by humans in the name
of furthering science for humanity. Even if
the smartest minds in the world know what
they are talking about, anything could go
wrong, including the unlikely creation of a
black hole. Is human life that expendable?
The problem with academics is their in-
ability to understand sentiment and human
feelings. A case in point is the ridicule cre-
ationists face in the United States. Those
who believe in Darwinism claim that they
believe in evolution and survival of the fit-
test, yet they look toward the arrogance of
a selected elite to direct them to the elite’s
BY HUNTER FAST
Opinions Columnist
Many viewpoints have been expressed in re-
cent weeks regarding Brown’s proposed 4.5
percent tuition hike for the next academic
year. In this regard, Simon Liebling’s ’12 col-
umn denouncing the increase as plutocratic
excess (“Grin and bear it,” Mar. 25) stands
as a beacon of clarity and reason in stark
contrast to the “brown-nosing” opinions of
anyone who could possibly find the adminis-
tration’s actions to be justifiable.
Unfortunately for the entire Brown com-
munity, the policies that Liebling espouses
— namely, a tuition freeze and the cancel-
lation of layoffs — are inconsistent from a
budgetary standpoint for a number of rea-
sons. Furthermore, because financial aid
has increased at a commensurate rate, the
tuition hike resembles a progressive tax,
primarily affecting those that have weath-
ered the recession best: the wealthy.
Central to Liebling’s logic is the as-
sumption that Brown’s endowment can be
utilized to fill gaps in the University’s op-
erational budget, thus allowing the admin-
istration to have “frozen our tuition and
cancelled layoffs” in the face of sharply de-
creased revenue. However, the vast major-
ity of the endowment is held in illiquid as-
sets (i.e., assets that cannot be readily con-
verted to cash).
The illiquidity of University endow-
ments is evidenced most directly by the fact
that Brown’s endowment lost 26.6 percent
of its value at a time when the U.S. dollar
gained value through deflation. This dispar-
ity implies either that the best schools in
chosen path.
Even if the theory of creationism is sci-
entifically proven to be incorrect, it should
not be a source of humor or serve as a rea-
son not to vote for a competent candidate.
Even though creationism should not be
taught exclusively in schools (due to sep-
aration of church and state), it should be
mentioned in textbooks so that children are
aware of the other side. An informed public
should be free to make their own choices.
The job of academics is simply to make ev-
That a certain group arrogantly claims to know
how we should live our lives should smack in the
face of all Brown undergraduates who believe in
the New Curriculum.
ery option clear and not make decisions for
anybody.
Has the atheist and agnostic movement
become the new line of imperial thought?
The British used to conquer territories and
exploit people in the name of destroying
barbarism and imposing the “white man’s
burden.” Are we rationals unknowingly
walking on the same path and distancing
ourselves from the majority of the popula-
tion, which has a different set of beliefs?
It is necessary to understand people’s be-
liefs and their nature in order to understand
their actions.
Our lives are full of little beliefs upon
which we base some decisions (lucky ob-
jects, relationships with people, etc.). Can
No free lunch for Brown
the country hired profoundly incompetent
money managers, or that their endowments
cannot retain their value by converting to
cash, with the latter being by far more like-
ly.
Because of this painful reality, Brown
does not have the ability to call funds out of
the ether that national governments seem-
ingly have, thus limiting Brown’s options for
ameliorating the effects of the recession on
the educational experience of its students.
In short, an endowment is not a savings ac-
count, nor is the administration as powerful
as a government.
In light of this, Brown is bound by the
economic maxim that “there is no such
thing as a free lunch.” In order to fulfill one
In short, an endowment is not a savings account,
nor is the administration as powerful
as a government.
of Liebling’s demands, the University must
make short-run sacrifices on some other
front. While every student has a different
set of interests, and thus different ideas of
which expenses should be cut, demanding
that the University renounce programs in-
tended to ensure long-term financial stabil-
ity in order to balance a short-run budget
deficit is deeply irresponsible.
Enter the role of the tuition hike. Al-
though the University administration has
been accused of heartlessly exploiting its
students in the interest of its ruthless cam-
paign to improve Brown’s facilities, this ac-
cusation is only half true. At the end of the
we not accept some people’s belief in an
all-knowing entity that controls one’s fate?
The thought is certainly quite appealing
and does help us rationalize terrible luck
and offers answers to questions about the
afterlife, which in turn helps us lead con-
tent lives and get through mundane day-
to-day events. The feeling that everyone is
unique and has a duty to play in a world or-
chestrated by the entity can certainly help
some people perform at their best. On the
other hand, being complacent and accept-
ing or blaming everything on fate or God
is not only a lazy man’s excuse, but also
dangerous. Rationalizing manslaughter in
the name of God is the other end of not be-
ing open to discussion and being detached
from life and other people’s pain.
Such problems are also seen with Demo-
crats, Keynesians and any other proponents
of collectivism. The idea that the govern-
ment or a collective leadership knows bet-
ter and can make decisions for everybody
is nothing short of serfdom. That a certain
group arrogantly claims to know how we
should live our lives should smack in the
face of all Brown undergraduates who be-
lieve in the New Curriculum. We came here
to break away from the serfdom of universi-
day, some students will obviously see their
tuition rise.
However, the University has, by expand-
ing financial aid, ensured that the most eco-
nomically vulnerable students will be gen-
erally protected from Brown’s budgetary
woes. This is verified by a comparison of
aid award estimates from the Office of Fi-
nancial Aid for this academic year and the
next, which demonstrates that the financial
burden for families on financial aid will in-
crease by a percentage that is well below
current inflation rates, much less the tu-
ition increase.
Therefore, the correct accusation is that
through these policies, the University is cal-
lously neglecting the economic interests of
its patrician students in order to provide the
best educational experience possible to all
of its students. Due to this fact, resistance
and protest must be the best options. After
all, the bourgeoisie has nothing to lose but
its chains.
Of course, this is not to say that all is well
for the affordability of a college education;
such an assertion would merely be “brown-
nosing.” A collaborationist Herald editorial
(“The Corporation and the economy,” Mar.
3) noted that “tuition has been growing fast-
er than inflation since the 1970s.” However,
without taking other factors into account,
the inflation rate is a misleading value for
Monday, April 12, 2010 | Page 11
ty administrators deciding what it means to
be educated. We are charged by our curric-
ulum and by our system to individually cre-
ate what it means to be educated. Yet these
same advocates of the curriculum look to
Washington, to Keynesians and to Demo-
crats to dictate how and where we spend
our money as they push us and make us
pursue their self-interest. I say, Brown stu-
dents, rise up against such collectivism and
use Brown as an instrument against such
forms of dictatorship.
I believe that we as humans will always
strive to make our and our families’ lives
better and will make the right decisions
once we have all the necessary facts to
make those decisions. Hostility toward peo-
ple with different sets of standards and up-
bringings distances us from humanity and
valuable relationships. Some of my best
friends on campus attend religious services
routinely and one of them is even a Byzan-
tine chanter at a Greek Orthodox church.
Their friendships have been valuable in
shaping me as a person, extending my
knowledge about their cultures and mak-
ing me tolerant of and open to any line of
thought. Tolerance is key to rationally eval-
uating and then adopting or shunning any
idea that we come across.
Manas Gautam ’12 gives lessons in
fishing and respects your beliefs
as long as they do not kill him.
He can be reached at
manas_gautam@brown.edu.
comparison.
The income growth of wealthy Ameri-
cans began to heavily outpace that of the
middle and working classes in the 1970s,
and because the student bodies of Brown
and other competitive universities are dis-
proportionately wealthy, the editorial’s ob-
servation may not be a coincidence. If this
conclusion is correct, then it gives rise to an
unsettling phenomenon.
While many universities cover the dem-
onstrated need of less well-off students
through financial aid, perpetual increases
in tuition can render the sticker price of
a college education intimidating to all but
the wealthiest of prospective students. This
may prompt families to substitute less ex-
pensive options, to the detriment of future
earning potential, thereby causing the in-
come growth of the most wealthy relative
to lower income brackets to accelerate fur-
ther. Thus, the cycle is perpetuated for an-
other generation.
There is no magic bullet for the problem
of college affordability, but potential solu-
tions will be found only through analysis of
the ways in which amoral reactions to eco-
nomic circumstances can generate negative
outcomes. A moralistic approach that does
little other than accuse its detractors of col-
laboration, hypocrisy and brown-nosing is
remarkably unhelpful.
Hunter Fast ’12 is an economics
concentrator who hopes that this
column will be sufficient to earn
him a writing gig for the Brown
Noser. He can be reached at
hunter_fast@brown.edu.
 Today
The Brown Daily Herald
3 5 7
c a l e n da r
Today, april 12
5:00 p.m. — “Human Rights in the
Middle East,” Watson Institute,
Joukowsky Forum
5:30 P.M. — Holocaust Memorial
Day Ceremony, Brown-RISD Hillel
2nd Floor Meeting Room
menu
Sharpe Refectory
Lunch — Lentil Croquettes with Spicy
Raita, Chicken Fingers with Dipping
Sauce, Vegan Veggie Patties
Dinner — Parslied Rice, Vegan Garden
Chili, Tuna Salad, Italian Meatballs
crossword
3 Simmons as popular as ever to day to m o r r o w
WORD! competes in invitational
5 61 / 39
Monday, April 12, 2010
58 / 40
Page 12
t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s
comics
tomorrow, april 13 Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
4:30 P.M. — “How to Get the Most
from Your First Job,” Maddock Alumni
Center
5:00 P.M. — Seniors Talk to Juniors
about Fall Recruiting, Career
Development Center Library
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
Lunch — Cavatini, Raspberry Swirl
Cookies, Italian Marinated Chicken
Dinner — Mediterranean Salmon
Stir Fry, Teriyaki Chicken, Vegetarian
Japanese Noodle Soup
Excelsior | Kevin Grubb
Fruitopia | Andy Kim
Hippomaniac | Mat Becker