Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 21 | Friday, February 20, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Economy on the
docket for Corp.
Budget, long-term planning
take center stage this weekend
By Chaz Kelsh
and Jenna Stark
News Editors
With an economic crisis throwing
a wrench in the University’s ambi-
tious spending plans, the Corpo-
ration will have some major deci-
sions to make when it convenes
for a meeting this weekend.
Chancellor Thomas T isch
’76, who arrived in Providence
Wednesday evening, said the
Corporation plans to “review an
extraordinar y amount of informa-
tion” this weekend. “It’s a pretty
full schedule,” he said.
One month after the University
revealed it has likely lost roughly
30 percent of its endowment in
less than a year, sacrifice may have
become the name of the game
for the final years of President
Ruth Simmons’ signature capital
campaign. Though several major
projects — including a new fitness
center and a huge brain sciences
building — remain on Brown’s
Trading ice skates for flippers, underwater hockey players swam for the goal at a practice last night.
They
swim,
they score
Sure, it’s obscure, but
underwater hockey is
just like real hockey —
well, sort of.
inside
News.....1-4
Arts........5-6
Spor ts...7-8
Editorial..10
Opinion...11
Today........12
www.browndailyherald.com
to-do list, administrators have ac-
knowledged that, even if no new
building is scrapped, timelines will
need to be pushed back.
Some ambitious academic ini-
tiatives — with tighter budgets
ahead — also appear likely to suf-
fer from a decreased availability
of funds, though the University
has repeatedly expressed its com-
mitment to the goals of the Plan
for Academic Enrichment, Sim-
mons’ wide-ranging blueprint to
improve the school’s academic
standing. The University’s desire
to expand the Graduate School to
keep up with the growing size of
faculty, for example, is likely to
go unmet.
The Corporation, which gath-
ers three times annually — in Feb-
ruar y, May and October — will
use this meeting to approve a bud-
get for the fiscal year that begins
July 1. Simmons is expected to
present a balanced budget to the
continued on page 2
SPOTLIGHT
By Jyotsna Mullur
Staff Writer
“Underwater WHAT?”
The Rhode Island Reds — a
team of underwater hockey enthu-
siasts — often hear this when they
tell friends what sport they play.
And on the surface, their un-
usual pastime merits the confused
response they receive.
On Thursday, the club team’s
flippered players lined up along
the walls of the Care New England
News, 7
blue states
New Haven, Conn. gets a
taste of Brown-born Blue
State Coffee.
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
The Corporation may rule this weekend on the fate of a new swim center, among other things.
U.’s top officers to discuss capital projects
By Anne Simons
Senior Staf f Writer
When members of the Corpora-
tion gather on College Hill this
weekend, they will face the sticky
reality of an economic recession
that threatens to derail or delay
a number of planned construc-
Kim Perley / Herald
Wellness Center in Warwick. At
a teammate’s signal, the players
dove frantically toward the center
of the rectangular swimming pool,
splashing loudly.
Suddenly, the splashing
stopped. The surface became de-
ceptively calm while, underwater,
eight fin- and snorkel-clad players
swam and flicked small, one-foot
sticks. They pushed a lead puck
around on the pool floor.
continued on page 2
tion projects on the University’s
radar.
Brown’s top governing board is
likely to have a “tougher standard”
for evaluating whether or not to
move forward with projects, said
Richard Spies, executive vice presi-
dent for planning and senior adviser
to President Ruth Simmons. Given
Advocate, former Bush admin.
lawyer debate human rights
By Hannah Moser
Senior Staff Writer
Human rights are essential to a fair and
just society — though war can compli-
cate things, Larry Cox, the executive
director of Amnesty International USA,
and University of California, Berkeley
Professor of Law John Yoo agreed in
a debate at Salomon 101 Thursday
afternoon.
But the two agreed about little else,
with Cox — who has spent his career
defending human rights — describ-
ing such rights as “self-evident” while
Yoo, a former lawyer for George W.
Bush’s administration, countered that
such rights were sometimes, if not
self-evident, self-defeating.
At the nearly full Janus Forum lec-
ture, “One World, Many People: Are
There Universal Human Rights?” the
two speakers took the divergent posi-
tions their backgrounds suggested
they would.
Cox used his initial 25 minutes
on the floor to describe the impact of
the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights that the General Assembly of
the United Nations adopted in 1948.
If governments generally do not like
Arts, 5
shall we dance?
‘Waltz with Bashir’ art
director David Polonsky
spoke at the Avon Cinema
Qidong Chen / Herald
the economy, administrators will
“almost certainly do less than we
otherwise would have,” he said.
In recent years, construction
has sometimes been given the
go-ahead to begin even before all
money pledged by donors for the
continued on page 2
limits on their power, Cox asked, then
why did they agree to such a pact?
One reason, he said, was that hu-
man rights are hailed as the founda-
tion of peace. But governments do
not always follow through with such
agreements because they do not be-
lieve they can be held to the accord,
he said. This is why, Cox said, it is up
to people to use “the power of moral
pressure” to claim these rights.
“The past decade has been one
of the most damaging” to human
rights, Cox said. Citing detentions,
disappearances and the use of torture,
Cox said, “human rights violations are
carried out in the name of security”
everywhere.
Yoo, a contributor to the Patriot Act
who is known for his advocacy of the
legality of torture during wartime, said
he did not think he and Cox disagreed
about how an ideal world would look.
But he said that rights apply differ-
ently when a country’s security is
threatened. It is generally accepted,
for example, that killing does not count
as murder during war, he said, adding
that detainment keeps soldiers from
continued on page 4
Opinions, 11
shop till you drop
Kate Doyle ’12 offers
her advice for a Lit Arts
revamp.
herald@browndailyherald.com
Page 2 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Friday, February 20, 2009

C ampus N EWS “You have got to come back up and breathe.”

— Gabriel Matthias, member of the Rhode Island Reds

Construction projects Budget needs final approval Saturday

to get a second look
continued from page 1
building is in hand. But one pos-
sible response from the Corpora-
tion this weekend, Spies said, is
to withhold final approval on all
projects until 100 percent of funds
have been collected.
The Corporation also has au-
thoritative input in choosing archi-
tects and approving design plans,
said Steve Maiorisi, vice president
for Facilities Management.
The current economic environ-
ment leaves the future of some
high profile building projects in
doubt. Some projects, like the
Creative Arts Center, are ready
to move forward, Associate Pro-
vost Pamela O’Neil said, because
of success with fundraising for the
building. With approval from the
Corporation, the University hopes
to break ground this summer, she
said.
The renovation of Faunce
House into an expanded campus
The Nelson Fitness Center and
a new swim center are currently
on hold, Maiorisi said, but recent
developments may change plans
for the swim center. Executive
Vice President for Finance and
Administration Beppie Huidekoper
revealed on Wednesday, speaking
at a meeting of the Undergraduate
Council of Students, that an alum
has pledged a large proportion of
the needed funds for a new pool.
In addition to the initial costs
of construction, increased operat-
ing costs from new buildings are
also an important consideration
when planning new projects, Spies
said. With any new facility, there
are usually increases to operating
budgets that must be accounted
for in University spending, he said,
adding that the budget is a “main
constraint.”
In the meantime, the Univer-
sity may be looking to scale down
projects or do renovations instead,
O’Neil said. Classroom renova-
continued from page 1
University’s highest governing
body — a departure from the last
several years, in which the Corpo-
ration has approved the spending
of reser ve funds to finance the
goals of the Plan for Academic
Enrichment.
The proposed $551 million
budget, which administrators dis-
cussed at a meeting of the Brown
University Community Council
earlier this month, would repre-
sent a $4.5 million decline from
the current year’s budget, and a
stark $21 million reduction from
the figure the Corporation had
sketched out for the year last May.
The University has said it needs
to cut $60 million in previously
projected spending for the next
five years, beginning with the next
budget.
Given the tough choices facing
it, the Corporation will focus on
adjustments the University needs
to make in the face of “market up-
heaval,” Tisch said.
Still, he said there was “a ver y
clear sense of a plan and a sense of
direction” to move certain objec-
tives for ward, and that the Corpo-
ration hopes to support Simmons’
goals.
Dealing with the economic
crisis will be the “over riding
theme” of the meeting, said Rus-
sell Carey ’91 MA’06, senior vice
president for Corporation af-
fairs and University governance.
The Corporation, which formed
an ad hoc committee at its last
meeting in October to assess the
economy’s impact, will be deal-
ing with “ongoing uncer tainty”
as it considers the next budget,
he added.
Tisch said Brown was rela-
tively well-positioned compared
to some wealthier peer schools,
and that the University has “great
strengths” in times of economic
decline. Brown is “lucky” that its
revenue relies more on tuition,
and less on endowment funds,
than schools like Har vard, Yale
and Princeton, he said.
Tisch also said the University
was fortunate to be able to post-
pone capital projects, and to have
no major construction projects
currently in progress.
“We have no big shovels in the
ground,” he said.
Some programmatic cuts may
also be on the table this weekend.
Reductions in student services can
be expected, Margaret Klawunn,
vice president for campus life and
student ser vices, said earlier this
week. Reductions in the budgets
of academic depar tments might
also be discussed.
Among other business matters,
the Corporation is also expected
to review the University’s policy
regarding conflicts of interest in
research. The policy is being re-
vised to be more transparent and
more in line with federal regula-
tions, Vice President for Research
Clyde Briant said during a faculty
meeting in December.

Swimmers hooked on underwater hockey

center is also expected to go for-
ward soon. But O’Neil said the
Faunce changes may be split into
two phases, with the renovation of
the old mailroom area potentially
moving forward sooner than the
more extensive plans for the rest
of the building.
Other projects, however, are
less certain. Plans for a $70 million
brain sciences building, provision-
ally dubbed the “Mind Brain Be-
havior Building,” will be reviewed,
but fundraising has been slow, ac-
cording to Spies.
sudoku
tions have already taken place,
and minor dorm upgrades will
continue, with the pace of these
projects determined by the eco-
nomic situation, she said.
Despite the economic slow-
down, Brown will still have access
to debt markets that finance such
renewal projects, Spies said.
The economic crisis does not
mean that construction will stop,
Maiorisi said, adding that potential
donors can come in anytime, and
that there is currently a very com-
petitive market for construction.
continued from page 1
Their goal? A rectangular hole
at the end of one wall, similar to a
giant air hockey goal.
But something else is just as im-
portant as shooting the puck in the
hole — remembering to breathe.
Every few seconds, the under-
water hockey players bobbed to
the surface for air, disturbing the
water’s surface and hinting at the
frantic and competitive game that
raged just a meter below.
“You go down, you push the puck
a certain distance … but you have
got to come back up and breathe,”
said Gabriel Matthias, a University
of Rhode Island sophomore who has
been playing underwater hockey
for nearly five years. “When you’re
breathing, you’re kind of out of
the game. It’s hard to look down
and watch the other team take the
puck.”
“But you have to learn that you
just can’t go right back down and
keep playing,” he added.
Joe Klinger, northeast regional
director of USA Underwater Hock-
ey, agreed.
“No one can hold their breath
for an unlimited amount of time,” he
said. “The hardest thing is coordi-
nating with your teammates to take
advantage of everyone’s individual
skills.”
Many water lovers have splashed
eagerly into the little-known sport.
Matthias said underwater hockey
keeps him in shape for the spearfish-
ing season. Many spearfishers get
hooked on the sport during the off-
season as a way to train and stay in
shape, he said.
“About 80 percent of the guys
who play are spearfishermen, and
they play in the winter when there’s
no diving to be done,” Matthias
said.
Klinger said many divers seeking
entertainment in the winter months
become involved with underwater
hockey as well. In fact, the game
was invented by a British diver in
1954.
But that’s not to say that it is a
sport only for those with underwater
experience.
“Water is a great equalizer,”
Klinger said. “Anyone can play.”
According to Klinger, underwa-
ter hockey is even played in physical
education classes elsewhere in the
world and is gaining popularity in
the United States. USA Underwater
Hockey sends men’s and women’s
teams every two years to the world
tournament.
The Northeast Region boasts at
least 10 underwater hockey clubs
that meet weekly. They compete in
several regional tournaments and
an annual national tournament,
Klinger said.
About two weeks ago, players
from the Turkish national underwa-
ter hockey team were on hand at a
Connecticut tournament to provide
expert assistance to local teams.
“We talked strategy. There’s
not a lot of reference around here,
since it’s not as popular,” Matthias
said. “Getting taught things is a real
treat.”
Recently, the Ocean State has
been swept up in the current of
under water hockey’s popularity.
According to Klinger, the number
of Rhode Island underwater hockey
players has surged, especially when
compared to other Northeastern
states.
URI recently recognized an un-
derwater hockey team that Matthias
founded on campus.
“There’s a lot of interest when
you explain (the sport),” he said. “It
took me less than a day to get the
eight names required for a club. I
now have 60 names of people inter-
ested in playing.”
Currently, the Rhode Island Reds
play weekly in Warwick. Some mem-
bers of the team travel throughout
New England, competing in smaller
regional tournaments.
The Reds’ weekly pickup games
are largely informal. They call their
own fouls and use weights to mark
the goals on the swimming pool’s
walls. New players learn right along-
side the sport’s seasoned veterans.
The game moves quickly, as each

Daily Herald
side quickly racks up goals. If one
the Brown
team becomes more dominant,
the group reorganizes the teams
Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260 to ensure that they are evenly
matched.
Stephen DeLucia, President Jonathan Spector, Treasurer
But the sport is constantly look-
Michael Bechek, Vice President Alexander Hughes, Secretary
ing for new stars. Klinger said high
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serv- school clubs are emerging across
ing the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday the nation, and he hopes that play-
through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during
ers will get involved at a younger
Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily
Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Provi- age. He said he even sees a future
dence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located for underwater hockey on College
at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. Hill.
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“Brown needs to get something
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Copyright 2009 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. going!” he said.
Friday, February 20, 2009
C ampus N EWS
Brown allies with top
Spanish business school
By Alicia Dang
Contributing Writer
The University has signed a
“memorandum of understanding”
with the Instituto de Empresa in
Madrid, a Spanish university with
top-ranked business programs, to
facilitate cooperation between the
institutions.
“The collaboration is driven by
a combination of educational op-
portunities for students and pro-
grams that connect faculty,” said
David Kennedy ’76, vice president
for International Affairs and interim
director of the Watson Institute for
International Studies.
The memorandum, which was
signed by Provost David Kertzer ’69
P’95 P’98 and Rector of the Instituto
de Empresa Santiago Iniguez on
Feb. 3, does not create any new
programs or “formal institutional
affiliations.” Instead, it strives to
provide a foundation for increased
interaction between the universities
and discussion of joint seminars
and other educational, cultural and
research activities, according to a
University statement.
Kennedy said the planning and
actual implementation of the ex-
In contest videos, Simmons
cameos, lecture interrupted
By Dan Alexander
Staf f Writer
Eight students sprinted down the
aisles of Salomon 101 during an
economics class, jumped on stage
and broke into off-key song.
“Why do you build me up, build
me up, buttercup baby?” they sang
to Senior Lecturer Rachel Fried-
berg, who was in the middle of her
ECON 0110: “Principles of Econom-
ics” lecture.
Students filmed from the seats as
the singers snapped and danced like
an a cappella group, belting out the
Foundations’ classic hit. The video
was turned in as an entry for the an-
nual First-Pick Lottery Competition
held by Residential Life.
It was one of nine videos shown
to over 200 students on a big-screen
projector last night in Sayles Hall
in an event hosted by ResLife and
Residential Council.
Students voted for their favorite
videos after all nine were screened.
The group with the winning video
will be given the first choice in the
housing lottery this April.
“The goal of our video was to
do something that no other group
would have the balls to do,” said
Alex Tin ’12, one of the “Build Me
Up Buttercup” singers.
The videos’ stor ylines varied
from a group of freshmen avoiding
an attacking Bruno to one student’s
pursuit of a Young Orchard dorm,
told as a love story.
“This was a lot more about the
movie for us than the competition,”
said Anish Farma ’12, director of the
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Page 3
“We realized that Ruth would be a sick addition.”
— Brent Zajaczkowski ’12 on his first-pick competition video
change programs are still under
discussion.
He said the University hopes
to explore “intellectually what we
can do in management and entre-
preneurship (programs) with IE”
and to provide more opportuni-
ties for students concentrating
in Commerce, Organizations and
Entrepreneurship or pursuing a
masters degree with the Program
in Innovation Management and En-
trepreneurship.
The University also aspires to
attract more students to Brown’s
Summer and Continuing Studies
programs and to find new intern-
ship and summer studies opportu-
nities for Brown students in Spain,
he said.
But there will probably not be
another regular semester- or year-
long study abroad program estab-
lished between the two schools,
Kennedy said, adding that the
administration is instead trying to Qidong Chen / Herald
“bring new things to the table.” Blue State Coffee has a new location in the Brown Bookstore, and yet another near Yale’s campus.
“It’s a long process. We have
been talking with them for more
than one year,” Kennedy said. “I will
be back (in Spain) in a few weeks
Blue State opens New Haven location
Shannon O’Brien and it works pretty well for us.” here, so it was nice to have one
continued on page 4 Contributing Writer The new location will be simi- that set itself apart. It has a pur-
lar to the one on Thayer Street in pose — the charity stuff influences
Blue State Coffee is no longer ex- “basic concepts and ideas,” Payson everything,” George said. He added
clusive to the Brown community. said, but it will work hard to “cater that despite the prevalence of cof-
Now Yale students, too, can enjoy to the local community.” fee shops in the area, Blue State is
a cup of coffee at the company’s
New Haven, Conn., location, which
opened Feb. 12.
Both shops “give away 5 per-
cent (of profits to different chari-
ties), both are eco-friendly and
“usually pretty darn packed.”
Payson said Blue State plans to
expand further “in the next year
attacking Bruno film. The new store is in the heart both are local,” Ruben said. “But or two.”
Farma’s video, “Ruthless,” fea- of Yale’s campus, on the ground Yale focuses more on social justice “We’re going to stick with New
tured a cameo from President Ruth floor of an academic building right causes, and the Providence-based England for the next couple stores,”
Simmons as the conniving director across from a residential hall. The one focuses more on educational he said, mentioning Boston, New
behind the bear attacks. company rents the space from and environmental causes. The dif- York City and another Rhode Is-
“We realized that Ruth would be Yale. ferences reflect the surrounding land location as possibilities. “When
a sick addition,” said Brent Zajacz- Alex Payson ’03.5, co-owner environment.” we’ve really got the model perfect,
kowski ’12, another member of the and manager of Blue State, said Both Payson and Ruben said we can open up in Ann Arbor, Wis-
“Ruthless” group, about involving the company chose New Haven the store has been well-received consin, San Fran, Berkeley, L.A.”
the popular Simmons in the filming. in part because co-owner and co- so far. Ruben said expansion would be
The group realized that Simmons founder Drew Ruben is a sopho- “Business has been fantastic relatively slow because the owners
had one open office hour ever y more at Yale. In addition, he said, — far better than we could have want to keep each store unique.
month and went in to ask for her one of the other four founders is a hoped,” Payson said. “It takes a lot of careful attention
help with the project. Yale alum. Matthew George, a Yale sopho- to make each store really reflect
“She was really nice about it. “We know the area,” Payson more, was enthusiastic about Blue the local community and not just
We told her the story and she was said. “Our ideal demographic is the State in New Haven. be a cookie-cutter hodgepodge of
completely willing to help,” Zajac- liberal New England college town, “There’s a ton of coffee shops ideas,” he said.
zkowski said.
The videos will be posted online
within a week, though ResCouncil
Chairman James Reed ’09 said the
Council is uncertain exactly when
they will be posted. Students will
have another week to vote for their
favorite videos online.
The event also included infor-
mation tables for program houses,
Greek houses and special-interest
housing.
“The point really is to raise
interest about the lotter y, about
special-interest housing, program
and Greek houses,” Reed said.
Some students visited the infor-
mation tables before and after the
videos played, but most students
enjoyed the food and drinks before
the show and left right after the
screenings ended.
“That was expected,” said
ResCouncil Lotter y Subcommit-
continued on page 4
Page 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Friday, February 20, 2009

C ampus N EWS
Speakers debate human rights
continued from page 1
returning to the battlefield.
Trade-offs between security and
human rights are inherent in govern-
ment policy, Yoo said, and we need to
be “upfront” about the trade-offs we
make based on a cost-benefit analy-
sis. After the attacks of September
11, 2001, “the government had to re-
spond,” he said.
Cox countered that while Yoo and
similarly minded people “think they’re
serving some higher purpose,” certain
rights must never be compromised,
even when dealing with an enemy.
“Once you adopt their values, you lose
the fight,” he said.
After both guests spoke briefly, the
floor was opened to questions — most
of which were for Yoo, who was asked
to explain his viewpoint on several
reported incidents of torture.
Despite at least one audience mem-
ber’s contribution, which ended up be-
ing more of an attack than a question,
eliciting murmurs from the audience,
Yoo told The Herald after the event
that he “actually thought it was very
civil.”
Students “ought to hear from both
sides,” he said.
Cox said he was glad to see that
students in the audience did not seem
to be “buying into” Yoo’s argument.
“These are arguments we’ve been
fighting against for the past eight
years,” he said.
Before the event, individuals
and representatives from various
organizations such as the American
Friends Service Committee and the
International Socialist Organization
held posters in front of Salomon in
protest of Yoo’s involvement in the
Bush administration’s treatment of
detainees.
“I’m not thrilled he’s given a ped-
estal from which to spew hate,” said
Simon Liebling ’12, a Herald Opinions
Columnist.
Students and community members
had mixed reactions to the lecture.
Shanoor Seervai ’11 said she was
“pleasantly surprised by the level of
questions students asked.”
Ben Howard ’11 praised Cox and
echoed what he felt was the speaker’s Kim Perley / Herald
crucial point: “When you abandon your Protestors demonstrated in front of the Salomon Center before a debate
morals, then you lose the fight.” featuring John Yoo, a former lawyer in George W. Bush’s administration.

Madrid institute a First-pick contest videos score big laughs

new partner abroad
continued from page 3
for one or two days to continue
the conversation.”
“I certainly expect that we will
start some programs in 2009 and
more in 2010,” he added.
Students interviewed by The
Herald said they were happy to
have greater interaction with the
international community.
“It sounds like a great oppor-
tunity,” said Vivienne Vicera ’11,
a COE and International Relations
concentrator. She said she would
be interested in knowing more
about potential programs offered
by the Instituto de Empresa.
Peter Drinan ’11, an IR and
education concentrator, said that
“since the economy is increasingly
global, it’s good to have interna-
tional relations and international
opportunities ... to strengthen our
relationship with the international
community.”
The 2009 Financial Times
MBA program ranking listed the
Madrid-based business school as
third in Europe and sixth world-
wide, according to a recent Insti-
tuto de Empresa press release.
continued from page 3
tee Chair Ben Lowell ’10. “I think
information got across to people
who wanted to ask questions and
people who just wanted to watch
got to.”
Reed said the event was also a
time for the council to tell the stu-
dent body, “It’s time to start think-
ing about where you’re going to be
living this year.”
Some version of the first-pick
competition has been around since
at least the early 1990s, Reed said,
but it has changed in form. In past
years, students have sung kara-
oke, danced in talent shows and
even gone on scavenger hunts,
he said.
Last year was the first year the
competition was made into a public
event. The event was a talent com-
petition, featuring videos, live bands
and dancers. This year, the competi-
tion was limited to videos only.
ResCouncil chose to limit the
entries to only videos this year so it
could combine the event with online
voting, Lowell said.
“It gives it more cohesiveness
because they’re all videos,” he said.
“It makes it easier to decide which
was best.”
Reed said the winners will be an-
nounced at the end of next week, or
early the following week, once the
online results are tallied. Though
Reed was uncertain of the exact
date the winners will be notified,
he said they will know by “Super
Deadline Day” on March 3.
The winners will preselect
their room before the actual lot-
tery nights, which will be held on
Apr. 2 and Apr. 6 at 6 p.m. in Sayles
Hall.
James Hunter ’12, one of the
“Build Me Up Buttercup” sing-
ers said his group doesn’t know
which room they would choose if
they won.
“The point is to win,” he said.
“Then we’ll pick.”
Arts & Culture
The Brown Daily Herald
“Abraham Lincoln: The Man, The Myth, The Making of a President,” is
currently on display at the John Hay Library.
For Lincoln bicentennial,
Hay explores man, image
By Ben Hyman
Arts & Culture Editor
Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday
may have come and gone, but the
festivities continue at the John Hay
Library. “Abraham Lincoln: The
Man, The Myth, The Making of a
President,” an exhibition that draws
entirely from the Hay’s impressive
Lincoln Collection, will be open until
March 6.
“Lincoln” traces not only the 16th
president’s extraordinary life, but
also his vibrant afterlife as a symbol
whose meaning Americans have been
constructing and reconstructing for
almost 150 years. With the Obama
presidency just reaching the end of
its first month, it’s easy to see the
legacy of Lincoln is still very much
with us.
The Hay exhibit begins with Lin-
Frederic Lu / Herald
coln’s childhood and upbringing,
featuring photographs of the two
log cabins the Lincoln family called
home. Though he had little formal
education, Lincoln was a polymath
and autodidact, training himself in
a wide variety of areas and pursuing
them with great ingenuity. One of
the items on display is a copy of U.S.
Patent No. 6,469, a device for improv-
ing the buoyancy of boats — Lincoln
invented it, making him the first and
only president to hold a patent.
As the exhibit progresses, Lin-
coln’s future as a public servant
emerges, first in government
journals and proceedings from
conventions he attended, then in
printed copies of his speeches, in-
cluding his career-making “House
Divided” speech at the 1858 Illinois
continued on page 6
‘Waltz with Bashir’ fills Avon
By Caroline Sedano
Senior Staf f Writer
After waiting in a line that stretched
from the Avon Cinema’s doors,
around the corner and past Via Via
IV, more than 400 people filled the
theater beyond capacity to watch
the Oscar-nominated and Golden
Globe award-winning Israeli film,
“Waltz with Bashir.” The Wednes-
day afternoon screening was fol-
lowed by a question-and-answer
session with the film’s art director
and artist-in-residence at Brown,
David Polonsky.
“Waltz with Bashir,” a contender
for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars
this Sunday, is the deeply personal
story of Ari Folman, the film’s writ-
er, director and producer, who lost
all memory of his time as a soldier
during the 1982 Sabra and Shatila
massacre in Lebanon. Twenty years
after the event that left hundreds
dead, Folman attempted to reclaim
his lost memories, reuniting with
old army colleagues and investigat-
ing his identity as a soldier and Is-
raeli citizen. “Bashir” is the artistic
chronicle of his efforts.
The film, which combines docu-
mentary techniques with cutting-
edge animation, is dark and haunt-
ing. It contends with psychological
trauma, the repercussions of war
and an entire country’s struggle
with guilt.
Polonsky explained that, for
Folman, animation provided the
only viable medium for a film about
the massacre. Folman and Polon-
sky — who has also written and
illustrated several children’s books
— had worked together on previ-
ous projects before collaborating
on “Bashir.”
“The logic behind animation is
the fact that we are dealing with
memories, hallucinations and his-
tory where questions of truth and
subjectivity are constantly being
called into question,” Polonsky said
after the screening.
He added that animation also
provided another, purely practi-
cal benefit, as the story covers
many different locations and
time periods. Animation eased
the budget on what would have
otherwise been a very expensive
Friday, February 20, 2009 | Page 5
live-action film.
“What we were tr ying to do
would not have been possible, un-
less you are Francis Ford Coppola,”
Polonksy said with a laugh.
Despite the grim subject matter,
Polonsky said, his work on “Bashir”
did not differ that much from his
children’s book illustrations.
“They are both a very slow and
tedious process,” he said, explain-
ing that distancing himself from
the actual meaning of what he was
drawing helped him stay sane as
he worked on it.
“I was hit with the subject of
the film in 2006 during the second
Lebanon war and I saw the same
images I was drawing coming up
on TV,” Polonsky said. “I could no
longer escape the work because it
was showing up all around me on
TV. It was then that I really started
getting the intensity of what we
had made.”
Polonsky’s innovative anima-
tion techniques, which combine
real-life photography and film with
Photoshop and Flash animation,
have garnered the film much criti-
cal acclaim.
An audience member at the
Q&A described the film as “one
of the most visually stunning mov-
ies” he had ever seen.
While the actual animation re-
mains consistent throughout the
film, color, pacing, music and nar-
rative changes keep the movie dy-
namic and intriguing. Colors shift
from monochromatic to shockingly
vivid, and the score includes ag-
gressive rock, tranquil orchestral
music and eerily haunting ambient
noise. Characters move in slow mo-
tion or super-speed in real life and
in dream sequences.
While the story the film conveys
is highly personal, the political con-
text is hard to ignore.
Polonsky explained that “the
film was not made as a political
statement,” but many questions
and observations posed to Polon-
sky during the session focused on
the political message, response and
ramifications.
Danya Chudacoff ’11, who or-
ganized the Israel Film Festival of
College Hill, agreed that the film
itself is not about taking a political
stance, but said it inspired her to
evaluate how she felt about political
and cultural issues.
“As someone with an Israeli
mom, I identify with Israeli cul-
ture,” Chudacoff said. “The first
time I saw it, I was watching it in
Israel as an Israeli and I was nau-
seous for weeks afterwards.”
Daniel Wolfberg ’09, executive
director of the Ivy Film Festival,
which co-sponsored the event, had
not known much about the histori-
cal events explored in the film. He
said he thought it was very impor-
tant that this film could personalize
and publicize an event that many
people have forgotten.
“I feel like you hear about stuff
like this in the news a lot and it’s
just a regular thing,” he said. “But
this film brought to light how we
often forget about how so many of
these things we see on the news
have tremendous impacts on many
individual people.”
“I think the film was just try-
ing to be honest — not necessarily
political.”
Honesty was a key issue for Po-
lonsky during his work on the film,
he said, as he struggled to create
images, locations and emotions
that were truthful and real.
“I was most concerned with
what people in Beirut would
think” of his depiction of the city,
he said, given that he had never
been there before making “Bashir.”
In the end, he said, his portrayal of
Beirut passed the test, even if his
representation of a snowy winter
in the Netherlands did not.
continued on page 6
Page 6
A rts & C ulture
‘Bashir’ discussion focuses
on film’s political message
continued from page 5
“Someone from Holland came
along and told me it hadn’t snowed
that much in Holland in 500 years,”
he said.
Polonsky said “Bashir” has spo-
ken to many viewers’ particular ex-
periences despite the film’s focus
on Folman’s own history.
“It’s an interesting phenom-
enon in Israel where soldiers are
going to see the film as a kind of
therapy and a course of treatment,”
he said.
Polonsky, who arrived at Brown
on Feb. 9, will stay on campus for
three months. He will teach classes
and workshops and give lectures
to Brown and Rhode Island School
of Design students and members
of the Providence community.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Friday, February 20, 2009
“I think the film was just trying to be honest.”
— Daniel Wolfberg ’09, on “Waltz with Bashir”
Exhibit shows all sides of Lincoln
continued from page 5
Republican Convention. The chaotic
1860 presidential election, which Lin-
coln won, is represented by party
ballots, campaign pins and a dramatic
photograph of the future president
and a mass of supporters outside his
Illinois home.
Some of the most moving and ap-
pealing items in the exhibit are the
manuscripts — Lincoln’s telegraphs
and drafts of documents, which
should be comforting to anyone
who thinks his bad handwriting is
going to hold him back in life. More
than any photograph, these objects
bring Lincoln to life, revealing the
personal struggles of the man behind
the image.
One of these documents is the
“Meditation on Divine Will,” a re-
markable fragment preserved by Frederic Lu / Herald
President Lincoln’s life and documents are on display at the John Hay
John Hay himself, who served as
Library in conjunction with his recent 200th birthday.
one of Lincoln’s personal secretar-
ies. On a piece of plain, lined paper, are on view by appointment in the Snyder highlighted the way the
in 1862, Lincoln wrestled with the library rooms devoted to the collec- portraits represent, to varying de-
inscrutability of God, fate and hu- tion. They’re worth the extra effort grees, “Lincoln the person” versus
man responsibility, all in about 150 it takes to see them. The portraits “Lincoln the icon,” a theme that is
words. present six very different visions of prevalent throughout the public ex-
“I am almost ready to say that this Lincoln — some soft and pensive, hibition.
is probably true,” Lincoln wrote, “that others harsh and formidable. Ac- Even those who can’t make it to
God wills this contest (the Civil War), cording to North American History the Hay can still get access to the
and wills that it shall not end yet.” Librarian Holly Snyder, who curated Lincoln collection online. Through
The Hay owns a number of por- the current exhibition, the paintings the Center for Digital Initiatives, all
traits of Lincoln, including six paint- reflect “the range you get in Lincoln of “Lincolniana at Brown” is avail-
ings done from life, which aren’t iconography — a little bit of every- able on the Brown University Library
included in the main exhibition but thing.” Web site.
SportsWeekend
The Brown Daily Herald

Friday, February 20, 2009 | Page 7

M. tennis smashes Penn, 6-0 W. tennis takes third at

By Erin Frauenhofer
Sports Staff Writer
The men’s tennis team (8-2) clinched
third place at the ECAC Champion-
ships over the weekend. The Bears
defeated Yale, 5-2, on Saturday, then
dropped a 4-1 semifinal match to
Columbia the next day. On Monday,
the Bears obliterated Penn in the
third-place match by a score of 6-0,
marking their first victory over the
Quakers in three years.
The tournament was hosted by
Harvard, who took first place, while
Columbia finished second.
“It’s great to get a chance so early
in the season to compete against oth-
er teams in the (Ivy) League,” Captain
Chris Lee ’09 said. “It’s a good mea-
suring stick for where we are and
where we have to go.”
The Bears faced off against Yale
Saturday morning, taking the doubles
point with victories at first and second
doubles. Captains Noah Gardner ’09
and Sam Garland ’09 overpowered
their opponents by a score of 8-5,
while at second doubles, Lee and
Jonathan Pearlman ’11 earned an
8-6 win.
The same four Bears also domi-
nated in singles play. At first singles,
Pearlman outlasted Yale’s Jeff Daw-
son, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Pearlman “picked up a huge win
over a guy who made the semis of the
(Intercollegiate Tennis Association)
Regionals,” Head Coach Jay Harris
said. “That really says a lot about how
well he’s been playing.”
At second singles, Lee split sets
with his opponent before defeating
him in the third set for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
victory.
“I thought I played pretty consis-
tently all weekend,” Lee said. “Part of
the reason I was able to do that was
the between-court communication
we had this weekend. Each guy was
loud and could be heard from six
courts away. That kind of energy and
communication really helps when we
are playing tough matches.”
Garland and Gardner had straight-
set wins at fourth and fifth singles,
respectively. Garland won his match,
6-4, 6-4, and Gardner won, 6-4, 7-5.
“Yale kind of hammered us in the
scrimmage a couple weeks ago, so I
was proud of how the guys came out
and really toughed out the match,”
Harris said.
The next day, the Bears took
on Columbia in the semifinals. The
team started off strong, clinching the
doubles point. Garland and Gardner
led the way again at first doubles,
where they had an 8-6 victory. At third
doubles, Kendrick Au ’11 and Charlie
Posner ’11 captured an 8-6 win to give
Brown a 1-0 lead.
But the Bears dropped four
singles matches to give the Lions
the four points they needed to win.
At first singles, Pearlman fell to Jon
Wong by a score of 6-3, 6-1. Skate
Gorham ’10, Garland and Gardner
also had straight-set losses at third,
fourth and fifth singles, respectively.
Lee and Au did not finish their re-
spective matches at second and sixth
singles once Columbia had claimed
the victory.
“Against Columbia, I thought we
played some good doubles, but in the
singles matches, we just didn’t win
the key points,” Lee said. “Skate, Sam,
Noah and I all lost very tight first sets,
and that put us in a big hole.”
The Bears demolished the Quak-
ers in Monday morning’s battle for
third place, winning all six singles
matches. The doubles matches were
not played.
The loss to Columbia “was a little
disappointing, but then we came back
the next day and really hammered
Penn, and that’s a team we haven’t
beaten in three years,” Harris said.
“It was nice to kind of show our char-
acter.”
Garland kicked off the win with
an easy 6-0, 6-2 victory at fourth
singles.
“Sam was the spark from the
continued on page 8
ECAC championships
By Meghan Markowski
Contributing writer
The women’s tennis team (5-2)
placed third in the ECAC Indoor
Championship this weekend. The
team blew by Cornell in the first
round on Friday, 7-0, then lost
to Princeton by the same score
before beating Dartmouth in the
consolation match.
In the Cornell match, Bian-
ca Aboubakare ’11, Cassandra
Herzberg ’12, Sara Mansur ’09,
Tanja Vucetic ’10, Julie Flanzer
’12 and Catherine Stewar t ’12
all won their singles matches in
straight sets. The Bears also took
the doubles point to make it a
clean sweep.
But things quickly reversed,
as the Bears dropped their semi-
final match against Princeton by
an identical 7-0 score. The second
doubles tandem of Mansur and
Herzberg recorded the only win
for Brown, 8-6 — but the doubles
point went the Tigers’ way.
Aboubakare said the loss to
Princeton didn’t affect the play-
ers’ mindsets going into Sunday’s
match.
“We were really disappointed
after Saturday’s game, but we
knew there was still another
match to play,” she said. “I guess
we really made it a point to leave
the match against Princeton be-
hind us and to focus on our next
match against Dartmouth.”
“We had a tough loss against
Princeton, but most of the match-
es were really close,” Mansur
wrote in an e-mail to The Her-
ald, “and I think it was productive
for us to see their playing style,
especially because now we know
what is to come.”
“We changed our attitudes,”
Aboubakare said, “and you could
tell on each court that we were
all determined to fight hard to
reach our goal.”
On Sunday, the final day of
the tournament, Brown beat Dart-
mouth, 4-3. The team recorded
one doubles win by Emily Ellis ’10
and Kathrin Sorokko ’10, 8-4, and
four singles wins by Aboubakare
(6-1, 7-5), Herzberg (6-2, 4-6, 6-2),
Vucetic (6-2, 6-2) and Flanzer (6-
1, 6-3) to secure third place.
“The team was confident go-
ing into Sunday’s match, even
though we lost to Dar tmouth
last year,” Mansur wrote in her
continued on page 8

Track and field team has

impressive showing
Sports Staff Reports
Track and Field
The men’s track and field team
competed last Saturday at the
Armor y Track in New York City,
where many athletes earned per-
sonal bests. In addition to the
strong individual performances,
the Distance Medley Relay squad
of Tom Elnick ’12, Mike Elnick
’12, Sean O’Brien ’09 and Duriel
Hardy ’10 won in a time of 10:09.07.
Also competing at the Armor y,
the women’s track and field team
had an equally strong showing.
The women’s DMR earned a vic-
tor y of their own, as Roseanne
Fleming ’12, Amanda Filiber to
’11, Samantha Adelberg ’11 and
Kesley Ramsey ’11 finished first
in 11:42.36.
Men
• Hardy, mile: 4:12 (Personal
Record), 1st place.
• Matt Jasmin ’09, 60-m hur-
dles: 8.13 (PR), 1st.
• Andrew Chapin ’10, triple
jump: 14.63 m, 2nd.
Women
• Grace Watson ’11, high jump:
1.65 m, 1st.
• Ari Garber ’12, 3000 run:
9:51.25 (PR), 2nd.
• Nicole Bur ns ’09, 400:
55.32, 2nd.
• Michaeline Nelson ’11, mile:
5:00.54, 2nd.
Women’s Water Polo
The women’s water polo team
began its season at the Har vard
Invitational last Sunday, going 1-1.
In their season opener against
the New York Athletic Club, the
Bears jumped out to an 11-5 lead
in the first three quarters before
sur viving a fourth-quarter come-
back to pull out an 11-9 win. Goalie
Stephanie Laing ’10 had 13 saves,
while Lauren Presant ’10 led the
offensive effort with five goals. In
the second game of the day, Bruno
faced No. 8 Michigan, but fell by a
score of 8-4 despite 15 saves from
Laing and two goals from Presant.
Bethany Kwoka ’12 and Sarah Glick
’10 also scored.
Swimming and Diving
Both the women’s and men’s teams
lost in a meet against Yale last Sun-
day. The women, in a 181-119 loss,
were led by Allyson Schumacher
’12, who had two individual wins.
The men lost, 186-114, but captured
six events.
Men
• Ryan Kikuchi ’11, 1,000 free-
style: 9:36.89, 1st; 200 Individual
Medley: 1:53.49, 1st.
• CJ Kambe ’10, 3-m dive:
309.22, 1st; 1-m dive: 278.10, 1st.
• Daniel Ricketts ’10, 50 free:
20.95, 1st; 100 free: 45.71, 2nd.
Women
• Schumacher, 500 free: 4:57.10,
1st; 1,000 free: 10:11.59, 1st.
• Kristen Caldarella ’12, 200 free:
1:54.58, 1st; 100 free: 52.80, 2nd.
continued on page 8
Page 8
S ports W eekend
High hopes for weekend home games W. tennis trounces foes
Sports Staff Reports
The campus will be buzzing this
weekend with four teams hosting
home games.
The women’s hockey team (6-20-
1, 5-15-0 ECAC Hockey) will close
out the season by hosting Princeton
tonight at 7 p.m. and Quinnipiac on
Saturday at 4 p.m. at Meehan Au-
ditorium.
The Bears struggled to get
their offense going over the long
weekend, beating Union, 3-2, before
losing to Rensselaer, 2-1, and Yale,
2-0. But this weekend, the team has
the advantage of facing a pair of op-
ponents it has already beaten. The
Bears beat Quinnipiac’s Bobcats,
3-0, on Jan. 30 before pulling off a
dramatic, 2-1 upset of the Tigers
the following day. Bruno will look
to duplicate that success this week-
end to create a happy ending for the
senior class that includes captain
and goaltender Nicole Stock ’09, a
Herald sports staff writer, and for-
wards Frances Male ’09 and Savan-
nah Smith ’09.
The men’s basketball team (7-15,
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
1-7 Ivy League) will look to build on
the momentum it secured in win-
ning its first conference game last
weekend when it hosts Columbia
on Friday and first-place Cornell on
Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Pizzitola
Center. After falling to Penn, 73-52,
last Friday, the Bears broke a seven-
game losing streak with a 61-43 win
over Princeton the following day,
propelled by a 19-point effort from
Matt Mullery ’10.
Coming off a 3-0 weekend, the
wrestlers (6-9) will face Cornell on
Friday at 3 p.m. and Columbia on
Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bears will
hope to pick up where they left off
last weekend, when they beat Har-
vard, Wagner College and Boston
University.
The women’s tennis team (5-2)
will host a double-header on Satur-
day, facing Seton Hall at 9 a.m. and
Quinnipiac at noon. Coming off a
third-place finish at the inaugural
ECAC Indoor Championship, the
Bears will look to Bianca Abouba-
kare ’11, who plays first singles
and partners with her sister Car-
issa Aboubakare ’12 at first doubles,
for leadership.
M. tennis on the road for weekend games
continued from page 7
start,” Lee said. “He was just calling
out breaks every 10 or so minutes and
getting all the other guys fired up.”
Au soundly defeated his foe, 6-3,
6-3 at sixth singles, and Gardner
cruised to a 6-2, 6-4, win at fifth sin-
gles. Gorham clinched the victory for
the Bears at third singles, overpower-
ing his Penn opponent, 6-4, 6-1.
At second singles, Lee defeated
his opponent by a score of 6-2, 7-6,
continued from page 7
e-mail. “Dartmouth and Princ-
eton have polar-opposite playing
styles. Princeton is aggressive
and Dartmouth is much more
focused on consistency. What re-
ally helped us on Sunday was the
team’s tenacity and the willing-
W. squash rounds out
big wins for Bruno
continued from page 7
• Kelley Wisinger ’11, 200
back: 2:06.17, 1st.
• Sage Erskine ’11, 100 back:
59.10, 1st.
Women’s Squash
The women’s squash team had
an outstanding showing at the
Howe Cup National Champi-
onship over the weekend. On
Friday, the Bears earned a con-
while Pearlman split sets at first sin-
gles, before his opponent retired.
“In my matches against Penn and
Yale, I did a great job of hanging in
the match even when things weren’t
going well,” Pearlman said. “I relaxed
a lot after losing the first set in both
of the matches and was able to swing
loosely afterwards.”
According to Pearlman, having
the tournament in February instead
of its normal fall date was beneficial
“because it served as a marker of our
Friday, February 20, 2009
ness to keep fighting.”
“Our freshman did a great
job of playing under pressure in
singles,” Aboubakare said. “It’s a
great indication of what’s to come
in the next two months.”
This Saturday, the Bears will
host Seton Hall at 9 a.m. and
Quinnipiac at noon.
vincing 9-0 win over George
Washington, and carried the
momentum into Saturday, when
the Bears routed Bowdoin by
an 8-1 score. On Sunday, they
defeated Dartmouth, 6-3, to win
the Kurtz Division and finish
ninth in the nation. Highlights
included a dominant 9-0, 9-5, 9-2
win at No. 3 for Laura Pyne ’10
and a straight-set win for Nikoo
Fadaifard ’12 at No. 5, 9-0, 9-0,
9-3.
progress for the spring season.”
“We have a great shot at winning
the Ivy League title this year, and fin-
ishing third at this tournament is a
good sign that we are heading in the
right direction,” he said.
The Bears will compete next
against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg,
Va., on Saturday and then will take
on Georgetown on Sunday in Wash-
ington.
This weekend “will be a big chal-
lenge for us, as we play two very good
teams on the road,” Lee said. This
weekend “more than ever, we will
need great energy and between-court
communication from each guy.”
According to Lee, the Bears’ expe-
rience at the Championships will help
them in the weeks to come.
“This weekend, we really became
closer as a team,” he said. “Each guy
developed more trust in the other
guys’ abilities to perform under pres-
sure, and I think we can only get bet-
ter from here.”
Commentary & Letters
The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Friday, February 20, 2009

PETE FALLON

opinions extra
Don’t get mad.
Get published! The reality of the ‘Brown student’
means is a treacherous endeavor, but I’ll take a stab at
it. Brunonians as a whole stand behind the totality of the
letters@browndailyherald.com TYLER ROSENBAUM New Curriculum (if not every individual aspect of it). Not
Opinions Columnist only is this a result of self-selection, as the New Curricu-
lum is one of Brown’s primary draws, but it also is some-
thing that grows on those who arrived on campus rela-
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d At this University, you frequently hear the prototypical tively ambivalent about the whole thing.
“Brown student” invoked. The administration, the stu- Moreover, Brown students generally embrace toler-
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Associate Editors Senior Editors
Michael Bechek Nandini Jayakrishna Rachel Arndt
dent government and many Herald columnists (myself ance and reject injustice. I recognize that these are in-
Steve DeLucia
Chaz Firestone Franklin Kanin Catherine Cullen included) frequently allude to such an individual when credibly broad terms, but I would venture to say that an
Michael Skocpol Scott Lowenstein making their cases. acceptance of feminism falls under the umbrella of what
editorial Business
So I didn’t think much about it until Sean Quigley’s it means to be a Brown student.
Ben Hyman Arts & Culture Editor General Managers Shawn Reilly
Hannah Levintova Arts & Culture Editor Alexander Hughes ’10 column on the subject (“The myth of the ‘Brown stu- The Oxford English Dictionary defines feminism as:
Sophia Li Features Editor Jonathan Spector dent,’” Feb. 11), which, though seemingly born of the “Advocacy of the rights of women (based on the theory
Emmy Liss Features Editor Directors
Gaurie Tilak Higher Ed Editor Ellen DaSilva Sales Director frustration of an ideological minority, brought up an im- of equality of the sexes).” I hope this is not the definition
Matthew Varley Higher Ed Editor Claire Kiely Sales Director portant question. Is the rhetorical “Brown student” a that Quigley had in mind when he emphatically rejected
George Miller Metro Editor Phil Maynard Sales Director
Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor Katie Koh Finance Director
valid concept? Is Brown University merely a collection feminism and railed against the “intolerance” of the left
Chaz Kelsh News Editor Jilyn Chao Asst. Finance Director of buildings, an institution that leaves no trace on its in- at Brown.
Jenna Stark News Editor
In an earlier column, Quigley wrote that homosexu-
Managers habitants?
Benjy Asher Sports Editor
Andrew Braca Sports Editor Kelly Wess Local Sales Let’s look at the United States. With its more than 300 als would “have to answer to a higher power and to their
Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Kathy Bui National Sales million residents, it is nearly impossible to characterize. communities, through social ostracization” for their “be-
Katie Wood Asst. Sports Editor Alex Carrere University Sales
Christiana Stephenson Recruiter Sales Nevertheless, newspapers, politicians and Americans in havior” (“Cultural tyranny and the calamity of gay mar-
Graphics & Photos
Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor
Matt Burrows Credit and Collections general, Quigley included, regularly write and speak of riage,” Apr. 3). I find it hard to accept that anyone who
Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor Opinions the “American ethos” and the “American dream.” espouses such beliefs can self-righteously protest the “il-
Eunice Hong Photo Editor Sarah Rosenthal Opinions Editor
Kim Perley Photo Editor
Does it matter that some Americans reject democ- liberal and intolerant” ideas of the dominant ideology on
Editorial Page Board
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Opinions
The Brown Daily Herald
Simplify my life: A how-to guide for Lit Arts
Kate Doyle
Opinions Columnist
I spent shopping period as anyone does —
harried, frazzled, in need of sleep. My days
were an endless string of 10-minute cross-
campus traverses, ill-advised attempts to
visit three classes at once, and occasional
stops to scarf down who knows what from a
library food cart.
Shopping is how it’s done here at Brown,
and, like all of us, I found solace in the
knowledge that soon enough, things would
calm down — and, moreover, that I’d have
a schedule that was just right for me. That
said, I don’t pretend I was much the happy
camper as I reached my fourth or fifth day of
hauling myself from one class to another —
and another, and another, and another and
another.
Particularly stressful, I couldn’t help no-
ticing, was shopping the Literary Arts De-
partment, where introductory level writ-
ing courses are extremely popular — and
capped below 20. Many students pre-register
on Banner for these coveted spots. The rest
turn out in high numbers during shopping
period to write their names on slips of paper,
drop them in a hat and cross their fingers
that the instructor will pull theirs for one of
the few remaining spots or, at the very least,
a place on the waiting list.
My particular course of choice was of-
fered in four sections this semester, each
taught by a different instructor; I visited
three of them. In the first, the efficient and
organized instructor knew the drill: Names
from the hat filled both the remaining seats
BY KATHARINE
HERMANN
Opinions Columnist
A 2005 New York Times article by Louise
Story sent shockwaves of disbelief through-
out the Ivy League and the nation. In “Many
Women at Elite Colleges Set Career Path to
Motherhood” (Sept. 20, 2005), Story reported
that roughly 60 percent of 138 freshman and
senior females surveyed at Yale “said that
when they had children, they planned to
cut back on work or stop working entirely.”
The article made some Brown undergradu-
ates afraid — afraid that the ideals of the
Feminist Revolution had been lost and afraid
that women were not receiving the support
that they needed to maintain successful ca-
reers.
Brown students took measures to address
both of these fears. Former Herald opinions
columnist Dana Goldstein ’06 conducted
inter views with two dozen female Brown
undergraduates, summarizing her impres-
sions in “Work and motherhood: a Brown
study” (Oct. 18, 2005). Goldstein’s findings
are completely opposed to Story’s, assuag-
ing fears that women no longer value work
and long for independence. Her column
triumphantly proves that the feminist ideal
of independence is alive and well, at least at
Brown. Goldstein writes, “Not one young
woman I spoke to on Brown’s campus sai
she plans on giving up working after she
has children — even if she does want to
and the 10 spots on the waiting list. These
students were expected to continue to at-
tend class if they wished retain a seat; the
rest were asked to leave.
All in all, quite painless — but not so in
the other sections I visited. A simple change
of location in one was explained by a note
on the door of the original classroom — or
might have been, had the note not fallen off
the door and onto the ground. Roughly 10
students, myself included, discovered the
note too late, and after dashing up two flights
of stairs, arrived at the new classroom to find
that names had already been drawn — and
In the midst of shopping period, the last thing
any of us needs is a little more stress, a little
more confusion and a little more running around.
So I can’t help but wonder if there might be
some way to simplify this hectic system.
so lost our chance.
In the other section, the instructor
seemed simply perplexed by the names-
from-a-hat system, unsure of how the wait-
ing list should be determined, how many
seats there should be on the waiting list and
whether those on the waiting list were ex-
pected to remain in class.
In the midst of shopping period, the last
thing any of us needs is a little more stress,
a little more confusion and a little more run-
ning around. So I can’t help but wonder if
there might be some way to simplify this
hectic system — after all, if every capped
course used this method to fill its roster,
shopping courses would be a pretty harrow-
ing experience.
Opting out is fine by me
have flexible hours or the option of working
from home.”
Late in her column, Goldstein asks the
question: “What is the world going to do to
help us achieve our goals?” This question
suggests that the feminist flame burns strong,
with undergraduates desperately yearning for
successful careers, but that certain factors
hinder their pursuits. I suggest that “the
world” will not and should not do anything to
“help us.” Yes, working while being a mother
I have a feeling that the “Opt-Out Revolution” is
not quite the revolution that journalists make it
out to be.
is a challenge, but most of us have examples
in our lives of women who have gracefully
balanced working and motherhood.
Kate Klonick ’06 and Sunisa Nardone ’07
took a different approach from Goldstein,
launching “Women in the World,” a lecture
inspired by Story’s article, and developing
a mentoring program of the same name.
In Herald Arts & Culture Editor Hannah
Levintova’s ’09 article “Mentoring program
to match female students with alums” (Sept.
5, 2006), Nardone is quoted as saying “Going
into senior year, we thought more guidance
was needed in the transition from academia
to real life,” and continues “It seemed kind
of surprising that there are no networking
Perhaps the most obvious answer would
be to offer more sections of these introduc-
tory classes — but it is by no means the sim-
plest option. In an interview, Brian Even-
son, director of the Literary Arts Program,
expressed sympathy for students trying to
gain entry to these courses in the midst of
a busy shopping period, and explained that
more sections are being offered this year
than have been in the past. Still, he cited the
economy among other factors that prevent
the department from undertaking any ma-
jor expansion of offerings at the current mo-
ment.
What, then, can be done? Personally, I’m
all for scrapping pre-registration for these
courses altogether. The department has
done an admirable job of making things as
fair as possible, reserving sections of each
course for first-years and sophomores who
might otherwise lose seats to upperclass-
men. But I propose that the department have
everyone throw names in the hat. It would
put all students on equal footing — regard-
less of seniority.
The department should also ensure that
instructors use a uniform set of standards,
put the same number of students on class
waiting lists and make class attendance a re-
quirement for saving one’s spot. And if there
are going to be classroom changes, perhaps
events for women.”
Nardone and Klonick identified lack of
guidance and support as primar y reasons
for women opting out of the workforce, but
I am unconvinced of this truth. The women
in Story’s article had career ambitions and
most were confident that they would excel
in their fields for at least a decade or so out
of college. Something other than a deficit of
opportunity seemed to be influencing their
decisions.
Another New York Times article sheds
more light on the phenomenon of women
opting out of the workforce. In “The Opt-
Out Revolution” (Oct. 26, 2003), Lisa Belkin
chronicles the lives and career choices of
several Ivy League graduates, each of whom
belongs to a book group or a children’s play-
group of mothers with prestigious degrees
who have chosen to stop working after be-
coming mothers.
Among those she writes about is a Brown
graduate, Tracey Liao Van Hooser ’93, who
says, “It was wonderful to find a group of
women who had made the same decisions I
had,” continuing, “I am not a housewife. Is
there still any such thing? I am doing what is
Friday, February 20, 2009 | Page 11
they could wait until the second time the
class meets, when the roster is complete. (I
have scary dreams at night of cutthroat “Po-
etry I” hopefuls ripping notes from doors to
thwart the competition.)
With a writing sample, many students can
gain entry into intermediate and advanced
courses, but many are unclear about how
to submit their writing, or aren’t aware that
these courses are open to them. By rewrit-
ing descriptions on Banner to give students
a clearer understanding of what options are
available, the department might be able to
reduce traffic flow in introductory courses.
Evenson noted that the current system is,
in some ways, less useful today than it was in
the days before Banner. He called this year
a “transitional year” for the department and
noted that “it may be time for us to reevalu-
ate.”
Of course I don’t pretend to know the ins
and outs and the minute details of running
an entire department, but perhaps a stu-
dent’s perspective couldn’t hurt. Were it up
to me, I’d move the whole process — wheth-
er it involved pulling names out of a hat, a
nice online lottery (as in Visual Arts) or, as
my father jokingly suggests to me as I write
this, a Sorting Hat — out of shopping peri-
od. Submitting writing samples and draw-
ing names for each semester’s course lineup
should take place at the end of the previous
semester, so that we can all start our shop-
ping knowing full well which rosters and
waiting lists we’re on. Then, perhaps, our
poor frazzled brains can have a rest — and a
little less to fret about.
Kate Doyle ’12 is from Westport, Con-
necticut. She can be reached at
Katherine_Doyle@brown.edu.
right for me at the moment, not necessarily
what is right for me forever.”
Several key points can be derived from
her statements. First, she made a choice,
and she is happy with it. Second, the choice
remains for her to return to the workforce
should she want to.
Both of the valiant efforts by Brown stu-
dents mentioned earlier ignore the role of
choice. They accept that some deep, dark,
institutional factors push women out of the
workforce, whether they are lack of support
and access or the impossibility of balancing
children and a career. But the women in the
two New York Times articles are shouting
from the rooftops the opposite message: “I
am making a choice!”
I have a feeling that the “Opt-Out Revolu-
tion” is not quite the revolution that journal-
ists make it out to be, but at the very least,
these stories provide beautiful examples
of choice — choice that we should not be
threatened by but be happy to have. Whether
we use that choice to stop working after hav-
ing children, fine, so be it, as long as it is a
reasoned, deliberate decision. If we use that
choice to work into our eighties, balancing
children and a career by any means possible,
that’s wonderful as well. We need not be
frightened by our accomplished colleagues
who choose not to work. They are not victims,
and neither are we.
Katharine Hermann is a COE and ur-
ban studies concentrator from Port-
land, Oregon. She can be reached at
Katharine_hermann at brown.edu
 Today 5
to day to m o r r o w
Avon hosts ‘Waltz with Bashir’ event
The Brown Daily Herald

Tennis teams bust tourney opponents

7
Friday, February 20, 2009
34 / 22 38 / 29
Page 12

inside d i a m o n d s a n d c oa l

A sympathetic diamond to Roba!Dolce. We’re sorry you got fore!closed on.

A cubic zirconium to the Brown Skydiving Club, which hopes to raise enough money to
sponsor jumps for members. Given the current economic climate, some might say leaping out of
a plane at 10,000 feet without one of those expensive parachutes doesn’t sound all that bad.

Coal to the Rhode Island colleges that are considering arming their campus police. Sure,
guns are one answer, but take it from us: Nothing strikes fear in the heart of a criminal like
neon jackets and a Segway tricycle.

2
A welcoming diamond to the Corporation, which begins meeting today to decide the fate of
half a dozen major building projects and hash out a budget totaling half a billion dollars. If you’re
still taking other suggestions, there was no tuna at the salad bar the other day, soooo...

A cubic zirconium to the regional director of USA Underwater Hockey, who described
c a l e n da r one of the challenges of the niche sport as the fact that “no one can hold their breath for an
unlimited amount of time.” Quite true, but that’s precisely the discovery that led a ragtag band
today, february 20 Saturday, february 21 of Canadians 200 years ago to freeze the water before the game.

3:30 P.M. — Prof. Alvin Goldman, Rut-
gers University, “Toward a Synthesis
of Reliabilism and Evidentialism,” 54
College Street
9:30 P.M. — “Peindre ou faire l’amour,”
Cable Car Cinema, 204 S. Main St.
12 P.M. — “Active Bodies, Active
Minds: Young People Making Change,”
Wilson 102
2 P.m. — Wrestling vs. Columbia,
Pizzitola Sports Center
A diamond to Zipcar for changing its minimum age policy to allow Brown students who
are 18, instead of 21, to rent from you. But since when did Fish Co. start managing Zipcar?
We’re using our stupid wooden token to vote a coal for Blue State Coffee, which brazenly
opened another location in New Haven. We should have learned by now that when people
say Brown is their one and only choice, that just means they’re on the waitlist at Yale. (Plus,
we were still hoping for a third Thayer Street shop.)

menu We’ll gladly pass on two dozen shipments of diamonds and 300 tons of coal to the Univer-
sity, which administrator Beppie Huidekoper said was taking much of its endowment money
Sharpe Refectory Verney-Woolley Dining Hall out of hedge funds in favor of less risky investments. For the right price, that is. (We’re trying
to get out of commodities.)
Lunch — BLT Sandwich, Creamy Cap- Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Baked
pellini with Broccoli, S’mores Bars Vegan Nuggets, Sugar Snap Peas Coal to the modified unofficial transcript the University made available online this week,
which includes more of students’ internal records than before. The formatting changes are
Dinner — Teriyaki Salmon, Italian Dinner — Fisherman’s Pie in Puff welcome, but including our Brown application essays was a little embarrassing.
Vegetable Saute, Portabello Mushroom Pastry, Chicken Saute with Mustard
Stuffed with Quinoa Sauce, Cheese Raviolis with Sauce Finally, a coal to Providence Mayor David Cicilline ’83, who said in his State of the City ad-
dress Tuesday that the city government must “mobilize, as if we’re in the economic equivalent
RELEASE DATE– Friday, February 20, 2009 of wartime.” Maybe you can start saving money by firing whoever’s in charge of coming up
with original metaphors over there.
Los Angeles Times
c r o sDaily
s w oCrossword
rd Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS
1 Listening device
68 Washington
WNBA team
28 Sharp
29 Great __: arid
45 Disturbance
50 Lifts in a gym?
comics
4 Run 69 Ecru relative Western region 52 Pound and others
11 Half of sei 31 “Wheel of 53 Discontinue
14 “Ben-__” DOWN Fortune” buy 54 Hodgepodge Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
15 Fearless Leader 1 Salty adverb 33 Met tragedy, 56 Bach’s cello
underling 2 Certain maybe? suites, e.g.
16 Hyper toon something 34 Full of dirt? 58 “The Memory of
pooch 3 Can’t take the 36 Crew alternative Trees” album
17 Live and breathe heat, literally 40 Keeps in the maker
18 Uniform piece 4 “Paper Moon” e-mail loop 59 Roast site
19 Despot Amin Oscar winner 43 Biblical cattle 61 CIX years ago
20 Grounation Day 5 Hogwash 44 Embarks 62 Dry, as wine
celebrant 6 Predicted
22 Line crosser of a touchdowns, for ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
sort short
23 Nano, e.g. 7 Like many a frat
24 “Do the Right party
Thing” pizzeria 8 Narnia lion
26 Eventually 9 Plays dirty,
28 Touch literally
30 Ancient cross 10 Grab grub
shape 11 Be clumsy,
32 Albemarle literally
Sound, for 12 Change
Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley
example considerably
35 Lines in the 13 Arthurian lady
desert? 21 “Toodle-oo”
37 Band on the 23 “I hate the Moor”
road speaker
38 Play for a sap 25 Avoid arguments,
39 “The Eyes of __”: literally
2005 PBS 27 Prank instigators
xwordeditor@aol.com 02/20/09
science show
40 2008 biopic
41 Remote button
42 Citation
44 Wrapper’s pair
46 Make flush?
47 Md. hours
48 1986 PGA
champ Bob
49 Like some
promises
51 Pol’s forte The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb
53 Plate between
two boxes
55 Pother
57 Lover of Euridice,
in a Monteverdi
work
60 Priestly garb
61 “Captain
Kangaroo”
regular
63 Ltr. holder
64 “__ Beethoven”:
2002 Sparks
album
65 Tybalt, for one
66 Look over By Robert A. Doll
67 Shoe part (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
02/20/09