Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 52 | Tuesday, April 20, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Agreement
between
students
disputed
Female student’s
lawyer says rape
claim is true
By Ben Schreckinger
and Sydney Ember
Metro and News Editors
A lawyer for William McCormick III
— a former member of the class of
2010 who is suing the University, over
a dozen employees, a female student
and her father — said in federal court
last week that a statement made by the
lawyer for the female student and her
father during that same hearing was
the first assertion so far in the case that
the female student’s rape accusation
— the veracity of which has significant
ramifications for the outcome of the
litigation — was not false.
“This statement to that effect in
the courtroom on Monday and its
appearance in newspaper articles on
this case is a complete surprise,” J.
Scott Kilpatrick, McCormick’s lawyer,
told The Herald. “In the seven months
continued on page 2
Student hires bring ‘real’ food to the Ratty
Brown Dining Services have hired two students to research local,
sustainable food options for Brown’s dining halls.
inside
News.....1–5
Editorial....6
Opinion.....7
Today........8
www.browndailyherald.com
G oing G reen
Environmentalists displayed their “Truck Farm” and screened documentary clips on Monday to advocate
for local, sustainable food initiatives.
U. and Providence partner to upgrade traffic signals
By Ben Noble land Square have lost synchroniza-
Staff Writer tion, causing congestion during peak
hours, according to McCormick.
The University is partnering with “It should be synchronized in
the City of Providence to upgrade such a way that you can pass all the
most of the traffic lights on Angell way through that corridor at a rea-
and Waterman streets. The project, sonable speed without stopping,”
which will “significantly reduce con- he said. “All these lights need to be
gestion,” is underway and will be hooked together to do that.”
completed over the summer, said The improvements were con-
Michael McCormick, assistant vice ceived four years ago in the trans-
president for planning, design and portation component of Brown’s
construction. Institutional Master Plan, which
The lights on both streets be- was approved by the Providence
tween North Main Street and Way- City Plan Commission in July 2006.
BY JULIA LONGORIA
Contributing Writer
Last semester, Brown Dining Ser-
vices hired two students to search
for “real food” — food that is local,
fair, ecologically sound and hu-
mane — and this Thursday at the
Sharpe Refectory’s Earth Day Din-
ner Special, the Brown community
will see what they’ve found.
The Herald reported in Octo-
ber that Brown’s chapter of the
Real Food Challenge, a national
campaign to increase sustainable
food in university dining halls,
received $25,000 from President
Ruth Simmons’ discretionary
fund for a two-year pilot project,
creating paid student jobs in Din-
ing Services. Two students were
hired: Kyle Lemle ’11, the Real
Food Initiative public relations and
education coordinator, and Emily
Viggiano ’12, the Real Food Initia-
tive progress coordinator. Lemle
said the $25,000 goes toward the
two student hires and to offset the
Kim Perley / Herald file photo
continued on page 4
News, 3
ELECTION CHANGES
UFB and UCS may change
campaign rules for next
year
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Hilary Rosenthal / Herald
The University hired transportation
consulting firm Vanasse Hangen
Brustlin, Inc. to prepare the trans-
portation component.
While the lights were originally
synchronized with internal clocks,
the firm conducted a field review
in September 2005 and found they
had slowly lost their coordination
over time.
“Say you were going 30 miles per
hour; you would still end up stopping
at all the lights,” McCormick said.
In the transportation component
of the Plan, published in April 2006,
State House weighs bills
to end pot prohibition
By Claire Peracchio
Senior Staff Writer
Two bills that would end the criminal
prohibition of marijuana use came
before the Rhode Island House Judi-
ciary Committee last Wednesday. The
first bill — proposed by Rep. Edith
Ajello, D-Providence, whose district
includes College Hill — would legal-
METRO
ize the drug under certain conditions.
The second bill — introduced by Rep.
John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton and
Portsmouth — would decriminalize
marijuana consumption and levy a
$150 fine for possession.
The two bills come on the heels of
a March recommendation by a state
Senate study commission that the
state decriminalize small amounts of
the drug.
While Ajello took into account the
commission’s findings, she said that
her support for legalization arose large-
News, 4
Staying in service?
Students convene in
response to the Swearer
Center’s staff cuts
Dorms vie
to save the
most energy
By Luisa Robledo
Staff Writer
Brown’s EcoReps has dared students
in Poland House, Machado House,
Slater Hall and Hope College to turn
off the lights. In an effort to save
energy, the student group launched
an inter-dorm competition on April
11 to see which dorm will be able
to consume the least energy over a
three-week period.
“We want to raise awareness on
energy efficiency,” said Adam May-
continued on page 2
the firm called the progression of
vehicles traveling on Angell and
Waterman “poor” with the signals
causing “unnecessary delays to both
vehicles and pedestrians throughout
the day.”
The firm singled out the light
coordination where Waterman and
Angell streets meet Benefit Street
as particularly “deficient” during
peak hours.
The firm advised the University
to upgrade the signal timing mecha-
continued on page 3
ly from a realization that the state’s
marijuana policy is ineffective.
“Marijuana laws are not working,”
Ajello said. She cited the fiscal toll of
imprisoning marijuana offenders as
well as the fact that “more people of
color are arrested and imprisoned for
small amounts of marijuana.”
Letters urging legalization from
Professor of Economics Glenn Loury
and Professor Emeritus of Medicine
and Community Health David Lewis
— who both also served on the Sen-
ate marijuana commission — further
contributed to her decision to propose
the bill, Ajello added.
Ajello’s bill would legalize the use
of up to one ounce of marijuana, pro-
vided that users refrain from driving
under the influence, among other re-
strictions. Cultivators and distributors
would be required to register with the
state government. The bill would also
establish a “verification system” so
that law enforcement can ensure that
continued on page 5
Opinions, 7
a privileged life
Brian Judge ’11 urges
students to come to terms
with their privileged lives
herald@browndailyherald.com
Page 2 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Tuesday, April 20, 2010

C ampus N EWS “People haven’t really changed their behavior.”

— Carmen Valdivia ’10, Machado House resident

Energy-saving competition may expand Students’ agreement disputed

continued from page 1
nard ’11, one of EcoRep’s coordina-
tors. “And we just want to get people
jazzed about this.”
EcoReps will have access to the
meter that measures the energy
each dorm consumes, Maynard said.
They will post the results on their
blog and keep students updated with
tips to save more energy.
The student group, which pro-
motes green initiatives on campus,
chose the four dorms because they
are smaller and easier to target than
other residence halls. “We want to
know what to expect before we
tackle the beast of a campus-wide
competition,” Maynard said.
According to Facilities Manage-
ment’s Director of Sustainable En-
ergy and Environmental Initiatives
Christopher Powell, the group will
use the results of this competition
to “fine-tune the program.” Facili-
ties Management, which sponsors
EcoReps, is overseeing the proj-
ect.
“We will learn from it and create
a long-term program,” Powell said.
Each resident of the winning dorm
will receive a $5 gift certificate to
a business on Thayer Street, and
a percentage of the money saved
on utility costs will go to a campus
function of their choosing, Powell
said.
“It’s a real initiative to spread
awareness and to educate students,”
sudoku
Nick Sinnott-Armstrong / Herald
Residents of Hope College, pictured above, are participating in a
contest to save energy, sponsored by EcoReps.
he added. with posters and flyers.
To spread the word about the “There are signs around the
competition, EcoReps covered the kitchen and bathrooms to make you
walls of the dorms’ common areas aware of it,” said Kelsey Keith ’11,
who lives in Slater. “Seeing them
is a constant reminder to make an
extra push and double check if the
lights are off when you leave the
room.”
Amy Heuer ’11, another Slater
resident, said there’s a lot of un-
necessary energy consumption that
goes on in dorms. “It’s an awesome
idea,” Heuer added. “Hopefully, this
will make people think about how
they can help out.”
Carmen Valdivia ’10, who lives
in Machado, said that she hasn’t
felt the impact of the competition
yet. “I haven’t seen much activity
around the house,” Valdivia said.
“People haven’t really changed their
behavior.”
The competition will end May 2.
“I just hope people can realize how
much their behavior can impact the
environment,” Maynard said.
continued from page 1
this case has been pending, neither
he nor anyone else on behalf of the
(female student and her father) have
disputed that the claims made three
years ago were false.”
Joseph Cavanagh, the lawyer for
the female student and her father, did
not return requests for comment, and
neither the student nor her father
could be reached for comment Mon-
day. The Herald is withholding her
name because she may have been
the victim of a sex crime.
The hearing took place April 12 in
front of Judge William Smith in Rhode
Island District Federal Court. During
the hearing, Smith unsealed the case,
the existence of which was previously
unacknowledged in any publicly avail-
able document.
McCormick and his parents filed
the claim following a September 2006
incident in which he was accused of
raping the female student. The com-
plaint states that McCormick was
detained unlawfully and then sent
home, and that this series of events
has aggravated McCormick’s preex-
isting seizure condition. He and his
parents are seeking unspecified dam-
ages from the defendants.
The complaint accuses the Univer-
sity, President Ruth Simmons, Provost
David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, Senior
Vice President for Corporation Af-
fairs and Governance Russell Carey
’91 MA’06 and 12 other University
employees of breach of contract, false
imprisonment and libel, among other
counts of civil misconduct.
The complaint also alleges that
the University was guided by “fi-
nancial self-interest” when handling
the incident because the female stu-
dent’s father, an alum, has donated
to, and raised large sums of money
for Brown.
The truth of the rape accusation
is a matter of contention with implica-
tions for the validity of a 2006 agree-
ment between McCormick and the
female student. In a motion to dismiss
the claims against the female student
and her father, Cavanagh cited the
agreement, which stipulates “Mc-
Cormick hereby releases and forever
discharges (the female student) from
any and all claims, demands, damages,
remedies, contracts — express or im-
plied — and causes of action of any
kind or nature whatsoever.”
According to Cavanagh’s motion,
this release nullifies any claim by Mc-
Cormick against the female student.
In the release, the female student
also agreed not to press charges of
any kind against McCormick.
Kilpatrick conceded at the hearing
that “if the release is valid as a matter
of law, the McCormicks do not have
cause of action against” the female
student and her father.
But he said legal precedent shows
that, in effect, “there is no contract”
if one party is agreeing “to not bring
false criminal allegations” against an-
other. According to Kilpatrick’s ar-
gument, if the female student’s 2006
allegation of rape against McCormick
was made falsely, the agreement is not
valid and cannot prevent McCormick
from bringing a lawsuit against the
female student.
Kilpatrick also contended that the
agreement was made “under duress”
because Cavanagh threatened Mc-
Cormick with criminal rape charges
if he did not sign it. In an October 2006
e-mail to Walter Stone — McCormick’s
attorney at the time — Cavanagh ex-
pressed displeasure at McCormick’s
unwillingness to accede to the agree-
ment, calling his reluctance “a mistake”
and writing, “As you well know, the
Brown disciplinary matter is the least
of (McCormick’s) possible perils.”
McCormick’s complaint calls the
e-mail “a thinly veiled threat of crimi-
nal rape charges,” but Cavanagh has
denied that characterization in court
documents.
“I’m not sure I see the same threat
you contend,” Smith told Kilpatrick at last
week’s hearing, but said a jury may have
to determine whether the e-mail consti-
tutes a threat of criminal charges.
Originally, McCormick’s complaint
claimed the e-mail constituted “extor-
tion” by Cavanagh on behalf of the
female student and her father, but it
has since been changed to the claim
of “duress.”
The disputed agreement also man-
dated that McCormick withdraw from
Brown and not enter Providence un-
til the female student’s graduation,
among other stipulations. McCormick
declined to comment in an e-mail to
The Herald.
The parties are currently awaiting
Smith’s ruling on defendants’ motions
to dismiss before the case proceeds.

Daily Herald
the Brown

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Page 3

C ampus N EWS “Next year, we’re definitely going to try to increase the transparency
of the system.”— Kening Tan ’12, election boards chair

Board will consider changes

to UCS, UFB campaigns
By Nicole Boucher
Senior Staf f Writer
The elections board will consider
changes to campaigning rules for
future elections in light of ques-
tions raised at a hearing Sunday
afternoon by two candidates for
the Undergraduate Finance Board,
said elections board member Sarah
Rutherford ’12.
“Next year, we’re definitely go-
Max Monn / Herald ing to try to increase the trans-
Traffic lights, including those at the intersection of Angell and Thayer streets, would be coordinated. parency of the system,” elections
the ticket, thus giving them an
advantage over individual candi-
dates.
Chair candidate Salsabil Ahmed
’11, who is running on a ticket
with uncontested representative
candidate Kelly Wess ’11, The
Herald’s sales director, told The
Herald that running on a ticket
with a chair is positive because
it gives the representatives with
more attention than they would
otherwise get while campaigning.
Since representatives “do the bulk

Project aims to cut traffic, save lives

board chair Kening Tan ’12 told of the work” for UFB, Ahmed said,
The Herald. Rutherford added that they should not be “marginalized”
by bringing up issues during cam- during the campaign.
continued from page 1 In this new study, which will begin streets passing through the Brown paigning, candidates provide input The elections board ultimately
next month, the firm will also conduct campus.” for discussion about improving the concluded that because no groups
nisms in partnership with the city’s a “broad overview of the campus to “We anticipate the improvements rules for future elections. violated rules regarding how funds
Traffic Engineering Department. look at individual pedestrian crossings will benefit both drivers and pedestri- At Sunday’s hearing, chair can- are allocated when running on a
In a notice of approval dated Au- and specifically the ones where we’ve ans,” he wrote. didate Adam Kiki-Charles ’11 and ticket together, the issue would
gust 10, 2006, the commission stated, had incidents,” McCormick said. The committee has split into two vice chair candidate Jason Lee ’12 be considered for future elections,
“The cost of upgrading traffic signals He added that the firm will likely groups, according to Carey. One will questioned whether candidates but could not be applied in this
to allow for synchronization shall be consult with the newly-formed pedes- focus on “education, awareness and should be allowed to run on a tick- case, according to Rutherford.
born by Brown University.” But ac- trian safety review committee, which enforcement” while the other will et with an unopposed candidate Kiki-Charles and Lee also
cording to McCormick, the University began meeting in March. look at “campus infrastructure, which who only needs 5 percent of the asked for more transparency
and the city ultimately reached an The committee was created last includes traffic signals, signage, pe- vote to win, Rutherford said. in how candidates spend their
agreement in which each will pay for month in the wake of two serious ac- destrian crossings and curb cuts,” In UCS and UFB elections, funds. Rutherford said the elec-
half of the project’s costs. cidents that “raised sensitivity and he wrote. “running on a ticket only refers tions board will also examine the
McCormick said the new lights awareness about pedestrian safety on Members consist of students, to campaigning strategies,” Ru- rules pertaining to this issue for
will be connected through a wireless campus,” the committee’s co-chair and faculty and administrators, including therford said, adding that “one of the future.
mesh network that will ensure long- Senior Vice President for Corporation McCormick and Director of Public the biggest advantages and incen- “I just wanted to raise the ques-
term coordination. The signals will Affairs and Governance Russell Carey Safety Mark Porter. The committee tives to running on a ticket is the tion so that it can be considered
also include vehicle detection sensors ’91 MA’06 said at a faculty meeting, is co-chaired by Vice President for advantage of gaining advertising” for next year,” Kiki-Charles said.
that will make intersections more ef- The Herald reported on March 4. Campus Life and Student Services through “the ability to mention Campaigning can be done in
ficient. On Feb.12, Avi Schaefer ’13 was Margaret Klawunn. another candidate positively.” Us- very creative ways, he added.
“By allowing traffic to flow without killed by a drunken driver at the inter- The committee meets every sev- ing a point system where each Rutherford also said that this
having to stop, it creates gaps where section of Hope and Thayer streets, eral weeks and hopes to develop type of campaigning costs points, year the elections board has run
cars and people can cross,” he said. where there is no traffic signal. Nine recommendations by the end of the individual candidates receive 100 into issues with vague rules per-
“And at 2 a.m., if there is no car com- days later, Erinn Phelan ’09 and Alma semester, according to Carey. points and $40 to campaign, while taining to campaigning through
ing in the other direction, it won’t Guerrero ’09 MD’13 were seriously “The goal would be to have those running on a ticket together allots Twitter, blogging and listser vs,
turn red.” injured in a hit-and-run crash in New (completed) by sometime next fall,” a total of 150 points and $60. and more concrete rules should
In 2005, the firm completed traffic York City. McCormick said. Kiki-Charles and Lee voiced be established in the future.
and pedestrian counts at intersections In an e-mail to The Herald, Carey “It’s always important to stay on concerns over whether students Campaigning is now winding
on College Hill. The firm projected wrote that the current signal improve- top of things like pedestrian safety,” running unopposed would give all to a close with the polls opening
what those counts would be in five ments “will result in a smoother pas- he added. “They just need constant of the campaigning funds to the at 12 p.m. Tuesday and closing at
years following the completion of sage of vehicles along two major vigilance.” candidate with whom they shared 12 p.m. on Thursday.
various construction projects stipu-
lated in the master plan, including
the renovations of J. Walter Wilson
and the construction of the Walk con-
necting Lincoln Field with Pembroke
campus.
The University constructed traf-
fic lights where the Walk intersects
Angell and Waterman streets, Mc-
Cormick said.
“We asked them to look specifi-
cally at the Walk that was being pro-
posed at the time and its pedestrian
crossings,” McCormick said. “They
found a lot of congestion on Angell
and Waterman, and we were going
to introduce something that could,
in fact, make it worse.”
The firm also measured traffic
flows in and out of campus and found
that most cars traveling on Angell and
Waterman streets do not stop at the
University.
“They are coming from East
Providence and going downtown,”
McCormick said. “This is basically a
through corridor.”
In 2005, the firm projected just
over 500 pedestrians per hour would
be crossing Waterman and Angell
streets in the afternoon in 2010. The
University recently hired the firm to
re-examine the pedestrian crossings
at heavy intersections and determine
whether its projections turned out
to be true.
Page 4
C ampus N EWS
Sustainable, local food options becoming more prominent, despite costs
continued from page 1
cost increase from purchasing the
more expensive food products.
Jonathan Leibovic ’12, a Real Food
advocate, said in the original proposal,
Brown’s Real Food chapter requested
eight student positions, but in the
course of negotiations with BDS, the
administration, Human Resources
and the Office of Campus Life, it was
determined that funding was available
for only two Real Food positions. The
Real Food interns work with two exist-
ing Community Harvest interns —
Maddie Brown ’10 and James Tarrant
’10.5, according to the BDS Web site.
Those positions have been around
for a few years and comprise the “lo-
cal purchasing arm of the program,”
Leibovic said.
Real food must be “local, environ-
mentally sensitive, fair and humane,”
Lemle said. “So basically the point of
Real Food is to promote conscious
consumption, to know where our
food is coming from, to know who
has produced our food and how, and
to (take responsibility for) the broader
footprint of our eating, which is such
an everyday act that we do so unmind-
fully. Most people don’t care because
they don’t know that they should care
or know how the food industry works,
especially in large institutional food
establishments like the Ratty.”
Viggiano did a study of the top 100
items consumed at the Ratty, contact-
ing the farms, distributors and produc-
ers and applying the Real Food criteria
to each of those items, Lemle said.
There are different grades of real food,
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“There’s a lot of controversy over what’s sustainable.”
— Emily Viggiano ’12, Real Food Initiative’s progress coordinator
depending on how many criteria they
meet, and most of the food, Lemle
said, met only the local criterion or
none at all. Viggiano then “identified
places to make switches that are both
economically feasible and make a big
impact,” she said.
“Right now, we’ve increased our
purchases of (local) Rhody Fresh
milk to 65 percent,” Viggiano said.
“We have switched to albacore tuna
from tongol tuna, which was based on
the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood
Watch guidelines. We have switched to
all fair-trade and organic bananas. We
worked with a local seafood distributor
that we get our fresh seafood from and
switched all our menu fresh seafood
items to sustainable species, although
there’s a lot of controversy over what’s
sustainable in the seafood world.”
Viggiano said student involvement
in the Real Food debate is always ap-
preciated, since “it’s not always cut
and dry which are the best options.”
The Brown Animal Rights Club has
been involved in campaigning for hu-
manely raised eggs from cage-free
chickens, Viggiano said, and BDS is
in the process of switching both their
liquid and whole eggs to a certified
organic, certified humane provider.
Lemle said he works assisting Vig-
giano with the switches, educating the
whole department and staff on what
Real Food is and why it’s important,
and publicizing Real Food and the
switches BDS has made to the larger
Brown community. He said he has
been working this semester to provide
more Real Food options in the new
Blue Room that will open in Faunce
House next semester.
“I go to the sampling meetings or
product presentations for the Blue
Room as the representative of Real
Food,” Lemle said. “Basically, I get
paid to sit there and eat food. Deli-
cious, delicious food. While we won’t
get 100 percent Real products in the
Blue Room, for most things we’re go-
ing to really think about how we can
get the best product.”
“The goal (for BDS) is to un-
derstand where we are now, so we
can more clearly identify the most
productive steps to move forward,”
wrote Associate Director of Dining
Services Peter Rossi in an e-mail to
The Herald. An obstacle to making
food more “real” for BDS comes from
food producers and manufacturers,
who “don’t have required information
readily available for each food item,”
Rossi wrote.
Viggiano said financial barriers
and “accommodating the spectrum
of needs that students have,” such as
having beef every day, are also obsta-
cles for BDS in increasing Real Food.
While some individual Blue Room
items may increase in price, Real Food
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
will not increase the meal plan cost to
students, according to Lemle.
“We recognize how much food
already costs at Brown, and it takes
a lot of work to source Real Food prod-
ucts economically, but that’s the goal.
That’s the main concern students have
with the initiative — that it will be too
expensive.”
Thursday’s Earth Day Dinner
Special will work as sort of “kick-off
for showing the new switches” at the
Ratty, Viggiano said.
Planning for the event began
last summer, and the Rhode Island
School of Design and Brown will be
offering the same menu on Thursday,
Rossi wrote. The goal of the dinner,
he wrote, “is to bring awareness of
the wonderful local items that are
available, the importance of where
food is sourced and to have discus-
sions regarding the food choices we
make.”
Lemle said BDS will save the left-
overs as part of an experiment, asking
students to scrape their plates into a
bucket to weigh the amount of waste
the Ratty produces throughout the
night.
Dining Services is “really open to
the initiative and working hard on the
initiative,” Viggiano said. “I think one
thing (BDS) need to know is that stu-
dents are supporting these switches
because they really need to satisfy
what students want. I think if students
are supportive of real food, being vocal
about that is a good thing.”
Page 5
C ampus N EWS
General Assembly debates marijuana ban
continued from page 1
marijuana retailers are approved by
the state.
While this would require new in-
frastructure to regulate the market
for marijuana, Ajello asserted that the
bill would be a financial boon for the
state.
“The taxing and the licensing would
pay for that infrastructure, and the sav-
ings from law enforcement effort and
imprisonment would actually increase
state revenue,” Ajello said.
According to Ajello, decriminal-
ization of the drug would not go far
enough because state resources would
still be directed at punishing cultivators
and distributors.
The resulting conflict with federal
laws designating marijuana as an il-
legal drug “is of some concern,” she
said. But the federal government un-
der President Barack Obama seems
disinclined to intervene in state mari-
juana policy, particularly in light of
California’s progressive laws regard-
ing the drug, Ajello said.
Mischa Steiner ’10, treasurer of the
national board of directors of Students
for Sensible Drug Policy and former
president of the Brown chapter, said
the group was “pleasantly surprised”
by Ajello’s decision to introduce the
legalization bill.
“We, in fact, did not expect a full
tax-and-regulate bill to even happen
at all,” Steiner said.
Most of the group’s efforts, which
include door-to-door campaigning for
progressive marijuana legislation, have
been focused on decriminalization,
according to Steiner.
“What decriminalization would do
is make sure that the black Hope High
School student is treated the same way
by the law as the student at Brown” for
marijuana possession, Steiner said.
Lt. Jack Cole, the executive director
of Law Enforcement Against Prohibi-
tion, testified in favor of both bills. But
he said he believes legalization to be
the better policy.
“The act of making these drugs ille-
gal creates a danger for the distribution
of them,” Cole said. “That very danger
is the reason why there’s an artificially
inflated value for these drugs.”
Cole cited reductions in drug-re-
lated disease and in the use of every
narcotic except marijuana following
the decriminalization of recreational
drug use in Portugal.
Kristen Westmoreland MPH ’09, a
member of the Barrington Substance
Abuse Task Force, testified before the
Senate marijuana commission and is
opposed to both bills.
“For us, the laws are very impor-
tant in terms of prevention of marijuana
use, especially in youth,” Westmore-
land said. “Anything that weakens the
laws would be seen as an entryway for
youth to use more.”
According to Westmoreland,
though some have hailed changes
to marijuana laws as means to lower
enforcement costs and incarceration
rates, these benefits fail to take into
account the costs of increased con-
sumption, including health risks and
traffic fatalities. Marijuana use would
increase due to a decreased “percep-
tion of harm” if it is legalized or de-
criminalized, Westmoreland said.
Edwards, who introduced the de-
criminalization bill, opposes legaliza-
tion because the ensuing conflict with
federal law could cause the federal
government to “suspend payments
for various programs in retribution”
for a policy of legalization.
Edwards said his concern for the
effects of harsh marijuana laws on
young people influenced his decision
to propose decriminalization.
“I think that civil possession is a
pretty normal occurrence for kids
and young adults, and I don’t want
to see their lives ruined just because
they get caught with a small amount
of marijuana,” he said.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“I think that civil possession is a pretty normal occurrence
for kids and young adults.” — Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton
Edwards also emphasized the fi-
nancial toll of incarcerating people for
civil possession, an expenditure of “up
to $44,000 a year” per offender.
Edwards said a similar Massa-
chusetts decriminalization law, which
mandates a $100 fine for possession,
inspired the bill that he proposed.
Edwards’ bill raises the fine to $150
because Rhode Island “is in a much
deeper financial mess than Massa-
chusetts,” he said.
Edwards said the consequences
of the new law in Massachusetts en-
couraged him to introduce the similar
legislation.
“People are not running out and
smoking marijuana if they never did”
before, Edwards said. “That has not
occurred in Massachusetts or the
13 other states that have already ap-
proved” decriminalization.
While the House Judiciary Com-
mittee will subject both bills to further
review, it is likely they will have differ-
ent political fates.
“I probably don’t think there will be
more discussion or a vote this year,”
Ajello said of her legalization bill.
Edwards was more optimistic
about decriminalization, particularly
given that he has received commit-
ments from about 40 legislators who
would support the bill if it came to the
floor for a vote, he said.
“I’ve already been told that if I put
the bill back in next year, it would be
my bill that would go through,” Ed-
wards said.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
news in brief
Students oppose Swearer Center cuts
A small group of students gathered on the south side of the
Main Green Monday to discuss planned cuts to the budget for
the Swearer Center for Public Service and what the cuts say
about University commitment to service in the community.
The gathering came after over 250 alums and current stu-
dents involved with the Swearer Center signed a letter to Presi-
dent Ruth Simmons addressing the implications that cuts to
the Swearer Center budget have for Brown’s relationships with
the community, according to the Providence Journal news
blog.
Four staff positions at the Swearer Center have been cut
and there are still questions as to whether student group activ-
ity in the community will also be diminished, Arthur Matusze-
wski ’11, a member of the Swearer Center Community Advi-
sory Board and a former editor-in-chief of Post- magazine,
told The Herald.
The gathering Monday was a chance to “begin the conver-
sation about what the University’s priorities are,” Matuszewski
said to the gathered group of students.
Student Labor Alliance member Susan Beaty ’10 said she
is concerned about the cuts at the Swearer Center, especially
because they are only one part of the larger decision to lay
off 60 staff members, which The Herald reported last month.
While she said SLA members came independently to this event
and were not endorsing the gathering as a group, she said SLA
is “really interested in building a coalition of students” to dis-
cuss layoffs such as those at the Swearer Center and how they
will affect Brown.
Beaty added that she and Matuszewski also went to a com-
munity meeting on Monday with Elizabeth Walsh ’03, the edu-
cation director of English for Action, a group that provides
English as a Second Language services in Providence. They
discussed how changes to the Swearer Center’s budget will
affect how Brown is able to still connect to the community,
Beaty said.
— Nicole Boucher
Editorial & Letters
The Brown Daily Herald

Page 6 | Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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

Editorial’s opposition to
Cicilline is shortsighted
To the Editor: namic place to live, study and work.
As a senior, I’m impressed by my
I write in response to the April 13 classmates who are deciding to stay
editorial, “Not forgotten and not in Providence because of the energy
forgiven,” which discourages stu- and professional opportunities the
dents from supporting Mayor David city provides.
Cicilline’s ’83 Congressional bid. I Beyond policy, I would like to
am surprised that the paper would question the premise of the editorial.
offer such a myopic outlook on the Disallowing support for a candidate
matter. An editorial that suggests based on one policy position runs
campus-wide disapproval of the stu- counter to our University’s core
dent impact fee and the mayor’s bid principles.
for Congress runs counter to our At Brown, we value nuance and
values at Brown. deep intellectual exploration. We
Today, people around Providence tackle questions with vigor, intel-
are struggling. If we at Brown are ligence and a commitment to ex-
an integral and vital part of the com- ploring every possible outcome. To
munity, we must have a broader write off Cicilline and encourage
perspective. Our commitment to students to support his opponent —
ser vice, cited frequently in your a former party boss who has never E rik S tayton A N D E van D onahue
editorial, is a reflection of this very demonstrated a commitment to
perspective. We are, after all, citizens Brown — based on a singular issue
with a genuine stake in the com- is shortsighted and wrong. Instead,
munity. School improvement, crime Brown students should examine
e d i to r i a l
reduction and bold sustainability ef- each candidate with the skills and
forts matter. Taxes and fees are the
responsibility we take for the future
outlook fostered by our classmates,
faculty and alumni, like the mayor, Mokoro ’11 for UCS president
of the city we call home. who came before us.
Mayor Cicilline has led Provi- Today and tomorrow, students will have the Brown’s institutional history. But we worry that his
dence through some difficult times Brad Greenburg ’10 opportunity to log on to MyCourses and elect agenda is ambiguous and that he is insufficiently
and ensured that it remains a dy- April 18 representatives to the Undergraduate Council of focused on implementing substantive changes that
Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board. will directly benefit students.
We encourage students to support Diane Mokoro
’11 for UCS president. Farber ’12 for UCS vice president
Mokoro has spent the last year ser ving as UCS Of the three vice-presidential candidates, Ben
vice president, giving her experience that will allow Farber ’12 strikes us as the one most likely to get
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d her to be effective in the top position on the council. positive things done. He spent this past year as
Senior Editors
Brown is facing major challenges and undergoing chair of the UCS campus life committee and has
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Deputy Managing Editors
Sophia Li Ellen Cushing substantial growth, and UCS needs a president a solid track record of accomplishments to show
George Miller Chaz Kelsh
Emmy Liss Seth Motel who can communicate with the administration and for it. Anyone who has used the new omelet line
Joanna Wohlmuth
convey students’ views amidst ongoing changes. in the Sharpe Refrector y or gone to continental
editorial Business
General Managers Office Manager Mokoro has clearly demonstrated her strong com- breakfast at the Verney Wooley Dining Hall has
Anne Speyer Arts & Culture Editor
Suzannah Weiss Arts & Culture Editor Claire Kiely Shawn Reilly mitment to student-administration dialogue. She benefited from Farber’s hard work. We especially
Brian Mastroianni Features Editor Katie Koh played a major role in arranging President Ruth liked that Farber said he planned to help other
Hannah Moser Features Editor Directors
Brigitta Greene Metro Editor Kelly Wess Sales Simmons’ recent State of Brown address and estab- UCS members working on projects get in touch
Ben Schreckinger Metro Editor Matthew Burrows Finance lishing a student group to advise the Organizational with relevant administrators. If Farber can play
Sydney Ember News Editor Margaret Watson Client Relations
Nicole Friedman News Editor Christiana Stephenson Alumni Relations
Review Committee. this facilitating role next year as UCS vice presi-
Dan Alexander Sports Editor We believe that Mokoro has struck the right dent, he will do the council and the student body
Zack Bahr Asst. Sports Editor Managers balance between emphasizing smaller, day-to-day a great ser vice.
Andrew Braca Asst. Sports Editor Arjun Vaidya Local Sales
Han Cui Asst. Sports Editor Marco deLeon National Sales improvements in students’ lives and remaining Evan Holownia ’11 emphasized transparency
Aditi Bhatia University Sales mindful of broader issues about Brown as an insti- and communication with students, but he seems
Graphics & Photos Jared Davis University Sales
Trenten Nelson-Rivers Recruiter Sales
tution. Mokoro said she thought that the greatest overly concerned with the council’s internal pro-
Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor
Alex Yuly Graphics Editor Maximilian Barrows Business Operations challenge most students face is in finding sources cedure. Reed Frye ’11 has some worthwhile ideas,
Nick Sinnott-Armstrong Photo Editor Jilyn Chao Business Analytics of good academic advice. Her concern with advising but we are war y of the fact that he has no prior
Max Monn Asst. Photo Editor Danielle Marshak Credit and Collections
Jonathan Bateman Sports Photo Editor Alexander Carrere Special Projects shows that she is very much in touch with students’ UCS experience.
Kathy Bui Staff experiences. She also said she hopes to empower We encourage all students to participate in the
Production
Kelly Mallahan Copy Desk Chief
Opinions other UCS members to take on a wide variety of election, and believe that Mokoro and Farber are
Michael Fitzpatrick Opinions Editor
Marlee Bruning Design Editor Alyssa Ratledge Opinions Editor projects next year. the best choices to lead next year’s council.
Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor Mokoro’s opponent Arthur Matuszewski ’11,
Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Editorial Page Board
Neal Poole Web Editor Matt Aks Editorial Page Editor former editor-in-chief of Post- magazine, brings a Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board.
William Martin Board member great deal of passion for Brown and knowledge of Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
Melissa Shube Board member
Post- magazine Gaurie Tilak Board member
Marshall Katheder Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Topaz Board member

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Opinions
The Brown Daily Herald
BRIAN
JUDGE
Opinions Columnist
Recently I attended a lecture by photographer
Fazal Sheikh, a MacArthur “Genius” grant
recipient, during the opening of his exhibition
“Blessed Daughters.” Mr. Sheikh began by
showing the audience photographs of Suda-
nese refugees in Kenya. He went through a
dozen or so pictures of gatherings of refugees
posing for his camera, while reciting each sub-
ject’s name. He said he found it striking that
the people he photographed there chose to
represent themselves to the camera in a direct,
unpretentious manner. Mr. Sheikh contrasted
this authenticity to how he, say, would repre-
sent himself, a Princeton graduate and rising
star in photography, in a photograph. What is
different about Mr. Sheikh and the Sudanese
refugees he photographed? In the pictures
he was taking, Mr. Sheikh was concerned
about the composition of the photograph, the
lighting, and the like. Mr. Sheikh has enjoyed
privileges that his subjects most likely could
not fathom.
I often hear people deriding others’ affects,
pretensions and other ways of presenting one-
self, who yearn for a life more “real” than their
privileged Ivy League existence. This is idiotic.
Acknowledging the privileges that have been
ANTHONY
BADAMI
Opinions Columnist
You know the dichotomies: east meets west,
communism versus capitalism, classical goes
contemporary, etc. Throughout the span of
modern European political and cultural clash,
the tension between these sets of ideas has
bred conflagrant rebellion and uproarious
revolution, new beginnings and salient re-
newals.
Brown, to some extent, has inherited this
discord. We walk the grounds of an antique
campus, embraced by an American colonial
surrounding spawned from a particular ethno-
cultural narrative, while seeking to decon-
struct and appreciate the historical legacy
precipitating the school’s existence.
And when many of us walk through the Van
Wickle gates one last time, into a tumultuous
and exhilarating future, we will relocate to a
city of popular repute, most likely New York,
Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami or
D.C.
However, I ask you, humbly, to consider a
place that encompasses both the nature of fric-
tion we have absorbed at Brown and the spirit
and character of the previously mentioned
locales. I ask you to consider Berlin.
Berlin is a city defined by divergent forces.
It exists, strangely, in between the periphery
of European society and the conventional set
of Western mores. It is tethered to a past that
haunts broader Germany and its population,
but in turn uses this ghost as an impetus for
urban repurposing.
Though the wall has come down, distin-
Affects are privileges
bestowed on us by the circumstances of our
birth is humbling. Denigrating “affects” and
the “mediated nature of our being-in-the-world”
is myopic and self-aggrandizing. When things
aren’t going well, whining about authenticity
and mediation is an easy way to make one’s
immediate concerns seem less important.
But at the end of the day, each of us still has
to care about something.
The Sudanese refugees seemed direct and
unpretentious because their immediate needs
I often hear people deriding others affects,
pretentions and other ways of presenting oneself,
who yearn for a life more “real” than their
privileged Ivy League existence. This is idiotic.
were pretty straightforward. It’s hard to care
about how your hair looks or how tight your
pants are when you have dysentery and noth-
ing to eat. This isn’t a profound indictment
of life in the developed world. Clean water
comes out of my faucet and I scavenge for food
in the Ratty. As a consequence, my days are
free to be filled with other concerns. These
concerns are necessarily going to seem less
immediate when compared to the concerns
facing these Sudanese refugees. This is not
Consider Berlin
guishing East Berlin is no difficult matter.
Much of the Communist architecture still
remains intact, a bold reminder of a more
contentious period. While Brown students may
lean towards New York or Boston because of
their places in our nation’s history, remember
that Berlin was the epicenter of a bipolar world
order that defined global politics for nearly
five decades.
The seemingly frail state of this side of
the city only stimulates the creative culture.
Unlike other cities, artists can actually afford
to survive here. Since Brown students will be
setting out to reinvent themselves in the real
Since Brown students will be setting out to
reinvent themselves in the real world, what better
backdrop than a city that constantly recreates
itself?
world, what better backdrop than a city that
constantly recreates itself?
Walking around the former Communist
East, one encounters buildings, bridges
and barriers blanketed with vibrant graffiti
and revolutionary allusions. An astonishing
amount of squatters occupy decrepit, aban-
doned buildings, renovating the space as their
own, constructing dim, rickety huts to house
themselves. Strewn about these makeshift
monoliths are banners charging people to
“Reclaim Berlin!” and “Squat the World!”
All of these myriad phenomena occur
outside the confines of municipal direction.
Though it is disputable whether the city has
to say, however, that they are unimportant.
It just means that they are less essential to
my physical being. This relationship goes all
the way up Maslow’s hierarchy: the closer to
the bottom of the pyramid you are, the more
immediate the needs. People who have their
immediate physical needs met still care about
things. This is why I think it is silly to chastise
people for being pretentious and affected.
All of this is to say that our concerns are
determined by our privileges. I am concerned
by the disappearance of hot ham from the
Ratty because I have had the privilege to be
a Brown student. I am concerned about the
University of North Carolina basketball team’s
dismal showing in the NIT final because I have
had the privilege of being a North Carolinian.
All of us have the privilege of caring about
our classes, Brown Dining Services’ union,
Snoop Dogg and looking fly. We shouldn’t
denigrate this privilege and those who will not
have the opportunity to share in it by whining
a responsibility to service art and culture (as
it usually does in the United States), Berliners
take the task into their own hands, reshaping
the physical characteristics of the setting they
inhabit. Compare this to the open curriculum
at Brown: We espouse the rejection of rigid
academic orthodoxy for independent, self-
directed study. We would fit right in.
Of course, one’s financial future is a seri-
ous concern. But do not fear — Germany’s
nominal GDP is the fourth largest in the world.
Frankfurt is a veritable hub of European busi-
ness activity, and the artist-oriented economy
provides cheap (let me repeat, cheap) food and
housing, as well as a plethora of (admittedly
non-professional) job opportunities perfect for
young graduates. It is undoubtedly a feasible
option for two or three years.
Language can be a barrier, but simple Ger-
man will get you along. Interestingly, certain
companies have already started establish-
ing English-specific housing services, made
especially for new arrivals. Plus, would it not
be an adventure to learn the language as you
live? If it matters to you, nearly thirty thousand
expatriates have already made the jump.
And there is something else you might find
persuasive — universal health care. Though
“Obamacare” has made some strides in im-
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 | Page 7
about it and being lazy and self-centered. I
am sure everyone here worked hard in high
school and scored well on the SAT, but that
individual effort pales in comparison to the
work that being born smart in America has
done for us, which we each had absolutely
nothing to do with.
Using beautiful photographs of Sudanese
refugees to inspire us to consider the privilege
wrapped up in each of our concerns is a noble
project. Hackneyed commentaries on the hard-
ships of life in the third world are not. I believe
that the former will result in more being done
for Sudanese refugees than simply trying to
make us feel guilty about worrying about what
to wear to Fish Co when children are starving
all around the world. Guilt implies wrongdo-
ing. None of us have really “done” anything
yet, because none of us have had the capacity
to do anything yet. But we will.
We have all been given the privilege of be-
ing able to be concerned about other people’s
privileges, if we so choose. It would be a dis-
grace to ourselves, to the opportunities we
have been given and to the concerns of the
rest of the world if we never go beyond the
set of arbitrary concerns derived from the
equally arbitrary status in the world we have
inherited.
Brian Judge ‘11 is a philosophy and
political science concentrator from
Chapel Hill, N.C.
proving the ailing healthcare industry in the
United States, it pales in comparison to the
comprehensive coverage offered by the Ger-
man government.
But all of this is ancillary. The force of
Berlin, the fundamental defining feature, is
its situation in our historical landscape. It is
a young New York, a 1920s Paris, a city that
has yet to experience the sterilizing power of
gentrification.
If my column seems like too broad a proj-
ect, it is only because capturing Berlin’s es-
sence would require more pages (and, on
my end, more time there). Yet, from my brief
days in this world, from my conversations
with friends studying abroad, from my read-
ing about the place and my exchanges with
graduates and locals, I can say only that there
is an allure to Berlin. Like us, Berlin endeavors
to push against definition, to ditch the rigid
dichotomies of west and east, good and evil,
which have plagued it for so long. Like us, it
refuses to be pigeonholed.
Thus, consider Berlin — not for its usual
draws, but for its underlying makeup. It fights
against its Nazi history, its Communist in-
fluence and its volatile status as a European
capital. It is time to move beyond our pre-
conceived paths for graduation and expand
our borders ideologically and geographically.
Brown has the reputation for eccentricity and
nonconformity. Let us push the envelope fur-
ther and make Berlin a rightly frequented and
generously lived location.
Anthony Badami ’11 is a political theory
concentrator from Kansas City, Mo. He
can be reached at
anthony_badami@brown.edu.
 Today 3 Traffic signal improvements in store to day to m o r r o w

The Brown Daily Herald

Marijuana possession bills considered

5
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
62 / 43 67 / 45
Page 8

t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s

1 1 4
c a l e n da r comics
Today, April 20 tomorrow, april 21
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
6:30 P.M. — “Curating Contemporary 12:00 P.M. — Wind Down Wednesday:
Art,” Ana Paula Cohen, List 120 Free backrubs!, JWW 201

5:00 P.M. — “Palestinian Options, 6:00 P.M. — “The Environmental

Washington’s Choices: Noam Chomsky Crisis in Haiti,” Watson Institute,
on Palestine/Israel,” Salomon 101 Joukowsky Forum

menu
Sharpe Refectory Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline

Lunch — Linguini with Tomato and Lunch — Clam Strips on a Bun,
Basil, Vegan Tofu Pups, French Fusion French Bread Pizza, Nacho Bar,
Taco Sandwich Coconut Cookies

Dinner — Vegetable Frittata, Carne Dinner — Chicken Ricotta

Gizado, Pound Cake with Strawberries Dijionnaise, Vegan BBQ Tempeh,
and Cream Apricot Beef with Sesame Noodles

crossword
Fruitopia | Andy Kim

Hippomaniac | Mat Becker

Classic Trust Ben | Ben Leubsdorf