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vol. cxliv, no. 102 | Monday, November 9, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
News.....1-4
Arts........5-6
Arts, 5 Sports, 7 Opinions, 11
Spor ts...7-9 M u s i c a l r e v i va l Alum Scores Big Public u. Squeeze
Editorial..10 “Leavittsburg, Ohio” marks Jeff Larentowicz’s ’05 ca- Jonathan Topaz ’12 writes
Opinion...11 an end to Brownbroker’s reer in professional soccer about the pressures on
Today........12 two-year hiatus began with Bruno higher public education
C ampus N EWS
Spate of Halloween thefts hits dorms across campus
The following summary includes all the room door open at 12:15 a.m. 17 and 2 a.m. Oct 18. The door was the passenger-side front-door window around 8:30 a.m., an unknown sus-
major incidents reported to the Depart- and thought it was their roommate left unlocked during that time and on his vehicle at Prospect and Olive pect entered his unsecured Sears
ment of Public Safety between Oct. 15 coming in and went back to sleep. while they slept during the night. streets and took a GPS system that had House room while he was sleeping.
and Nov 2. It does not include general When they heard that their friends been mounted on the front windshield. He thought that the suspect made
service and alarm calls. The Provi- Oct. 18 downstairs had items stolen, they a mistake and entered the wrong
dence Police Department also responds 1:42 a.m. Brown Police were searched their room and noticed that Oct. 31 room. He didn’t think anything of it
to incidents occurring off campus. DPS dispatched to Wickenden Street in their TV accessory that stores music 1:55 a.m. Student reported that, and went back to sleep. The student
response to a loud party involving and rents movies over the Internet sometime between 9:15 p.m. on Oct. later discovered that he was missing
CRIME LOG Brown students. Upon arriving, they was missing. 30 and 1:50 a.m. on Oct. 31, an un- $80 from his wallet, which was on
met with Providence officers who known person entered his Bronson the desk.
does not divulge information on cases had already dispersed the party. Two Oct. 23 House room and removed several 1:20 p.m. Student reported that
that are currently under investigation Brown students were issued citations 10:27 a.m. Student stated that he valuable items. His room door was sometime between 11:30 p.m. on Oct.
by the department, PPD or the Office by the Providence Police. last saw his bicycle locked to a pole locked during this period of time, but 30 and midnight on Oct. 31, someone
of Student Life. DPS maintains a daily 1:19 p.m. Complainant stated that at 86 Waterman St. on Oct. 22 at 11:30 the window was pushed open and the entered her Gregorian Quad A suite
log of all shift activity and general ser- between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., someone p.m. On Oct. 23 at 10:27 a.m., he no- screen was cut. Items stolen included and took her laptop. She reported
vice calls which can be viewed during broke the passenger-side window ticed his bicycle and lock missing. a flat-screen TV, a gaming console and that it had been on the table in the
business hours at its headquarters, on his rental car at Charlesfield and The pole that his bicycle was locked game, a digital camera and a vacuum. lounge. The lounge area is just inside
located at 75 Charlesfield St. Brown streets and took his GPS de- to was approximately five feet tall and There is a suspect at this time, and the main entry door, and she reported
vice from the dashboard. is used as a tree support pole — so the case is under investigation. that the door to the suite had been left
Oct. 15 2:55 p.m. Upon arrival at Goddard it was possible that someone picked 2:51 a.m. Brown student stated ajar during the evening.
8:27 a.m. Student reported that House, a Brown police officer was up the bicycle and lock over the pole. that he and his roommate left their 5:05 p.m. Student victim stated
she left her room in Hegeman Hall met by two student victims. One stat- Grad Center C dorm room around that he left his Grad Center C suite
E on Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. and locked her ed that she left her room at midnight 11:30 p.m. When they returned about at 12:30 a.m. He left his door propped
room door. When she returned to and returned home at 2 a.m. and went Oct. 26 1:30 a.m they noticed that a TV, two open and went to a party. He re-
her room on Oct. 15 at 1:10 a.m., her to bed. Her door was left unlocked 11:56 p.m. Student stated his wal- laptops and an iPod were missing turned to his suite at 2:20 a.m. and
door was unlocked and her room- from midnight until the time a theft let was stolen from the game room from the room. They stated that their closed the door. In the morning, he
mates were asleep in their rooms. was discovered. Her roommate was in Morris Hall between 11:15 p.m. dorm room door sometimes does not noticed that his laptop was missing.
When she entered her room, she not in the room during the night. She and 11:45 p.m. He stated that there close on its own. There were no signs
noticed that her laptop computer returned to her room in the morning. were four unknown males in the room of forced entry. Nov. 1
was missing from her desk. One of The items stolen were a laptop and a during that time and that they left the 10:20 a.m. Student stated that she 2:46 a.m. Sometime between 12:45
her roommates stated that when she pocketbook containing a credit card, room before he noticed his wallet left her Machado House dorm room a.m. and 1:15 a.m., an unknown per-
returned to her room at 7:30 p.m. on debit card and a key to the room. Fa- missing. at about 9:30 a.m. and said her room- son entered a student’s unlocked Ol-
Oct. 14, the room door was locked, cilities Management was notified and mate was sleeping and that she did ney House dorm room and removed
but that she left the room door open responded to change the locks. Oct. 27 not lock the room door. When her his laptop and speakers. The student
after that time and that she and an- 9:05 p.m. Victim stated that she 5:32 p.m. A Brown employee re- roommate woke up at about 11 a.m., was in the bathroom during this pe-
other roommate went to bed at 10 and her roommate were out of their ported that sometime between 3:45 she noticed the reporting party’s lap- riod of time.
p.m. They reported that they heard Goddard room between 11 p.m. Oct. p.m. and 5 p.m., someone smashed top was gone. The roommate said 9:43 a.m. Two students had their
while she was sleeping, she heard laptops stolen from their unattended
someone enter the room and heard Andrews Hall room, which was un-
some shuffling at a desk. She thought locked.
it was her roommate returning to get 6:17 p.m. Officers were dispatched
something. Inside the computer there to 70 Ship St. for a larceny from a mo-
were two $20 bills. Also missing was tor vehicle. Reporting party stated
a black leather computer case. There she noticed a green pocketbook
is a suspect, and the case is under on the sidewalk with the contents
investigation.
11:25 a.m. Student stated that at continued on page 4
sudoku
Daily Herald
the Brown
100
Reported on-campus crimes Strong debut for GLISP bodes
80
well for second semester
By Leonardo Moauro cally productive while abroad.”
Contributing Writer A GLISP allows students to “use
primary resources or resources that
60 2007
The Global Independent Study Initia- can only be found in the study-abroad
tive, which debuted this semester, city or country,” wrote Celina Pedrosa
2008
drew 14 participants in its inaugu- ’11, who is studying in France this se-
ral run and is looking forward to mester, in an e-mail to The Herald.
40 receiving a second crop of propos-
als for the spring, said Kendall
Her project focuses on the cultural
impact and social integration of Bra-
Brostuen, director of the office of zilian exiles in Paris who fled Brazil’s
international programs. dictatorship in the 1970s.
Burglaries rose steeply from ’07 to ’08 with Brown’s faculty and curriculum
while abroad, Brostuen said. Students
of Economics.
Professor of Hispanic Studies Julio
also receive a Brown course credit Ortega, who is currently advising Mi-
continued from page 1 But Por ter said this uptick the University’s sexual assault upon completion of the program. chelle Levinson ’11 on a GLISP she is
was due to a change in the U.S. resources, wrote in an e-mail to The program “really sets Brown doing in Cuba, said a rigorous process
said he was surprised by the num- Depar tment of Education’s re- The Herald that it is difficult to apart from other institutions,” Bros- was important to making the projects
ber of burglaries. porting regulations, which are identify a single cause for the tuen said, adding that Brown is the valuable. “I hope it is difficult — that
“I would think it would be like binding on all colleges and uni- drop, especially as sexual assault first U.S. school that he knows of to there are rigorous criteria — because
10,” he said. “That’s really some- versities participating in federal is widely known to be one of the implement such a program. internationalization must be a serious
thing I wouldn’t expect.” financial aid programs, including most underreported crimes, both GLISP applications for the spring undertaking for all concerned,” he
This year’s statistics also show Pell Grants, Stafford Loans and on and off college campuses. semester were due last week, but the wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.
an increase in the number of re- Perkins Loans. The DPS report also listed the Office of International Programs “is Though an ocean may divide them
ported hate crimes on campus “In past years, intimidation number of disciplinar y referrals going to try to be very flexible with from their advisees, faculty advisers
— five in 2008, up from zero in and vandalism were not report- for alcohol, drugs and weapons the deadline,” Brousten said. He said are expected to maintain close involve-
2007 and one in 2006. Of those able hate crimes, and this past law violations. In 2008, there were he expects the program to receive ment with students who are doing
five, three were classified as van- year they were,” he wrote in an nine referrals for weapons viola- fewer applications in the spring than GLISPs, and they ultimately grade
dalism and two were classified as e-mail to The Herald. He said the tions, 29 for drugs and 31 for alco- it did this fall because students did not the final research paper that emerges
intimidation. All involved race or majority of last year’s hate crimes hol. This represents a departure have a whole summer to prepare for from the study.
religion. were “vandalism-related incidents from 2007, when there were 77 it this time around. Patricia Symonds, an adjunct as-
Some students expressed con- involving bias and derogator y reported liquor law violations and In addition to receiving course sociate professor of anthropology who
cern about the spike in this type graffiti.” 18 drug violations. credit, GLISP research can also serve is advising Eleanor Chute ’11 during
of crime. But the number of forcible sex While there were no reported as a foundation for a senior thesis, her stay in China, regularly e-mails
“It’s surprising and concern- offenses in 2008 dropped by more arrests for the 2008 violations, Brostuen said, and it can deepen a and chats with Chute via Skype and
ing,” said Aurora Durfee ’10. “Of than half — from 10 in 2007 to those found to be acting out of student-faculty relationship that might also responds to specific questions,
course, I’d like to expect that four in 2008. accordance with the University’s otherwise be truncated by the semes- Symonds wrote in an e-mail to The
we’re moving toward a more ac- Vice President for Campus Life policy are referred to the Office of ter abroad. Herald. She also said she is a resource
cepting environment, especially and Student Ser vices Margaret Student Life and are subject to the Students currently complet- if Chute is simply “feeling the need to
at Brown.” Klawunn, whose office manages University’s disciplinar y code. ing GLISPs said they found the talk to someone at ‘home.’”
program valuable. The research proposals are re-
“I thought that conducting a GLISP viewed by a committee composed of
might also give me a better idea of members from the OIP, the College
PLME policy penalizes ‘applying out’ what topic I’d like to pursue for my
senior thesis,” wrote Marina Irgon
Curriculum Council — which also
reviews ISPs and GISPs — and the
’11 in an e-mail to The Herald from Office of the Dean of the College.
continued from page 1 cessity for us to be able to fill our juniors who have already prepared the Czech Republic. Irgon’s GLISP The committee did not reject
medical school class,” Gruppuso to apply out by taking second- evaluates how the recent economic cri- any GLISP applications for this se-
class. said. semester organic chemistry and sis has manifested itself in the Czech mester, Brostuen said, but it did ask
“This is totally about our need- But current PLME under- paying to take MCAT courses, Republic. some students to clarify specifics of
ing to fill the medical school class,” graduates, who won’t be granted neither of which are required by “One of the greatest downfalls of their projects.
Gruppuso said. “We’re not trying exceptions, feel the policy violates the PLME guidelines. study abroad is the general lack of aca- “We were amazed at the kind
to manipulate the careers of the the conditions under which they “It would make perfect sense demic rigor,” Irgon wrote. “Conducting of proposals we were getting,”
PLME students.” entered the program, according if people being admitted to the a GLISP is a great way to be academi- Brostuen said.
Students applying to medical to Arune Gulati ’11, who ser ves program knew about the policy
school can normally accept a spot on the PLME Senate. beforehand,” Gulati said.
at one school while remaining on Gulati said the policy, if enact- “It should not have to affect
the waitlist for several others. A ed, should apply only to incom- the classes who are already here,”
place on the waitlist can open up ing classes and not to students said Dominic Wu ’12, a class repre-
as late as the day before orienta- who entered the program before sentative to the PLME Senate. Wu
tion, and students have the option the change. He said many PLME is not planning to apply out, but he
to accept it, leaving the rejected students — who may have also ap- collected the opinions of several
school scrambling to fill the spot. plied to similar programs at other PLME students and included them
Guaranteeing PLMEs a spot while schools — made their decisions in an e-mail to Associate Dean of
allowing them to apply out, Grup- based on the program’s leniency. Medicine Julianne Ip, who sent
puso said, would effectively al- “The policy makes a lot of out the notification letters.
low them to make Brown their sense for the medical school, and Ip for warded the e-mail to
“safety school.” I definitely see where they’re com- Gruppuso, who said he plans to
Gruppuso said the Med School ing from,” Gulati said. But now, meet with a group of juniors and
receives between 70 and 80 appli- he added, “they’ve changed the hold a town-hall meeting with first-
cations for each spot in the class, whole game.” years and sophomores.
and “for every two students who Gulati added that some stu- Wu said he invited his class-
inject uncertainty into the pro- dents apply out in order to weigh mates to come and voice their
gram … we need another inter- their options for financial aid. opinions at the next PLME Sen-
view day.” The change is especially frus- ate meeting on Sunday.
“It actually just became a ne- trating, he said, for fifth-semester
Page 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Monday, November 9, 2009
C ampus N EWS “It is about community — bringing students and staff together”
— Diane Yee, Intramural and Facility Coordinator
styles, cultures
By Kayleigh Butera with bells on their ankles and hands
Contributing Writer towards the skies drummed their
bare feet on the stage. While this
This weekend, a cruise director’s performance was unlike the other
voice instructed audience members dances culturally, its spirit and pas-
to sit back and prepare for a journey sion aligned perfectly with the rest
of cultural experiences. The cruise of the evening.
ship was the Salomon auditorium, Back on the Latino tour, the au-
and the cultural tour guides were dience enjoyed a colorful flamenca
Brown’s Mezcla dancers. performance whose pace acceler-
Mezcla is a student-run Latino ated to a lively rhythm. A Cuban
performing arts group. The group’s salsa, complete with playful partner
name — Spanish for “mixture” — switching and lifts, followed the fla-
reflects its mission to “explore and menca dance.
convey the diversity and richness of Brown’s student mariachi band
Latino culture,” according to Mez- made a guest appearance as well. Frederic Lu / Herald
Saturday night’s Freedom Without Walls Gala in Sayles, part of a series of events put on by the German
cla’s Web site. They serenaded the audience with
department, marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Dancer Jennifer Gutierrez ’12 guitars, violins, trumpets and fes-
said Mezcla is just as much about tive shouts.
community as it is about perform-
ing arts. “It unites students through
Next came a Dominican-style
merengue infused with reggaeton,
‘Leavittsburg’ tells tale of Midwestern spring break
dance,” she said. a fun combination of traditional and continued from page 5 process “frantic.” said he had been a “musical theater
True to its mission of mixture, modern dance that reflects Mez- Along with the accelerated geek” as a kid but had abandoned
Mezcla’s fall show, “On a Boat,” cla’s ability to combine and unite and a Vegetable,’” he said. “I don’t schedule, the old program paired it in high school. Although he was
guided the audience on an interna- diverse elements. really remember what it was about, student-written musicals with often a music concentrator and had been
tional “cruise” of a medley of Latino In an interesting twist, guest but it had a lot of puns in it.” inexperienced student directors. composing for years, his only in-
dances. performers Unnatural Selection, Emigh described one year when Writers attempting their first musi- volvement in theater at Brown was
The show was high-energy from a student break-dancing group, the Brownbrokers board was left cal sometimes ended up working as a musician in the pit.
the very first port-of-call, Brazil. In adapted to the theme of the night. A without a script. They performed a with first-time directors, Emigh “This show just arrived in our
this number, eight female danc- few technical difficulties at Friday’s show by Woody Allen instead. An- said, which magnified the inher- inbox an hour before the deadline,”
ers in jingling belts performed an performance meant that their own other year, they lacked a composer. ent challenges in producing new Williams said. “We had no idea he
animated samba that set up the music would not play, but the danc- So, Emigh said, they borrowed work. was out there.”
spirited atmosphere for the rest of ers were not fazed, and they went on songs from “satiric songwriter” Tom “It was such a hard thing to Sloan’s proposal was especially
the night. to break-dance to Latin guitar music. Lehrer and stitched them together ask of students, regardless of tal- unusual in that he planned to write
The next stop was Venezuela, They adjusted their rhythm, and the into a plot. ent,” Marshall said. “It was almost music, book and lyrics for “Leavitts-
where two couples performed a styl- resulting dance was an impressive Professional musicals usually cruel.” burg.” Marshall said most writers
ish salsa. The women’s red dresses — and fortuitous — cross-cultural spend many years being work- work in teams, with one respon-
encircled the dancers as they spun performance. shopped and revised before they The entertaining Mr. Sloan sible for music and the other for
and flipped over their partners’ Mezcla wrapped up the night are ever produced. But the previous Sloan said he had benefitted the words.
backs. A playful cumbia dance fol- with modern hip-hop dances in front Brownbrokers program required enormously from the faculty guid- Last spring, after “Leavittsburg”
lowed, with performers in traditional of projected graphics of New York students to write, develop and pro- ance. When Sloan began writing was selected for production, Sloan
Colombian costume. and Puerto Rico. In a final burst of duce an original musical within a “Leavittsburg,” he had no experi- graduated. He left Rhode Island to
Next up was a minor geographi- color, the dancers walked down the single calendar year — something ence in musical theater. His expo- begin a doctoral program in histori-
cal detour. In a guest appearance, aisles, waving the flags of the vari- Malkin called “an impossible sure to the Brownbrokers program cal musicality at Stanford just as the
Badmaash, Brown’s Indian dance ous countries whose dance styles task.” came through a class in writing mu- show got underway this fall. Malkin
troupe, took the stage. Dancers had been performed. Marshall agreed, calling the sicals Hertz offered last fall. Sloan said that meant frequent phone calls
and e-mails among Marshall, Mal-
kin and Sloan, who also flew out for
crucial periods like casting.
“It was crazy,” Marshall said,
adding that for the next show,
they’d attempt to select a group
of writers who’d still be at Brown
during production.
But Dennis Kozee ’10 and Ned
Riseley ’12, both actors in “Leavitts-
burg,” said the excitement of work-
ing on a new show had outweighed
the added stress.
“There’s a kind of delightful un-
certainty,” Kozee said.
Williams said he valued the
chance to shape the character he
was playing.
“I love the circle of exchange
between actor and writer,” he said,
even though that entailed a script
still undergoing changes as the last
week of rehearsals began. Accord-
ing to Marshall, two weeks before
the premiere, Sloan added an entire-
ly new scene to the second act.
“I just want to say sorry to all
the cast members who had to keep
waiting for their lines and music,”
Sloan said, laughing.
But all difficulties aside, Sloan
said he is now considering a career
in musical theater.
“This has been the most thrilling
experience of my life,” he said.
SportsWeekend
The Brown Daily Herald
No wins, but not a total wash for w. icers Hahn ’10: MLB
By Andrew Braca
Sports Editor lessons learned
The women’s hockey team picked Now that the World Series is over and
up a point against two of the top the Yankees are once again champi- You should play in the NL
four teams in the ECAC over the ons of baseball, the world, universe, Sure, you can scream “sample
weekend. whatever, it’s a great time to step back size,” but looking at the AL players
After battling to a scoreless tie and reflect on what we learned. Base- returning to the National League,
with Quinnipiac on Friday night in ball is a simple game, and here are one starts to get the idea that the
Meehan Auditorium, Bruno fell to some simple lessons. NL is just plain bad. Matt Holliday
Princeton by a 5-0 score the follow- hit .286/.378/.454 with Oakland
ing day, moving to 1-4-1 overall and Fear the Yankees — pretty good numbers — but af-
0-3-1 in ECAC play. Saying the Yankees are really ter joining St. Louis, he put up an
“It was okay,” said Head Coach good is an understatement. I don’t insane .353/.419/.604. Remember
Digit Murphy after the Quinnipiac know if you noticed, but they basi- John Smoltz, Brad Penny or Vicente
game. “It wasn’t great, but we didn’t cally destroyed the American League Padilla? Smoltz’s ERA+, where 100
lose, and we got a point.” East, rampaged through the playoffs is the average and higher is better,
and rightfully won a title. Of course, jumped from 57 with Boston to 97
Brown 0, Quinnipiac 0 (OT) spending $400 million on some of the with St. Louis. Penny jumped from 84
The Bears and Bobcats (5-3-2, best free agents, having the highest to 165, while Padilla went from 92 to
3-0-1) combined for 66 shots, but payroll by a stadium-load and having 130. George Sherrill, Adam LaRoche,
Brown goalie Katie Jamieson ’13 essentially no weak spots tends to do Edwin Encarnacion. I could go on, but
and Quinnipiac netminder Victoria that. Don’t hate the game, hate the you get the point.
Vigilanti stopped them all to post system — and the system is stacked
dual shutouts and secure the tie. in the Yankees’ favor. The bad news Zack Greinke is amazing
“Our goaltending was solid, as it is they’ve got more money to spend Easily the Cy Young winner, it’s
has been,” Murphy said. “Jamieson’s this offseason. The worse news is not even close. With three-plus pitch-
been playing really well.” they finally figured out how to spend es, Greinke destroyed the AL. He
The game opened shakily for Jonathan Bateman / Herald it wisely. posted a 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 203
Princeton took a lead early in Saturday’s game against Brown and nev-
the Bears, who took two penalties strikeouts in 229.1 innings with a 4.75
er relinquished it, for a 5-0 final.
in the first four minutes — the first More money is better than K/BB ratio. According to fangraphs.
for having too many players on the game in the 13th minute when she the second period, but the Bears less money com, he also led the league in Field-
ice — but they were able to kill off fell on her back but still managed to weathered the storm. The big-market teams dominated ing Independent Pitching (2.33), Win
both Bobcats’ power plays. swat the puck out of the crease. “The momentum shifted a few the playoffs this year, and really the Probability Added (6.07) and Wins
“Our kids getting mixed up on “There were points in the game times, and we held the fort and then playoff race. Large-market teams with Above Replacement (9.4). All those
the bench, especially since they where they could have scored on us got out of it, whereas in the past the ability to print money are able to fancy math stats and traditional stats
were upperclassmen, that was frus- and we could have scored on them,” we’d kind of get caught in that vor- outspend their fellow small market
trating for me, but we did kill it,” Murphy said. “It was just frustrating tex kind of thing,” Murphy said. teams. Sure, there are arguments and eyeballs say the same thing:
Murphy said. “Our kill has been because I felt like we had opportu- Bruno surged again in the third about profit-maximizing owners, but Greinke is an ace.
pretty good all year.” nities and we just couldn’t put the period to tally 13 shots, notching it still comes down to population den-
Brown rallied to end the first pe- puck in the net.” four of them during the team’s sity. Especially with the recession, we Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols
riod with a 13-9 advantage in shots, The Bobcats turned the tables saw the gap between baseball’s haves
but Viglianti made the save of the to post a 13-6 shot advantage in and have-nots grow wider. continued on page 8
continued on page 8
www.browndailyherald.com
Monday, November 9, 2009 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Page 9
S ports W eekend “It’s certainly something to be able to say you beat every
team in the league.” — Wide receiver Bobby Sewall ’10.
Soccer-smart alum plays in the big leagues ‘Huge’ win for Bruno
continued from page 7
l e t t e r to t h e e d i to r
Middle East no simple matter
To the Editor: It instead perpetuates a simplistic and
unproductive polar binary, which must
We would like to address Avi be overcome in order to achieve peace
Schaefer’s ’13 concern about the char- and common ground.
acter of Common Ground (“To those As a group aiming to supplement
interested in creating peace in the and diversify (rather than encapsulate
Middle East,” Nov. 2). Our full name is and summarize) discourse, we bring
Common Ground: Justice and Equality speakers whose politics and identities
in Palestine/Israel, and our stated mis- reflect a complexity inimical to the
sion is to supplement campus dialogue language of “pro” and “anti” so often
with voices and perspectives that we employed in criticism of our work. Re-
believe are under-represented in main- cent examples include Anat Biletzki,
stream American media and political former head of Israeli Human Rights
discourse. Common Ground meetings group B’tselem; democratic Palestinian
are not internal discussion forums, but politician Mustafa Barghouti; former
are geared towards planning campus- IDF soldier and human rights advocate
wide events. Micha Kurz and prolific Middle East
Common Ground was established historian Joel Beinin. These speakers,
nine years ago by students of diverse po- and numerous others, demonstrate how
litical leanings, connected by a commit- people of different backgrounds can
ment to the equality of human life and speak out together against systematic
the pursuit of just peace in Palestine and inequality.
Israel. Common Ground today does not We are working towards a sustain-
operate from a set political platform but able and just peace, centered around
rather from a shared belief that security respect for human equality and ad-
and human rights should be a birthright vocacy for basic rights. Common chris jesu lee
for all. “Common Ground,” therefore, Ground shares these values not only
refers to our common understanding with peace-oriented Israelis and Pal-
that before peace is possible, continuing estinians, but with global civil society e d i to r i a l
injustice must be brought to light. and international law. If concern for
Groupthink
Our speakers are often critical of humanity doesn’t seem so “common”
current Israeli policies because the sta- in campus discourse — and if such a
tus quo of occupation is not conducive platform merits accusations of “bias”
to the just and equal peace we hope to — then perhaps it is time to re-evaluate
see in the region. As Schaefer points the grounds upon which claims to “bal- As the Herald reported Friday, student involve- are currently not allowed to join a GISP once it has
out, we do not bring speakers who ance” are based. ment in Group Independent Study Projects (GISPs) been approved. We appreciate the concern underlying
“represent the general view of Israeli is well past its heyday. GISPs were most popular in this rule but believe that it is overly restrictive. A stu-
society” because we believe that these Eric Axelman ’12 the earliest years after they first became an option dent, especially one who goes abroad for a semester,
voices already dominate mainstream Rahel Dette ’13 in 1969 as part of the New Curriculum. The 1974-75 might have a deep interest in the subject matter of a
American discourse. We bring neither Maria Fregoso ’10 school year saw 50 GISPs, but more recently, the GISP but might only find out about the GISP after it
Yisrael Beitenu nor Hamas because Lucas Mason-Brown ’13 number of GISPs in a given year has generally been has already approved. If the student can demonstrate
mere juxtaposition of diametrically Anna Samel ’12 closer to 20. his commitment and interest to the GISP’s creators
opposed voices does not achieve our Members of Common Ground One reason GISPs have become less prevalent and faculty sponsor, he should be allowed to enroll.
goal of fostering nuanced discussion. Nov. 8 is that more students are now organizing group in- Students not directly involved in the initial approval
dependent projects through individual academic de- process could offer additional, unique viewpoints on
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d partments. To enroll in a departmental independent a course’s pedagogical effectiveness.
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Deputy Managing Editors Senior Editors study course, students need only find a willing faculty The formal GISP process is advantageous from
Steve DeLucia Michael Bechek Nandini Jayakrishna Rachel Arndt adviser and perhaps consult with the department chair. a publicity perspective — the Curricular Resource
Chaz Firestone Franklin Kanin Isabel Gottlieb
Michael Skocpol Scott Lowenstein By contrast, GISPs require students to go through Center helps get the word out about GISPs in the
editorial Business a more rigorous process that involves submitting a making. Students doing independent studies in de-
Ben Hyman Arts & Culture Editor General Managers Office Manager proposed syllabus, bibliography and evaluation plan partments should have similar options available to
Sophia Li Features Editor Alexander Hughes Shawn Reilly
George Miller Metro Editor Jonathan Spector
to the College Curriculum Council for approval. them. If a student wants to pull together a group
Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor The GISP approval process is modeled after the for a departmental independent study project, the
Seth Motel News Editor
Jenna Stark News Editor
Directors process professors go through in creating new cours- department should help that student find interested
Ellen DaSilva Sales
Andrew Braca Sports Editor Claire Kiely Sales es, and it gives groups a unique opportunity to engage peers, perhaps through an e-mail announcement or
Han Cui Asst. Sports Editor Katie Koh Finance with pedagogical questions about a course’s scope, a posting on a departmental bulletin board.
Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Jilyn Chao Asst. Finance
Katie Wood Asst. Sports Editor Christiana Stephenson Alumni Relations methods and objectives. Students participating in ap- GISPs also benefit from a certain level of institu-
Graphics & Photos Managers proved GISPs get to have the title of the GISP noted tional recognition; current courses (such as ENGN
Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor Kelly Wess Local Sales on their transcripts. The departmental independent 0090: “Management of Industrial and Non-Profit Or-
Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor Kathy Bui National Sales
Kim Perley Photo Editor Alex Carrere University Sales study option requires far less paperwork, consistent ganizations”) have evolved directly from GISPs. The
Max Monn Asst. Photo Editor Matt Burrows Credit and Collections with Brown’s policy of minimizing administrative possibility of a transition to a full course should also
Jesse Morgan Sports Photo Editor
obstacles to students’ academic choices. be open to departmental group independent projects.
production Opinions
Ayelet Brinn Copy Desk Chief Alyssa Ratledge Opinions Editor
While GISPs and departmental group independent Department chairs should at least be aware of the
Rachel Isaacs Copy Desk Chief Sarah Rosenthal Opinions Editor study projects have very similar goals, this two-tiered content of recent independent projects so that they
Marlee Bruning Design Editor system crucially allows groups of students a wider can get a better sense of what the current course
Jessica Calihan Design Editor Editorial Page Board
Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor James Shapiro Editorial Page Editor range of experiences. We don’t believe that reduced offerings might be lacking.
Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Matt Aks Board member student involvement in GISPs is necessarily a cause We like the current system and aren’t advocating
Neal Poole Web Editor Nick Bakshi Board member
Post- magazine Zack Beauchamp Board member for concern. However, because the goals of GISPs anything radical. We only think that a little minor
Arthur Matuszewski Editor-in-Chief
Debbie Lehmann Board member and departmental group independent projects are tweaking could enhance both of the group indepen-
William Martin Board member
Kelly McKowen Editor-in-Chief so similar, we believe that each could stand to learn dent study options available to students.
Jessica Calihan, Leor Shtull-Leber, Designers a little from the other.
Ayelet Brinn, Sarah Forman, William Tomasko, Copy Editors Because the approval process is considered an es- Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board.
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Opinions
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PassiveAggressiveColumns.com
would include a private kitchen space for of people sneaking bites from birthday cakes hard for even roommates to realize that one
ever y student. However, reality is harsh, in the fridge that weren’t theirs. of their own is the perpetrator of the infamous
BY IVY CHANG and most underclassmen don’t have the In my Grad Center tower last year, things organic hummus theft of the week.
Opinions Columnist choice of living off campus or in dorms with escalated beyond the usual utensil and Anonymity is a sly sort of demon. Arthur
such amenities. cooking-pot thefts. People would lose food Beaman and Bonnel Klentz’s oft-cited field
Let’s say it’s just another one of those nights. They are pretty much forced to give others during unexplained — possibly passive aggres- study shows that even cute little trick-or-treat-
Every cup from the 12-pack of ramen you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their sive — cleaning sessions that swept fridges ing children aren’t safe from its pervasive
bought at the beginning of the semester has personal food items and the maintenance of and shelves nearly bare. Someone briefly “bor- influence. Masked children are more likely
become steadily more unappetizing. But you the communal space. rowed” a kitchen microwave. to defy instructions limiting the amount of
have few other options. Nutella straight from Leaving dirty dishes out and moldy food The CAs ended up having to send out a rath- candy they take, as opposed to children whose
the jar? Stale chips? You schlump downstairs in the fridge is pretty gross, but such issues er embarrassing mass e-mail telling us many identities are made more obvious.
to the communal kitchen to heat up some are always resolved in due time. Dishes get things that we already should have known. With proper cooperation and respect, com-
water. munal kitchens live up to their nice-sounding
Upon opening the fridge to get water, you name. They foster “communities” and become
spy a plate of cupcakes, just chillin’ there under nice spaces for sharing ingredients, learning
Saran wrap. Your stomach responds excitedly. new recipes from fellow residents and holding
If only you had the time to bake. impromptu gatherings that revolve around
With midterms consuming every last sec- It’s hard to live in a place where you can’t even tasty food.
ond of your life, you’ve had no time to treat
yourself this week. You’ve suffered enough.
trust your neighbors. The urge to sample food that isn’t yours
gets the best of us. At the same time, it’s so
There are, like, 20 cupcakes on that tray, easy to just step back and remember to respect
just taking up space and squishing everyone other people’s property, regardless of whether
else’s food in the fridge. It couldn’t hurt to or not they’re present.
just take one, albeit without asking. No one If you’re really that starved for something
would know it was you, anyway, if you were washed because they need to be reused and Thefts aren’t limited to dorms. A recent new, put up a Facebook status about it. Se-
quick enough! moldy food gets thrown out when it starts posting on PassiveAggressiveNotes.com, in riously. You’re sure to get a few responses
So, what do you do? Steal a cupcake or looking like a miniature ecosystem. which a victim of cream cheese theft admon- offering snacks.
turn back to your cup of cardboard strips Deliberate thieving of other people’s food ishes the “community” for behaving in such a People are usually generous and understand-
and sodium? items, however, is inexcusable. It ruins the manner, actually comes from the Department ing, as long as their stuff isn’t being stolen.
Hopefully, you chose to stick to your community spirit. It’s hard to live in a place of Computer Science here at Brown.
own food. where you can’t even trust your neighbors. These could be isolated cases, but, no mat-
Having kitchens is great. They provide A friend of mine once left a large bowl of ter how far or few, they contribute to general
nice opportunities for supplementing a rather raw chocolate cake batter in a dorm kitchen feelings of anger, distrust and misanthropy. Ivy Chang ’10 was a naïve sophomore
monotonous diet of hot ham on bulky rolls, for a few minutes, only to return later to dis- The shield of anonymity provided by a when she lost those cupcakes, but she
spicy withs and Odwalla bars. cover it scraped completely clean. Another communal kitchen is nigh impenetrable. This still cries about them sometimes. She can
In an ideal world, everyone would be con- friend’s leftover pizza would almost always is what gives it the potential to become a breed- be reached at ivy_chang@brown.edu.
scientious and respectful of other people’s mysteriously vanish, even when labeled with ing ground for food theft and other misdeeds.
property. Perhaps an even more ideal world his name. And it wasn’t too uncommon to hear With so many people living in one building, it’s
t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s
5 7
c a l e n da r comics
Today, november 9 tuesday, november 10 Birdfish | Matthew Weiss
menu
Sharpe Refectory Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
Lunch — Chicken Curry, Black Bean Lunch — Pepperoni French Bread
and Sweet Potato Ragout, Couscous Pizza, Vegan Stuffed Peppers, Green
Beans with Tomatoes
Dinner — Beef Shish Kabob, Vegan
Black Bean Taco, Rice and Orzo Pi- Dinner — Country Style Baked
laf Ham, Gnocchi A La Sorrentina, Oven
Browned Potatoes
crossword