Daily
the Brown
vol. cxlvi, no. 31
U. planning residential overhaul
Housing
to be
renovated,
expanded
By Greg Jordan-Detamore
Senior Staff Writer
In an effort to increase both the
amount and quality of undergraduate
on-campus housing, the University is
renovating the building at 315 Thayer
St. and considering several possible
spaces for new residence halls which,
while still years away, would be part
of a “larger plan” for revamping the
housing system, according to Stephen
Maiorisi, vice president for Facilities
Management.
The basic design for the renovated
building at 315 Thayer is complete,
though some design details still need
to be finalized, Maiorisi said. “We’re
getting ready to hire a design-build
company,” he said. Construction
will begin in August and should be
completed by the summer of 2012 so
continued on page 3
BCA: Spring Weekend lineup limited by Coachella Festival
By Miriam Furst
Staff Writer
Despite skepticism from students,
members of the Brown Concert
Agency remain confident in their
selections for Spring Weekend
2011.
BCA’s Monday night announce-
ment that Diddy-Dirty Money and
TV on the Radio will headline
PW’s “Closer” lets its audience examine the experience of a relationship.
news...................2-3
inside
SPorts...................4
editorial..............6
Opinions...............7
Arts.........................8
Friday, March 11, 2011
Proposed residential communities would center first-year students in Keeney and on Pemboke Campus.
Communities may consolidate first-years
By Joseph Rosales
Senior Staff Writer
The Office of Residential Life has
initiated discussion about possible
reorganization and expansion of
campus residence and dining halls.
The ideas proposed include mov-
ing all first-years to either Keeney
Quandrangle or Pembroke Cam-
pus, expanding the Verney-Woolley
Spring Weekend sparked mixed
emotions in students. Reports of
excitement, disappointment and
speculations about the influence
of the Coachella Valley Music and
Arts Festival were heard around
campus.
The Spring Weekend con-
certs fall on the same weekend as
Coachella, scheduled for April 15
and 16. Serin Seckin ’11, BCA’s ad-
Nick Sinnot-Armstrong / Herald
15-minute fame
Mini-musical festival features
grizzly bears, political races
arts, 4
Herald
Dining Hall, renovating the Sharpe
Refectory and constructing new
residence halls for upperclassmen.
ResLife staff and Residential Coun-
cil members said they hope to have
more concrete proposals in time for
the Corporation meeting in May.
“We have had on-going, larger
discussions about what the makeup
of the residential community will
look like,” said Richard Bova, se-
ministrative chair, said in a March
7 Herald article that many of the
bands students requested on the
BCA website were not available
because they were playing at
Coachella.
The University decides the
dates of Spring Weekend without
BCA’s input. Due to scheduling
issues like spring break and Eas-
ter, the weekend chosen was the
PW drama draws the audience in ‘Closer’
By Kristina Fazzalaro
Arts & Culture Editor
The stage is softly aglow beneath
deep red lights. Cigarette smoke wafts
toward the audience. Viewers can-
not help but feel like intruders as a
scantily clad woman dances before an
obviously emotional man. “Tell me
something true,” he implores. “Lying
is the most fun a girl can have without
taking her clothes off — but it’s better
if she is,” she cheekily replies.
“Closer” — opening tonight at
Production Workshop — begs the
question: How well can people ac-
tually know their partner? Buried
beneath the deceptions and secrets of
relationships, one can never be sure
who they are with and how far they
are willing to go to discover the truth.
D&C
Alpert Medical School
gets coal — find out why
Lydia Yamaguchi / Herald
nior associate dean of residential
and dining services. “We are sim-
ply in the beginning stages of those
discussions with ResCouncil and
others.”
One of the main proposals on
the table is the creation of first-year
communities. All first-years would
live in either Keeney or Pembroke,
continued on page 3
only one available, said Abby Sch-
reiber ’11, BCA’s booking chair.
“We were told that weekend or
no weekend.”
In an e-mail to The Herald,
Schreiber wrote that the Univer-
sity chose the weekend a year in
advance, while the dates of Coach-
ella were announced only seven
continued on page 2
The exquisitely written play by
Patrick Marber puts the intersect-
ing lives of two couples under the
audience’s scrutiny. There is the
vivaciously vulnerable Alice (Nora
Rothman ’13), sharp Anna (Madison
Utendahl ’13), self-absorbed Dan
(Justin Kuritzkes ’12) and insecure
Arts & Culture
Larry (Sam Barasch ’12). Together,
they experience extreme circum-
stances of love, lust, rejection and
loss over the course of several years
in London.
“The exciting thing about theater,”
said Director Sean Patrick McGowan
’12, “is that it shows you people at
their darkest, most vulnerable …
and yet shows you that that’s you
weather
Diamonds & coal, 6
Since 1891
Student
activities
endowment
to get $1M
By Shefali Luthra
Senior Staff Writer
Chancellor Emeritus Stephen
Robert ’62 P’91 pledged $1 mil-
lion to the student activities
endowment yesterday and has
promised to lead fundraising to-
wards its $17 million goal. Robert
called President Ruth Simmons
yesterday morning to discuss the
endowment, created by the Un-
dergraduate Council of Students,
after reading yesterday’s Herald
editorial critiquing the lack of
contributions to the fund, he said.
The brainchild of Ryan Lester
’11, a former UCS student activi-
ties chair, the endowment was cre-
ated two years ago in an effort to
reduce the $178 student activities
fee currently paid annually by un-
dergraduates. Simmons provided
the endowment’s first — and until
now, only — donation, personally
giving $100,000 soon after the
endowment was established.
“I thought, ‘this is ridiculous,’”
Robert said of the fund’s stagna-
tion. In particular, he cited con-
cerns that with rising tuition and
other auxiliary costs, the student
activities fee might make it harder
for students to “make ends meet.”
“It’s just another little burden
that it would be better if students
didn’t have to carry,” Robert said.
UCS President Diane Mokoro
’11 said she hoped Robert’s dona-
tion would jump-start the endow-
continued on page 2
up there.”
The play puts its characters in ex-
treme situations, but they never lose
their humanity — audience mem-
bers are sucked into the plot as twists
and turns arise after every dimming
of the lights. The improbability of the
characters’ actions only heightens
the anticipation and involvement
of the audience in the play itself. As
McGowan aptly said, “you get lost”
in the play’s captivating storyline.
“Closer” opens with Dan and Al-
ice meeting on the streets of London
after Alice is struck by a cab. The two
tease and flirt: “I noticed your leg was
bleeding,” Dan says. “Did you notice
my legs?” Alice replies.
More than a year later, Anna is
continued on page 5
t o d ay tomorrow
53 / 36 51 / 37
2 Campus News
calendar UCS to collaborate on fundraising
Today March 11 ToMORROW March 12
continued from page 1
6 P.m. 7 p.m.
Folk Music Night, Sharaara: SASA Culture Show, ment, possibly inspiring others
Brown Bookstore Salomon 101 to follow suit. Ideally, she said,
the money “wouldn’t be touched”
8 p.m. 8 p.m.
until the endowment reaches the
Wind Symphony Orchestra, Fusion Dance Company Show, target of $17 million.
Sayles Hall Auditorium Alumnae Hall Auditorium “If the endowment actually
comes to fruition, it would be a
menu great testament to how Brown
feels about activities and their
importance in creating the fuller
SHARPE REFECTORY VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL
individual,” Mokoro said.
LUNCH Though she welcomes the
Bulgur Stuffed Pepper, Onion Chicken Fingers, Vegan Nuggets, gift, Mokoro said Robert’s offer
Rings, Cavatini, Red Potatoes with Sticky Rice, Rice Krispie Treats to spearhead fundraising is more
Shallots, Vegetarian Curry Stir-Fry important.
“Everybody’s really excited —
DINNER
like, beyond excited,” she said. “It’s
Gnocchi with Arugula and Spinach Sustainable Seafood Cavatelli, one of those projects that has been
Pesto, Bourbon BBQ Chicken, Red Potato Frittata, Asparagus, worked on for years and years.”
Chocolate Marshmallow Cake Roll Chocolate Marshmallow Cake Roll Robert said he wants to col-
laborate with UCS and other stu-
Sudoku dent organizations to raise the
funds. He plans to solicit larger
donations as well as whatever
BCA maintains Diddy’s ‘still got it’
continued from page 1
months ago.
Though BCA was initially con-
cerned, the conflict ultimately did
not pose much of a problem, Sch-
reiber said.
“Despite going up against
Coachella, we’ve been really for-
tunate to get some amazing acts,”
she added. While Coachella “took
a chunk of bands out,” agents were
able to inform BCA pretty quickly
Crossword of artists’ availability because the
festival’s bids are given out in early
October, she said.
“The fact is that some of the
Coachella headliners are out of
the question anyway for any col-
lege, not just Brown,” because of
financial reasons, Schreiber said.
In terms of the supporting acts,
“there are hundreds of small, re-
ally cool, diverse bands to choose
from,” Schreiber said, so Coachella
did not significantly limit BCA’s
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contributions students can af-
ford to give.
“I love to see kids give, even if
it’s a very small amount of money,
because it gets them in the habit,”
Robert said.
Ralanda Nelson ’12, student
activities chair for UCS, said the
council will have to “pick up the
pace” in the future to raise funds
for the endowment.
Nelson said future steps in-
volve creating brochures to send
to the donors Robert identifies.
Next year, she said she expects
UCS will hold phone banks to
recruit potential donors, as well
as have students speak in their
hometowns about the importance
of activities.
Nelson added that UCS has
previously met with the Office
of University Advancement to
find cities where the University
has historically found fundrais-
ing success.
options.
TV on the Radio played at
Lupo’s in Providence in 2008.
Eli Bosworth ’12 said when he
first heard TV on the Radio was
headlining Spring Weekend, he
was disappointed because he and
other upperclassmen have seen
them perform already. But when
he learned that they are set to re-
lease a new album — “Nine Types
of Light” — just three days before
their show at Brown, his opinion
changed. “I remember the way
they performed was very cool.
They create a friendly atmosphere
so it felt like it was in your living
room,” Bosworth said. “They said
thank you every time someone
clapped like they really meant it,
not just like a dismissive thank
you,” he added.
“TV on the Radio is a wonder-
ful act that consistently puts on
amazing shows,” Schreiber said.
“Two years is a long length of time
Herald
Matthew Burrows, Treasurer
Isha Gulati, Secretary
Business
(401) 351-3360
gm@browndailyherald.com
The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011
“It’s something (students) told
me they wanted, and I wanted to
be accountable to Brown under-
graduates,” she said.
Mokoro said a successful stu-
dent activities endowment could
fund events such as Spring Week-
end or mock trial trips, as well
as eliminate extra fees students
may currently pay to take part
in activities.
“I think the goal is to have it
that any student can participate in
any activity they want to without
having to worry about the cost,”
she said.
Robert said he thinks student
activities are “extremely impor-
tant” in helping students learn
from each other.
“We go to enormous lengths
to have diversity of the student
body,” Robert said. “But you lose
a lot of that if students don’t have
activities and don’t have a place
to convene.”
for a band that basically has been
back in the record studio and is
going back on tour,” she added.
Though Bosworth said he is
excited to have the chance to see
TV on the Radio perform again,
he is “pretty upset about Diddy.”
Because Diddy’s album includes
many featured artists who will not
be performing with him on Spring
Weekend, “it feels like we kind of
hired a name,” he said.
Diddy is a name, but not neces-
sarily in the music industry, said
Kayla Skinner ’12. “I’m not really
excited about Diddy as a musician.
The association that I have with
Diddy these days is performer,
fashion designer, even producer.”
“We don’t only want to a pick
a big name who doesn’t have any
relevancy or currency right now,”
Schreiber said. “In light of his new
tour and his new album, Diddy
was a perfect fit,” she added.
Diddy has never played at a col-
lege campus before and Brown is
the only college stop on TV on the
Radio’s Tour, Seckin said. “We’re
the first in line” to hear these art-
ists “at a really good time in their
careers,” she said.
“We’ve watched Diddy’s re-
cent performances within the
last month or two on YouTube,
and we’re really excited,” Schreiber
added. “He’s still got it.”
“He’s the man who wrote ‘Shake
Ya Tailfeather,’ and I think the
Brown community is forgetting
that,” said Nate Shapiro ’12, who
is in the Brown Hip Hop Club.
“I think that obviously the best
part of the concert will be when he
gets on stage,” said Shapiro, “be-
cause of the expectations (students
have) and the confidence Diddy
displays.”
“I am reasonably confident that
it will be a lot of fun assuming he
doesn’t only play new songs,” he
added.
“It’s our understanding that he’s
going to play a lot of his old stuff
as well as his new hits, and people
are going to be dancing and sing-
ing along,” Schreiber said.
The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011
U. examines merits of
changing housing options
continued from page 1
creating a more centralized expe-
rience for first-years and leaving
residence halls like Littlefield Hall,
Hope College and Perkins Hall
open for sophomores, said Mar-
garet Klawunn, vice president for
campus life and student services.
“One of the things that happens
when you’re a first-year student at
Brown is that you feel like you’re
either having the Keeney experience
or you’re not Keeney,” Klawunn
said. “What we’re trying to do is
formulate some recommendations
or proposals for discussion with
students that would address some
of the things we’ve heard from stu-
dents don’t work particularly well.”
Under the proposal, upperclass-
men would not live in Keeney or
Pembroke, and all current singles
and triples in those residence halls
would be converted to first-year
doubles. In the past, upperclass-
men have complained about living
in first-year heavy areas, Klawunn
said. The change would also be
helpful for graduate students liv-
ing in places like Miller Hall, who
would be moved from singles in
dorms to apartment-style living
elsewhere.
But not all students agree with
the plan to consolidate first-year
students in large residence halls.
“Obviously there’s an appeal of
putting classes together, but I don’t
think housing should be homog-
enous like that,” said Mia Zachary
’13. “I know people say it’s a really
bad place to live as a sophomore,
but I have really liked living in
Keeney.”
Zachary said she lived in Way-
land House last year and enjoyed
the small community.
“The fact it was such a small
dorm made it easier to get close
with everyone,” she said. “Keeney is
so big, it’d be more difficult to adapt
to your environment.”
Leandro Zaneti ’12 is a resi-
dential counselor in Wayland and
said there are both the positives
and negatives about the proposed
changes.
“If done the right way, I think
this could foster community among
the freshmen class,” he said. “It
could also be a negative thing. One
of the things that I like about places
like Littlefield, Hope and Wayland is
that it’s a small community. You re-
ally get to know the people around
you.”
Zaneti also said having first-
years live among upperclassmen
gives them access to older students
beyond their residential counselor
to talk to in times of trouble.
“It could go either way, but if it
does happen, it needs to have very
considerate planning,” he said.
“They need to consider all the dif-
ferent angles.”
With the creation of first-year
communities, sophomores would
not have such limited options for
housing, which Klawunn said she
has also heard complaints about.
“Right now, sophomores feel like
they get what’s left over in the lot-
tery,” she said.
Klawunn said one idea would be
to renovate Perkins into suite-style
living for sophomores, while giving
them the option of living in Per-
kins, Littlefield and Hope as well as
Wriston Quandrangle and Graduate
Center in the housing lottery.
If the first-year community pro-
posal is implemented, the dining
halls would be upgraded to ac-
commodate the increased traffic,
Klawunn said.
“If we’re looking to improve the
residential experience for students,
the dining halls are certainly a part
of what supports that,” she said.
The V-Dub would be expanded
because of the greater number of
first-years on Pembroke campus,
while the Ratty “has been in need
of renovation for a while,” Klawunn
said.
Steve Maiorisi, vice president
for facilities management, said the
mechanical and electrical systems
in the Ratty are the same ones that
have been in place since it was built
in 1950. “There’s a tremendous
amount of renewal that needs to
be done,” he said.
There have also been talks of
constructing new residence halls
on the periphery of campus for ju-
niors and seniors, Klawunn said.
The Corporation already approved
renovation of 315 Thayer during its
February meeting.
Bova said he is excited about the
renovation of 315 Thayer because
student input was key to the design
of floor plans for the building.
“We’re creating the exact type of
living that students are asking for,”
he said. “Think of Vartan Gregorian
Quad, but better.”
Klawunn said ResCouncil has
been discussing these ideas as a re-
sult of student input and complaints
about their housing situation.
“The aim of all this is to do some
renovation of our existing residence
halls, and so while we’re thinking
about renovating existing residence
halls, we’re trying to address some
of the things we’ve heard from stu-
dents,” she said.
But Klawunn said possible
changes are not yet concrete. “It’s
very much in the recommendation
and discussion stage.”
— With additional reporting by Greg
Jordan-Detamore
Housing Preview 3
Thayer dorm renovated for 2012
continued from page 1
students can move in that fall.
The University will have more on-
campus beds when the renovation of
315 Thayer — currently part of the
auxiliary housing system — is com-
plete. The renovated building will
house about 60 students, Maiorisi
said. It currently has 32 residents,
according to an Oct. 4, 2010 Herald
article. Though the building is now
divided into towers like Caswell Hall,
the floors of the building after the
renovations will be unified in a more
traditional hallway style.
The building will be composed of
suites containing living rooms, kitch-
enettes, bathrooms and single bed-
rooms, according to a preliminary
Herald file photo
floor plan. Current plans call for the Renovations to 315 Thayer St. will provide about 60 on-campus beds.
first three floors to have two suites
with four bedrooms, one suite with space, and the first floor of Wayland potential locations for a new dorm,
five rooms and one with two. The House can be converted to student Maiorisi said. Another possible loca-
fourth floor will likely feature a com- housing, Maiorisi said. tion could be on the parking lot to
bination of suites and singles. The One possible location for a new the east of the 315 Thayer building,
basement will have a large lounge residence hall is the parking lot on Maiorisi said.
and kitchen, plus laundry facilities. Brook Street next to Barbour Hall. Maiorana expressed concern that
There will be an interior elevator Another is the site of the East Side a new dorm east of 315 Thayer would
and ramps that will make the build- Mini-Mart, which is Brown-owned be “disconnected” from the rest of
ing wheelchair accessible, Mairoisi property, Maiorisi said. campus, the way she feels Perkins
said. The renovated building will also That area would not be a bad Hall currently is. “It’s definitely going
feature bicycle parking. location for a new residence hall, to be spreading Brown out more,”
Carolyn Maiorana ’13 currently Charlotte Wilhelm GS said, as long she said.
lives in the basement of the building. as the displacement of parking spaces One complication to the pro-
“It’s a nice place to live,” she said. But is addressed. posals is that there are restrictions
“I feel our apartment has had way “I think more new dorms are very on where Brown can place future
more issues than the other ones in necessary,” said Tasnuva Islam ’11, a buildings.
terms of leaks” and other problems, resident of Young Orchard Apart- “At the time that the Power Street
she added. ments. “It’s good that they’re thinking parking garage was built, the Uni-
“There’s definitely a lot of work about it.” versity agreed to a deed restriction
that needs to be done here,” she said, Megan Lin ’11, another Young on that property to limit the height
noting that the building needs im- Orchard resident, said the location that any building on that site could
provements to be “up to par with is “not inconvenient.” “I really like be developed,” Maiorisi wrote in an
Brown dorms.” living down here,” she said. But she e-mail to The Herald.
worried about what might happen “There’s an institutional zone in
New dorms near New Dorm to businesses around the East Side which the University has rights to
Overcrowding in on-campus Mini-Mart if new residence halls develop for higher education uses,”
housing is no secret. According to a were placed at that site. Maiorisi added. “If we propose to
Feb. 7 Herald article, about 50 stu- The parking lot behind 315 expand beyond that zone, we need
dents are being housed in temporary Thayer and the vacant spot on the special permission from the Provi-
housing such as converted lounges south side of Lincoln Field are other dence Zoning Board.”
and kitchens, leaving many dorms
short on common spaces.
The Corporation discussed the
housing crunch at its February meet-
ing, Maiorisi said.
Though no new dorms are cur-
rently planned, the University is
looking for a place to relocate the
Office of Continuing Education from
its current location so the Office of
Residential Life can be moved to the
Office of Continuing Education’s
4 Sports Friday
Spring (Weekend) in the NBA’s step McGonagill ’14 nabs
By SaM Sheehan
Sports Columnist
Alright, look. I swear I was go-
ing to write a hockey column this
week. But then I didn’t.
I tried to write one for a little
bit, honestly. I even put togeth-
er some good titles. There was
“Tampa Bay’s resurgence has at-
tendance peaking as dozens now
attend home games,” but I realized
that was too long. I then went with
“San Jose begins posting suicide
hotline numbers around the city as
fans brace for another soul-crush-
ing Sharks loss this postseason,”
only to realize that was even lon-
ger. At that point, I tried to turn it
into an exploratory piece, titling it
“If the Flyers team bus explodes, is
it a tragedy or a ‘tragedy?’” Then
I recognized writing that could
implicate me when I poison the
team’s catered meal. I’ll need to
make a clean getaway.
So here we are again with a
basketball column. But I’ve got
a neat little gimmick this week.
Don’t you worry.
As some of you may have
heard, the Brown Concert Agency
managed to snag us Diddy and TV
on the Radio for Spring Weekend
this year. I also know that there
are a lot of haters out there who
are grumbling. Personally, I think
BCA did a great job, given that we
got screwed by the Coachella mu-
sic festival this year. Cheap, good
bands that we usually nab are all
there, so getting a big name like
Diddy and a great live band like
TV on the Radio is a good start.
As a matter of fact, I realized
that every Spring Weekend we’ve
had over the past three years has
been pretty good — for those of
you doing the math on my status
as a junior, I took a year off. I also
realized that there are some pretty
good parallels between those per-
formances and the NBA teams
that look to make the playoffs in
the East. See where I’m going with
this? Let’s take a look.
Boston Celtics — Snoop Dogg
in 2010
Both of these parties are OGs.
But while Snoop’s an “original
gangster,” the Celtics are just “old
guys.” But the thing about both
of them is even in their advanced
age, they still bring the fire. That,
and they both have a fascination
with green.
Get it, a weed joke? No? Mov-
ing on.
Chicago Bulls — The Black Keys
in 2010
I think everyone knew that
both the Bulls and The Black Keys
were going to be big — we just
didn’t realize that it was going to
happen so quickly. All of a sudden,
the Keys are sub-headlining the
aforementioned Coachella, and
the Bulls are “tightening up” the
race for the top seed in the East.
Oh, come on! That was comedy
gold! Whatever.
Miami Heat — MGMT in 2010
Both were expected to have
phenomenal performances. And
while neither has really done any-
thing terribly, fans are looking at
each other near the end and say-
ing, “Wait, is this really happen-
ing?” Though I guess if you want
to split hairs, on the one hand you
have a band refusing to play their
most popular track until they get
a double encore, and on the other,
you have a bench-less group of
“friends” crying in the locker
room and listening to “Fix You”
on repeat.
Orlando Magic — Of Montreal
in 2009
When people look at either of
these, they have to admit, “I have
no idea what’s going on.” Think
of Dwight Howard as the music,
solid and anchoring. Think of
Ryan Anderson, Jason Richardson
and Gilbert Arenas as the crazy
costumes. They could be helping,
but I can’t really tell.
Atlanta Hawks — Vampire
Weekend in 2008
You were really excited and im-
pressed for them when you saw
them early on. Now, you can’t
help but feel bad for them and the
magic they lost somewhere along
the way. Remember the good old
days, when they played “Cape
Cod Kwassa Kwassa” or when Joe
Johnson actually played hard? You
know, before they got paid too
much money.
The Hawks are like watching
the movie “Titanic.” It looks like
it’s going well, but there’s an ice-
berg out there.
New York Knicks — Lupe Fiasco
in 2008
In both cases, you have friends
avidly telling you, “They are re-
ally good! You’re gonna totally
agree with me when you see!” But
they’ve been telling you this for
years, so you are starting to get
annoyed. When you actually do
see them, you are really impressed,
but don’t want to admit it. You
say things like, “Superstar didn’t
sound great live,” or, “You can’t get
anywhere with Jeffries and Turiaf
as your centers”.
My housemate has been sing-
ing a parody of Wiz Khalifa’s
“Black and Yellow” that he has
dubbed “Stoud and Melo” while
he watches Knicks games. I may
kill him.
Philadephia 76ers — Girl Talk
in 2008
You were pretty sure that, given
the circumstances, you weren’t go-
ing to have fun. Getting jammed
into Meehan as a rain location or
coming off a season where you
were a draft lottery team will make
even the most avid fans skepti-
cal. But both the overachieving
Sixers and the never-miss Girl
Talk brought it, and everyone was
pleasantly surprised.
Think of Evan Turner as that
object you felt in that guy’s pocket
when you brushed up against him
to get closer to the stage. Your
imagination thinks there will be
nameless horrors involved, but
really it’s just a solid NBA player
or a cell phone.
Indiana Pacers — Deer Tick
in 2009
I refused to see either of these.
Sam Sheehan ’12 just success-
fully got through this column
without making a Charlie
Sheen joke. It can be done.
Talk sports with him at
sam_sheehan@brown.edu or
follow him on twitter
@SamSheehan.
Ivy rookie of the year
By Sam Rubinroit
Sports Staff Writer
Sean McGonagill ’14 does not look
like a first-year when he is on the
basketball court. He ran Brown’s
offense this season as if he had done
it for years, with a calm confidence
uncommon even among upper-
classmen.
“I don’t think that’s something
you gauge — you either have it or
you don’t,” said Head Coach Jesse
Agel.
Apparently coaches around the
Ivy League agree. They named Mc-
Gonagill Ivy League rookie of the
year this week.
McGonagill was the team’s lead-
ing scorer in Ivy League play, av-
eraging 14.6 points a game, good
for fourth in the conference. He
set a Brown first-year record with
147 assists, third all-time among
Brown players and third in the con-
ference this season. Despite needing
20 stitches in the middle of league
play after diving for a loose ball in
practice and colliding with a team-
mate’s knee, McGonagill averaged
Gymnastics’ season-high
earns Bears first victory
By Sam Sheehan
Sports Staff Writer
The gymnastics team grabbed its first
win of the season Sunday at home,
vanquishing two-time national
champion University of Bridgeport
and neighboring Southern Connecti-
cut State University at the Pizzitola
Center. In a meet the next day in
Durham, N.H., the Bears scored
a season-high 193.675 points but
were edged out by Central Michi-
gan University and the University of
New Hampshire. Team co-captain
Chelsey Binkley ’11 and Carli Wi-
esenfeld ’12 capped off an impressive
week of gymnastics, taking home the
ECAC Specialist of the Week award
and the ECAC Coaches’ Choice
award, respectively.
“Coming out of Ivies last week-
end, we all felt like we had some-
thing to prove because we knew we
could perform much better than we
did,” Wiesenfeld said. “Using that as
motivation really helped us.”
In front of a raucous home crowd
Sunday, the Bears jumped out to an
early lead over the rest of the field.
Bridgeport tightened the gap to
two points heading into the floor
exercises, but Bruno took care of
business on the floor, holding off
the Purple Knights for the big win.
Michelle Shnayder ’14 played a
key role in securing the victory by
tying her career-high in the floor
with a first-place 9.825. Binkley also
tied a career-high, scoring 9.700 on
the bars, good for second place. The
Bears dominated the all-around
competition, with Emily Lutfey ’13
and Wiesenfeld placing first and
second with scores of 38.425 and
38.025, respectively.
Other standout performances
included Julia Meyer ’13 and Wi-
The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011
the most minutes on the team and
was the only Bear to start all 28
games.
“It makes our job as coaches a
lot easier because he is like a coach
on the floor,” Assistant Coach T.J.
Sorrentine said earlier this season.
“He is just always trying to make the
right play. I don’t think we’ll need to
say a word to him for the next three
years because he’s going through it
all as a freshman this year.”
McGonagill came to Brown in
the hopes of earning playing time
right away. Last season, the Bears
were forced to use Matt Sullivan
’13, a natural shooting guard, to fill
a void at the point guard position.
“The big thing I looked at in my
decision was being able to play as
a freshman,” McGonagill said. “I
considered Brown strongly because
they needed a point guard, and it
was a good opportunity where I
could come in and contribute right
away.”
Agel said he knew before McG-
onagill set foot on campus that he
continued on page 5
esenfeld on the beam, who each
scored 9.650 to tie for second
place. Lutfey produced a 9.700,
fifth-place effort on the vault, and
Katie Goddard ’12 had an impressive
9.700-point,seventh-place finish on
the floor exercises. Taline Lahcanski
’14 also scored a career-high mark
in the floor exercises with a 9.625,
tenth-place performance.
The Bears kept the momentum
rolling in Monday’s meet at Dur-
ham, shattering school records on
beam and bars and posting their
highest total score of the year. But
their 193.675 combined effort was
not enough to overcome Central
Michigan and New Hampshire, as
the two schools scored 195.700 and
195.225, respectively.
Lily Siems ’12 was a huge part of
Bruno’s record-setting bars perfor-
mance with her career-high 9.825
routine.
“To see her succeed and get the
highest score on bars this weekend
was incredible,” Wiesenfeld said.
“She’s such a motivation for the rest
of the team and helps keep everyone
pushing towards the goal of making
nationals.”
Wiesenfeld was the top scorer
on the team’s record-setting beam
effort.
Other top scorers included
Shnayder, Meyer and Madeline
Benz ’14, who all scored career-highs
in the beam. Kasey Haas ’13 also
scored a career-high in the bars with
a 9.800, eleventh-place performance.
“Right now, our team is just fo-
cusing on staying healthy and being
consistent,” Wiesenfeld said. “Those
things go hand in hand when you’re
successful.”
The Bears return to action this
weekend when they travel to Ithaca,
N.Y. Saturday to take on Cornell.
The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011
Brownbrokers plan for ‘Closer’ pulls viewers into action
fewer musicals in future
continued from page 8
a musical.”
It’s “great that Brownbrokers gave
us the chance,” Rosenfeld said.
Last year, Brownbrokers pre-
sented seven mini-musicals. Board
member Alp Ozcelik ’13 explained
that “producing seven meant we
couldn’t pay attention to every mu-
sical equally,” so they planned to
produce fewer this year. They were
pleased to receive just two submis-
sions, and “liked them both.”
McGonagill ’14 sets
school basketball record
continued from page 4
would see plenty of floor time as a
first-year. “I watched him play all
throughout summer, and he took a
tremendous amount of responsibil-
ity for his team’s success,” Agel said.
“When it came down to it and he
had to make the big play, the right
Sports
pass or the right shot, he just kept
doing it. He left no doubt in my
mind that he could come right in
and make an immediate impact.”
Agel often draws comparisons
between McGonagill and Sorren-
tine, a player Agel recruited during
his time at Vermont and who went
on to earn America East rookie
of the year and player of the year
honors, as well as an All-American
honorable mention after his rookie
season.
“The first thing I saw was a
kid who is incredibly focused on
becoming a very good basketball
player,” Agel said. “He sent an im-
It is “supposed to be just fun”
rather than stressful, he said.
“Second Lady” — A clever script
and successful production form a
wonderful show.
“Grizzly Man” — Despite a fabulous
lead, the production lacks coherency.
mediate flashback to when I was
recruiting a young high school kid
named T.J. Sorrentine. It was a tre-
mendous comparison in terms of
the work ethic.”
Another Bear honored this
week was Tucker Halpern ’13,
who earned honorable mention
on the All-Ivy team. Halpern was
the team’s second-leading scorer in
league play, averaging 12.6 points
per game.
“He just has a world of talent,”
Agel said. “If you see how much he’s
improved from year one to year two,
we’ve really got something there.
The sky’s the limit for him.”
Looking ahead, with McGona-
gill and Halpern at the helm, the
Bears are optimistic about their
chances and are already preparing
for next season.
“We’re looking forward to a big
year,” McGonagill said. “We really
want guys to be ready when the
time comes. It’s only eight months
away, and if we go at it strong dur-
ing the offseason, we’ll be ready at
the start.”
Arts & Culture 5
continued from page 1
photographing Dan for the cover of
his book, which tells Alice’s life story
— the two have been together since
that day. Despite his commitment
to Alice, Dan finds himself largely
attracted to Anna. She snubs his at-
tentions, responding to his question
if she would like children one day
with a deadpanned, “Yes, but not
today.” But it is clear that Dan will
not take no for an answer.
Irked by her denial, Dan poses as
Anna in an internet chatroom where
he meets Larry. The two exchange
a sexually charged conversation,
ending with a planned meeting at
the aquarium the following day. By
chance, Anna is there, and the two
embark on a romantic relationship.
Four months later, all of the char-
acters are together to celebrate the
opening of Anna’s photo exhibition
— a portrait collection of strangers.
Dan persists in his pursuit of Anna
while Alice and Larry share a flirta-
tious moment. The love-rhombus
takes shape.
The actors come together in each
scene to provide memorable, addict-
ing performances, with the ladies
of the night stealing the show from
BB&Z | Cole Pruitt, Andrew Seiden, Valerie Hsiung and Dan Ricker
Cloud Buddies! | David Emanuel
Dr. Bear | Mat Becker
Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
their male counterparts.
Utendahl’s Anna is particularly
impressive — her execution of the
script is impeccable, with just the
right amount of bite to her bark as
she parries with her contending
suitors. The emotions she exudes
are realistic — at one point the au-
dience can clearly see the tears in
her eyes (true emotion her co-stars
sometimes lack) — and she is able
to switch back and forth with ease
from one charged conversation to
the next.
Rothman also puts in a strong
performance as Alice, portraying
her character with just the right mix
of strength and vulnerability to keep
the audience on bated breath as they
anticipate her next move.
The male actors are also strong
but pale in comparison to their
female partners. Kuritzkes’ Dan
doesn’t ensnare audiences as much
as he should. Barasch’s Larry starts
off slow in the first act but finishes
the night with several spectacular
scenes in the second.
The lighting enhances the show
to no end — telling the story as well
as the script does. Subtle transitions
in color transport the audience to
various locations without the set
comics
ever changing. The lights are also
rigged to go off concurrently with
Anna’s snapshots, a fun, impressive
addition.
The set itself acts as a museum of
the character’s personal effects, with
props placed strategically on plat-
forms and stands around the main
raised stage. Actors are also stage
hands, picking up objects and car-
rying them into the scene with ease,
transforming each thing’s meaning
as the play progresses. The staging
area also serves as the backstage,
with actors changing costumes and
waiting for their cues right before the
audiences’ eyes. The effect is a good
one. The audience feels completely
involved in the action.
“Closer” is a marvelous play on
its own — the script is witty and in-
tricate in its exploration of the hu-
man psyche. McGowan’s production
is well-executed, rounded out by a
creative set and lighting and fantastic
acting — audience members will
be drawn in closer and closer with
each line.
Twist and turns know no bounds in
this enthralling, well-acted drama.
6 Editorial & Letter The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011

diamonds & coal Editorial comic by erik stayton and

e van donahue
Coal to BCA Spring Weekend pick and indie rock band TV on the
Radio. We did not expect to be watching TV during Spring Weekend,
but it looks like now we will be.

A diamond to Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services

Margaret Klawunn, who met with the owner of Colosseum nightclub
March 3 and reported, “We reviewed some of the things that had been
problems with the Wednesday nights at Fish Co. and some of the ways
that we were concerned about a continuation of anything that might
raise some of the similar problems.” We’re glad University Hall agrees
$4 beers have got to go.

A cubic zirconium to University of Rhode Island Professor Scott

Molloy, who said “I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to labor
in a long time, because instead of the usual Halloween costumes and
subterfuge, this stuff is right up front.” So even if union members all
lose their jobs, it sounds like they’re at least invited to Sex Power God.

Coal to the Alpert Medical School for considering giving iPads

to all first- and second-year medical students. On a related note, the
University is considering giving BuDS workers Nintendos and the
faculty might all get ponies.

A diamond to Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 who proposed taxing

textbooks to close the state’s budget gap in his address to the General
Assembly Tuesday night. Brown students had been running out of
excuses, and “the governor taxed it” beats the heck out of “my dog ate it.”

Coal to Professor of Political Science Mark Blyth, who, when asked if

he had noticed that the bell atop University Hall had not been ringing,
responded, “Which bells?” What, had you been Blyth-ly ignoring them?

Coal to the embattled president who has ignored calls for his
abdication and entrenched himself despite open revolt. Sorry, John
Maeda of RISD, it may be time you took your services elsewhere. We
hear Egypt’s looking. le tters to the editor
A diamond to Sunday’s convocation of the inaugural class of the
IE Brown Executive M.B.A. Program, which pairs the University Editorial sparked endowment gift
with a for-profit Spanish business school to grant master’s of business
degrees, largely through online learning. Looks like Diddy’s not the To the Editor: I have informed (Undergraduate Council of Students
only one with dirty money. President) Diane Mokoro ’11 of this wonderful news since
Chancellor (Emeritus) Stephen Robert ’62 P’91 just UCS has steadfastly championed this idea.
called to tell me that he saw the editorial about the Stu- My thanks to the BDH for bringing additional atten-

quote of the day dent Activities Endowment and has decided not only
to contribute $1 million to this fund but also to lead the
fundraising effort to secure additional gifts.
tion to this need.

President Ruth Simmons

“He’s the man who wrote ‘Shake

Ya Tailfeather,’ and I think the Brown
Nixing catalog ignores curricular effects
community is forgetting that. ” To the Editor:

We want to thank The Herald for its thoughtful

be overwhelming. But even seemingly innocuous
changes to the way that things are done should be
carefully scrutinized for the effect that they might
— Nate Shapiro ’12, on Diddy editorial about the value of the printed Course An- have on students’ effective use of the curriculum. As
nouncement Bulletin (“Leaving the paper trail behind,” leaders of the student push-back against some aspects
See bca on page 1. March 8). Your careful, historically informed approach of Banner’s implementation, we learned just how hard
is a breath of fresh air in the wake of your predecessor it can be to get the administration to understand the
editorial board. Adding your arguments to those made potential curricular effects of changes that it perceives
by (Associate Dean of Biological Sciences) Marjorie as administrative or procedural.
t h e b r ow n da i ly h e r a l d Thompson ’74 PhD’79 P’02 P’07 P’09 P’12 P’14 in her
letter (“Eliminating course catalog a mistake,” March
When Ira Magaziner ’69 P’06 P’07 P’10, Elliot Max-
well ’68 P’06 and others sat down to lay out the frame-
Editors-in-Chief Deputy Managing Editors Senior Editors 3), it is clear that some real benefits to the printed work for a new philosophy of education at Brown,
Sydney Ember Brigitta Greene Dan Alexander CAB remain. We hope that the administration will they dedicated page after page to nitty-gritty details
Ben Schreckinger Anne Speyer Nicole Friedman
Julien Ouellet engage in a meaningful dialogue with students about that might have been cast aside by less shrewd student
editorial Business
the effect that the change might have on enjoyment activists. This extraordinary attention to detail played
Kristina Fazzalaro Arts & Culture Editor General Managers Office Manager
of the Brown’s curricular riches before making the no small part in the ultimate success of their project.
Luisa Robledo Arts & Culture Editor Matthew Burrows Shawn Reilly change final. Let’s not forget how important the little details can be.
Rebecca Ballhaus City & State Editor
Claire Peracchio City & State Editor
Isha Gulati For many of us, the New Curriculum is Brown’s
Directors
Talia Kagan Features Editor
Aditi Bhatia Sales
greatest asset, and I can only assume that opposi- Matt Gelfand ’08
Hannah Moser Features Editor
Danielle Marshak Finance tion to any explicit change in the curriculum would Drew Madden ’10
Alex Bell News Editor
Margot Grinberg Alumni Relations
Nicole Boucher News Editor
Lisa Berlin Special Projects
Tony Bakshi Sports Editor
Ashley McDonnell Sports Editor Managers
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The Brown Daily Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011
Busting the myths about card-swiping
Sarah Yu
Opinions Columnist
It has been a few weeks since I stepped
down as a cashier supervisor for Brown
Dining Services, and I am still feeling the
gaping hole in my life that comes from not
having this huge responsibility and time
commitment. I find it strange that I no
longer receive emergency phone calls in
the middle of the night, no longer teach
students to count coins and no longer run
back and forth between Josiah’s and the
Gate to fix machines and customers’ atti-
tudes.
I hate to sound uncool in a publication
with such a large circulation, but some-
thing needs to be said about being giv-
en the opportunity to actually have a re-
ally useful part-time job as a student. In
a dorky way, it feels good to be trusted
enough to handle cash, train new cashiers
and work toward creating new policies to
make on-campus dining better, even if
these responsibilities cut into my Friday
nights.
It was difficult for me to read Sissi Sun’s
’12 column (“V-Dub machine crisis,” Oct.
22) in its entirety. From what I can gath-
er, her article narrowed in on three main
assertions — the card-swiping machine is
past its prime, BuDS student workers have
no work ethic and the BuDS student man-
Why do our parents think we are crazy?
By Susannah Kroeber
Opinions Columnist
I recently had a brief conversation with a
group of parents whose kids were either
recently admitted to college or not far be-
hind. One mother in the group expressed
horror at the fact that college students do
not date anymore. She recalled how much
time she had spent dating in college, go-
ing to movies or dinner with men she
had dated, and seemed astonished that
no one described their actions as “going
on dates” or “dating.”
These parents lamented the “hook-up
culture,” the lack of commitment youth
today have and the inability of contempo-
rary teenagers to form real attachments,
with this behavior persisting into adult-
hood. They decried Facebook, texting
and the Internet as the causes of this an-
tisocial behavior.
I am sure that there are people who
have suffered from Internet addiction
and consequently felt nervous about per-
son-to-person interactions. I am sure
that there are college students who would
rather text than date people they are in-
terested in. I am sure that there are teen-
agers who would rather Facebook-stalk
their peers than spend time developing
interpersonal relationships.
I am now going to make the claim that
this is a minority of teenagers and young
adults. Most people I know want to hang
out with their friends or people they view
agement is enigmatic, invisible and ineffec-
tive.
I agree with Sun’s criticism of the
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall card ma-
chine, but one minor concern about the
University’s electronics is hardly worth
an entire opinions column. What made it
so difficult to reach the end of Sun’s col-
umn was that her legitimate claim about
the need to update some Dining Services
equipment became progressively under-
To students who complain loudly at long lines at the
V-Dub or attempt to pull every trick in the book to use
more than two meal credits per day at Jo’s, I urge you
not to automatically assume that there is something
intrinsically faulty with the student management.
mined by her lack of thorough research
about BuDS and student employment and
management.
In order to write with sincerity, I will
draw mostly on my own experiences
working with cashiers at Jo’s, the Gate and
the Ivy Room to explain my arguments.
I wish to make no generalizations about
how all BuDS units function, but I trust
that my fellow student managers and su-
pervisors are as invested in doing their
jobs well as I was and would agree with
me on most points.
as potential significant others. I know
some people who hook up with people
they do not really know, but I think most
Brown students would agree that most
people hook up with people who they do
know, oftentimes people they are inter-
ested in “dating.”
Even more shocking to these par-
ents than the hook-up phenomenon was
the fact that we — the young sinners of
American universities — do not seem to
date. None of them seem to realize that
the stereotypical dating activities, such as
going to the movies, have become much
To most of us, dating seems archaic. It conjures up
images of 1950s drive-in movie theaters and diners and
waitresses on roller-skates.
more expensive in the last 20 or 30 years.
At the Providence Place Mall, it costs
$10.25 for a movie ticket. Multiply that
by two, then maybe you each get a snack
and a drink, and you could easily be up to
$30. Throw in dinner and you have just
made a significant investment in a rela-
tionship that may dissolve later that eve-
ning.
And then there is the word “date.” To
most of us, dating seems archaic. It con-
Opinions 7
The majority of BuDS student workers
are in close proximity to student or pro-
fessional managers as they do their jobs.
For cashiers and cart workers who may be
on their own for most of their shifts, su-
pervisors regularly conduct checkups to
ensure that things are running smoothly.
It is definitely not acceptable for ca-
shiers to hold up long lines in dining units
by talking extensively with their friends
and to prioritize homework and texting
over serving customers. I can assure Sun
that I have personally issued verbal and
written warnings to students in violation
of these policies. I have also written com-
mendations for workers who have provid-
ed exceptional customer service, are will-
ing to help out above and beyond their of-
ficial duties or are never late.
If patrons of Brown eateries ever feel
the need to ask for clarification on BuDS
policies, compliment or criticize a student
worker or make recommendations about
menus and policy for the future, there is
jures up images of 1950s drive-in mov-
ie theaters and diners and waitresses on
roller-skates — which are not to be con-
fused with roller-blades. You might re-
call them from that box of ancient stuff in
your parents’ basement or attic — rather
than having in-line wheels, the wheels are
arranged in a rectangular configuration.
On top of that, there is the fact that
many college students, particularly
Brown students, are wary of lots of re-
lationship terminology. There are those
that resent boyfriend and girlfriend as
descriptors. Some hate these words be-
cause they seem to refer to young chil-
dren rather than maturing teenagers or
adults. Others hate these words because
they place one in a gender binary or sug-
gest an opposite-gender partner.
And it’s not like we have come up with
a very good solution. “Partner” is also a
term of our parents’ generation, and of-
ten connotes older people or is just too
ambiguous — I once had someone tell me
that I was a little young to have a business
always a student supervisor present in the
dining unit who would be happy to ad-
dress any customer concerns. At the Ivy
Room, the supervisors’ photos and names
are even posted on the bulletin board next
to the cash register, so an instant custom-
er-supervisor friendship can be forged to
eliminate any awkwardness.
In answer to Sun’s query about the
composition of BuDS student manage-
ment, unit managers’ names and e-mail
addresses can be found on the Dining Ser-
vices website. For those who are faint of
heart with technology, face-to-face inter-
actions can be had at the Student Manage-
ment Office, located conveniently under-
neath the Sharpe Refectory and adjacent
to the women’s bathroom.
Dining Services is an impressive and
massive business run by professional
managers in close collaboration with stu-
dents. To students who complain loudly
about long lines at the V-Dub or attempt
to pull every trick in the book to use more
than two meal credits per day at Jo’s, I urge
you not to automatically assume that there
is something intrinsically faulty with the
student management. Instead, why not try
talking to some of us — or even working
with us — before you pass judgment?
Sarah Yu ’11 knows that cashiers can be
very therapeutic listeners for stressed
customers but will notice if you try to
steal. She can be reached at
xia_yu@brown.edu.
partner. “Significant other” is just plain
laughable and has far too many syllables.
But just because we have not come
up with very good terminology does not
mean that our generation does not en-
gage in behavior analogous to that of
our parents’. College students are not just
hooking up — it seems that there is a lot
of ambiguous hanging out. College stu-
dents might also just decide not to call
their love interest their boyfriend or girl-
friend. It seems to me that we are much
more willing to live with greater ambigu-
ity and fewer labels.
To all parents: This is not a bad thing.
And to counter all of the insinuations
that this generation is more promiscuous
than previous generations, a recent Cen-
ters for Disease Control report has shown
that sexual activity among youth has ac-
tually gone down in the last 30 years. So,
what are our parents hiding from us?
My interpretation of the anxiety par-
ents feel when they send their kids off to
college is that they remember what they
did in college and feel like it must be
worse now, even though this is far from
true. The fact of the matter is that we are
much more willing to deal with ambig-
uous relationships and are eager to find
and use new labels that are less gendered,
more inclusive and more accurately de-
scribe how we feel about our relation-
ships. Why is this so bad?
Susannah Kroeber ’11 is taking sugges-
tions for alternative words for signifi-
cant other. She can be reached at
susannah_kroeber@brown.edu.
Daily Herald Arts & Culture
the Brown
Fusion offers panoply of dance 15-minute musicals
By Sophia Seawell
Contributing Writer
Fusion, Brown’s oldest student-run
dance company, was founded in
1983 by Paula Franklin because she
“felt there was a need for more stu-
dent choreography on campus,” ac-
cording to the group’s website. And
Fusion’s Annual Show, taking place
this weekend in Alumnae Hall, held
true to its name and purpose at a
dress rehearsal Wednesday evening
— its members fused together a
variety of music genres and dance
styles to form a show that will keep
the audience on its toes.
Fusion used to have two direc-
tors in charge of choreography,
but was “restructured last year to
make it more equal,” said Alyssa
Thelemaque ’12. Now the com-
pany focuses on “giving everyone
a space to choreograph.”
Because the training level of
members ranges from students
“who have been in professional
ballet companies, who have had no
formal training or who have only
done hip hop,” Thelemaque said,
this hands-on approach to cho-
reography has interesting results.
The company’s unique combi-
nation of styles came across clearly
in the rehearsal, which included
everything from breakdancing to
ballet. There is “no unifying theme”
to the show, said Thelemaque, oth-
er than to showcase the diverse tal-
ents and skills of Fusion’s dancers.
The range of dances not only
keeps the show feeling fresh and
fun throughout, but also makes it
accessible. The audience will rec-
ognize and sing along to most of
the songs — which is encouraged
by the company. Whether you’re a
“Gleek” or a Kanye West fan, Fu-
sion did an excellent job of using
pop culture to create a show that
will be relatable to students.
A variety of music succeed-
Professors portray, perplex at RISD exhibition
By Suzannah Weiss
Arts & Culture Columnist
Attention all skeptics who doubt
the existence of teachers outside
the classroom: Proof has arrived in
the form of the 2011 Rhode Island
School of Design Faculty Biennial.
For the 200-plus RISD professors
showing their work, teaching art
is not enough — they also take its
practice very seriously.
The exhibit, located in the RISD
Museum’s Chace Center galleries
and Gelman Student Gallery, is dif-
ficult to digest. First of all, it’s a lot
to take in, spanning two floors of
the museum. Second, some of the
pieces demand to be viewed with
a furrowed brow — not for their
thought-provoking nature, but for
the mental exertion required to make
any sense whatsoever of them. And
because one strange object — Jerry
Mischak’s “Brush Off ” — incorpo-
rates cat fur.
When Magritte painted the fa-
mous words “Ceci n’est pas une pipe,”
he was warning media consumers
Fusion melds dance and song categories into an exciting performance.
ed in creating different moods
which were “a reflection of how
everyone’s semesters have been,”
according to Joelle Murphy ’11.
Each student had an opportunity
to choreograph a piece. “It was a
cohesive exploration of emotion,”
she added.
Dances varied in mood
throughout the show — some were
serious and emotional, energetic
and playful or fun and sexy. Light-
ing and costume choices were used
throughout to subtly, but appropri-
ately, support the theme. For exam-
ple, a piece set to Tracy Chapman’s
“Give Me One Reason” played off
the idea of a love triangle, with a
male dancer and two female danc-
ers in men’s shirts — a fun but not
over-the-top interpretation.
Not all of the interpretations
were equally successful. At times,
the way lyrics were translated into
choreography was predictable
and the incorporation of acting
detracted from the performance.
On the other hand, these pieces
not to mistake representations for
reality. Personally, I like art that tricks
its viewers into thinking it is real, that
sucks them into another world then
spits them out ruthlessly. Reference
to something in the world — a thing
or an idea — makes art relatable.
It is one thing when the medium
is the message, and quite another
when the message is nothing but the
medium. Maybe I just don’t get it, but
that’s the conclusion I came to after
twisting my brain and shifting my
eyes around the most vacuous works,
which all seem to be “Untitled.” Jack
Massey’s “Untitled Drawing” is a pat-
tern of straight graphite lines on a
black surface; Ellen Petraits’ “Un-
titled” doesn’t look like anything but
resembles faint brown scales on worn
white paper; Paddy Ginther’s “Un-
titled” is a childlike crayon scribble
drawing on paper evidently ripped
from a notebook.
I’m torn. When a work of art
looks like it could have been done
by a toddler, it usually in fact could
not have been. Some artists are like
gymnasts — their success makes
Yu Ting Liu / Herald
provided a pleasant break from
the more abstract dancing.
One constant throughout the
show was the dancers’ positive
energy. It was evident that Fu-
sion’s members knew how to work
together — and thoroughly en-
joyed doing so. For example, dur-
ing “Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec
Moi?” dancers had genuine smiles
on their faces the entire time.
“We’re performing for an audi-
ence, but we also want to have fun
and learn from each other,” said
Dan Lurie ’11. “We’re very close,”
Murphy added.
Throughout the show, audience
members will experience laughter,
goose bumps and awe. Upon leav-
ing the studio, they will be just as
excited about the performance as
the dancers are about performing.
Impressive dance moves set to di-
verse music combine for a unique
experience.
the feat look easy. So, I try to avoid
the hackneyed “my baby cousin, or
grandchildren, or golden retriever,
could have art in this gallery accord-
ing to these standards” complaint.
But using crayons is kind of asking
for it.
I don’t mean to cast my criti-
cism too broadly. The exhibit also
contains the talent one expects of
RISD faculty. The strongest pieces
are the ones that lend themselves
to practical application — like the
innovative furniture and nifty jew-
elry — make statements or educate.
Jan Baker hung religious relics from
old-fashioned hoop skirts with the
tongue-in-cheek title “Skirting the
Issues.” Marie Cieri’s “Impressionistic
Maps of the Katrina / Rita Diaspora”
— a map of the United States created
on a computer and featuring ink ar-
rows and other shapes tracking the
routes of evacuees — experiments
with one way to coherently imagine
the unimaginably incoherent. Dan
Wood modified a newspaper article
about Obama’s “Inauguration,” ironi-
cally highlighting not the arrival of
lampoon politics, bears
By katherine sola
Senior Staff Writer
Political races and man-eating griz-
zly bears may not be traditional
comedic fodder, but this weekend,
Brownbrokers’ MiniMusical Festival
— taking place at the Underground
— turns tradition on its head in two
15-minute musicals, “Second Lady”
and “Grizzly Man.”
“Second Lady” tells the story of
how Sen. Mike Straight and his wife
find themselves while attempting to
maintain “American” values. Sam
Rosenfeld ’12 co-wrote the script and
the music with Carolina Barry Laso
’13 and Phoebe Nir ’14. Michael Gale
’14, who plays Mike Straight, said his
character was “sure of himself, and
cocky” but with the “folksiness of
Sarah Palin.” He said he had enjoyed
doing a 15-minute musical because
it was “not a huge commitment, but
you still get to see a good product.”
The point of the musical was to
show “the absurdity of American
politics” with “lots of little puns,”
Rosenfeld said. Director Emily Kassie
’14 praised the writing, saying it was
“hilarious and poignant at the same
time.” She said directing a 15-minute
musical is fun, but “puts on a lot of
pressure.” The short three-week pro-
duction time meant the cast and crew
stayed excited about the process.
Rosenfeld said the first version of
“Second Lady” was finished in a week
for TAPS 0960A: “Musical Theatre
Songwriting” — a class in which both
mini-musicals were developed —
and they started reworking it into a
mini-musical about three weeks ago.
The end result is a production
full of twists and turns, with a comic
approach to serious issues.
“Grizzly Man” was inspired by
the documentary of the same name
about bear activist and enthusiast
Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell spent
the new president, but the departure
of the old in a helicopter.
My favorite piece was Chris Buz-
zelli’s “M-44.” At first glance, the oil
painting looks like it belongs in a
storybook. A closer look reveals that
the subject matter is far graver. In
the foreground, a friendly-looking
wolf inhales a toxic chemical planted
underneath it by a tiny, skeletal hu-
man figure. The scene vaguely recalls
the famous tableau of Romulus and
Remus suckling at the teats of their
adoptive wolf mother, except Buz-
zelli’s character is releasing a deadly
substance rather than receiving a
life-giving one. M-44s, the painting’s
description explains, are devices im-
planted in the ground to protect live-
stock by killing predators. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife
Services spends over $100 million
annually on these “indiscriminate
killers,” the description reads.
Other memorable works draw
their appeal strictly from their aes-
thetics. “Saiga Rift (Pronghorn)”
by Jacob Feige depicts a moose ei-
ther killing or grieving over a deer
Friday, March 11, 2011
13 summers living among grizzly
bears in the Alaskan wilderness and
was eventually killed by them. It was
co-written by Laso, Rosenfeld and
Alex Yuly ’12, a Herald editorial
cartoonist.
Director Sam Koplewicz ’11, a
film enthusiast, has introduced a
multimedia element to the produc-
tion, interspersing documentary
footage with the music of the pro-
duction.
Caroline Martin ’11 uses her op-
era vocal training to play Treadwell,
and called getting into the role “a
really fun process.” Her alto voice
is actually not far from a man’s, so
“it’s worked out,” she said. Martin
is a member of the improvisational
comedy group Starla and Sons, and
improvises throughout the musical.
“I get scared when I’m really ce-
mented to the script,” she explained.
“Caroline is an exceptionally
talented actress,” Koplewicz said.
“She’s not only not white, but also
doesn’t have a penis” — which might
make connecting her to footage of
Treadwell difficult at first, but her
acting ability overcomes this dis-
crepancy.
Five students play bears — com-
plete with ears — reflecting the way
Treadwell toed the line between the
human and animal worlds. Bear Jen-
nifer Molyneaux ’11 said the five ac-
tors “got into things that felt bearish.”
During rehearsal they would “pull
up random bear videos and actually
mimic it.”
Yuly said that when co-writer
Sam Yamborvitch ’12 suggested writ-
ing a song about the documentary,
“something about the idea resonated
with all of us.”
As Koplewicz explained, the
original documentary is “so over
the top that it’s almost waiting to be
continued on page 5
amidst brilliant greenery with sur-
real lighting in oils and alkyd. “Black
Window” by Jim Peters blends oil
paints, digital photography and glass
to create an image of a room that is
eerie yet inviting, with delicate sheets
on a bed against a tattered wall and
a cracked mirror. It feels as if one
might break through the image’s
glass surface, the way the photo-
graphed woman on the bed appears
to be falling through the mirror. This
representation, though not veridical,
is easily mistaken for reality.
So if you find yourself in the RISD
useum between now and March 20,
stop by the second floor. Who knows
— the works that meant nothing to
me may mean something to you,
especially if you have comprehensive
knowledge of art. But you can’t say
you weren’t forewarned: For some
pieces, don’t hurt your head and eyes
looking for a message that is simply
lost in the medium. Unless that mes-
sage is about cat fur.