Daily
the Brown
vol. cxlvi, no. 34
Committee
on ROTC
updates
community
By Shefali Luthra
Senior Staff Writer
Dean of the College Katherine
Bergeron presented on behalf of the
committee examining the Univer-
sity’s policy on the Reserve Officers’
Training Corps at yesterday’s Brown
University Community Council
meeting. Following her presentation,
other representatives of the com-
mittee and various student groups
discussed arguments for and against
reinstating the program.
Bergeron presented an update on
the committee’s activity since early
last month, when it was established
by President Ruth Simmons. So far,
the committee has discussed pos-
sible pros and cons of reestablishing
an ROTC program at the University.
“We have been educating ourselves,”
Bergeron said.
She noted that the University will
not need to offer academic credit for
ROTC classes. When the University
initially eliminated the program in
1969, one of the main concerns was
that ROTC classes could bypass the
University accreditation process.
If the University were to rein-
state ROTC, it would probably be
a Navy-specific program, Bergeron
said. The University would maintain
its current exchange program with
Providence College, which offers an
Army-specific program.
continued on page 3
Ta s t e t h e m ag i c
John Stein, senior lecturer in neuroscience, showed off a miracle berry —
which enhances perceived sweetness — at a celebration yesterday evening
for the Science Center’s one-year anniversary.
news...................2-3
inside
CITY & State.....4-5
editorial..............6
Opinions...............7
SPORTS...................8
Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Rebecca Ballhaus / Herald
Flynn Elementary (above) is one of four Providence public schools that would
be closed as part of emergency budget cuts made in response to the city’s
fiscal crisis.
To fundraise and to educate, U. looks East
By Mark Raymond our alumni to have meaningful
Senior Staff Writer programs and relationships in
China will continue.”
The University is looking to While fundraising is not the
strengthen its relationship with primary goal of partnering with
China in an effort to expand its China, it is a positive consequence
presence and appeal to a grow- of the University’s outreach, Sim-
ing base of potential donors. In mons wrote.
the past year, the University has “A strong alumni presence in
actively increased its outreach ef- China will naturally mean that our
forts by developing its partnership alumni club activities and fund-
with the Chinese University of raising efforts there will increase,”
Hong Kong and planning for the she wrote.
upcoming Year of China. Professor of Physics Chung-
“We have a growing number I Tan, who is leading the Year
of Chinese alumni, non-Chinese of China effort, said he hopes
alumni living in China and ap- the Year of China engages both
plicants from the country,” wrote students and alums to a greater
President Ruth Simmons in an degree than previous yearlong
e-mail to The Herald. “In that re- efforts. He said past initiatives,
gard, our presence in China will such as the years of Africa, Latin
certainly grow, and demands from America and India, failed to reach
Palestinian film festival
opens with dance, violence
By Katherine Sola
Senior Staff Writer
In one continuous shot, the camera
follows a car painted with the Pal-
estinian flag blaring Arabic songs
down the main thoroughfare. As
Arts & Culture
the camera passes through the local
cafe, the cafe’s owner pulls a child
inside. She slams the door shut as
military trucks and armed soldiers
arrive, shots ringing out. The sud-
den descent from song — provoca-
tive but nonviolent nationalism
Freddy Lu / Herald
— into gunfire is shocking.
This scene is from Najwa Naj-
jar’s “Pomegranates and Myrrh,”
the opening film in this year’s Pal-
Pre-nat’l
LGBTQuestion
U. recruits pregnant women Marriage equality is not
for national study enough
News, 8 opinions, 7
Community reacts to closing
of four elementary schools
By elizabeth carr and
Rebecca ballhaus
Staff Writer and City & State Editor
Delsa Marfeo answered the phone
Monday night to unwelcome news.
Her son’s school would likely close at
the end of the year, a representative
city & state
of the Providence School Depart-
ment told her — and it remains to
be seen where he will end up.
Providence Mayor Angel Taveras
and Public School District Super-
intendent Tom Brady announced
their recommendations for the clos-
ings of four city elementary schools
a large portion of the student body.
Tan also acknowledged the
influence the Year of China will
have on the ability to foster inter-
est beyond Brown’s campus.
“Next year we will be focus-
ing on campus activities, but it
will be a stepping stone for our
future goals with China,” he said.
“It will make Brown better known
and will help us reach out to our
alums.”
“Alums and parents and the
broader Brown community ex-
ist in that part of the world, and
the more we can engage them, the
greater the opportunity we will
have to ask them to appreciate
what Brown is doing and contrib-
ute to Brown,” he added.
continued on page 2
estinian Film Festival screened last
night at the Avon Cinema.
Yasmine Elmasri displays an
impressive emotional range as Ka-
mar, an independent Palestinian
Christian dancer who marries a
man named Zaid at the beginning
of the film. Shortly after, Israeli
soldiers arrive in the middle of the
night to confiscate his olive farm,
and Zaid is accused of punching
a soldier during a confrontation.
He is beaten and imprisoned,
and Kamar faces a daunting legal
struggle to free her husband and
save the land. As Zaid falls into a
depression, she turns to her dance
troupe for solace and forms a bond
with the handsome choreographer
continued on page 3
weather
Tea Power
Finding fascism in
American politics
Opinions, 7
Since 1891
Monday. Though their choices have
not yet been approved by the Provi-
dence School Board, communities
are already reacting to the news.
Flynn Elementary School, Asa
Messer Elementary School, Asa
Messer Annex Elementary School
and Windmill Elementary School
were chosen for closure on the basis
of physical quality of facilities, stu-
dent performance, potential costs
of school renovations and ease of
transferring students.
Parents were alerted in different
ways to closings, some receiving
direct notice from administrators
and others hearing second-hand
continued on page 4
Kennedy
appointed
visiting
fellow
By Aparna Bansal
Senior Staff Writer
Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy,
D-R.I., accepted a two-year ap-
pointment yesterday as a visiting
fellow in the Brown Institute of
Brain Science through 2013.
He will have an office in the in-
stitute’s headquarters and will give
two annual lectures, according to
a University press release.
Kennedy has had a long-stand-
ing relationship with the Univer-
sity and has “been a tremendous
supporter” of its research in the
neurosciences, said Edward Wing,
dean of medicine and biological
sciences.
Kennedy “is committed to re-
search and care for people with
medical illnesses,” Wing said, add-
ing that he is “very excited” about
the appointment.
“Millions of people live with
disorders of the brain and central
nervous system, and hundreds of
thousands of American soldiers
and veterans have suffered trau-
matic brain injuries,” Kennedy
said in the press release. “Finding
treatments and cures for their suf-
fering is a national emergency with
a scientific challenge akin to our
efforts to go to the moon that gal-
vanized the country half a century
ago. I can imagine no better place
to pursue this mission than from
within the thriving community of
continued on page 3
t o d ay tomorrow
51 / 37 57 / 42
2 Campus News The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Today
calendar
March 16 ToMORROW March 17
U. grows presence in China
12 P.m. 11:45 A.M.
continued from page 1 and Brown students will be pro- teaching associates have allowed
Raunchy Bake Sale Flash Rally for Marriage Equality vided new study abroad options. for “increased student contact
Main Green J. Walter Wilson The University’s expanded rela- The University has received the time” and that “they’ve been very
8 p.m. 7:30 p.m. tionship with the Chinese Univer- help of one master’s program grad- good in helping us teach courses.”
Palestinean Film Festival: A Reading by Novelist Geoff Ryman sity of Hong Kong is another part uate — who serves as a teaching A revised memorandum of
Series of Shorts Granoff Center, of this greater effort to strengthen associate while at Brown — each understanding for next year will
ties in the country. of the past two years. allow the language program to
Hunter Lab Auditorium Martinos Auditorium
The university “is one of the “It helps Brown students to continue, said Kerry Smith, chair

menu top schools in greater China,” said

SHARPE REFECTORY
LUNCH
Bruschetta Mozzarella, Vegetarian
Cajun Pasta, Seasoned Fries,
Sauteed Peppers
DINNER
Oven Roasted Tofu Triangles,
Sustainable Seafood Cavatelli,
VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL
Beef Pot Pie, Vegan Chili, Parslied
Rice, Hot and Spicy Vegetable
Saute, Krinkle Cut Fries
Tequila Lime Chicken, Vegan
Ratatouille, Roasted Herb Potatoes,
Matthew Gutmann, vice president
for international affairs.
The collaboration began in
2006 and was bolstered by the
signing of two memoranda of un-
derstanding in March 2009. Under
the memoranda, a recent master’s
program graduate from the Hong
Kong school will come to Brown
to help teach Mandarin each year,
know more about not only China
mainland, but also Hong Kong,”
wrote Weisi Cai, the current teach-
ing associate, in an e-mail to The
Herald.
“The relationship allows us to
provide each other with opportu-
nities to know more about Chinese
and American cultures,” he added.
Lung-Hua Hu, senior lecturer
in East Asian studies, said the
of the Department of East Asian
Studies.
The University is extending an
invitation to the school’s president,
Joseph Sung, to visit and give a
talk. Sung is “quite an impressive
man,” Gutmann said.
The partnership not only helps
the University reach out to alums
and potential donors, but it is also
an opportunity for the University
to learn more about China as it

Daily Herald
Roasted Red Potatoes with Herbs Frosted Brownies gears up for the upcoming Year
the Brown
of China, he said.
Sudoku www.browndailyherald.com
“The Year of China is an op-
portunity for the campus to learn
195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. about the history of the country as
Ben Schreckinger, President Matthew Burrows, Treasurer well as about the many issues and
Sydney Ember, Vice President Isha Gulati, Secretary opportunities facing China today,”
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Simmons wrote.
Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Fri- “I don’t think you can be an
day during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once educated person in China with-
during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free
for each member of the community.
out knowing something about
POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. the language, culture and history
Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. of the United States,” Gutmann
Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily. said. “And I don’t think you can be
Copyright 2011 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
an educated person in the United
editorial Business States without knowing something
(401) 351-3372 (401) 351-3360
herald@browndailyherald.com gm@browndailyherald.com
about the language, culture and
history of China.”

Crossword
The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Opening film looks at BUCC plays host to ROTC discussion
conflict in Palestine
continued from page 1
Kais, a Palestinian returned from
Lebanon.
Perhaps appropriately, the film
ends without a clear resolution.
But Najjar’s cinematography pres-
ents a compelling vision of the dif-
ficulties of everyday Palestinian
life.
After Zaid’s arrest, images of
the concrete walls and barbed wire
separating Israeli and Palestinian
land feature prominently. During
Kamar’s first drive to see her hus-
band in prison, a scene of the wall
segues into one of the prison walls.
Kamar is separated from Zaid by a
wire screen, its pattern imposed on
their faces. One of the most touch-
ing moments is a kiss through the
screen, which ends with an abrupt
command of “Move back!”
Also moving are the scenes of
the family’s farm being taken over
by Israeli settlers. They fence off
the land and slowly establish signs
of ownership — pitching a tent,
planting a flag and threatening
Kamar with guns. They break her
windows and, later, invade and
vandalize her home, smashing all
of her belongings and graffitiing
the Star of David on the walls.
But the film is not wholly de-
pressing. The oversexed, gossipy
cafe proprietress, whose forceful
Kennedy continues mental
illness advocacy as fellow
continued from page 1
brain science researchers and clini-
cians at Brown.”
Kennedy retired from Congress
last year after his eighth term in
office. During his tenure, he was
active in advocating for veterans
with mental illnesses to receive the
same health insurance coverage as
veterans with other illnesses. After
his retirement, he helped create
the One Mind for Brain Research
campaign. He is also organizing the
Next Frontier Conference, which
will bring together scientists, politi-
cians, academics, philanthropists
personality even intimidates the
soldiers patrolling the Ramallah
streets, provides comic relief.
In this setting, the symbolic val-
ue of dance becomes clear. Scenes
of imprisonment and checkpoints
are contrasted with Kamar and
her troupe’s free, expressive move-
ments. Kamar cannot go to Jerusa-
lem without a permit, go onto her
own farmland or free her husband
from jail. Through dance, she reas-
serts control over her movements
and future.
The Palestinian Film Festival
is run by the student group Com-
mon Ground: Equality and Justice
in Palestine/Israel. Group leader
Henry Peck ’11 told The Herald it
was the only student-run Palestin-
ian film festival in the country. It
emphasizes “film as a medium for
looking at the conflict,” he added.
“I’ve never watched a movie
quite like this” said Nathan Elder
’13, an audience member. He said
that although he found the plot dif-
ficult to follow, he appreciated the
“subtleties of Palestinian culture”
that appear in the film. Ahmed No-
fao, a sophomore at St. Lawrence
University, said the film resonated
with his own experiences as a Ra-
mallah native. He said it was “very
rich” and showed how “the occu-
pation is attacking people’s lives
constantly in many ways.”
and patients to discuss neurologi-
cal disorders in Boston May 23-
25, on the 50th anniversary of his
uncle John F. Kennedy’s “moon-
shot” address.
Campus News 3
continued from page 1
The University’s ROTC com-
mittee, which consists of Bergeron,
seven faculty members, two under-
graduates, one graduate student
and one staff member, is charged
with four tasks. It aims to review
the initial resolutions that removed
ROTC, gauge student interest in
the program, examine what would
need to be done to reinstate it and
determine what specific steps the
University would have to take to
change its ROTC policy.
The committee has discussed the
possibility of reinstating ROTC with
various student groups, including
the Queer Alliance, Students for
ROTC, the Coalition Against Special
Privileges for ROTC and the Gradu-
ate Student Council. The committee
will also present at tonight’s meeting
of the Undergraduate Council of
Students and at an April 13 faculty
forum. UCS will host a lunch forum
March 22 for students to discuss
reinstating ROTC.
Bergeron also discussed her
attendance at the Ivy Plus confer-
ence — a consortium of universi-
ties, including members of the Ivy
League as well as the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, the Uni-
versity of Chicago and Stanford —
where deans from the universities
discussed their respective plans to
offer or not offer ROTC programs.
Of those universities, MIT, Cor-
nell, Dartmouth, Princeton and
Penn already offer ROTC programs.
Harvard announced its intention to
reinstate its ROTC program earlier
this month, and Bergeron said it
looks likely that Columbia, Yale and
Stanford will do the same. If this
were the case, Brown would be the
only Ivy League university not to
have a ROTC program on campus.
Bergeron also said she has been
impressed with the “community en-
gagement” in the University’s ROTC
discussion. Students can access in-
formation from the committee on
ROTC on a campus-wide website
using a tab on their Brown Gmail
accounts.
Gabriel Schwartz ’13, co-direc-
tor of the Queer Political Action
Committee, spoke after Bergeron’s
presentation, calling the idea of re-
instating ROTC “potentially very
problematic.”
Students are “insured protection
by Brown’s anti-discrimination pol-
icy,” Schwartz said. He specifically
cited military discrimination against
transgenders as a reason to oppose
bringing ROTC to the University.
But Martin Bell ’11.5, who was
discharged from the military un-
der “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” recom-
mended reinstating ROTC, though
he questioned if there would be
enough student interest in the pro-
gram. “The leadership training they
do offer you is relevant across the
board,” he said.
Students can currently partici-
pate in Officer Candidate School,
a program that tracks students to
join the Marines. But Bell said par-
ticipation in ROTC has advantages
over Officer Candidate School, like
increasing opportunities to get ad-
vanced officer positions.
Students from the Coalition
Against Special Privileges for ROTC
also spoke at the meeting, critiqu-
ing military discrimination against
transgenders and potential lack of
academic merit to ROTC classes.
Several arguments have been
presented to the committee on
ROTC in favor of reinstating the
program, said Ken Miller ’70 P’02,
professor of biology and a mem-
ber of the committee. Specifically,
ROTC creates an opportunity for
students to pursue a military career,
and prospective students might not
consider Brown because of the lack
of an ROTC program on campus, es-
pecially if more peer institutions re-
instate the program. Some argue the
University risks “insulating itself ”
from military realities in America if
there is no ROTC program, Miller
said. He called attention to the fi-
nancial scholarship associated with
the program and the potential ben-
efit the military could derive from
Brown students’ involvement.
The ROTC scholarship is not a
“moot point” even in the context of
need-blind admissions, Miller said.
Such scholarships could give the Of-
fice of Financial Aid more flexibility.
Bergeron will present an updated
report at the April 26 BUCC meet-
ing. The faculty is also scheduled to
address the question of reinstating
ROTC at its May 3 meeting, she said.
The meeting also included a pre-
sentation on LGBTQ resources at
the University. Students from the
Queer Alliance spoke about trying
to increase transgender resources,
including trying to partner with the
admissions office in reaching out to
prospective and admitted LGBTQ
students.
4 City & State
School closures baffle community
continued from page 1
through media outlets or by word-
of-mouth.
Marfeo’s son Anthony attends
Asa Messer Elementary. “I really
didn’t think that this one was go-
ing to be one of them,” she said
yesterday afternoon, as she waited
to pick up her son outside the red
brick school building. The school
department will hold meetings for
parents to decide where the stu-
dents will be transferred, she said.
Bridgham Middle School — which,
according to the city’s recommen-
dations, would be converted to an
elementary school — would be a
convenient option, she added, be-
cause of its proximity to Asa Messer.
Marfeo said she worries about
how the changes would affect An-
thony’s relationships with his teach-
ers and administrators. “When I
told him last night, he was really
upset,” she said. The first thing he
asked was, “Am I going to get to see
Ms. Calabro again?”
Some parents, like Karen Diaz,
did not find out about the an-
nouncement until yesterday. “They
just told me now,” she said, after
picking up her son from Asa Messer.
“I was just surprised,” said Terri
Wright, who has two children en-
rolled at Flynn Elementary and also
received no notification.
Wright said one of her sons, a
fourth grader, would have gradu-
ated from the school next year.
“It’s just hard,” she said. “All this
hard work he’s put in at this school
is going to waste. Now he’s going
somewhere totally different.”
Wright added she hoped her
children would be sent to the same
school. If they were separated, she
said, “I don’t know what we would
do.”
“It will be hard to leave,” said
Yahaira Veoez, the parent of a stu-
dent at Asa Messer Annex. “I love
this school. My daughter has been
here since kindergarten.”
As school let out around 3 p.m.
yesterday, Dan — the husband of a
teacher at Flynn Elementary — sat
quietly in his car, waiting for his
wife to emerge from school. Teach-
ers “aren’t happy” about the school
closings, he said, because most are
not eligible for retirement. Though
he learned of the school closings
on Channel 10 News, he said he
believed the school sent a letter to
parents following the announce-
ment.
He did not want his last name
published because he did not want
his comments to be identified with
his wife.
A school department official
visited Flynn Elementary Monday
and told a “teacher in charge” — the
principal was not present — that the
school would be closed, Dan said.
Both he and his wife remain
hopeful, he said. “If they get enough
people retiring over the summer,
maybe they’ll rehire. … The teach-
ers here do a good job.”
He said he was confused as to
why the school — which, with 600
students, is the biggest on the city’s
The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
As a consequence of the four school closings, some bus drivers’ routes may
change.
list — had been chosen. He said that
while the building is old and needs a
new heating system, he saw no rea-
son to target it over others, he said.
“We’re totally devastated,” said
Mary-Ann Cullen, a teacher at Fly-
nn Elementary. “We’re more than
just a school. We’re a community.”
She added that the school’s students
are “extremely upset” by the an-
nouncement.
Cullen said she is unsure how the
closure will affect her job, since the
city has already fired all teachers in
the district.
Administrators at Flynn El-
ementary said teachers had been
instructed not to comment on the
situation.
Norma Thomas, a crossing guard
at Flynn Elementary for over 20
years, learned about the announce-
ment on the news. “I don’t like it at
all because it means I’ll have to be
transferred,” she said. “But I don’t
know where.”
Nicole Soares, who works at
the Allen Berry Health Center, a
community health center next to
Flynn Elementary, said many of the
Morgan Johnson / Herald
school’s students come to the cen-
ter as patients. The closure would
“affect the whole neighborhood,”
she said.
Yesterday afternoon, Jo-Ann
Martin — fondly known as “Jo-Jo”
by community members — was
guiding students as usual across
the parking lot behind Flynn El-
ementary. As a security official for
the Rhode Island Bureau of Inves-
tigation, she talks to parents as they
pick up their children every day.
“They’re very nervous, they’re full
of worries and concerns,” she said.
“They don’t know what the next step
is going to be.”
Martin called the situation “un-
fortunate.” Flynn Elementary is “so
convenient,” she said. “The capacity
is always full. All the schools are
full. Where are they going to put
the kids? How is that going to affect
(their) education?”
“Right now the quality of learn-
ing is below average,” she said, cit-
ing the low test scores in several
Providence public schools. “What’s
continued on page 5
The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Jo-Ann Martin (above), a security official for the Rhode Island Bureau of
Investigation, said she does not know where she will work next year.
continued from page 4
going to happen when you have
more kids?” She added that the
adjustment period — as students
adapt to their new schools after they
are transferred — will be a difficult
process.
Brown’s Swearer Center for Pub-
lic Service runs several programs in
the four schools recommended for
closing. Because the recommenda-
tions have not yet been finalized,
the “specific implications will take
a little time to discern,” said Roger
Nozaki MAT’89, the center’s direc-
tor. He said the center will continue
to focus on “supporting the students
City & State 5
comics
BB & Z | Cole Pruitt, Andrew Seiden, Valerie Hsiung and Dan Ricker
Cloud Buddies! | David Emanuel
Rebecca Ballhaus / Herald
and families” involved in its pro-
grams.
Hannah Miles ’13, coordinator
of the Swearer Classroom Program
— which works in both Asa Messer
and William D’Abate elementary
schools — said the volunteer tutors Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
“form really close relationships with
the teachers.”
She said the changes would
definitely have an impact on the
program’s work. “We’ve put so much
energy into these schools,” she said.
“It’s like we’re going to have to start
from scratch at a new school.”
— With additional reporting by
Amy Rasmussen and Morgan Johnson
6 Editorial & Letter The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Editorial Editorial comic by sam rosenfeld

Class conscious
Last February, the ad hoc Organizational Review Committee released
its recommendations for how Brown could reduce its budget by $14
million. The committee’s charge implied a commitment to cutting out
excesses, rather than eliminating services important to students’ needs.
Last week’s Herald article about the newly centralized events planning
process described an excellent example of the implementation of the com-
mittee’s recommendations. The Office of University Event and Conference
Services, which opened last summer, consolidates the University Events
Office, the Conference Services Office and the University Event Support
Office and reports directly to the Department of Facilities Management.
The reorganization resulted in the elimination of several staff positions,
but it will ultimately facilitate event planning for students, faculty and staff.
Considering the mindset guiding the reorganization of event plan-
ning — which prioritizes the improvement of the University’s operations
— we were disappointed to hear the Corporation’s reasons for increasing
next year’s incoming transfer class by 50 students, another of the ORC’s
recommendations.
We do not oppose opening the Van Wickle Gates to more transfer stu-
dents. The relatively large transfer student population at Brown means that
our community includes undergraduates who have already experienced
life at community colleges, single-sex institutions and public universities,
for example — in short, places dramatically different from Brown. They
are active members of our dance companies, political organizations, a
cappella groups and student publications.
Brown is planning to increase the undergraduate student body to
6,000. Increasing the number of incoming transfers instead of first-year
students achieves this without putting more pressure on resources for
first-year students, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 said.
Kertzer’s comment is telling. The University places a significant em- letter to the editor
phasis on the first-year experience — on first-year seminars, first-year
advising and first-year residential counseling. But we attend Brown for
four years, not one, and we make important decisions about what to More reaction to full-page advertisement
concentrate in, how to spend our summers and what career paths to
embark on well after our first year. Spots in first-year seminars and beds To the Editor: instructions on how to give yourself an abortion and an
in first-year housing are limited. But sophomores and upperclassmen attempt to convince you that anyone who does not get
also struggle to get into advanced courses with limited enrollment, and I sit here in shock upon reading the full-page ad- abortions is ignorant of how amazing they are.
some live in converted kitchens and lounges. vertisement that you allowed to be displayed in your What I just said is far from what I believe. However,
Some see preferential treatment when officials seem to ignore up- newspaper. It is one of the most opinionated, slanderous I use it to illustrate the severity of what you allow to
perclassmen’s limited resources while simultaneously seeking to ease things I have ever read, and I was incredibly disappointed make it to print.
the burdens first-years face. We understand the importance of first-year- in The Herald for allowing something like that to see If you guys really need the money so badly, then you
specific resources in appealing to prospective students and acclimating the light of day. should just ask the school for it.
new students to college, and we commend the University for its dedica- I will open my comments by saying that I am certainly If you think that this advertisement was just an expres-
tion to the first-year experience. But we remind Brown that college is more pro-Palestinian then pro-Israel in my thoughts sion of free speech, or if you are going to read this letter
not a year-long “experience.” It is multiple years of growth and learning. about the issue. However, even if this was an advertise- and say that you did no wrong because you have every
What’s more, the University’s decision is necessarily related to the ment talking about how great Palestinians are, I would legal right to do so, then you would be foolish. There
revenue that transfer students bring in. Admissions for transfer students not want it to be featured in what is supposed to be an is a huge difference between the ability to say whatever
is “need-aware, not need-blind,” and the financial aid budget for transfer objective news source and I would be just as angry. you want, and the carrying through of this power. The
students will not increase next year, said James Tilton, director of finan- Do you think that publishing something with the difference is that everyone understands that newspapers
cial aid. The University’s commitment to socioeconomic diversity in the tiny word “Advertisement” above it removes any liability can say whatever they want. However, since news sources
student body seems secondary to the importance of revenue, another that you have towards the content that the page says? say things that are intended to be objective, people trust
demonstration of where the University’s priorities lie. If Brown plans Apparently not. I am now under the belief that if I them. What you have lost is trust. And this is something
to enroll more transfers, it should do so in a way that is fair to those it wanted to — and had enough disposable income lying that you will not be gaining back from me anytime soon.
accepts — by offering a quality academic and residential experience and around to pay for a full page ad — I could publish an Good work losing another dedicated reader.
by ensuring that no applicant’s financial situation bars him or her from article about how I think abortions are great, healthy
being able to attend Brown. and benefit society. I could even finish this ad with Lucas Husted ’13

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The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The United States is on the brink of fascism
By Chris
Norris-LeBlanc
Opinions Columnist
I would like to look at two famous scholars’
definitions of fascism and examine them in
the context of current events in the United
States.
First, a quote by Robert Paxton, an emer-
itus professor of history at Columbia.
“Fascism may be defined as a form of po-
litical behavior marked by obsessive preoc-
cupation with community decline, humili-
ation or victimhood and by compensatory
cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a
massed-based party of committed national-
ist militants, working in uneasy but effective
collaboration with traditional elites, aban-
dons democratic liberties and pursues with
redemptive violence and without ethical or
legal restraints goals of internal cleansing
and external expansion.”
In the context of this formulation of fas-
cism, let us examine Tea Party and more
generally right-wing treatment of American
Muslims and Hispanics.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there
has been a great deal of hysteria about rad-
icalism among Muslims. Up until recently,
this attitude has taken a strong but anecdotal
place in the United States. Muslims are more
often pulled out of lines in airports and sub-
ject to suspicion by the general American
population. In addition, a strong culture of
intolerance and hate for American Muslims
has been proven by numerous videos, avail-
Skepticism of marriage equality
By Tanya Nguyen
Guest Columnist
Same-sex marriage is one of the most
prominent, defining issues in mainstream
LGBTQ politics today. To oppose it is of-
ten seen as being homophobic, and there
are indeed many bigoted viewpoints. But
it is possible to remain skeptical of mar-
riage equality while fully supporting queer
rights.
Marriage equality raises the question of
“equality to what?” This framing attempts
to set LGBTQ people as equal to straight
people, thus accepting straight standards.
Those committed to monogamy — and
therefore supposedly of higher moral and
social standing — are rewarded with spe-
cial legal rights and unique benefits. Fight-
ing for inclusion does not question why this
type of relationship should be valued over
others. Often, in response to reactionaries
who make alarmist claims about the gays’
so-called destructive infiltration into tra-
ditional marriage, pro-same-sex marriage
groups argue that allowing two men or
two women to tie the knot will not change
marriage at all, preserving it as sacred. But
challenging and transforming an institu-
tion whose roots come from the concept
of a nuclear family with normalized gender
roles is in fact something to be celebrated. I
am not calling marriage equality efforts as-
similationist. I surely have no authority to
say that, and I am sure most who fight for
it do not actually aim to ape heterosexual
able for viewing on YouTube, which depict
crowds protesting outside Muslim gather-
ings.
But this pervasive discrimination has
now become structural. Rep. Peter King,
R-New York, has called for a congressional
hearing to determine whether or not Mus-
lims in America have become radicalized.
This call was answered, and this hearing is
currently underway.
Hispanic people as well have been sin-
gled out as being a threat to America on the
basis of race. But their situation is different
— the discriminatory attitudes against them
This is not a masturbatory case study or lofty
philosophizing — it is the imminent, terrifying and real
introduction of fascist policies into the United States
government.
are older, more pervasive and already very
entrenched in American law.
One is able to see, between these two
manifestations of discrimination, the real-
ization of the full definition of fascism of-
fered by Paxton. The energetic and cult-like
Tea Party, largely defined by middle-class
anger over deteriorating standards of living,
has lashed out at ethnic groups and blamed
them for the downfall of American soci-
ety. The Tea Party, although a working-class
movement, has strong advocates among
right-wing elites.
This alliance has manifested itself by al-
lowing these discriminations to be structur-
culture and to quash radicals. But the pri-
macy of the marriage agenda might have
the unintended consequence of limiting
the scope of changing the status quo.
Consider the case of two elderly sisters
who live together, share resources and look
after each other — is their caregiving re-
lationship not as valid? People live in dif-
ferent family structures, such as single-
parent households and extended kinship,
for which marriage might not be an op-
tion. But these people are just as deserv-
ing of state and federal benefits. Marriage
Marriage equality as a policy issue runs the risk of losing
sight of and diverting resources from the plight of many
for whom marriage is not a concern or solution.
can be a positive choice for couples for re-
ligious, cultural and personal reasons. But
no one should have to marry for econom-
ic reasons. Marriage is a private affair that
should not involve the state — being sexu-
al or romantic with one person should not
be linked to entitlement to medical, insur-
ance, inheritance or other benefits. Family
laws that value all families, including non-
marital relationships, already exist in some
areas and can be spread through reforms.
Moreover, there are other pressing issues
such as employment discrimination, hous-
ing discrimination and protection from vi-
Opinions 7
ally supported, as evidenced by discrimina-
tory policies about Hispanic immigration
and the recent push to governmentally sup-
port the persecution of Muslim people — in
short, the pursuit of internal cleansing with-
out ethical or legal restraint.
Second, Noam Chomsky, professor of
linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, said that a fascist system “has
tight control at the top and strict obedience
has to be established at every level — there’s
little bargaining, a little give and take, but
the line of authority is perfectly straightfor-
ward.”
This definition is relevant in terms of the
labor struggles currently occurring across
the United States. In New Jersey, Wiscon-
sin, Michigan, Rhode Island, Ohio and oth-
ers, middle-class government workers have
been singled out as public enemy number
one.
Although several weeks ago the gover-
nors of these states were still arguing that
these cuts were simply about balancing their
respective budgets, Gov. Scott Walker and
his Republican harem blew the lid off of
that justification with their move this week.
While Wisconsin Democrats fled to the hills
to avoid a vote on Walker’s budget, the Re-
olence that cannot be solved through mar-
riage equality. For same-sex couples to be
told they cannot marry must be frustrat-
ing because it has the effect of delegitimiz-
ing their love and relegating them to sec-
ond-class citizenship. But the reality is that
many LGBTQ citizens and immigrants
face social and economic injustice due to
systemic discrimination unrelated to mar-
riage. Classism and racism negatively affect
LGBTQ people at the lower end of the in-
come spectrum. If a gay man — or anyone
else — is mired in poverty because HIV/
AIDS stigmatization prevents him from
securing a job, gaining the ability to wed
his partner will not be of much help. What
good does marriage equality do if an in-
dividual cannot get health care benefits in
the first place, much less extend them to a
spouse? In addition, entrenched cultural
attitudes that have hurt LGBTQ youth are
not likely to be changed by same-sex cou-
ples’ giving each other rings. Bullying and
violence need to be dealt with more direct-
ly.
We can hope that the fight for and win-
ning of same-sex marriage will have ripple
publicans carefully edited out all language in
the bill pertaining to funding. In doing so,
by Wisconsin state law, the entire state sen-
ate did not need to be present for the vote,
and the Republican representatives voted it
in before Democrats could rush back in to
block it.
In doing so, Wisconsin Republicans in-
arguably revealed their true intention — the
consolidation of power.
Furthermore, with the way they sub-
verted democracy to pass Walker’s budget,
Wisconsin Republicans exercised oligarchi-
cal power. With the passing of this bill, they
have ensured their ability to retain tight,
top-down control over middle-class work-
ers. They have also, with the removal of
unions’ collective bargaining rights, created
a system where a little give and take is the
most Wisconsin workers can hope for.
This is not a masturbatory case study or
lofty philosophizing — it is the imminent,
terrifying and real introduction of fascist
policies into the United States government.
I would like to finish with one more quote
from Chomsky — “I’m just old enough to
have heard a number of Hitler’s speeches on
the radio,” he said, “and I have a memory
of the texture and the tone of the cheering
mobs, and I have the dread sense of the dark
clouds of fascism gathering.”
Keep your ears and eyes open for ways to
show solidarity, and do not let this historical
moment pass by without a fight.
Chris Norris-LeBlanc ’13 is from Rhode
Island. He can be contacted at
chris.norris.leblanc@gmail.com
effects that lead to broader social and le-
gal acceptance of queer people. Granting
the right to same-sex marriage might open
national discourse and give hope and con-
fidence to gays and lesbians. But that is not
enough. Advocating for legislation such
as the Employment Non-Discrimination
Act, which would prohibit discrimination
against employees on the basis of sexual
orientation or gender identity would be a
more efficient and effective way to address
these problems. Queer issues are myriad
and interrelated. They should not be pitted
against each other. But marriage equality as
a policy issue runs the risk of losing sight of
and diverting resources from the plight of
many for whom marriage is not a concern
or solution.
I support measures such as the pending
bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode
Island because I strongly oppose discrim-
ination on the basis of sexual orientation,
and recognition of same-sex marriage can
indeed pave the way for a pluralistic soci-
ety free of a hierarchy of relationships and
more accepting of diverse family forms.
But instead of focusing on extending het-
erosexual privilege to another small part
of the population, we should examine why
it exists in the first place. We should look
beyond formal marriage equality and into
issues of substantive equality in all areas
affecting quality of life for LGBTQ people
and other marginalized minorities.
Tanya Nguyen ’13 is by no means an
expert on family law or queer activism.
She can be contacted at
tanya_nguyen@brown.edu.
Daily Herald Sports Wednesday
the Brown
baseball
Bruno takes down No. 5 Longhorns
By Ilan Isaacs
Contributing Writer
For the first time in school history,
the baseball team defeated a top-
five team, beating the University of
Texas 7-3 Saturday in the third game
of a four-game series in Austin. At
the time, Texas (11-5) was ranked
fifth in the nation.
Pitcher Anthony Galan ’14 re-
placed starter Mark Gormley ’11.5
in the third inning and kept the
powerful Longhorn bats silent, in-
ducing 12 groundouts in six innings
of one-run pitching. Galan earned
Ivy co-rookie and co-pitcher of the
week honors for his performance.
In the third inning, Ryan Zrenda
’11 hit a two-run home run and
first-year standout Wes Van Boom
’14 scored to give the Bears a 3-1
lead. Though the Longhorns scored
one run in the third and the fifth,
the Bears (2-6) responded with an
offensive onslaught in the top half
of the seventh.
Mike DiBiase ’12, who showed
a rare combination of patience and
power all through the weekend on
his way to Ivy League player of the
week honors, started off the inning
with a single. Graham Tyler ’12 and
U. recruits for 21-year children’s study pair grabs Ivy honors
By Kim Clifton
Contributing Writer
The University, in collaboration
with Women and Infants Hospi-
tal of Rhode Island, is successfully
recruiting pregnant women for the
Providence County chapter of the
National Children’s Study, the broad-
est longitudinal study on child devel-
opment ever conducted in the U.S.
campus news
Melody Drnach, senior com-
munity engagement and outreach
coordinator, called the collaboration
an “amazing opportunity for Brown
University to again be a leader in
the country in terms of conducting
a longitudinal study that improves
the health and well-being of Rhode
Islanders.”
The study at Brown is led by
Professor of Community Health
Stephen Buka, Associate Professor
of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Com-
munity Health Maureen Phipps and
Associate Professor of Community
Health Melissa Clark. Other doc-
tors and scientists in the state sit
on the Providence chapter’s advi-
sory board. “Our research team is
truly integrated,” Phipps said. “It’s
terrific.”
The study will follow children
from before birth until age 21, col-
lecting data on the children’s physi-
cal environment, family dynam-
ics, neighborhood and genetics to
“improve the health and well-being
of children and contribute to un-
derstanding the role various factors
have on health and disease,” accord-
ing to the study’s website.
“Information we gain will have
local relevance, but data we learn
will help inform children’s health
Pete Greskoff ’11 also had hits as
the Bears scored three runs in the
frame. In the eighth, co-captain
Matt Colantonio ’11 doubled and
came home to score. Josh Feit ’11
came on in the ninth and struck out
the side, ensuring a historic victory
for the Bears.
The Bears dropped the other
three matchups against the Long-
horns 8-0, 4-3 and 11-1.
In the series opener, Texas ace
Taylor Jungman stifled Brown hit-
ters through eight innings of score-
less work to bring his record at the
Longhorns’ home stadium in Aus-
tin to a perfect 13-0. After facing
Vanderbilt pitcher Sonny Gray last
week, Matt Kimball ’11 was again
matched up against an elite MLB
pitching prospect. Kimball gave
up six runs, three of which were
earned, over six innings.
The Longhorns, a notoriously
good bunting team, used three
straight first inning bunts to take
a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first
inning. Texas added four more in-
surance runs to bring the final score
to 8-0.
The following day, Zrenda and
At season’s end, Bear
Greskoff scored in the first inning to
give the Bears an early 2-0 lead. But
for the nation and probably across
the world,” Phipps said.
Providence County is one of the
30 study hubs nationwide involved
in the pilot phase of the project. The
pilot program will test the feasibil-
ity of various recruitment methods
before implementing them on a na-
tional scale. The study will eventu-
ally be conducted at 105 locations
and involve 100,000 women and
their children.
Brown is recruiting through pre-
natal care providers, obstetricians
and gynecologists, and so far the
team has seen an “extremely positive
response,” Phipps said. “All the pre-
natal care providers in Providence
County are willing to work with
us,” she said. Recruitment in Provi-
dence County started Nov. 30. As of
March 1, the team had recruited 35
women to the study, reported that
day’s Providence Journal. The ulti-
mate goal is to recruit 1,000 women.
Drnach said her current role is
to “work with community leaders to
bring awareness to all communities
across Providence County about the
study. We want (women) to be aware
of (the study)and think of us when
they become pregnant.”
John Logan, professor of sociolo-
gy and an investigator for the study,
said, “I think it’s good for Brown to
be recognized as a useful partner in
a national project. It builds up the
research capacity of the people here.”
Logan said his role in the research
is to determine how to draw a sam-
ple of new mothers in Providence
County “in a way that would really
allow us eventually to understand
the effects of neighborhood condi-
tions on child development.”
For a study this large, Phipps said
she is looking into opportunities for
students to help with research so
despite multiple chances to increase
their lead, the Bears left the door
open for a Longhorns comeback.
In the fifth inning, Texas fresh-
man Erich Weiss provided the
firepower for that comeback with
a grand slam. Though Brown
pitcher Kevin Carlow ’13 pitched
well throughout the game, one cru-
cial mistake — a fastball down the
middle — earned him the loss, as
the Longhorns took the game 4-3.
After Bruno’s Saturday break-
through, the team was unable to
repeat its performance Sunday.
Bruno pitchers struggled all day,
and the Longhorns, on the strength
of three hits each from Jacob Felts
and Cohl Walla, cruised to a com-
fortable 11-1 victory.
The Bears returned to New Eng-
land Tuesday, defeating Northeast-
ern University 6-4. Conor Burke
’11 pitched five innings and gave
up three runs against the Huskies
(2-11), and the Bears’ offense was
powered by home runs from Van
Boom, DiBiase and Tyler.
Brown continues its 18-game
road trip to open the season with
a four-game series at Santa Clara
University (7-9) beginning March
26.
that they can have “the best expe-
rience.” Logan clarified that those
involved will be graduate students,
not undergraduates, due to the
training and long-term commit-
ment required. “It will be hard for
undergrads to participate, but a lot
of the issues that we learn about will
make their way into the classroom,”
Logan said.
Due to the length of the proj-
ect, the investigators said they were
concerned that families moving or
dropping out would affect successful
data collection. “Really making this
something that the communities
want to sustain is going to be criti-
cal,” Drnach said.
Logan said the goal is for fami-
lies to take pride in contributing to
the study. “The spirit of the project
helps to keep people from dropping
out,” he said.
Buka and Phipps, the principal
investigators, applied to the study
in 2007 when the National Institute
of Child Health and Human Devel-
opment called for proposals. The
partnership was awarded a five-year,
$14.1 million contract in 2007, and
the University pledged an addition-
al $1 million. Women and Infants
pledged $500,000 to the project.
In October of 2008, the insitute
awarded Brown another $12 mil-
lion contract to expand the study.
While both Buka and Phipps
had previous long-term research
experience, Phipps said this study
was “definitely a big undertaking.”
Logan said Buka deserves a
“great deal of credit” for organiz-
ing the project and involving Brown
professors in so many facets of the
research. He added, “What we all
like is to do the science, but in order
to do the science you have to do the
project building.”
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Pa r t y at t h e d i s c - o
Matt Barnes ’13 looks to throw around an opponent on Sunday as Brownian
Motion hosted MIT, Northeastern and URI in a round robbin-style tournament,
winning all three games.
w. basketball
By Madeleine Wenstrup
Sports Staff Writer
The women’s basketball team
wrapped up the season on an up-
swing, winning its last three con-
ference games to catapult into the
top half of the Ivy League. And the
good news did not stop there. Last
week, Ivy League coaches voted
Sheila Dixon ’13 onto the Second
Team All-Ivy and Lauren Clarke
’14 to a spot on the all-conference
rookie team.
Dixon, a native of Schenectady,
N.Y., exploded onto the scene this
year after a difficult freshman sea-
son. As a first-year, she netted only
100 points all season, averaging 3.6
points per game.
“I struggled last season,” Dixon
said. “I had to relearn how Divi-
sion I basketball works. It was a
humbling experience.”
But Dixon put in the time and
effort between seasons to improve
her game.
Dixon used her disappointing
rookie campaign “to work toward
getting better,” she said.
“I worked out a lot over the
summer,” Dixon said.
Her efforts paid off. In the 2010-
2011 season, she led the team in
scoring as well as rebounding, av-
eraging 11 points and 6.3 rebounds
per game.
Previous to the All-Ivy award,
Dixon also earned Ivy League
Player of the Week honors in the
last week of the season. She was
recognized after leading the Bears
to a one-point win over Dartmouth
Feb. 26. That night, she walked
away with her fourth double-dou-
ble of the season and a career high
in both points and rebounds, with
22 and 14, respectively.
Emily Gilbert / Herald
Clarke, a rookie point guard
from Colts Neck, N.J., jumped
into college basketball seamlessly,
starting every game with the ex-
ception of two she missed due to
injury. As the starting point guard,
she led the squad in playing time,
averaging 32.5 minutes per game.
She also ranked third on the team
in scoring, racking up 9.3 points
per game.
“It was great coming into this
season,” she said. “The team had
great chemistry, and my coaches
and teammates helped me make
it a smooth transition.”
The Bears missed Clarke during
her two-game absence. In Bruno’s
second league game against Yale,
Clarke dove for a loose ball and
tore a ligament in her left shoul-
der. Brown was swept at home by
Princeton and Penn during Clarke’s
time on the bench.
Like Dixon, Clarke was recog-
nized by the Ivy League during the
season. After scoring a career-high
24 points against the University of
Rhode Island, she was named the
Ivy League rookie of the week. Dur-
ing the state rivalry game, Clarke
made her way into the Brown re-
cord books. She netted 18 points on
six-of-eight shooting from beyond
the arc, the second-highest number
of points from three-point range in
Bruno history.
Both Dixon and Clarke empha-
sized the entire team’s integral role
in their successes.
“You have to have a great team
to be able to improve and to get
this honor,” Dixon said.
Clarke expressed a similar
sentiment. “I have to give a lot of
credit to my teammates,” she said.
“I could not have accomplished
this without them.”