March 3, 2009 Issue

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 28 | Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Move to let Watson give tenure resisted By Sydney Ember Senior Staff Writer

Courtesy of Dartmouth College

Jim Yong Kim ’82.

Kim ’82 picked as Dartmouth president by Hannah Moser Senior Staff Writer

Jim Yong Kim ’82, a medical doctor and global health leader who graduated from Brown with a degree in human biology, has been elected to become the 17th president of Dartmouth, the college’s board of trustees announced Monday. Kim will begin his term July 1, succeeding longtime president James Wright. Kim, who was born in Seoul and moved to Iowa at age five, will become the first Asian-American president of an Ivy League institution and just the second-ever person of color, after Ruth Simmons, to hold such a post. “I feel so proud to follow in Ruth’s footsteps,” he said in a telephone interview Monday. “She inspired me to think that I can do this job.” A leader in the field of public health, Kim garnered international recognition as a senior official at the World Health Organization for working to fight diseases such as continued on page 2

A proposal that would allow the Watson Institute for International Studies to grant tenure to its appointees is on hold after a widespread negative response from faculty members. A final decision on the proposal — first suggested by the Watson Board of Overseers in October 2007 — was supposed to be reached this semester. But a fear that the tenure selection process would be used to attract non-traditional faculty — along with concerns about the University’s financial situation — has delayed a verdict on the proposal indefinitely. The Watson board’s proposal has suffered from a lack of support from faculty both inside and outside the institute. “I think we all felt more discussion was necessary,” said Vice President for International Affairs David Kennedy ’76, who is serving as interim director of Watson. “Some people felt we needed to do more planning.” The lack of a permanent director, as well as widespread differ-

ences in faculty opinion regarding the proposal, have made the issue “an open conversation,” Kennedy said. Tenure is a “necessary tool” for attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty, he said. As part of the institute’s longterm strategic planning process, there have been a number of committees that started meeting this past fall to discuss whether the proposal “makes sense,” Kennedy added. But a Watson faculty member, who agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity, said Kennedy and President Ruth Simmons pulled the plug on the proposal earlier this year because enthusiasm among faculty had remained “lukewarm.” Many people are unclear who would benefit from Watson’s ability to grant tenure to its professors, the person said. “This proposal was not initiated by the Watson faculty,” the faculty member said, adding that opposition among faculty is due to concern about departmental competition over resources and the perception that tenure would be used to continued on page 2

Kim Perley / Herald

A proposal by the Watson Institute’s Board of Overseers to let the institute hand out tenure offers has stalled, unpopular with faculty.

Over 1,100 take first-year seminars this year, highest ever By Emma Berry Staf f Writer

After falling slightly last year, firstyear seminar enrollment for the current school year has been larger than ever. Between the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years, the number of first-year seminars offered rose from 56 to 74, and total enrollment rose from about 800 to over 1,100 — the highest level since the program started in 2002, according

to Registrar Michael Pesta. “Things are back on the upswing,” Pesta said, adding that last year’s dip may have been due to “any number of circumstances,” including professors taking sabbaticals and significant turnover in the Dean of the College’s office when seminar offerings were being planned. According to Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, an increase in the size of the faculty under the Plan for Academic Enrichment

enabled the program’s growth. Though the Corporation recently announced that it will slow faculty hiring to deal with projected losses of income, “the budget reductions in the College will not affect the First-Year Seminar program at all next year,” Bergeron wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “Since we are expecting an additional modest growth in the faculty for next year, we anticipate that the (first-year) seminar program will remain on a strong footing,”

she wrote. Bergeron wrote that there will be 72 first-year seminars taught during the next school year — a slight dip from the 74 offered this year. She said the decrease would not affect the program’s goal of offering enough first-year seminar slots for the entire freshman class, typically numbering about 1400 students. But Pesta said it’s “hard to tell” continued on page 2

Med student R.I. senator’s personal guest at Obama speech By Brian Mastroianni Senior Staff Writer

inside

Lauren Goddard MD’11 found herself rubbing elbows with the family and friends of some of Washington’s most powerful political players last Tuesday, as she watched President Barack Obama’s first address to Congress from the Visitor’s Gallery of the House of Representatives. “I kept nudging people and saying ‘Look there’s Senator Feinstein, look there’s Nancy Pelosi, and no one was phased because they were probably related to these people,” Goddard said.

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A self-described “political geek,” a gastrointestinal disease for which Goddard attended the speech as there is no known cure. a personal guest of Sen. Sheldon “I took health insurance for Whitehouse, D-R.I. granted for my whole life, but then “I thought the speech was great I became too old to be covered by in that it exceeded my my mother’s insurance expectations,” she said. policy, and I didn’t have FEATURE “Obama set out very spehealth insurance for a cific goals and made the people a long time,” Goddard said. “I realized part of those goals and plans — he the contradiction that I was a med makes the public feel invested in the student, and yet I didn’t have health insurance.” process.” For Goddard, Obama’s focus on Goddard met Whitehouse early affordable health care had a particu- last month at a community dinner in lar resonance. After graduating from Warwick that focused on health care Barnard College in 2004, Goddard reform. The dinner was attended by was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, about 200 people who spoke about

their struggles in receiving health care, said Alex Swartsel, communications director in Whitehouse’s office. “Every one of the stories presented at the dinner was compelling,” Swartsel said. “The interesting thing about Lauren is that she is a medical student as well as a patient. As a student of medicine she knows that if you are scheduled to take medication regularly, you take it, but as a patient who struggled to afford health care … she is going to have a hard time finding affordable health care.” continued on page 2

Kim Perley / Herald Lauren Goddard MD’11 took a trip to Washington to hear Obama’s address.

Metro, 5

Sports, 7

Opinions, 11

state Stimulation Gov. Carcieri ’65 accepted R.I.’s portion of the federal stimulus bill last week.

Double heartbreak M. basketball lost two close games over the weekend to Ivy League foes

Bds is your pal Fatima Aqeel ’12 writes that Dining Services is about more than just food

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

[email protected]

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS More freshman take seminars this year continued from page 1

exactly how many seminars will be taught next year, since departments hire new professors and course offerings tend to change even after the course booklet is printed. Students interviewed by The Herald said they felt having classes restricted to first years made taking seminars less intimidating Natan Last ’12 said his first-year seminar, MUSC 0021B: “Reading Jazz,” has been one of the best classes he has taken at Brown. “It’s you and a bunch of people talking for two hours and twenty minutes about music we all love,” he said. Because first-year seminars are capped at 20, students must enter a summer lottery for spaces in a course. Though Mariel Heupler ’12 re-

ceived her first-choice seminar, ANTH 0066L: “Singing and Language,” last summer, she said she remembers students in the “Class of 2012” Facebook group vying for spots in particular classes. The program seemed popular, she said, adding that “everyone was complaining about not getting their first pick.” But unfortunately for Heupler, the program did not meet her expectations. While she “got all excited about the idea” of a small, discussionbased course, “because we were all freshmen, no one really participated” in her seminar, she said. Still, Cici Matheny ’09 said she envied the underclassmen who have been able to take advantage of the expanded course offerings. “I tried to get in one my freshman year and it was just impossible,” she said.

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“I tried to get in one my freshman year and it was just impossible.” — Cici Matheny ’09, on not having taken a first-year seminar

Senator takes student to Washington continued from page 1 Whitehouse has held eight community dinners throughout the state since his election to office in 2006. Last year, Mike Tracy, a cancer survivor who struggled to pay his health care premiums, was the Whitehouse’s guest to the State of the Union Address. “These meetings present an invaluable opportunity that is unique to Rhode Island, in that it gets the senator out to the community to hear directly from the people on what issues matter to them,” Swartsel said. “That’s just exactly what democracy is all about, this chance to directly engage with elected officials.” While Goddard said Obama’s speech left her feeling positive that changes will be made, she said she remains frustrated by the lack of health care reforms in the past eight years under the Bush administration. “There is so much that needs to change in our health care system right now,” she said. “For example, we need to improve our electronic

health care records, which are pretty spotty right now. There needs to be a standardized, unified electronic system between primary care doctors and specialists.” Goddard also pointed to the shortage of primary care providers, adding that currently there is more incentive to choose a specialty rather than go into primary care. Goddard’s interest in health care began when she studied abroad in Mali during her senior year of college. After seeing the lack of health care education within the communities she visited, Goddard realized she “wanted to help people achieve the best level of health that they could possibly get.” After another trip abroad, Goddard became sick as a result of intestinal parasites. The experience, she said, most likely exacerbated her Crohn’s disease. It was then that she realized she should focus her attention on U.S. health care. “It upset me at first that I would not be able to work as a physician abroad,” said Goddard, who needs

to remain in the U.S. to receive better treatment for her condition. “However, especially after experiencing problems with your own health coverage, you realize that there are Third World issues facing us in this country.” As Goddard continues to advocate for health care reform while in medical school, Swartsel said she and others like her will continue to inspire those in similar situations. “I think people in Rhode Island can look at someone like Lauren Goddard or Mike Tracy and say, ‘Wow they are just like me, they have the same kinds of concerns and worries and hopes that I have,”’ Swartsel said. Goddard said those who are critical of government-directed health care reform should realize that it is the only way to bring about change. “Some people are skeptical of government involvement, but I do not think those worries are a good enough reason not to try to make reforms,” she said.

Watson tenure move proves unpopular continued from page 1 bring high-profile lawyers instead of academics to the institute. There is also widespread concern that these lawyers would command high salaries, the faculty member said, which would detract from available funds for other professors, especially given the current economic climate. “The case has not been effectively made, especially by the interim director,” the anonymous faculty member said. Last spring, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 created a group to evaluate the Watson board’s proposal.But the proposal, which the Faculty Ex-

ecutive Committee was planning to address this semester, “never got anywhere near the FEC,” said Jamie Dreier, professor of philosophy and chair of the committee. “The fact that there aren’t any whispers about it makes it unlikely it will come up this spring,” he said. Many faculty members are concerned about the review process for professors receiving tenure at Watson, Dreier said, adding that the faculty also want to make sure the criteria used for selection are comparable to other departments’ standards. The concern stems largely from the institute’s “quasi-autonomous position,” Dreier said. “Nobody re-

ally knows exactly what this process should be.” Faculty members, he added, have questioned why Watson wants its own tenure process in the first place. Ross Cheit, an associate professor of political science who is currently on leave from the University, said the Watson Institute’s move was “a topdown proposal with limited support from the faculty.” “There is an important concern about whether this proposal is aimed at tenuring lawyers who would not qualify for tenure at any department at Brown,” he said. “I’m not against Brown having a law school, but I’m against doing it this way.”

Kim ’82, health leader, will lead Dartmouth continued from page 1

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HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. He has also served as chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine in 2004. As medical students, he and Paul Farmer, now a renowned anthropologist and physician, co-founded the non-profit organization Partners in Health, which today supports health programs in poor communities in Haiti, Peru, Rwanda and the United States, among other countries. Kim’s numerous awards and recognitions include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2003. He was included in a list of America’s 25 “Best Leaders” by US News and World Report in 2005, and was chosen as one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006. Kim is also currently the chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Director of the Francois-

Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health. At Brown, Kim said he played volleyball and was involved at the Third World Center and the Asian Students Association. “I really know from being a Brown student what an amazing impact your undergrad experience can have on you,” he said. After earning his A.B. from Brown and his M.D. at Harvard Medical School, Kim went on to get a Ph.D. from Harvard in anthropology. The Dartmouth search committee, made up of alumni, students and faculty, “spent nearly a year soliciting input” from the community and looking at candidates, 300 of which were “explicitly considered,” according to a Dartmouth press release. Wright announced in February last year his intention to resign from the top position after 11 years, and Kim was elected in a special meeting of the trustees on Feb. 20. “Jim follows in the long tradition of Dartmouth presidents who have

made a significant mark both in higher education and on the world stage,” Charles Haldeman, Jr., the chairman of the board of trustees, said in the statement, “and we are confident he is the ideal person to lead the College in today’s rapidly changing environment.” Simmons, the first non-white president in the Ivy League, praised Kim in the same press release. “His powerful personal story inspires; his past achievements illuminate the power of innovative thinking to find solutions to the most intractable problems; and his strong moral leadership matches the highest aims of university life.” Kim said he has always taken an active approach to changing the world. Rather than simply advocating for change, “I’ve tried to tackle those problems directly,” he said. In a welcome change from years of throwing himself headlong at major problems in the world, Kim said his goal now is to give a “great group of young people the tools they need to change the world.”

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

“This is to maximize the economic and societal value.” — Professor Angus Kingon, on a new entrepreneurial collaboration

Prof testifies on future of forensics By Kristina Fazzalaro Contributing Writer

A Brown professor recently led a study on the shortcomings of current forensic science programs, of fering recommendations to Congress about standardizing procedures and enforcing better regulatory mechanisms. Professor of Medical Science Constantine Gatsonis co-chaired a committee appointed by the National Academy of Sciences in 2007, and presented a report, entitled “Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward,” to Congress last month. Congress mandated the study after receiving several complaints from individuals in the forensic science community about discrepancies in techniques and procedures, Gatsonis said. Over the course of eight meetings, the committee examined documents, procedures and educational programs across the country. It also received presentations from chiefs of laboratories, coroners, medical examiners and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The report made 13 recommendations to improve forensic science, the most important being the establishment of a national institute for the discipline, according to Gatsonis.

The institution would be independent of any law enforcement agency, as would, Gatsonis hopes, all forensic labs in the future. This independence would ensure that biases would be left out of any procedures, especially in criminal cases. A national institute would also be responsible for regulatory work, such as ensuring standards for accrediting and certifying laborato-

“Typically to be a coroner you have to win an election.” Constantine Gatsonis Professor of Biostatistics

ries, procedures and technicians. Last week, Gatsonis was a special guest on National Public Radio’s Science Friday and pointed to a case in which a 17-year-old high school student was certified to be a deputy coroner in Indiana. “Typically to become a coroner you have to win an election,” Gatsonis said during the show. “All-in-all that is not certification. There has to be certification developed by

professional bodies and administered by mandatory standards.” Gatsonis also said typical forensic science procedures such as handwriting and bite-mark analysis and the tracing of tire marks have no grounding in any of the major sciences, such as biology and chemistry, and must be researched further. “DNA analysis came from biology and the studying of chemicals came from chemistry,” Gatsonis said. “These have been studied and evaluated. They are developed paradigms. This must now be done in forensic science.” Educational and training programs offered for forensic science must also be improved and developed further, he said. Currently, there are no opportunities in higher education available for forensic science. Gatsonis said Brown offers only one or two classes relating to forensic science. In the future, Gatsonis said he may speak in several classes on the issue, but currently there are no plans for a lecture or forum on forensic science. As for Brown’s future involvement in forensic science research, Gatsonis said, “It will depend on programs for funding and the overall impact of the report.” “Things move slowly,” he said.

U. will partner to help local businesses By Heeyoung Min Staf f Writer

Brown and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation are beginning plans to open a Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a resource center to help local entrepreneurs launch businesses in Providence with the goal of spurring the city’s ailing economy. The University and the EDC signed a formal agreement on Feb. 23 after the latter $100,000 to the project along with promises for two additional $50,000 donations from the Slater Technology Fund and the Science and Technology Advisor y Council, said Christine Smith, innovation program manager of the EDC. The center does not yet have a specific infrastructure, but will finance researchers with the goal of using their findings to support business start-ups, bring more people into the business sector of the economy and act as a “business accelerator,” Professor of Engineering Angus Kingon wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “The exact details of the Center’s activities have not yet (been) developed,” Kingon wrote. “This is specifically because it will not be run by Brown alone, but in partnership with the State, other universities and the hospitals” who will develop further details together. While the center is relying on Brown’s support, it is also seeking involvement from local businesses

and institutions, such as Johnson and Wales, Smith said. The new center could help the struggling state, which faces one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation at 10 percent. “The aim of the center is to promote the commercialization of research and technology from Brown University and the community,” Kingon wrote, adding that the center will also “nurture new ventures” that are formed on the basis of research and technology. “This is to maximize the economic and societal value of the investment in research and create economic activity,” he added. The center will supply research grants to those working in a variety of disciplines, including engineering and computer, environmental and mechanical sciences, Smith said. “We want to marr y research and facilitate that research with industr y,” she said. The center would charge fees for its ser vices, which corporate sponsors may later subsidize, according to a Feb. 24 article in the Providence Journal. Ideas for a start-up company often fail to launch because “these ideas would initially not be ready for an incubator or substantial investment by (venture capitalists) or other groups,” Clyde Briant, professor of engineering and vice president for research, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “The aim of the center is to help them develop the plans to the point

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where they would be attractive to investors.” Administrators at the EDC and the University said they hope both Brown faculty and students will become involved in the project to help boost the state’s economic situation, but stressed that the center is open to all Rhode Island residents. “We want Brown faculty to avail themselves of this opportunity, but it is open to any in the state,” Briant wrote. “We certainly hope that Brown students, both graduate and undergraduate, as well as students from other colleges and universities in the state will participate.” “We are currently working (on) what types of activities will be available to them,” he added. Sectors of the University focusing on entrepreneurship already intend to become active participants in the center. “Brown (Engineering) will be involved, as the entrepreneurship teaching and outreach activities of the University are currently centered in Engineering,” Kingon wrote. According to Kingon, there will be many oppor tunities for student involvement in the center. “No details yet, but clearly this is the intention. Some of the startups may even be led by Brown undergraduates or graduates.” The center currently has no workers, but its first hire will be an executive director, Smith said, adding that the program will be located in a University building on Davol Square in the Jewelr y District.

U. may scale back size and scope of events By Suzannah Weiss Contributing Writer

Targets of the University’s fight against the economic recession may include event catering and advertising, according to Vice President of Public Affairs and University Relations Marisa Quinn. The number of large events like lectures and panels has remained essentially the same, Quinn said, though she said she “would not be surprised if some scaling back on the scope of events is evident, given the economy.” The University may cut back on receptions, dinners and printed event advertising, she said. Certain events also depend on the availability of speakers and “can be unpredictable in terms of scheduling, with some stretches of time busier than others,” she said. “I expect we’ll have a similar number of lectures and events this spring,” she added Most on-campus lectures and other events are sponsored by bodies such as the Watson Institute for International Studies, the Cogut Center for the Humanities and the Taubman Center for Public Policy, as well as by student groups such as the Lecture Board. “Our budget may be stagnant for the next year or two because the (student activities fee) isn’t really increasing, but in terms of the actual operation of our group, this year is the same as it has been since I’ve been at Brown,” said Andrew Chapin ’10, a member of the Lecture Board. The Corporation approved a $6 increase in the student activities fee for next year at

its meeting last month, The Herald reported Feb. 25. Other departments and groups also said they are holding as many, if not more, events than usual this semester. “We’re jammed,” said Kit Salisbury, humanities center manager for the Cogut Center. Though University events are as numerous as in the past, they may be less visible this semester, since the administration is making an effort to spend less on advertising, Quinn said. Watson Communications Manager Karen Lynch said “The Institute has been carefully weighing the costs and benefits of its activities across the board, under current economic conditions.” The scrutiny may mean fewer events, she said, adding that it’s too soon to tell. According to Graphic Services Director Deborah Berlo, there has been a 40-percent decrease in campuswide mailings to faculty, students and staff. “It’s clear that electronic dissemination of information has increased,” she said. Many wishing to adver tise events are tr ying to cut back on printed materials, relying more on electronic communication like Morning Mail, Quinn said. Dining Ser vices Director of Administration Ann Hoffman said the demand for catered events has remained about the same, though “customers are reducing the cost of their events through their menu selections.” Though catering staff are affected by the recession, Hoffman said, “so far, there has been no significant impact on the work they perform here.”

Metro The Brown Daily Herald

R.I. accepts its share of stimulus package By Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor

Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 officially accepted Rhode Island’s $1.1 billion share of federal stimulus funds at a ceremony at the State House last Thursday, vowing to work with the state legislature to oversee its allocation. Receiving the stimulus money will put the state “on the path back to economic recovery,” Carcieri said at the event. “I pledge to work with the General Assembly, our congressional delegation and our cities and towns to identify and agree upon projects quickly to maximize the federal stimulus dollars available to Rhode Island and to get our economy moving again.” The governor was joined by House Speaker William Murphy and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed as he signed the required certificates well in advance of the April 3 deadline stipulated by the stimulus bill, titled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Though conflict over who will

make spending decisions had seemed imminent, the Republican governor appeared to step back from his plan for unilateral control in favor of working with the state’s Democratically controlled General Assembly. In February, Carcieri created the Office of Economic Recovery and Reinvestment to recommend infrastructure improvement projects subject to his approval. But that office will now track expenditures and aid transparency while decisions about spending will be made collaboratively by the Governor’s office and the state legislature, Carcieri announced at Thursday’s event. Few details are known about how the state will spend its discretionary funds since officials are still reviewing the 1,500-page act and receiving new information from Congress, Carcieri said. Much of the stimulus money is attached to specific programs, such as the Federal Additional Compensation Program which goes into effect this week and gives an additional $25 per week to those receiving unemployment benefits.

Legislation would help R.I. students get 3-year degrees By Lauren Fedor Senior Staff Writer

Students at Rhode Island’s three public colleges may be able to complete their degrees in three years, thanks to legislation introduced last month by Rep. Joseph McNamara D-Dist. 19, which includes Cranston and Warwick. The program will reduce the price of a college degree and allow students to enter the workforce more quickly. McNamara described the bill — the Rhode Island Bachelor’s Degree in Three Program Act — in a news conference last Tuesday, according to a press release. The legislation would allow students matriculating at the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College or the University of Rhode Island to receive college credit for advanced placement, dual enrollment and other college-level courses taken during high school. These programs could “shave a year off” students’ college education and reduce their tuition costs, according to a statement released by the State House. Under McNamara’s proposal, the state Board of Governors for Higher Education would complete preliminary planning by Feb. 1, 2010 and the program would go into effect the following academic year. Though local high schools already collaborate with the state’s public colleges, developing a threeyear program would “allow students to utilize the credit-bearing courses more fully,” McNamara said in the statement. “A college education is the best

way for young people to advance themselves in this globalized world. Not only will a three-year program benefit students, the state will benefit as well,” he said. The proposal — which was discussed in a House committee hearing last Wednesday — seems to be garnering support among state leaders in education. President Robert Caruthers of URI, President Nancy Carriuolo of RIC and President Ray DiPasquale of CCRI all support the measure, according to the release. Furthermore, Jack Warner, commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Higher Education, testified in favor of the legislation. Warner believes there are “significant benefits” to allowing students who are “ready to move ahead” earn college credits while they are still enrolled in high school, wrote Steve Maurano, the Board of Governors’ associate commissioner for external affairs, in an e-mail to The Herald. Maurano wrote that the board has seen “strong evidence” of positive trends in dual enrollment programs in recent years. “For many upper-class and high-achieving students, the ability to access dual enrollment courses appears to give many of them a more rigorous and stimulating academic challenge (than) their regular high school courses,” he wrote. For low-income students or students at risk of dropping out of high school, dual enrollment classes “expose them to college-level work and give them motivation and hope that they can succeed in college,” he added.

“I will not allow branch library services to be eliminated.” Mayor David Cicilline ’83, after an agreement with the libraries fell apart Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | Page 5

City, library system still miles apart By George Miller Metro Editor

Mayor David Cicilline ’83 has rejected Providence Public Library’s plan to eliminate five neighborhood branches to solve its budget crisis, leaving the future of the city’s relationship with the privately owned public library system — and the fate of the libraries after Jun. 30 — in question. The mayor’s of fice and PPL both issued press releases last week, with the librar y asserting that the agreement in question was approved by the City Council but never signed by the mayor, and Cicilline saying the librar y’s plan was unacceptable. According to the terms of an agreement signed by the city and PPL six months ago, the librar y was to submit a “sustainable” budgetary plan. The library system is “reviewing its options” for continuing service during the next fiscal year, which begins Jul. 1. Under the librar y’s proposed plan, five neighborhood branches — Olneyville, Wanskuck, Fox Point, Washington Park and Smith Hill — would close and be converted to city- or communityowned “neighborhood learning centers.” But Cicilline said in the press release that PPL’s plan, by its own admission, would be insolvent within two years. He also stated his opposition to closing any branches. “I will not allow branch library services to be eliminated,” he said in the statement. “I would prefer to preser ve a par tnership that has worked for 120 years until recently.” Cicilline futher accused the library system of opting to “deliberately misrepresent the city’s position on this matter in the media.” PPL Chairman Bill Simmons, who is also a professor of Anthropology at Brown, said in a press

Janine Cheng / Herald

The fate of five Providence public libraries is uncertain in the face of a massive state budget shor tfall.

release that the nonprofit group remained open to working with the city. “The focus for ever yone involved needs to be on finding the best way to provide library service in the city,” he said. No one at the mayor’s office or the PPL, could be reached for additional comment Monday. Meanwhile, some community members, who have formed a group called Providence Community Librar y, are seeking to save the neighborhood branches from closure by taking over all nine neighborhood branches. “It is time to end the city’s

partnership with PPL once and for all and to begin a new era for Providence’s libraries,” the group said in a press release issued in response to the mayor’s and PPL’s statements. The group said that it will be able to begin managing the nine neighborhood branches on July 1 in its release. The community group has hired Louise Blalock, a former chief librarian of the Hartford Public Library, to help construct a five-year budget. PPL is open to exploring whether allowing the group to take over the branches is a “viable alternative,” according to its press release.

World & Nation The Brown Daily Herald

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | Page 6

Stocks plummet to 12-year low Army of new federal By Ylan Mui The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — U.S. stock markets plunged 4 percent Monday to close at the lowest levels in nearly 12 years, sparking fresh fears of a prolonged and more severe decline. The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled nearly 300 points, or 4.2 percent, to 6763.29, its lowest close since April 1997. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index fell to a level not seen since 1996, dropping 34 points, or 4.7 percent, to 700.82. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed down 55 points, or 4 percent, to 1322.85. “There’s little confidence that we’re going to get out of this any time soon,” said Axel Merk, portfolio manager at Merk Hard Currency Fund. “We’re still lacking very clear guidance. All we know is it’s going to be very, very expensive.” Stocks began their slide as soon as the markets opened Monday on news that insurance giant AIG recorded a $61.7 billion loss during the fourth quarter — the biggest quarterly loss in U.S. corporate history. The firm said it would gain access to another $30 billion in taxpayer money as part of another restructuring of its federal bailout, and its stock ended the day flat at 42 cents a share.

The markets continued an almost steady march downward as the day wore on. The energy sector suffered the largest decline, 7.5 percent, a sign that investors think demand will remain weak and that the economy is far from recovery. Crude oil prices dropped $4.61, or 10.3 percent, to $40.15 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Financial firms finished not far behind, down nearly 6 percent. HSBC Holdings, Europe’s biggest bank, was down $6.55, or about 19 percent, to $28.25 a share on the New York Stock Exchange, after the company announced profit plummeted 70 percent and that it cut its dividend. Bank of America was down 32 cents, or 8 percent, to $3.63. Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest student lender, dropped 85 cents, or 18.5 percent, to $3.75. “This is far worse than anything that we’ve seen, and the disturbing part of this market is the real causes of the break are still deteriorating,” said David Dreman, founder of Dreman Value Management. Markets seemed to shrug off the one piece of positive news Monday: New government data showed consumer spending increased 0.6 percent in January compared with December, the first rise in six months, driven in part by higher gas prices. Pay raises for federal employees and the military also

helped boost personal income by 0.4 percent. Still, retail stocks were largely down Monday — though Family Dollar and Dollar Tree were notable exceptions, finishing up about 1 percent. “The market is not really taking into consideration any bits of good news,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist with New Yorkbased Avalon Partners. “It’s just an ongoing downward trend.” Monday’s dramatic losses come after the major indexes lost 4 percent last week. All 30 blue-chip stocks in the Dow closed down Monday for the second time in less than a month, and the index has lost 23 percent of its value since the year began. Investors are bracing for more bad news later this week when the government releases monthly unemployment data. “Bottom line is it’s economic decay, and (there’s) no real catalyst to turn the market around,” Cardillo said. The pain was not limited to the United States Monday. Overseas, stock markets were hammered by massive sell-offs as well. Italy’s S&P/MIB Index contracted by 6 percent, while Switzerland’s major index and Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 5 percent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were down nearly 4 percent.

No single cause for global sell-off By Neil Irwin Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The global financial rout worsened Monday, driving U.S. stocks to their lowest level since 1997 amid deepening questions about whether governments around the world are being forceful enough in combating the economic crisis. There was no single cause for Monday’s sell-off, which sent each of the major indexes down at least 4 percent, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing below 7,000 for the first time in 12 years. Investors were shaken by another government rescue of insurance giant American International Group, which said it would take on $30 billion more in public money after reporting the largest quarterly loss in U.S. histor y. The markets were also absorbing news from the weekend from famed investor Warren Buffett, who said the economy will be “in shambles” this year and who repor ted the worst investment returns in the 44 years he has run Berkshire Hathaway. But more than any individual development, the continuing collapse in financial markets around the globe reflected an absence of faith that the trillions of dollars that governments have deployed to tr y to contain the damage will

do the trick — and a realization that, from Europe to Japan to the Americas, the flow of goods and ser vices is dr ying up. “People are really coming to terms with the fact that we not only have a global slump, but one that’s going to be prolonged,” said George Feiger, chief executive of Contango Capital Advisors. “And there’s a lack of coherence to the global response. In Japan, the government is paralyzed; in Europe the absence of a central government is crippling their ability to conduct coordinated policy; and the U.S. government has taken some dramatic actions but always too little too late.” Monday, the fallout also touched the Washington region, which has been less vulnerable to recessions in the past. Sunrise Senior Living, the assistedliving giant based in suburban McLean, Va., said it was working with its lenders to tr y to avoid bankr uptcy protection. Allied Capital, the Washington buyout firm that defaulted on its debt agreements last month, recorded a $579 million loss for the fourth quarter and said its chief executive would resign. Whatever turmoil U.S. companies are experiencing, the damage increasingly appears worse in many other parts of the world. Financial markets are starting to

grapple with the realization that major Western European banks are more exposed to real estate losses in Eastern Europe and Russia than had been previously realized. Monday HSBC, the British bank that has been viewed as one of the strongest throughout the financial crisis, reported a 70 percent drop in 2008 earnings. It said it would raise $17.7 billion in new capital, cut 6,100 jobs and abandon much of its U.S. consumer lending business. Major world stock markets lost 4 to 5 percent Monday. In the United States, stocks are down 22 percent this year and 55 percent from their peak in 2007, as measured by the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index. Money gushed into safe Treasur y bonds Monday, driving down their yields. The dollar registered major gains against the euro as investors concluded that, for all the problems in the U.S. economy, it looks better than the rest of the world. The deterioration in financial markets comes, ironically, as companies have proven more able to issue debt in recent weeks than in late 2008, and as bank lending rates move toward normal levels. “The credit markets have healed some, but the view of the continued on page 9

workers likely needed By Philip Rucker The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s budget is so ambitious, with vast new spending on health care, energy independence, education and ser vices for veterans, that experts say he probably will need to hire tens of thousands of new federal government workers to realize his goals. The $3.6 trillion plan released last week proposes spending billions to begin initiatives and implement existing programs. Given Obama’s insistence that he would scale back the use of private-sector contractors, his priorities could reverse a generational decline in the size of the government work force. Exactly how many new workers would be needed remains unclear — one independent estimate was 100,000, while the conser vative Heritage Foundation said it is likely to be closer to a quar termillion. Administration of ficials said they cannot determine overall hiring projections until the president’s full budget is released this spring, but acknowledged that significant new hiring will occur. “It is premature to be making any assumptions about overall federal employment levels,” White House budget director Peter Orszag said. “We have no desire to bloat bureaucracy — indeed, just the opposite — and the budget will not do that.” But, he added, “in several key areas — from properly auditing contracts to providing quality medical care to veterans and reducing errors in Medicare and other programs — investing in skilled professionals will not only pay off over time, but also immediately deliver better ser vice to taxpayers.” Several major agencies said they are already planning to grow their work forces, some significantly. Of ficials at the Depar tment of Veterans Affairs, for instance, said they expect to hire more than 17,000 new employees by the end of the year, many at hospitals and other facilities to fulfill Obama’s pledge to expand veterans’ access to health care. The agency — whose budget will grow by 11 percent, to $56 billion, under Obama’s plan — will add about 7,900 nurses, 3,300 doctors, 3,800 clerks and 2,400 practical nurses, spokeswoman Josephine Schuda said. At the Social Security Administration, the budget will increase by 10 percent, to $11.6 billion, enabling the agency to hire new staff to handle backlogs on frontline operations, such aslocal field offices, hearing offices and teleservice centers, spokesman Mark Lassiter said. Said Max Stier, president of the Par tnership for Public Ser vice:

“This is obviously a new world. We’ve had a government that has been star ved. ... When you look at virtually ever y agency in government — whether it’s food inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration or claims examiners at the Social Security Administration — across the board, we’ve had all too few people doing the business of government.” Between 1940 and 1970, the federal civilian work force swelled from 707,000 to 2.1 million, according to government statistics provided by Stier. But ever since Ronald Reagan swept into the White House in 1981 with a call to decrease the government’s footprint, presidents have limited the size of the work force. Although President George W. Bush added tens of thousands of airport baggage screeners and other homeland security jobs, he offset much of that increase by limiting hiring at other agencies. In reversing this trend, Obama would make himself politically vulnerable to charges that he is growing not just the power but the size of government. If the outside estimates are realized, Obama could spur a government hiring spree on a scale unseen since President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society agenda in the 1960s. “What group of socialists got in the room and wrote this budget? Do they have any idea what the implications are?” asked Republican Newt Gingrich, who as House speaker in the 1990s advocated a shrinking of the government. “This is the most aggressive 180-degree turn that we have seen in the American system.” Obama, in his radio address Saturday, acknowledged that the budget signals “real and dramatic change” to the status quo in the federal city. “I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak,” he said. “My message to them is this: So am I.” But the new president is “caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Paul Light, a professor of public ser vice at New York University. Obama inherited a federal work force of about 2 million that Light described as woefully understaffed, especially to fulfill his bold domestic policy agenda. He predicted that Obama’s budget and the $787 billion economic recover y package could require an additional 100,000 federal workers, but warned that the number may be even higher. “I think that’s just a start,” Light said. “You kind of look across the federal landscape and you say there has to be more bodies with more expertise, as well as more bodies continued on page 9

SportsTuesday The Brown Daily Herald

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | Page 7

Weekend Two tight games, two losses for m. hoops roundup By Benjy Asher Sports Editor

Gymnastics The gymnastics team finished second at the Ivy Classic this weekend, compiling a team score of 188.400. Cornell took the win with 190.800, while Brown finished ahead of Penn (187.325) and Yale (185.200). Helen Segal ’10 and Vida Rivera ’11 earned individual titles for the Bears, on floor exercise and uneven bars, respectively. Top Performers Chelsey Binkley ’11: Floor: 9.750, Tied for 2nd Katie Goddard ’12: Floor: 9.750, T2nd Vida Rivera ‘11: Bars: 9.750, 1st Helen Segal ‘10: Floor: 9.775, 1st Vicki Zanelli ’11: All-around: 37.625, 4th Men’s track and field The men’s track and field team finished with 52 points to earn fifth place at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships on Saturday. Marc Howland ’11 and Matt Jasmin ’09 finished about a tenth of a second off the lead in the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles, respectively, while Duriel Hardy ’10 turned in a secondplace finish in the 5000-meter run. Brown also had several high finishes in the field events.

Top Performers Andrew Chapin ’10: Triple jump: 14.69m, 5th Reginald Cole ’10: Triple jump: 15.10m, 2nd Duriel Hardy ‘10: 3000m run: 8:24.27, 5th; 5000m run: 14:27.12, 2nd Marc Howland ‘11: 60m dash: 6.95, 2nd Matt Jasmin ‘11: 60m hurdles: 8.07, 2nd Jordan Maddocks ’11: High jump: 2.04m, 4th Sean O’Brien ’09: 800m run: 1:53.92, 5th Bryan Powlen ’09: Shot put: 16.57m, 4th Women’s track and field The women’s track and field team finished fourth at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, with a team score of 65 points. Nicole Burns ’09 finished first in the 400-meter run, while in the field, Danielle Grunloh ’10 set a new personal best to win the shot put, with Brynn Smith ’11 close behind in second place. Top Performers Nicole Burns ’09: 200m run: 25.00, 4th; 400m run: 54.88, 1st Danielle Grunloh ‘10: Shot put: 15.51m, 1st Molly Hawksley ’09: Weight throw: 15.61m, 4th Anja Hergrueter ’10: High jump: 1.70m, 2nd Lauren Pischel ’11: 5000m run: 17:09.07, 6th Kesley Ramsey ’11: 800m run: 2:11.85, 4th Susan Scavone ’12: 60m hurdles: 8.87, 5th Brynn Smith ‘11: Shot put: 14.59m, 2nd; Weight throw: 16.27m, 3rd

—Sports Staff Reports

The men’s basketball team’s woes continued on the road this weekend with a 56-48 loss to Princeton on Friday night, followed by a 64-54 loss to Penn on Saturday night. The Bears led at 48 Brown halftime on Princeton 56 Friday, but poor shoot54 ing in the Brown 64 Penn second half gave the Tigers the win. Saturday night’s game followed a similar story line, as Brown led for much of the game but faltered down the stretch against the Quakers. Princeton 56, Brown 48 The Bears came in looking to sweep the season series against Princeton as they took the opening game 61-43 in Providence on Feb. 14, their only conference win of the season. Tri-captain Peter Sullivan ’11 led Brown (7-19, 1-11 Ivy) with 21 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the field on Friday night, with 14 of his points coming in the first half. But Sullivan’s effort wasn’t enough for the Bears, who shot 35 percent from the floor and 14 percent from behind the three-point line on the night. Tri-captain Chris Skrelja ’09 had the hot hand early on, scoring seven points in the opening four minutes to keep Brown within two points, at 12-10. Though Skrelja did not score for the rest of the game, he turned in a strong all-around effort for the Bears, grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds and dishing out a teamhigh five assists.

Justin Coleman / Herald Matt Mullery ’10 scored in double figures in back-to-back losses for the men’s basketball team this weekend.

The Tigers (12-12, 7-4 Ivy) went on a 9-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 21-12 lead, but two baskets from Sullivan jump-

M. tennis splits weekend doubleheader at home By Erin Frauenhofer Spor ts Staf f Writer

The men’s tennis team recorded one win and one loss in its home doubleheader on Saturday as the Bears fought to compensate for two senior captains’ injuries. After narrowly losing a 4-3 match to Binghamton University in the afternoon, the Bears rebounded that evening to sweep the UConn, 7-0. The Bears were forced to reshuf fle their lineup due to the continuing back injur y of captain Chris Lee ’09. Captain Noah Gardner ’09 also suffered an injury during the Binghamton match and could not participate in the UConn match. “In terms of performance and ef for t, we played well in both matches,” said Kendrick Au ’11. “We had to have a few guys step in, and they performed well. It’s good that we play strong teams like Binghamton.”

Binghamton 4, Brown 3 The Bears star ted the day by dominating the Bearcats in doubles. At first doubles, Gardner and captain Sam Garland ’09 trounced Moshe Levy and Arnav Jain, 8-3. Au and Skate Gorham ’10 earned an 8-6 victor y over Gilber t Wong and Alexandre Haggai at second doubles, and at third doubles, Jonathan Pearlman ’11 and Charlie Posner ’11 defeated Evan Algier and Sven Vloedgraven by a score of 8-4. But Binghamton put up a tougher fight in singles play, edging out Brown in the first four singles matches. “The guys fought really hard and played at a good level,” said Head Coach Jay Harris. “It was just a match that kind of exposed our inexperience, which we need to shore up a little bit, and that’s what we’re going to do in the coming weeks.” At first singles, Pearlman narcontinued on page 8

started a 17-6 run for Bruno to end the first half. Sullivan accounted for 11 of Brown’s 17 points during that run to vault the Bears to a 29-27 lead

going into the locker room. But after intermission, Brown struggled to convert opportunities on the offensive end. After shooting 44 percent from the field in the first half, the Bears shot just 24 percent in the second half, including a 1-of12 mark from behind the arc. “We would take those shots anytime, anywhere to try to win games,” said Head Coach Jesse Agel. “We just didn’t have any luck making them.” Matt Muller y ’10 scored the team’s first five points of the half to keep Brown’s slim lead intact, 34-33, with 13:35 remaining, but that was the last time the Bears would hold the lead. Princeton freshman Doug Davis, who led the Tigers with 16 points, knocked down two threes and another jumper over the next 4:36 to put Brown in a 41-36 hole with 8:59 left to play. The Bears kept the game close, and a jumper by Sullivan cut Princeton’s lead to two points, 5048, with 3:01 left to play, but several costly turnovers down the stretch ultimately gave the game to the Tigers, who came away with a 56-48 victory. Mullery was the only player other than Sullivan to score in double figures for the Bears, as he finished with 11 points, on 5-of-11 shooting, along with seven rebounds and three blocks. “We played very well as a team, but unfortunately ... we weren’t able get any points off our bench, which would’ve given us a big lift,” Agel said. “But with that being said, we had tremendous opportunities, and wide open shots, we just had some bad luck.” continued on page 8

Page 8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S ports Tuesday

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

“Doubleheaders are always a long day” — Kendrick Au ’11, on the UConn tennis tournament

M. hoops falls twice late in game continued from page 7 Penn 64, Brown 54 The Bears came into Philadelphia on Saturday night hoping to avenge a 73-52 loss on their Feb. 13 meeting with Penn (9-16, 5-6 Ivy), and Mullery rose to the occasion, shooting 8-of-9 from the field to finish with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, all game-highs. “Matt Mullery had a phenomenal game inside and was tremendous from start to finish,” Agel said. The Bears got off to a hot start on Saturday, with Chris Taylor ’11 scoring the game’s first four points in his first career start, in place of injured tri-captain Scott Friske ’09, who missed both games this weekend. Following a lay-up by Penn’s Kevin Egee, Skrelja knocked down a three, and two lay-ups by Mullery gave the Bears an 11-2 lead 6:08 in. “We were able to switch on a lot of screens and defend them pretty well early in the game,” Mullery said. “We did a great job on closing out on their shooters, and we did a

good job of rebounding, too.” A three-point play by Mullery with 8:09 left gave Brown its biggest lead of the night, at 18-5, but the Quakers turned things around in the closing minutes of the first half. After a Muller y lay-up gave Bruno a 21-10 lead with 3:21 remaining, Penn closed out the half on an 11-2 run to cut Brown’s lead to two points, 23-21. Penn grabbed its first lead of the game with 15:21 remaining when a three from Rob Belcore put the Quakers ahead, 31-29. The Bears continued to fight, as the second half saw seven lead changes and five ties. Muller y continued to make his presence felt in the paint, and Garrett Leffelman ’11 scored seven points in the final eight minutes, finishing with a career-high nine points in 20 minutes off the bench. “Chris Taylor and Garrett Leffelman both came in and gave us a spark,” Agel said. “Chris helped us get out to a good start, and Garrett was hanging in there right until the very end.” A lay-up from Muller y gave

Brown its last lead of the game, 54-53, with 3:21 left, as the Bears would not score for the remainder of the contest. Down 60-54 with 1:38 left, Brown had multiple chances to make it a one-possession game, but missed three-point attempts from Leffelman and Morgan Kelly ’11 kept Penn’s lead intact, and freshman guard Zack Rosen iced the game with a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left. “It was pretty much a carbon copy of the game before. We had open looks and just weren’t able to knock them down,” Agel said. “Our guys did a great job of getting themselves open, finding the open man and having the right guy shooting, but it just wouldn’t go in.” The Bears will finish their season at home this weekend against Harvard (13-13, 5-7 Ivy) on Friday night and Dartmouth (9-17, 7-5 Ivy) on Saturday night. “We had a few close losses at Dartmouth and Har vard a few weeks back, and that’s still in our minds,” Mullery said. “Hopefully, we’ll finally be able to win some close games and get the victories this weekend.”

Justin Coleman / Herald

Kendrick Au ’11 won all four of his matches over the weekend.

M. tennis lose 4-3 to Binghamton continued from page 7 rowly lost to Levy, 7-5, 7-6, while on the second singles court Gorham also dropped a close match by a score of 7-6, 7-5 to Vloedgraven. Garland fell to Jain, 6-1, 6-1 at third singles, and Gardner lost a threeset battle to Wong at fourth singles by a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. “The Binghamton match was a great college tennis match, but unfortunately we just came up a little bit short,” Harris said. “We got kind of unlucky, really. It was unfortunate that Noah got injured during his match. Skate (Gorham) and Jon (Pearlman) losing their matches really closely were tough ones to lose, too.” Au and Jimmy Cr ystal ’12 also had tight matches at fifth and sixth singles, respectively. Au outlasted Haggai in a third-set super-breaker for a final score of 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (5). “I’m star ting to become seasoned,” Au said. “It’s just a matter of playing a lot. I played a superbreaker in the third set, and being in those situations before helped me. After losing the second set, I was able to compose myself.” At sixth singles, Cr ystal triumphed over Algier, 7-5, 7-5. “4-3 them, could easily have been 5-2 us,” Au said, referring to all of the close singles matches. “We need to take things out of ever y match, and I think something we need to improve on is winning bigger points.”

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Brown 7, UConn 0 Brown was on top of its game later in the day against UConn, taking ever y match played in both doubles and singles. At first doubles, Au and Posner demolished Joe Goldstein and Ben Schueler, 8-0. Meanwhile, on the second doubles court, Garland and Basu Ratnam ’09 — who had been out of the lineup with an injur y

since the fall season — soundly defeated Andrew Marcus and Scott Warden by a score of 8-4. “Basu got his first match and win of the season, so that was really cool to see,” Harris said. “It was just a great experience, and it was a really cool boost to have him get in there.” Cr ystal and Pearlman rounded out doubles play with an 8-7 victory at third doubles. Gorham led the way in singles play against the Huskies, overpowering Goldstein at first singles by a score of 6-4, 6-0. At second singles, Pearlman breezed by Marcus, 6-1, 6-1. Garland earned a 6-2, 7-6 (9) win over Joey Michaels at third singles, and Au took a 6-4, 6-1 victor y over Warden at fourth singles. “I’m for tunate enough to be healthy and able to play all these matches, which gives me extra experience,” Au said. “Doubleheaders are always a long day. It’s good that ever yone has the experience of playing so many doubleheaders because, even though it’s a long day, it lengthens our focus. We can play multiple matches with the same intensity.” At fifth singles, Crystal defeated Dave Adams, 6-4, 6-2, while Posner over whelmed Tom Cook at sixth singles by a score of 6-1, 6-0. “The UConn match was a great one,” Harris said. “Kendrick (Au) and Jimmy (Cr ystal) played great. They were both undefeated in the two matches. Kendrick was 4-0, and Jimmy was 3-0, so it was great to see Jimmy stepping up as a freshman that way.” The Bears will play Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Pizzitola Center. “We’ve had a long few weeks, but we’re past the intense part of our schedule, so now we’re building up for the Ivies,” Au said. “We’re a little banged up, so hopefully we can refuel and guys can get completely healthy.”

Page 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

w orld & N ation

Team safely collects plutonium canister By Richard C. Paddock Los Angeles T imes

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — The fourman government disposal team arrived Monday from Los Alamos, N.M., to take away the small canister of plutonium. Weighing just 1.3 grams, the plutonium-238 isotope had been owned by a Silicon Valley company for nearly 30 years and was stored safely in a 10-foot hole in the ground. But in the wrong hands, federal officials say, the highly radioactive isotope could pose a serious threat to public safety and conceivably provide material for a dirty bomb. The crew from the National Nuclear Security Administration pulled the plutonium canister up by a rope, examined it to identify its origin and placed it into a specially lined barrel. The operation took only a few minutes, but federal officials were satisfied that they had eliminated a threat to national safety. “This is a large PU-238 source,” said Julia Whitwor th, a senior project leader who oversaw the Sunnyvale operation. “We are fulfilling the threat-reduction mission to remove material that could cause national security or public-safety concerns.” Radioactive materials are used widely in hospitals, oil fields, manufacturing and research centers across the United States. One of the agency’s responsibilities is to recover abandoned or unused isotopes from these facilities. The isotope removed Monday is less dangerous than plutonium-239, which can be used in nuclear bombs, and emits a less potent radiation that can easily be shielded. But it is highly hazardous if inhaled or ingested. Normally publicity shy, the

NNSA invited a Los Angeles Times reporter and photographer to witness the plutonium recovery. It was the first time any media had been allowed to see a U.S. operation, the agency said. NNSA works in more than 130 countries to recover nuclear materials. It has collected more than 20,600 dangerous sources of radiation in the United States since the program began 12 years ago. But the agency is barely able to stay even. Between 2,500 and 3,000 radiological sources are registered each year as unwanted. In 2008, NNSA teams recovered 3,153, the largest number yet. It has a known backlog of 8,800 known items. Some officials estimate there might be tens of thousands of other radioactive sources that the agency has not identified. “The world is more dangerous today than when Russia had missiles pointing at us and we had missiles pointed at Russia,” said Kenneth Baker, principal deputy NNSA administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation. “This type of material you saw today is one that can make a dirty bomb. One reason we’re so scared is there is a lot of this material around the United States.” The plutonium in question was purchased in 1981 by a Silicon Valley company that develops radiation testing devices. The Times agreed not to identify the company or its employees by name. Contained in a steel canister slightly larger than a D-cell battery, the plutonium had a strength of 22 curies when it was new. With a half-life of 86 years, it now measures 18.3 curies. Stored inside a building on a tree-lined street not far from U.S. Highway 101, the isotope has outlived its usefulness. The company

began using an electrical neutron generator several years ago and had been hoping for some time to dispose of the plutonium. The NNSA recover y crew’s first move was to sweep the plutonium storage area and make sure no radiation was leaking. It wasn’t. The company’s workers always had handled the isotope with a 10-foot pole. The federal team preferred to pull it up with a rope that was attached to the canister. Latex gloves were the only protective gear they wore, but they sought to minimize their exposure by working quickly. They placed the isotope into the barrel, which was lined with thick layers of plastic and metal shielding. The drum will be shipped to Los Alamos National Laborator y, where it will be stored with other nuclear material collected by the NNSA. There is no permanent disposal site for the material. Company of ficials said they were pleased to be rid of the plutonium. “There’s no place in California to dispose of it,” said the company’s radiation safety officer. The Sunnyvale company was not required to pay a fee for the NNSA removal operation. The government believes the cost of a nuclear disaster could be far greater than the $15 million annual cost of the national recovery program, agency officials say. Although a bomb made with a small amount of plutonium-238 might not kill anyone outright, it could cause long-term health effects and require the lengthy closure of the area while it is cleaned of radioactive material. “It would cause a panic,” Baker said. “We would have to block off the area for quite some time. You are talking about a large cost to clean it up.”

Statistics confirm nationwide stagnation continued from page 6 economy has been radically revised down,” said David Shulman, senior economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast. There was a glimmer of good economic news Monday. The Commerce Department reported that consumer spending rose 0.6 percent in Januar y, its first increase since June. Personal income rose 0.4 percent. Those numbers, while a pleasant surprise, were of little comfor t to analysts. “The gains do not reflect an improvement in the fundamental economy,” Stuar t Hof fman, chief economist of PNC Financial Ser vices Group, said in a report. He noted that personal income got a boost from the cost-of-living adjustment to Social Security and government wage increases kicking in at the beginning of the year. And spending rose in part because higher gas prices increased sales

at ser vice stations. Americans saved 5 percent of their income in Januar y, continuing a steep increase. That rate was zero as recently as last April. In the long run, it is desirable for Americans to save more. But in the short run, increased savings mean less spending, which deepens the recession. In other economic news, the Census Bureau reported Monday that the construction industr y has continued its rapid descent, with spending on nonresidential construction — office buildings, hotels and retail, for instance — dropping in Januar y more than it has in 15 years. Separately, the Institute for Supply Management released its Februar y sur vey of manufacturing firms. Factories pulled back on production for the 13th straight month, though at a slightly less severe pace than in Januar y. Inventories rose, a sign that unstocked goods were

accumulating in manufacturers’ warehouses. Beyond the economy, there could be technical reasons for Wall Street’s continued losses. Feiger, whose company advises wealthy individuals on how to manage their money, argues that hedge funds and other big investment entities that use borrowed money are experiencing massive withdrawals from investors, forcing them to liquidate holdings. With few buyers out there, Feiger argues, this selling is helping push stock and other prices down rapidly. He noted that the brokerages that ser ve those funds say they are not using all of their borrowing capacity. “It’s taken a long time for people to accept that we have got a big financial mess and a terrible recession,” Feiger said. “Now there’s a much better understanding that we’re not going to go back to business as usual for a considerable period of time.”

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

State senate resolves to oppose Prop. 8 By Patrick McGreevy Los Angeles T imes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Just days before the matter is to be taken up by California’s Supreme Court, the state Senate approved a resolution Monday calling Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage, an improper revision of the Constitution because it was not approved by the Legislature. Sen. Mark Leno, a Democrat from San Francisco, said the initiative is a fundamental revision to the document, not an amendment, and therefore required deliberation by the Legislature and a two-thirds vote of both houses to put it on the ballot. “Do we have a constitutional democracy in California, or do we

have mob rule?” Leno asked his colleagues before the 18-14 vote approved the resolution. The issue of whether proper procedures were followed in putting the measure on the ballot is to be considered Thursday, when the state Supreme Cour t takes up a legal challenge to the ballot measure. Republican senators said the resolution was an inappropriate attempt by the Legislature to influence the courts. “Californians have spoken. They have spoken a couple of times,” said Sen. George Runner, a Republican from Lancaster. “I guess I don’t see the California citizens, who I believe thoughtfully went to their voting places, as participating in mob rule.”

Federal work force to grow by thousands continued from page 6 that can just deliver the basic services we’ve already promised.” At the conser vative Heritage Foundation, the Center for Data Analysis estimated that Obama’s budget and the stimulus bill could result in 230,000 to 260,000 new federal employees, primarily in areas such as education and health care. “We found in the Obama plan that the increases in employment were overwhelmingly in the public sector,” said William Beach, the center’s director. “We haven’t seen this much growth for a while.” Beach cautioned, however, that “any number of things can happen once these budgets become the subject of debate in Congress.” The Office of Management and Budget has not determined how Obama’s budget would impact the federal work force. Managers may reassign employees in some areas to more critical functions, such as overseeing or enforcing stimulus grants and contracts, OMB spokesman Kenneth Baer said. “The federal work force is going to undergo a fundamental transformation over the next decade as baby boomers who entered government ser vice in the 1960s retire,” Baer said. “Much of the human capital needs for new initiatives will be met by reorganizing, so as to reallocate positions left unfilled by retirements.” In some agency headquarters across Washington, the potential for expanding the federal work force is the subject du jour. “It’s

being discussed in this building around ever y water cooler and cafeteria line there is,” said one official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss budget plans. Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasur y Employees Union, which represents workers in 31 federal agencies, said the administration appears to be “rebuilding work forces that have not been properly maintained and supported.” At the Internal Revenue Service, she said, “there are hundreds of thousands more taxpayers today than there were 10 years ago, and there are 27,000 fewer employees in the IRS.” At the Environmental Protection Agency, the employee base is expected to grow, but more modestly. The agency, which has about 17,000 employees, expects to add 100 to 200 positions, said a senior EPA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agency’s plans have not been made public. “We have the authority to have additional folks, because we want to ensure proper oversight and management of these (stimulus) resources,” the official said. The EPA is being “cautious” about expanding the work force because of the long-term costs associated with permanent employees, he said. “Not only are you paying for the people today,” he said, “but you have to think about what are the implications for the future as well.”

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Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

e d i to r i a l

BuDS of discontent The decision by Brown University Dining Services to impose a “no homework on shift” rule on its student workers has sparked serious resistance from BuDS workers, and with good reason. The policy contributes almost nothing to BuDS or the Brown community at large while doing real harm to BuDS employees. It should be repealed. Neither of BuDS management’s justifications for the program, preventing food contamination and increasing productivity, stand up under scrutiny. The claim that textbooks, paper and pens are significant causes of disease is, to say the least, implausible, especially when compared to other potential causes such as rodent and pest infestation (as 13 BuDS employees noted in a recent letter to the editor). Are we supposed to think the special ingredient in Ivy Room falafel is pencil lead? The productivity argument is more believable, as a few BuDS workers probably have slacked off, ironically, to do homework. However, as friendly as BuDS employees are, it’s hard to see them as a group of Jim Halpert-esque slackers doing whatever they can to shirk their responsibilities. A blanket policy like a no-homework ban can only be justified if laziness is an epidemic in the BuDS community. If, as we suspect, the problem is actually confined to a small number of individuals, then those situations can be handled on a case-by-case basis without any need to punish the hard-working BuDS employees who do classwork when their job responsibilities have waned (have you seen the Blue Room during off-peak hours?) Even worse than the actual policy is the manner in which BuDS decided to implement it. Though BuDS has 341 student employees, only 10 were involved in drafting the no-homework policy, and the other 331 were only notified once their new contracts were presented to them. Those that, understandably, refused to sign were served with formal warnings, which in this case force employees to work additional hours on pain of losing their bonus. It hardly seems fair to levy such a harsh punishment on workers for having questions about an unduly restrictive contract provision they had never seen or heard of before. Even if BuDS elects to keep the no-homework provision, these formal warnings ought to be revoked and all BuDS employees should be invited to a forum with those responsible for the policy to express their grievances. Given the way workers have been treated in this debacle, it’s the least that management can do. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to [email protected].

t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief Steve DeLucia

Managing Editors Michael Bechek Chaz Firestone

editorial Arts & Culture Editor Ben Hyman Hannah Levintova Arts & Culture Editor Features Editor Sophia Li Features Editor Emmy Liss Higher Ed Editor Gaurie Tilak Higher Ed Editor Matthew Varley Metro Editor George Miller Metro Editor Joanna Wohlmuth News Editor Chaz Kelsh News Editor Jenna Stark Sports Editor Benjy Asher Sports Editor Andrew Braca Asst. Sports Editor Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Katie Wood Graphics & Photos Graphics Editor Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor Stephen Lichenstein Eunice Hong Photo Editor Kim Perley Photo Editor Justin Coleman Sports Photo Editor production Kathryn Delaney Copy Desk Chief Seth Motel Copy Desk Chief Marlee Bruning Design Editor Jessica Calihan Design Editor Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Neal Poole Web Editor

Associate Editors Nandini Jayakrishna Franklin Kanin Michael Skocpol

Senior Editors Rachel Arndt Catherine Cullen Scott Lowenstein

Business General Managers Office Manager Shawn Reilly Alexander Hughes Jonathan Spector Directors Ellen DaSilva Sales Director Claire Kiely Sales Director Phil Maynard Sales Director Katie Koh Finance Director Jilyn Chao Asst. Finance Director Managers Local Sales Kelly Wess National Sales Kathy Bui University Sales Alex Carrere Recruiter Sales Christiana Stephenson Credit and Collections Matt Burrows Opinions Opinions Editor Sarah Rosenthal Editorial Page Board James Shapiro Editorial Page Editor Nick Bakshi Board member Zack Beauchamp Board member Sara Molinaro Board member Post- magazine Arthur Matuszewski Kelly McKowen

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief

Marlee Bruning, John Walsh Designers Kathryn Delaney, Kelly Mallahan Copy Editors

A lex yuly

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

Wealth is no indication of worthiness To the Editor: I read with some disbelief Anish Mitra’s column on elitism (“A little elitism goes a long way,” Feb. 27). Having worked at Brown for some years and resided in Providence for much of my adult life, I have witnessed Brown’s collaborative departure from elitism to openly embracing bright and idealistic young people no matter their financial means to attend college. While Mr. Mitra’s proposal of lowering the acceptance rate to enhance the value of a Brown degree smacks of a “can’t wait to get to Wall Street” mentality, it is in fact asking the school to re-erect a barrier broken down by universities and the majority of our society long ago. Whatever political beliefs he may have, I certainly hope he does not actually favor the exclusion of students

based on their family’s bottom line. Taking the bus to and from work, I meet young high school students who ask about the University and proclaim the wish to attend school here, but are skeptical because of that old shadow of elitism. Having seen the “progressive” efforts of Howard Swearer, E. Gordon Gee, Vartan Gregorian and now Ruth Simmons lead the school forward with programs that invest in both the school and community’s future, I encourage each one I meet to seek out the advice of their school counselors, work hard and apply for admission. I think the majority of Brown students, faculty and staff would encourage any bright young person to do the same. Robert Gaeke Feb. 28

Brown nurtures meritocrats, not aristocrats To the Editor: A quick search on dictionary.com helped me understand why Anish Mitra and I have such differing ideas of what “elite” means. Definitions of the word as persons “of the highest class” and “exercising the major share of authority or influence” — this would seem to go well with Mr. Mitra’s descriptions of “the wealthiest, most elite individuals in the country.” However, my concept of the word is more in line with the first definition listed, “the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.” I did not attend Brown to meet wealthy or socially well-placed people to get a leg up in life. I chose to attend in order to meet some of the most engaging and intellectually stimulating people imaginable: the aspiring songwriter

on the floor above, the guy down the hall who writes crosswords for the New York Times, even the Rubik’s cube competition record-holder just around the corner. However much Mr. Mitra would desire it to be so, Brown is not an offshoot branch of a monolithic Ivy League ideal — what is the point in being Harvard University, Providence campus? Student groups on campus are going strong; the Brown Democrats seem to pull in fairly good numbers, although I suppose they wouldn’t provide the “elitism” that a strong Republican group would. For the time being, Mr. Mitra may want to take up the Brown Noser on its December suggestion of a “Students for a Monarchical Society” group. Andrew Leber ’12 Feb. 27

Lauren Fedor, Emmy Liss, Melissa Shube, Jenna Stark, Joanna Wohlmuth Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Mitra Anoushiravani, Colin Chazen, Ellen Cushing, Sydney Ember, Lauren Fedor, Nicole Friedman, Britta Greene, Sarah Husk, Brian Mastroianni, Hannah Moser, Ben Schreckinger, Caroline Sedano, Melissa Shube, Anne Simons, Sara Sunshine, Staff Writers Zunaira Choudhary, Chris Duffy, Nicole Dungca, Juliana Friend, Cameron Lee, Kelly Mallahan, Christian Martell, Heeyoung Min, Seth Motel, Jyotsna Mullur, Lauren Pischel, Leslie Primack, Anne Speyer, Alexandra Ulmer, Kyla Wilkes Sports Staff Writers Nicole Stock Senior Business Associates Max Barrows, Jackie Goldman, Margaret Watson, Ben Xiong Business Associates Stassia Chyzhykova, Misha Desai, Bonnie Kim, Maura Lynch, Cathy Li, Allen McGonagill, Thanases Plestis, Corey Schwartz, William Schweitzer, Kenneth So, Evan Sumortin, Haydar Taygun, Webber Xu, Lyndse Yess Design Staff Sara Chimene-Weiss, Katerina Dalavurak, Gili Kliger, Jessica Kirschner, Joanna Lee, Maxwell Rosero, John Walsh, Kate Wilson, Qian Yin Photo Staff Qidong Chen, Janine Cheng, Alex DePaoli, Frederic Lu, Quinn Savit, Min Wu Copy Editors Sara Chimene-Weiss, Sydney Ember, Lauren Fedor, Anna Jouravleva, Geoffrey Kyi, Frederic Lu, Jordan Mainzer, Kelly Mallahan, Allison Peck, Madeleine Rosenberg, Luis Solis Web Developers Jihan Chao

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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | Page 11

Dining Services is about more than just food Fatima Aqeel Opinions Columnist I hate admitting that I have, at one point or another, talked about how much the “Ratty food sucks”, but I have. And I daresay I’m not the only one. During my first semester here at Brown, there were many slow, dreary Sunday mornings when I crawled unwillingly out of bed and made my way to the Ratty, only to roll my eyes at the food because it was exactly what I ate there the day before. It was while I was reflecting upon the memories of my first semester and describing the dining halls and dining service to my parents (who have yet to visit Brown) that I realized how fond I was of both. The food in Brown’s dining halls may not be the best food I’ve ever eaten. Therefore, I can’t really say that I pined for Ratty food while eating home-cooked meals on vacation. But it’s also not bad by any standards. Never have I left the dining hall feeling dissatisfied because the food was undercooked or overcooked. Moreover, it would not be fair to compare the food in the dining halls to the best food I’ve ever had. The best food I’ve ever

had wasn’t made for so many people in so short a period of time and with such a limited budget. What is at par with the very best, however, is the quality of service in Brown’s dining halls and the attitude of the staff. What I started valuing over the break was the fact that the Ratty, and Brown Dining Services in general, do so many things for us that they don’t have to. For example, in all those times that I dragged myself to the Ratty, there wasn’t

alize when, like me, you hear people complaining about how unwelcoming the staff in the dining halls elsewhere can be. I’ve heard people complain about how the staff can be rude or picky over small things, such as the way students sneak food out of the dining hall in to-go boxes despite having spent a meal credit inside. Being told to discontinue this practice would surely not be traumatic for any of us, but the staff’s attitude would seem antagonistic, even if what they said was right.

What I started valuing over the break was the fact that the Ratty, and Brown Dining Services in general, do so many things for us that they don’t have to. one time that the person swiping my card at the door didn’t smile at me and ask me how I was. It never mattered that it was 7:30 in the morning and I probably didn’t even know that I was awake yet. Not once did I see my early morning grumpiness reflected in the face and attitude of the person swiping me in. Did it matter that they were so cheerful? Yes it did. That is something you only re-

Another thing worth appreciating about Brown’s dining halls is how they are decorated on special occasions. There were balloons in the Ratty on Valentine’s Day. There were pumpkins and scarecrows in the V-Dub on Halloween. And of course, there were the beautiful Christmas decorations that lit up both dining halls toward the end last semester. The thought that someone bothers to brighten the place where we social-

ize (we’ve all had days when we’ve stayed in the Ratty for five hours in a row) or relax between classes is a comforting one. And then there are individual cases of Brown Dining Services employees going above and beyond. I have a friend who, despite being lactose intolerant, does not have the condition that officially requires Dining Services to cook special meals for him that lack wheat and milk. The staff here, however, does so, and that too unconditionally. Brown Dining Services is simply required to provide a certain amount of food for students everyday. It is not required to decorate where we sit and eat. Its staff is not even required to smile at us. Most Brown students are on the meal plan, and so there is little risk that Brown Dining Services would lose “customers.” Yet the fact that they take so much trouble to make us happy is what I truly value about Brown Dining Services. Even on a slow, dreary Sunday morning, the Ratty’s attitude and environment more than makes up for anything that it might otherwise lack.

Fatima Aqeel ’12 is from Karachi, Pakistan. She can be reached at [email protected]

An unfortunate embarrassment Tyler Rosenbaum Opinions Columnist As a relatively liberal Brunonian, I’ve always been somewhat chagrined that Louisiana Bobby Jindal ’91.5 is our highest-profile alumnus. This is not just because he is a paleoconser vative, practically indistinguishable from Pat Buchanan, though that doesn’t help. This week, America was introduced to Brown’s most famous graduate and the youngest member of our Corporation as he delivered the Republican response to President Obama’s address to Congress. If the media response (both conser vative and liberal) is any indication, America did not like what it saw. Again, though it didn’t help, this was not just because he delivered the address in a paternalistic, condescending tone that gave the impression he thought the American people were children (and elicited humorous comparisons with 30 Rock’s Kenneth the Page). Nor did it help that the governor of Louisiana chose to use his time in the spotlight to disparage funding for natural disaster monitoring as wasteful spending. No, what was so annoying is that this

supposedly rising star’s only response to the President’s message was that his plan had too much unnecessar y spending, and that tax cuts were the only solution to our economic woes. Where have we heard this before? Honestly, it seems trite, and it seems backward looking, but it’s the same thing George W. Bush advocated. Was his presidency the culmination of the conser vative movement? It sure sounds like it, if Republican heroes like Sarah Palin, Samuel Wurzelbacher (Joe the Plumber) and now Governor Jindal are any indication.

supports teaching Intelligent Design in the classrooms. Just last year, Jindal signed a bill allowing instructors to teach Intelligent Design in public schools, despite a significant pushback from the scientific community at large. This might not be such a big deal if Jindal were the typical Bible Belt governor. But he also happens to be a Rhodes scholar and an honors biology graduate of our ver y own Brown University. Indeed, the biggest disappointment with Jindal is precisely that such an educated man could harbor such ignorant convictions.

Indeed, the biggest disappointment with Jindal is precisely that such an educated man could harbor such ignorant convictions. Another endearing tidbit we’ve learned since Jindal rose to prominence was of the exorcism he and his friends performed on a girl while at Brown. They forcibly restrained her for hours despite her numerous attempts to escape, forcing her to read Bible verses and rebuking the demon they thought resided in her. A year or two after the fact, Jindal wrote that he believed this experience cured her of cancer. Finally, and perhaps most egregiously, Governor Jindal openly and unabashedly

It does not put our alma mater in a good light if an honors biology graduate espouses, promotes and imposes Intelligent Design on his constituents, because Intelligent Design, though masquerading as a ‘critique of’ or ‘alternative to’ the theor y of evolution, has no basis in science. A federal judge appointed by George W. Bush pointed out the obvious when ruling in 2005 that it is “a religious view, a mere relabeling of creationism and not a scientific theor y.”

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If Governor Jindal was not already the most famous and well-known graduate of Brown before last week’s fiasco, he certainly is now. Nearly ever y media account of his tragicomic address mentions his “Ivy League education,” and many reference Brown specifically. Ever y stor y about opposing volcano monitoring, about creationism in Louisiana schools or about Louisiana’s government now chemically castrating criminals ties back to us. Ultimately, there are two sides to the coin. On the one hand, it is heartening to see that such a liberal institution could produce a conser vative ideologue like Jindal, and to know that Brown is not a factor y that converts all of its students into mindless liberal automata. Conser vative fears of ‘brainwashing’ and the ideological suppression of conser vatism are clearly misplaced. On the other hand, it is an embarrassment to see that a man who bears this University’s imprimatur, whom this University has certified as an expert in biology, can so brazenly reject one of that subject’s defining teachings, for which the evidence is over whelming and the counterevidence solely religious in nature. What a disappointment.

Tyler Rosenbaum ’11 intelligently designed this column.

Today The Brown Daily Herald

5

R.I. welcomes stimulus dollars

7

comics

c a l e n da r march 4, 2009 7:00 P.M. — Immigration in America, Salomon 001 7:30 P.M. — President Simmons at UCS, Petteruti Lounge, Faunce House

4:00 P.m. — Women in Politics with Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts, MacMillan 117

Comic | Jaime Madrid

menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Chicken Teriyaki, Quinoa and Veggies, Thin Fries, Asian Noodle Bar

Lunch — Beef Stew, Tomato Quiche, Italian Vegetable Saute

Dinner — Vegetable Frittata, Curried Chicken Salad, Whole Beets, Sticky Rice

Dinner — Savory Chicken Stew, Rice Pilaf with Zucchini, Baked Spaghetti Squash, Broccoli

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Los Angeles Times Crossword Puzzle c r o sDaily swo rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Partner of “took notice” 6 Spoiled tykes 11 Dog show letters 14 “I Could Have Danced All Night” singer 15 Betting maximum 16 Slangy refusal 17 *Prospector’s concern 19 Lance on a bench 20 Tiny openings 21 Pinnacles 23 Traveling infant’s spot 27 Assent on a ship 28 On a ship 29 FedEx arrival 31 Barbecue fare 32 Jai alai basket 33 Mansion owner, familiarly 36 Poetic tribute 37 Follower of Ivan, say 39 Cinnabar, vis-àvis mercury 40 Mal de __ 41 Immortal slugger Hank 42 Mystique 43 Abolitionist Harriet 45 Compensate for 47 Marked down 49 Cot alternatives 50 Author’s choice 51 When repeated, a northwestern city 53 Sister of Zsa Zsa 54 *Television 60 Kind of room or hall 61 Main artery 62 Usher’s domain 63 Squid squirt 64 Helen Reddy’s “I Am __” 65 Light up, and word that can precede the last word of answers to starred clues DOWN 1 Min. part

2 The whole ball of wax 3 Actress Carrere 4 Israeli submachine gun 5 Coddle 6 Divulge impulsively, with “out” 7 Hoarfrost 8 Band boosters 9 20-20, e.g. 10 Pound resident 11 *Belushi’s breakout film 12 Sagal of “Married...With Children” 13 Decided 18 “The Grapes of Wrath” name 22 Comet head? 23 Ricochet 24 Stand for 25 *“The Untouchables” star 26 Airline with a hub in Oslo 27 They may be liberal 29 Big name in Argentine politics

30 A-alfa link 32 Adored one, in Asti 34 Screwed up 35 Tours de force 37 Woodworker’s tool 38 “Ditto” 42 Mil. jet locale 44 “Friendly skies” flier: Abbr. 45 Lubricates 46 Brouhaha

47 “SNL” alum Cheri 48 David who played Phileas Fogg, 1956 49 Middle name in mysteries 51 Close, in a game 52 Calgary’s prov. 55 Bossy comment? 56 Crater edge 57 That, in Tijuana 58 Wapiti 59 Formerly called

Socrates | Luke Jeffrey

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb

[email protected]

03/03/09

Classic Deep-Fried Kittens | Cara FitzGibbon

By Timothy L. Meaker (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

03/03/09

27 / 10

29 / 15

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman

12:00 p.m. — The 2008 Election: A Look Behind the Pollster’s Curtain, Taubman Seminar Room

to m o r r o w

No luck in close games for m. hoopsters

snow man is an island

march 3, 2009

to day

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