september 10, 2009 issue

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News.....1-4Metro........5-6S p o r t s . . . 7Eitorial..10Opinion...11Toay........12

Youth MoveMent

The men’s soccer team

may be young, but they

have a taste for sccess

Sports, 7AssAult At Fish Co.

Bar shut own for three

ays in August following

assalts an an arrest

Metro, 5unheAlthY hAste

Ivy Chang ’10 urges caution

in the rush to vaccinate

against swine fl

Opinions, 11

i n s i d e

Daily Heraldthe Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 61 | Thursday, September 10, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

In ‘hnus’ ,

nwmnt f $740mBY niCole FriedMAn

Senior S taff W riter

The University’s endowment lost

$740 million in the 12 months end-

ing with June 30, alling to just over

$2 billion, President Ruth Sim-

mons said at a aculty meeting on

Wednesday. But the discouraging

endowment picture was tempered

by relatively robust undraising,

Simmons said.

In scal year 2009, the endow-

ment lost 26.6 percent o its market

value. During that period, the en-

dowment paid out $132 million andthe University received $44 million

in endowment gits, Simmons said.

On June 30, the endowment was

worth $2.038 billion.

The endowment’s real asset in-

vestments, such as real estate and

commodities, ared worst, alling

almost 40 percent in the year, Sim-

mons said. In contrast, the endow-

ment’s xed income investments

increased 7 percent.

“I’m happy to say that things

are going very well,” Simmons

told the aculty, adding that worst-

case economic scenarios had been

avoided, both worldwide and or the

University.“We did not have to cancel (acul-

ty) searches or do some o the more

draconian things being done” at

peer institutions, Simmons said.

The endowment’s value at the

end o June roughly matches the

administration’s “working assump-

tion,” announced in January, that

the once-$2.8 billion endowment

would be worth roughly $2 billion

when the turbulent scal year was

over.

Administrators will meet with

members o the Corporation’s

committee on the nancial crisis

on Friday “to get their advice about

the next steps,” Simmons told the

aculty. “We’ll keep you inormedand involved as much as we can.”

Fa w

ya

The “odd thing,” Simmons said,

is that “in spite o a horrendous year

otherwise” or the University’s -

nances, the school raised $193.4

million — an all-time record or total

cash giving.

The Campaign or Academic En-

richment also reached a landmark in

2009, exceeding its $1.4 billion goal

more than a year ahead o schedule.

The drive had raised $1.421 billion

as o August 28, according to the

campaign’s Web site.

S 203BY heeYoung Min

S taff W riter

President Ruth Simmons ocially

opened the University’s 246th year

Wednesday aternoon, ormally wel-

coming new members o the Brown

community.

Following tradition, incomingstudents marched through the Van

Wickle Gates to the Main Green as

parents equipped with camcorders

and cameras joined other onlookers

cheering rom the sidelines. The

class o 2013, in turn, orwarded the

ovation to aculty members sport-

ing colorul robes as they walked

down the aisle to take their seats.

The ceremony took a mirthul

tone, but President Simmons’sspeech did not overlook the reali-

ties o the economic times.

“This year, the allout o the -

nancial crisis will continue,” Presi-

dent Simmons said.

But while University services

may be slower and events “less lav-

ish,” Simmons said, the University

will preserve “things o greater val-

ue.” For example, last year a donor

contributed $30 million in support

, j - B BY ellen CushingSenior S taff W riter

With Faunce House under con-

struction all year, the Blue Room

has reopened in temporary quar-

ters in the old mailroom. But stu-

dents say it’s just not the same.

“Two years without ocaccia

(expletive) sandwiches?” asked

Carolyn Brown ’11, who visited the

new cae recently but didn’t make a

purchase. “That’s just wrong.”

In act, i all goes according to

plan, the popular eatery will have

a new permanent home one year

rom now, President Ruth Simmons

announced in her Convocation wel-

come Tuesday.

For the interim, the Blue Room

settled into its new space and o-

cially reopened Aug. 31. The cae

will have slightly shorter hours —

opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 4

p.m., rather than 5 p.m.

The new version is smaller and

has dierent equipment, so it will

not be carrying any ood that needs

to be prepared on-site — including

soup, reshly made breakast sand-

wiches, or the ocaccia sandwiches

or which it was amous. (The new

cae does not have an industrial-size

oven on site or making resh bread

and muns.)

Instead, the new cae will have

a wider selection o pre-made sand-

wiches, wraps and salads, as well

as the pastries and bagels oered

in previous years.

Students said they were dis-

appointed by the lack o ocaccia

sandwiches in par ticular.

“I wish they made sandwich-

es like last year — the occacia

things,” said William Strecker-

U. BY lAuren Fedor


The University will have the oppor-

tunity to acquire up to 36 acres o land in Providence in coming years,

according to a report released last

week by the governor’s oice,

the Rhode Island Department o

Transportation, the Rhode Island

Economic Development Corpora-

tion and the city. And the University

has expressed interest in doing just

that.

The report, “Rhode Island Inter-

state 195 Relocation Surplus Land:

Redevelopment and Marketing

Analysis,” cited the University as a

potential buyer o new lands that will

be opened as part o the state’s on-

going “Iway” project to relocate the

junction o I-95 and I-195 downtown.

The Iway project will be complete

and the reclaimed land will be ready

or use by the end o 2012, according

to the Department o Transportation

Web site.

Prepared by a team o consul-

tants, the report identied more

than 20 parcels o land that will be

made available or sale. The parcels

comprise 36 acres o newly cleared

land in the Jewelry District, Old Har-bor, Fox Point and College Hill, ac-

cording to a press release rom the

Department o Transportation.

The state’s Economic Develop-

ment Corporation will manage the

disposition, or sale, o the land, ac-

cording to the release.

The report highlighted three

objectives that ocials hope will

come rom the re-use o the land:

increased tax revenue, economic

development — which will draw in-

dustries and jobs to the area — and

urban revitalization.

The report pointed to both Brown

and Johnson and Wales University

as prospective buyers o the land,

suggesting that allowing the insti-

tutions to expand would support a

“knowledge-based” economy in the

area.

Kim Perle / Heral

Members of the class of 2013 line p to nertake a Brown rite of passage. After a procession throgh theVan Wickle Gates, Presient Rth Simmons an Professor of Biolog Johanna Schmitt welcome new stents.

Kim Perle / Heral

The Ble Room, in its temporar location, has a limite foo selection.

continued on page 2 continued on page 5

continued on page 4continued on page 4



CUS wSTHuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 THE BROWN dAILy HERALd PAGE 3

“It’s like living in the stone age.” — Gabe Pale ’12, on coping with the Mocha otage Tesa night

C BY BrigittA greene


The night beore classes beganbrought even more stress than

usual.

Mocha — the student-developed

Web alternative to the University’s

online course catalogue — su-

ered technical di iculties and was

unavailable to students or much o

the evening, causing widespread

rustration as hundreds tried to

access the site to plan the irst day

o shopping period.

The service, which is hosted by

an outside company, went down

early Tuesday aternoon and be-

gan working again at some point

Wednesday morning, said DanielLeventhal ’07, one o the our origi-

nal creators o the service. He said

the problem resolved itsel ater

they restarted the server, though

it is still unclear precisely what

went wrong.

“It happens,” he said. “It has

gone down in the past. In this

case, we don’t really know what’s

going on.”

But students looking or last-

minute course and scheduling in-

ormation were not so equanimous. Angry Facebook statuses and

tweets across campus told tales

o rustration and conusion.

“It was the single most impor-

tant day or Brown students to

have Mocha,” said Gabe Paley ’12,

who tried unsuccessully to access

the Web site as early as 3 p.m. on

Tuesday. He said he used the hard

copy o the course announcement

to plan out his classes, costing him

time and scheduling conusion.

“It’s like living in the stone age,”

he said.

Mocha was created in 2006 by

undergraduates in the Depart-ment o Computer Science. It is

not supported by the University

and is still maintained indepen-

dently by its creators, Leventhal

said. The site allows students to

plot out their course schedule vi-

sually and provides reading lists,

proessor inormation and urther

course details.

Although Brown does oer

Banner — its own online course

registration and catalogue site

— “Mocha is much more user

riendly,” said Haley Kossek ’13.

She added that reshman are un-

accustomed to both services and were less rustrated by Mocha’s

absence.

Leventhal said he did not think

any problems were related to Mo-

cha’s heavy usage beore the start

o classes, noting that Mocha has

survived many other registration

periods. He said he does not expect

a similar crash to happen again.

S BY CAitlin truJillo

S taff W riter

As students return to classes, Uni-

versity aculty and sta are heading

to walkathons , arms and ood

banks as part o a new program

to get them more involved in the

community. As par t o the “Brown

Gives 30 Days o Service” program,

volunteers will log community ser-

vice hours in the Providence area

rom Sept. 12 to Oct. 11.

Amy Umstadter, the chair o the

President’s Sta Advisory Commit-

tee, said the committee arranged

to send volunteers to organizations

that were particularly in need o

help. For example, said Umstadter, when the SAC learned that the

Rhode Island Community Food

Bank was acing low ood reserves,

the ood bank led the SAC to the

Community Farm Group and to

arms in need o volunteers.

Volunteers will also paint ences,

help run a walkathon or Hasbro

Children’s Hospital, hold a campus-

based ood drive and work in the

garden at School One, an indepen-

dent Providence high school.

Umstadter, the assistant direc-

tor o stewardship and events in

the Oce o Biomedical Develop-

ment, said she did not know how many people have signed up or

volunteer activities so ar. Though

the arms and School One all re-

quested a set number o volunteers,

the walkathon and the ood drive

both lack volunteer caps.

“Our goal is just as many people

as possible,” Umstadter said, add-

ing that the group would report

numbers at the charge’s conclu-

sion.

The initiative, she said, was

born o the current economic cri-

sis. President Ruth Simmons and

the SAC created “Brown Gives”

as a way to help the local com-munity.

A survey conducted in June

showed that many aculty and sta

members expressed an interest in

service work. Umstadter said they

believed people would be more

likely to volunteer i a channel or

service opportunities existed. The

SAC began organizing with ser-

vice providers while publicizing the

event to aculty and sta in Brown

Morning Mail, including links to

sign-up pages.

The initiative was not open

to students this year, Umstadter

said, because other opportunitiesare available to them through the

Swearer Center. Transportation

considerations were also a actor,

she added.

“We’ll see i next year, i we get

a really overwhelming response, i

we might open it up to students,”

Umstadter said.

The SAC may also collaborate

with other Brown committees in

the uture to or ganize community

service.

The SAC has worked with Serve

Rhode Island to encourage Brown

community members to sign up or

service opportunities with ServeRhode Island, particularly i they

are unable to participate in the

“Brown Gives” initiative directly,

Umstadter said.

For now, however, Umstadter

views the initiative as a chance or

University aculty and sta to help

orge a stronger connection to the

community around them.

“People should take this oppor-

tunity to connect with each other

and the community in which we

live,” she said.

“It happens. It hasgone own in thepast. In this case,we on’t reallknow what’s goingon.”

da la ’07Mocha co-foner



Though new gits and pledgesto the campaign dropped 25 per-

cent rom last year, Brown still

ared better than its peers. New

gits and pledges ell an average

o 33 percent among peer schools,

Marisa Quinn, vice president or

public aairs and University rela-

tions, wrote in an e-mail. The Brown Annual Fund n-

ished the scal year with nearly

$35 million, 0.4 percent below last

year’s total. The Parents Annual

Fund’s total was 48 percent greater

than its total last year.

“One wonders where we would

be i not or the campaign,” Sim-mons said.

Wednesday’s aculty meet-

ing was the rst or Proessor o

Physics Chung-I Tan as the new

chair o the Faculty Executive

B continued from page 1

, C

o nancial aid, she said.

Simmons also cited current and

upcoming construction projects as

evidence that the Brown community

had rallied in the ace o economic

challenge and that campus progress

has not abated.

Following President Simmons,

Proessor o Biology Johanna Schmitt

marked the year o Darwin’s 200th

birthday by invoking a variety o evo-

lutionary metaphors to welcome new

students to campus. Schmitt drew on

her expertise in evolutionary ecol-

ogy or the subject o her keynote

speech, entitled “Natural Selectionin an Age o Global Change.”

Although 245 classes have pre-

ceded this year’s reshmen, Schmitt

told the rst-years that they had ar-

rived at Brown in an “extraordinary

year.” Beyond the historically poor

economic climate, Schmitt said this

year was special because o Darwin’s

birthday.

Schmitt told the class o 2013

that while there is “over whelming”

evidence and consensus within the

scientic community in avor o evo-

lution, the theory remains a “social

controversy,” especially in religious

circles. She prompted students to ac-

cept or reject the theory o evolution,

or any theory they encounter during

their college careers, by examining

the evidence with a critical eye.

Schmitt also addressed Dar-

win’s theory o natural selection in

a contemporary context. Describ-ing Darwin’s original theory that

the essence o evolution is pure

lie-or-death competition between

individuals as “overly simplistic,”

she implored students to work col-

laboratively, cautioning that selsh

behavior may only have “short-term

benets.”

“Cooperation and altruistic be-

havior will benet you as well as

the people around you,” she said.

“So think about that during organic

chemistry.”

Schmitt jokingly promised “gra-

tuitous” advice at the start o her

speech, and she kept her word.“Structure your niche at Brown,”

she encouraged the new students.

“I challenge you to evolve into the

person you want to be.”

Several students said that, while

they ound Schmitt to be passion-

ate about her eld, they had di-

culty personally connecting with

her speech.

“I am not a science person so

it didn’t resonate with me,” Maya

Harjo ’13 said.

All students interviewed, how-

ever, were enthused by President

Simmons’ presence.

“Ruth looked like a baller in her

hat and robe. She just looks awe-some up there. I’m a an thus ar,”

said Max Potkin ’13. “I got more

excited or Brown ater hearing her

speech.”

continued from page 1

baya.cm

THuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009THE BROWN dAILy HERALdPAGE 4

CUS wS “Rth looke like a baller in her hat an robe.” — Max Potkin ’13



etroThe Brown dail Heral

THuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 | PAGE 5

“I want to cater to everbo.” — davi doros, owner of Baja’s

F C. ’

, - BY george Miller

Metro editor

The popular o-campus nightspot

Fish Company shut its doors or

three days last month as pun-

ishment ater altercations at an

April party sent two patrons to

the hospital, including one who

was punched by a bouncer.

The bouncer, ormer Brown

ootball player David Howard ’09,

was charged with simple assault

by police ater escorting Paul Lil-

ley, o Southborough, Mass., out-side and allegedly punching him

several times in the ace, accord-

ing to a police report. The report

says Lilley and a witness identi-

ed Howard as the attacker.

Another victim, Thomas Kass,

was beaten unconscious by an

older white male whom police

could not locate.

Sk, k T BY sArA sunshine


As a new all semester begins, new

restaurants and stores have begun

to pop up on Thayer Street, though

some shuttered windows remain.Shark Sushi Bar and Grill, at 275

Thayer, opened about two months

ago and has enjoyed “excellent”

business, said owner Ray Hugh.

The restaurant, which prominently

houses a tank with a ve-oot shark,

sees customers rom “all walks o

lie,” including many students,

Hugh said.

Next door, Baja’s, serving Tex-

Mex cuisine as well as Philly chees-

esteaks, opened recently next door.

Owner David Douros, who has our

other restaurants near the Univer-sity o Rhode Island’s campus, said

he is accustomed to serving a stu-

dent population.

“I want to cater to everybody,”

Douros said. “People come in with

Kim Perle / Heral

Poplar stent nightspot Fish Co. was close for three as in Agstafter a boncer, a former Brown football plaer, was charge with sim-ple assalt.

photo / Heral

New restarants, incling Shark Sshi Bar an Grille, above, opene onThaer Street this smmer.

The University has already

expressed interest in purchasing

many o the parcels, said Richard

Spies, executive vice president or

planning and senior adviser to Presi-

dent Ruth Simmons, in an interview

Wednesday.

“Brown has had an interest in

this area or some time,” he said.

“When the study was underway and

the consultants were going around

and talking to people, we said we

would denitely be interested.”

Spies added that the University

has taken a particular interest in

property in the city’s Jewelry Dis-

trict, where the University already

owns—and plans to renovate—an

existing building or use by the Alp-

ert Medical School.

“We identied some parcels that

are most adjacent to the property we

already owned,” he explained.

But Spies added that the Uni-

versity’s interest in the land is not

necessarily related to an expansion

o the Med School.

“It is a space where the Univer-

sity can expand, that’s valuable to

the University over time,” he said

o the area. “What would actually

happen there would depend on the

needs and opportunities as they

arise over time.”

And in light o the University’scurrent nancial situation — many

previously planned construction

projects have been modied, post-

poned and in some cases cancelled

— Spies said the Corporation and

other University ocials would be

obligated to seriously consider the

costs o acquiring the additional

land.

“Those constraints are very real,”

he said o the University’s nances.

“It would certainly be part o the

discussion, and those are issues we

will have to wrestle with i and when

we get to that point.”

Spies pointed out that, though

discussions about land acquisition

are ongoing, no denitive decisions

have been made about any o the

parcels.

“It is yet to be determined wheth-

er we will acquire any o that prop-

erty at all,” he said. “There are a lot

o unknowns.”

But despite these unknowns,

Spies said there is reason to be

optimistic about the possibility o

purchasing the land.

“I we were to go orward, it re-

ally would be an investment in the

uture,” he said. “The hurdle is real,

but I think there’s reason to be op-

timistic.”


: U. b ‘I-’

continued on page 6

continued on page 6



THuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009THE BROWN dAILy HERALdPAGE 6

“One person will sa the want a health vegetarian brrito an the other will sa, ‘I

want something with meat.’” — davi doros, owner of Baja’s Restarant

their riends … and one person willsay they want a healthy vegetarian

burrito and the other will say, ‘I

want something with meat.’”

Baja’s unusual combination

o cuisines was inspired by the

economy, Douros said. Having two

operations under one roo reduces

overhead and expands the client

base, he said.

Baja’s also oers sot-serve ice

cream and rozen yogurt — or

post-dinner snacks, according to

Douros.

Meanwhile, at 290 Thayer,

Beadworks has relocated and

been replaced by Sneaker Junk-ies, which opened Aug. 1.

The shoe store, which also

has a downtown location, chose

to expand to Thayer because o its

“good trac,” said owner Maher

Najjar.

Sneaker Junkies brings a “di-

erent look to Thayer Street …

adding a little variety or the aver-

age shopper,” Najjar said.

Down the road at 215 and 217

Thayer, workers will soon begin

constructing the interior o the

Better Burger Company, said own-

er Andy Mitrelis. The sandwich

shop should open in a couple o

months, he said.

Not all Thayer businesses have

ared so well. The storeront on

the corner o Thayer and Angell

Street that ormerly housed Roba

Dolce remains boarded up, ater

the Italian cae was evicted last

spring or apparently getting be-

hind on its rent.

Kim Perle / Heral

Baja’s offers “Tex” an “Mex” to cater to a wie aience.

b -k Tcontinued from page 5

The bar was lled with Bryant

University party-goers who had

paid $20 or tickets that oered

“all they could eat and drink,” as

attendees told the police. Howard

removed Lilley rom the bar ater

he complained about being told to

pay or drinks.

When police arrived, they ound

Kass on the ground and both Kass

and Lilley, who were seniors at

Bryant at the time, bleeding rom

the ace. Both were taken to Rhode

Island Hospital.

Police shut down the party ater deciding the club was overcrowded

and some patrons appeared to be

underage.

The club, located at 515 S.

Water St., is responsible or the

conduct o its patrons inside and

outside the building, said Maxord

Foster, assistant solicitor or the

city, who represented police at the

August hearing at which Fish Co.

agreed to close or three days. That

oversight did not happen in this

case, he added.

The city law department and

police met with Fish Co. to work

out the agreement, said Andrew Annaldo, who chairs the Board o

Licenses, under whose purview

the hearing took place. The board

agreed that the three-day closure

was an appropriate punishment,

he said.

The city will soon adopt “more

stringent requirements” regulating

bouncers, including registration,

training and background checks,

Annaldo said. The changes, which

must be approved by the City

Council, are not a response to any

particular incident but an “overall

eort to improve how establish-

ments handle nightlie,” he said. Jay Kern, the owner o Fish Co.,

did not respond to phone messages

requesting comment. The Provi-

dence Journal reported in August

that Kern told the Board o Licens-

es that he admitted to the acts in

the police report, saying that the

situation got out o control when

many more patrons than expected

showed up.

Howard, the bouncer, pleaded

not guilty to one charge o simple

assault, the Journal reported on

Aug. 21, and his case was pending

in court.


F C. b 3

d b y?Come cop eit!

[email protected]



SportshursdayTHuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 |

The Brown dail Heral

Women’s soccerdrops season opener

BY hAn Cui

a SSiStant SportS editor

The women’s soccer team lost its season opener

to Boston College or the second straight year

Sept. 4, alling by a 5-0 score.

The Eagles, ranked No. 16 in the nation, domi-

nated oensively, outshooting the Bears 31-8,

while their deense kept Brown o the board.

Boston College struck quickly ater the rst

whistle blew. Just two minutes into the game,

Eagles orward Victoria DiMartino ound a pass

o the rebound rom a teammate and shot it

past Bears’ goalkeeper Brenna Hogue ’10 into

the net. DiMartino scored another goal, unas-

sisted, twenty minutes later to put the Eagles in

a comortable position with a 2-0 lead. The Bears had some chances in the second

hal, but could not deliver a goal.

In the 61st minute, Sylvia Stone ’11 ran with a

loose ball into the Eagles’ box, but she shot high.

Another orward, Erika Lum ’11, narrowly missed

a scoring opportunity when her shot rom outside

the box hit the goal’s crossbar.

The Eagles never eased their o ense, as they

notched three more goals during the second hal.

Ste Yellin ’10 replaced Hogue, who saved seven

shots in the rst hal, ater haltime and notched

six saves o her own.

The Bears will look or their rst win o the

season this weekend at the Arizona Classic.

They will ace o against host Arizona on Fr iday

night and the University o San Diego on Sunday

aternoon.

Y k ’ BY KAtie Wood

a SSiStant SportSeditor

With 17 underclassmen on a roster o 28, the

men’s soccer team knew it would be young

and inexperienced coming into the 2009

season. But the past our years have been

among the most successul in the team’s

history, and the team’s returning players

are used to experiencing success.

Brown soccer ans will see a number o

new aces on the eld this year. Many sopho-

mores gained valuable experience as the

Bears battled through injuries last season,

turning to reshmen to make an immediate

impact.

The same goes or the current reshman

class, which already put together a solid per-

ormance on both the oensive and deen-sive sides o the ball in the team’s opening

1-1 double-overtime tie against Lehigh on

Sunday.

“They’ve incorporated themselves into

the system here at Brown,” said Head Coach

Mike Noonan. “They complement the team

very well, and we expect them to continue

to make a strong contribution throughout

the season.”

Dylan Remick ’13 and Ryan McDu ’13

have helped ll the hole in the deense let

by the departures o Rhett Bernstein ’09

and Stephen Sawyer ’09. Starting deender

Ian Smith ’11 is also out or the next several

weeks with a broken oot, but he has high

hopes or the deense.

“We have a talented reshman class and

everyone is eeding o o their energy,”

Smith said. “The new deenders are going

to have a huge presence on the team and willhave to be at the top o their game in order

or us to win close games.”

Evan Coleman ’12 and Sean McGrath ’11

will also add depth to a deense that will need

to step up in the absence o key players.

Co-captain David Walls ’11 remains as the

most seasoned deender on the back line.

Walls played the most minutes on the team

last year and has started all but one game in

his collegiate career.

The Bears lost orwards Dylan Sheehan

’09 and Darren Howerton ’09 to graduation,

but they return Jon Okaor ’11 and TJ Thomp-

son ’10 up ront. Sophomores Sean Rosa and

Austin Mandel will also look to contribute on

the oensive side o the ball.Co-captain Thomas Thunell ’10 will anchor

the mideld along with 2008 All-Ivy selection

Nick Elenz-Martin ’10. Rob Medairos ’12 and

Taylor Gorman ’12 will benet rom the play-

ing time they earned last season as they look

to make a contribution to the team.

In goal, the Bears lost Jarrett Leech ’09,

whose 0.87 goals against average was near

the top o the Ivy League. This year, Paul

Grandstrand ’11, Jarod Schlenker ’10 and

Sam Kernan-Schloss ’13 are all capable o

stepping into the goal and nding success,

according to Smith.

The biggest contribution o the under-

classmen is overall depth and competitive-

ness. Over the summer, Noonan set the bar

high or the team’s physical tness. Every

reshman came to Brown in top shape and

passed the preseason tness test, one o the

rst times they have all passed, accordingto Smith.

In the Lehigh game, Smith said the team

passed the ball with precision and created a

lot o scoring opportunities that did not come

as easily last season.

“We’re running a aster paced oense with

more combination play,” Smith said. “We’re

clicking on all cylinders right now, but we

need to add the nishing aspect in order to

do well this year.”

The Bears outshot the Mountain Hawks

27-8 in the game, but only converted on one

o the opportunities, when Okaor scored o

a pass rom Rosa with under two minutes

remaining in regulation. Lehigh goalkeeper

Jonathan Nydell recorded nine saves in 110minutes o play, which Smith called the “game

o his lie.” Noonan also commended Lehigh’s

superb deense.

“It was a game where we would have liked

to score on our chances, but it came down

to the goalkeeper and the deense more so

than us converting,” Noonan said. “We played

well, but the deense was good.”

The Bears open up the Adidas-Brown

Classic on Friday at Stevenson Field against

Southern Methodist at 7:30 p.m. They close

the Classic with a 2:30 p.m. match against

Adelphi on Sunday.

“We picked up a lot o things rom the

Lehigh game, including working on nishing

our chances,” Noonan said. “We’re going to

work hard to get better every day.”



world & ationThe Brown dail Heral


’ Jb k BY dAn Fost And Alex PhAM

L oS a ngeLeS t iMeS

SAN FRANCISCO — It was sup-

posed to be about Apple Inc.’s daz-

zling new products. Instead, the

company’s news conerence on

Wednesday was about the man.

Grinning like a kid in a toy store,

Apple’s Chie Executive Steve Jobs

stole the spotlight with his rst o-

cial public appearance in nearly

a year. He received a liver trans-

plant about ve months ago and

returned to work part time at the

end o June.

Hundreds greeted Jobs’ surprise

attendance with a standing ovationat Apple’s product unveiling event

at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena

Center or the Arts.

“I have the liver o a 20-some-

thing person who died in a car

crash, and who was generous

enough to donate their organs,”

said Jobs, 54, who appeared mark-

edly thin and spoke in a scratchy

voice. “I wouldn’t be here without

such generosity, so I hope all o us

can be as generous and elect to be

organ donors.”

The intense ocus on Jobs’ health

underscores his importance to the

Cupertino, Cali., technology com-

pany that he co-ounded in 1976

with Steve Wozniak. Jobs departed

in 1985, ousted by then-CEO JohnSculley, but returned in 1997 to

help the ailing company return to

protability.

But in 2004, Jobs announced

he had pancreatic cancer. On Jan.

5, Jobs said he had a “hormonal

imbalance” and that the remedy

would be “relatively simple and

straightorward.” On Jan. 14, Jobs

said his health issues were “more

complex than I originally thought”

and that he would take a ve-month

medical leave.

Apple’s shares ell $2.38 that day,

down 2.7 percent to $85.33.

Days later, the Securities andExchange Commission started an

inquiry into whether Apple appro-

priately disclosed the nature o his

illness. SEC has not commented on

the probe.

Jobs’ return to the public eye

signaled that the company’s chie

impresario was back in charge.

“It was a little moving or many

o us,” said Tom Conrad, chie

technology ocer or Pandora, an

Internet radio company that makes

one o the most popular applications

or Apple’s iPhone. “He certainly

has played a critical role in design-

ing the uture, and to see him back

talking about products is good or the industry.”

Jobs, lling his amiliar role as

master o ceremonies, unveiled sev-

eral improvements to the lineup

o iPods, a product that helped to

cement Apple’s place among the

decade’s most infuential technol-

ogy companies.

Since launching the digital mu-

sic device in October 2001, Apple

has sold more than 220 million iP-

ods, compared with roughly 180

million Walkman players sold by Sony Corp., according to Daniel

Ernst, analyst with Hudson Square

Research.

But sales o the device has

slowed in recent months as consum-

ers opted instead or the iPhone,

which does many o the same unc-

tions o the iPod in addition to being

a mobile phone. Last quarter, sales

o the iPod declined 7 percent rom

the same period a year earlier.

“This is one o his babies,” said

Tim Bajarin, a longtime Silicon Val-

ley technology analyst who also at-

tended Jobs’ presentation in 2001

when he introduced the rst iPod.“He’s saying that iPods are still

important.”

Aiming squarely at the pocket-

sized video recorder market domi-

nated by Cisco Systems Inc.’s Flip

camcorders, Jobs announced that

the new iPod nano would sport a

video camera, FM radio tuner, pe-

dometer and 8 gigabytes o mem-

ory. Apple also lowered the price

o its entry-level iPod Touch, with

Jobs highlighting the device as an

alternative to Sony’s PlayStation

Portable and Nintendo Co.’s DS

lines o handheld game consoles.

“It was all incremental improve-

ments,” Ernst said. “But thosesubtle changes keep the company

leaps and bounds ahead o the

competition.”

Despite the rock ’n’ roll theme

o the event — which eatured pop

diva Norah Jones on stage singing

two songs — Apple disappointed

legions o Beatles ans who had

hoped the company would at long

last put the Fab Four’s music on

the iTunes store.

BY KiM MurPhY

L oSa ngeLeSt iMeS

SEATTLE — With our gray wolves

having been killed in Idaho since

Sept. 1, a ederal judge has cleared

the way or legal hunting o the once-

endangered predators to proceed.

U.S. District Judge Donald W.

Molloy ound there would be no ir-

reparable harm i the limited hunt in

Idaho and Montana were allowed to

go orward. But in continuing to list

Wyoming wolves under the Endan-

gered Species Act, the judge wrote,

“the (Fish and Wildlie) Service hasdistinguished a natural population o

wolves based on a political line, not

the best available science.”

That nding suggested a coali-

tion o conservation groups would

have a good chance o prevailing

when its argument against delisting

the wolves gets a ull hearing later.

Twelve o the predators were

killed in Wyoming between April

and July o 2008, when the law al-

lowed hunters and ranchers to

shoot them on sight, chase them

down with snow machines and tar-

get them near elk eeding stations.

That law prompted U.S. ocials to

retain endangered species status or

the roughly 300 predators residing

there.

“It was basically just a ree-re,

more than a hunt,” said Louisa

Willcox o the Natural Resources

Deense Council in Montana.

“We’re disappointed, o course,

that the wol hunts are proceed-

ing” in Idaho and Montana, she

said Wednesday, “but in the big

picture, we are optimistic about the

prospects.”

Conservationists’ big ear is

that -— although only 295 o the re-

gion’s 1,650 wolves can be targeted

by hunters this year — new ederalregulations allow the total number o

wolves to drop as low as 300.

Typically, large numbers o

wolves are killed every year as a

result o poaching, accidents and

conficts with livestock.

Molloy did not address that is-

sue. But he did nd that the overall

population o wolves in the region

can sustain a year’s harvest “in ex-

cess o 30 percent,” which is greater

than the number targeted or this

year.

Legal wol hunting opened in two

areas o Idaho on Sept. 1 and will

expand to most o the state by the

end o the month.

w

, j



THuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 THE BROWN dAILy HERALd PAGE 9

world & ation

B 2.0: F , b

BY rAndY leWis


LOS ANGELES — The 2009

version o Beatlemania had no

screams, no ainting, and little

hysteria. But there were plenty

o smiles on a wide range o ans

indulging their ondness or the

music o the Fab Four as “The

Beatles: Rock Band” and a batch

o new-and-improved CDs o their

complete catalog went on sale

Wednesday.

The release o the new Beatles

products are not only crucial or

the beleaguered music industr y,

which is in the midst o a long-

term decline driven by consum-

ers’ switch to digital downloads,

but also the video game business,

which has seen its rapid growth

o the past ew years disappear in

the current recession. The game

in particular represents a major

investment o tens o millions o

dollars by Viacom Inc. to boost

the ortunes o its money-losing

“Rock Band” brand.

A spokeswoman or Harmonix,

the division o MTV Networks

that created the game, said the

company won’t release sales g-

ures. But a steady stream o cus-

tomers at a Los Angeles Best Buy

indicated the new products are

being greeted enthusiastically.

Customers came to Best Buy

stores nationwide in “unprece-

dented numbers,” said Gary Ar-

nold, senior entertainment buyer

or the chain.

Amoeba Music in Hollywood

had 90 boxes o the catalog o

Beatles albums presented in

monaural ormat that they went

through by 1 p.m., ater opening

early or customers at 10 a.m.,

and by late aternoon the store

had only 40 sets let out o 200

o the stereo box set.

Such sales appeared to par-

allel those o online retail giant

Amazon, where at dierent points

during the day, the entire top-

10 list o best-selling music was

Beatles albums.

BY PhiliP ruCKer

W aShington poSt

STAFFORD, Va. — The doctors

and the patients they treat at a

community hospital here in North-

ern V irginia’s exurban rontier

agreed with President Obama’s

assertions Wednesday that the

national health-care system is

broken, and most agreed that all

Americans should be covered.

But even as Obama presented

his ambitious health care reorm

agenda in his clearest and most

urgent terms yet, he ailed to

win over some people who or

months have opposed progres-sive elements o his reorm plan,

or who have been uneasy or plain

conused about others.

“We do need something,” Da-

vid Varrelman, a longtime police

ocer rom Staord, said rom

his hospital bed as he recovered

rom gall bladder surgery. “But

they’ve got to come up with some-

thing that’s going to be paid or

and that’s not government-con-

trolled.”

Earlier in the day, Varrelman,

77, said he could support Obama’s

eorts i the president made some

bipartisan compromises, such

as abandoning his proposal or a government-run insurance op-

tion. Varrelman likened the public

option to “a camel with his nose

in the tent. I you let the camel’s

nose in, beore you know it the

whole camel’s in the tent, the

whole (health-care system) will

be government controlled.”

The Staord Hospital Cen-

ter opened this February in the

heart o Staord County, a mostly

conservative jurisdiction some 45

miles south o Washington popu-

lated with suburban commuters

and rural armers. The not-or-

proit hospital oers a prismthrough which to understand

some o the orces still plaguing

Obama’s health-care eor ts.

In Staord, as in other North-

ern Virginia exurbs, Obama had

surprising electoral success dur-

ing last year’s presidential contest,outperorming recent Democratic

candidates and attracting nearly as

many votes as Sen. John McCain,

R-Ariz. But Obama’s personal ap-

peal in the region has not trans-

lated into support or health-care

reorm, according to an August

Washington Post poll showing that

voters here mirrored those nation-

ally in their divide on the issue.

Overall, 49 percent o residents

o Northern Virginia’s outer ex-

urbs called health-care reorm a

worthy eort, and 48 percent said

it would do more harm than good.

Yet while a majority o voters heresaid they were satised with their

insurance coverage and the quality

o health care they receive, Cen-

sus data show that roughly 15,000

residents o Staord County, or

13.2 percent o the population,

have no health insurance.

This act weighs on doctors at

Staord Hospital Center, which

treats a steady fow o uninsured

patients in its emergency depart-

ment.

“The national health-care sys-

tem is already in place, and that

is to go to the emergency depart-

ment,” said Shin Sato, the hospi-

tal’s emergency medical director.“A sore throat or bruised ankle

could easily be seen by a primary-

care physician, but we see them,

and it overwhelms the emergency

system.”

Thomas Ryan, the hospital sys-

tem’s chie medical ocer, said

the health-care system is “bro-

ken,” but the challenge is xing

it in an aordable way. He said

he was encouraged that Obama

was including tort reorm in his

proposal.

“We wholeheartedly support

universal access to medical care,

but we have to determine i it’s anMRI or every time a patient has

an ache in their knee or a CAT

scan o their head every time they

have a headache,” Ryan said. “We

cannot take the expectations o to-

day’s health-care system and hand

that to 46 million new people.”In the emergency waiting room

on Wednesday night, patients

had mixed reactions to Obama’s

speech. As Obama told stories

about people who languished with

no health insurance, Maureen

Schmied, waiting with her injured

teenage son, grew agitated. The

42-year-old mortgage broker said

she ears that a government-run

system would be more inecient

than the current system.

“My blood pressure is up,”

Schmied said. “I’m livid. For every

story he tells about somebody who

does not have insurance, there’sone you can tell about somebody

who wouldn’t get treatment be-

cause the government wouldn’t

allow it. For every tic, there’s a

tack.”

Asked midway through the

speech whether she agreed with

any elements o Obama’s plan,

Schmied shrugged: “Not yet.”

“He sounds good and is trying

to paint a pretty picture, but it’s not

an exact science,” Schmied said

later. “How is the country going

to pay or it? We’re still knee-deep

in the recession. We haven’t xed

the economy, but here we’re going

to take on more debt.”Upstairs on the hospital’s sec-

ond foor, meanwhile, a young cou-

ple celebrated the birth o their

daughter Makia, but lamented that

they rely on Medicaid or cover-

age. The girl’s ather, Aquan Chap-

man, 18, said he supports Obama’s

agenda.

“I think about it sometimes,”

he said. “I I get in an accident,

will somebody pay or it and help

me out?”

Cecil Nelson, 46, a Staord

contractor who opposes Obama’s

reorm eor ts, watched Obama’s

speech in its entirety as his wiesaw a doctor about pain in her

side.

“He explained a lot o things,

yes,” Nelson said. “But as ar as

changing my mind? Not really.”

b jkBY trACY WilKinson


MEXICO CITY — An evangelical

preacher acting on what he said

was a divine revelation inspired by

Wednesday’s date — the ninth day

o the ninth month o the ninth year

o the century — attempted to hijack

a Mexican airliner rom Cancun. But

he was quickly arrested ater landing

here, and all 104 passengers aboard

the jet were reed and unharmed.

Armed with a Bible and a ake

bomb made o juice cans, the would-be hijacker threatened to blow up

Aeromexico Flight 576 bound or

Mexico City unless he could speak to

Mexican President Felipe Calderon,

a security ocial said. He wanted

to warn Calderon o an ear thquake

that he said will devastate Mexico,

national public security chie Genaro

Garcia Luna said.

The preacher, identied as Jose

Marc Flores Pereira o Santa Cruz,

Bolivia, who has lived in Mexico or

17 years, acted alone, contrary to

earlier reports, and is now under

arrest, Garcia Luna said in a Wednes-

day evening news conerence.

“He said he was a preacher, andhe said he was a drug addict and

alcoholic,” Garcia Luna said. “He

will be checked to determine his

state o mind.”

No one was hur t Wednesday in

what turned out to be a brie, bizarre

internationally televised incident

that mobilized hundreds o Mexi-

can security orces and transxed

media and the public but ended in

a bloodless rescue.

Ater the national security chie

spoke to a crowd o reporters at

an airport hangar, the handcued

suspect was paraded beore TV

cameras. He smiled, chewed gumand darted his eyes back and orth

nervously. Flores, 44, attempted

to shout something to the report-

ers, but his heavily armed guards

bundled him away.

A ew minutes later, a govern-

ment microphone put beore him,

Flores somewhat breathlessly ram-

bled that “We are living the end o

the end” and that he needed to an-

nounce to the world that “Christ is

coming.” He said his “bomb” was

two cans lled with dirt and attached

to a small light.

“What I wanted was that my

words be heard,” he said.

Calderon, who delayed a planned

fight because o the airport alarm,

later described the attempted hi-

jacking as an important “test or us

all” and he congratulated security

orces or their swit action. “Scary,

no?” he said.

About an hour into the early-ater-

noon fight rom the popular beach

resort, Flores made his demands

known to members o the crew, who

radioed the threat ahead to air trac

controllers in Mexico City. He also

said he wanted the plane to circle

the Mexico City airport seven times

beore landing.

Flores did not cause a ruckus

onboard and many passengers, who

included Mexican and oreign na-

tionals, later said they had not real-ized that anything was amiss.

The Boeing 737 landed at the

Mexico City International Airport

and taxied to a remote, secure zone.

Hundreds o masked ederal police

backed by military orces quickly

surrounded it, while authorities

began negotiating with the assail-

ant, the pilot serving as interlocu-

tor. Ater about 45 minutes, Flores

agreed to allow women and children

to disembark, and he too descended.

Security orces immediately took

him into custody; at that point, he

claimed to have three accomplices

still on board.

That led authorities to inspect all o the male passengers, and lead

away seven in handcus. The seven,

including a local congressman rom

a letist political party, were eventu-

ally cleared and released.

Other passengers were ordered

to sit briefy on the tarmac and then

taken to hangars or debrieng. Ex-

plosive experts detonated Flores’

luggage.

Passenger Rodrigo Padilla said

he noticed one man onboard wear-

ing a white shirt -- apparently Flores

-- who repeatedly rose rom his seat

and checked his bags.

Other than that, he said, every-thing seemed normal. “There were

no weapons, no shots,” he said. “No

one threatened us.”

Passenger Adriana Romero also

noticed the man who kept rising.

“He didn’t seem a bad guy,” she

said. “He had a nice shirt and a

good watch.”

Garcia Luna said Flores, once in

custody, said he’d had a divine rev-

elation that the world was in trouble

ater he realized the date was Sept. 9,

2009, or 9-9-9, which, upside down, is

6-6-6, symbol o the devil. “So ar, we

have no indication that he is involved

with any terrorist activity,” Garcia

Luna said. “The threat was he had

an explosive and was going to blow

up the plane...and that he was going

to crash the plane i he wasn’t given

control o it.”

Wa a b?Join the bsiness staff!

Info sessions next Sn., Tes. an Thrs.

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ditorial & Letters | THuRSdAy, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

The Brown daily Heral

F R A N N Y C H O I

C f

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tions may be submitted up to seven calendar days ater publication.

C O M M E N T A R Y P O L I C Y

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Marlee Bruning, DsnAyelet Brinn, Jordan Mainzer, Cpy eds

Sydney Ember, Seth Motel, Nh eds

Brown began assigning summer reading threesummers ago at the behest o Dean o the College

Katherine Bergeron. All incoming rst-years read

the same book, “How Proust Can Change Your Lie,”

and wrote letters to their advisers discussing the

book and their academic goals at Brown. Freshmen

and their advisers had every right to believe these

letters were private correspondence. In reality,

the letters were screened, without the students’

knowledge or consent, in order to identiy the least

procient writers in the class and encourage them

to improve their writing.

The way in which the University went about

evaluating rst-years’ writing was dishonest and

counterproductive. A discussion o academic goals

— the subject o the letters — might naturally

have included sensitive details (about upbringing,learning disabilities or academic background, or

example) that students might have omitted had

they known about the extra set o readers. As a

result, we expect that many students will be less

orthcoming with their advisers this year, and with

good reason.

The University’s decision to inorm reshmen

about the screening process starting with the class

o 2013 strikes us as too little, too late. Bergeron

owes the student body an apology and a credible

promise that student privacy will be respected in the

uture. I administrators hope to earn back students’

trust, they should answer the ollowing questions:

First, has the University recently intercepted other

undergraduate communications without notice or

prior warning? Second, under what circumstances

are University employees allowed to look at student

correspondence? Third, how will Brown hold its

employees accountable or divulging a student’s

condential inormation without her permission?

Answering these questions is crucial to restoring

not only rst-year aith in the advising system, but also the student body’s belie in the administration’s

commitment to their welare. Spying on someone’s

private correspondence is prooundly intrusive

and cannot be justied by the need to improve his

writing skills.

While Bergeron’s tactics were inexcusable, her

goal was worthwhile. The writing requirement

is, to some extent, at odds with the New Curricu-

lum: The latter is compromised when students are

compelled to take writing classes and the ormer

is unenorceable or those students who use the

New Curriculum to avoid any course with a written

component. Evaluating rst-year writing samples is

a novel solution to both problems. It ensures that

unpracticed writers rom all departments receive

eedback and also advises students on how to im-prove their writing beore remedial classes become

the only option.

But dishonesty impeded the program’s eective-

ness. The policy — assign a book that many students

aren’t interested in reading, add in an essay require-

ment and remove any predictable consequences

or slacking o — was a per ect recipe or sloppy,

unrepresentative samples. And indeed, Associate

Dean or Writing Kathleen McSharry conrmed that

the essays improved ater the University disclosed

its true intentions.

We hope that the allout rom Brown’s covert

letter-screening program will serve as a potent

reminder that honesty is usually the best policy,

and that Brown students should be consulted about

important curricular changes, even those that seem

like sel-evidently good ideas.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s edi-

torial page board. Send comments to

[email protected].

s saff W dan Alexaner, Emma Berr, Mitra Anoshiravani, Ellen Cshing,

Sne Ember, Laren Feor, Nicole Frieman, Britta Greene, Sarah Hsk, Matt Klebanoff,

Etienne Ma, Brian Mastroianni, Hannah Moser, Lisa Robleo, Ben Schreckinger, Caroline

Seano, Anne Simons, Anne Speer, Sara Snshine, Alex ulmer, Szannah Weiss, Kla

Wilkes

staff Writer Znaira Chohar, Chris dff, Nicole dngca, Jliana Frien, Cameron

Lee, Christian Martell, Heeong Min, Seth Motel, Jotsna Mllr, Laren Pischel, Leslie

Primack, Anne Speer, Alexanra ulmer, Kla Wilkes

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B Aca diahnra Brman, Stassia Chzhkova, Caroline dean, Marco

eLeon, Katherine Galvin, Bonnie Kim, Mara Lnch, Cath Li, Allen McGonagill, Liana

Nisimova, Thanases Plestis, Agathe Ronce, Core Schwartz, William Schweitzer, Kenneth

So, Evan Smortin, Haar Tagn, Ansh Vaish, Webber X, Lnse yess

d saff Katerina dalavrak, Gili Kliger, Jessica Kirschner, Joanna Lee, Maxwell

Rosero, John Walsh, Kate Wilson, Qian yin

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Cpy e Sara Chimene-Weiss, Sne Ember, Laren Feor, Mirana Forman, CaseGaham, Anna Joravleva, Geoffre Ki, Freeric L, Joran Mainzer, Kell Mallahan,

Maeleine Rosenberg

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pinionsThe Brown dail Heral

The start o the school year brings with it the

usual anxieties about moving in, shopping or

classes, meeting roommates and more. This

all, ears o swine fu are added to the mix.

To combat a possible epidemic, ederal

health ocials are considering a course o

three fu vaccinations — two to combat swine

fu in addition to the seasonal fu vaccine.

I approved, this plan will be the rst in the

United States to recommend more than one

fu vaccine per year.

A recent “Report to the President” about swine fu preparations estimated that about

hal o the population might be inected by win-

ter, with up to 90,000 swine fu-related deaths.

There was also a call to “accelerate production”

o the vaccine. So ar, the ederal government

has spent $1.15 billion on 195 million doses

o the vaccine and is also considering a $4.8

million promotional campaign.

The Department o Health and Human

Services has granted legal immunity to private

pharmaceutical companies rushing to create

and test the vaccine. The European Medicines

Agency has even allowed pharmaceutical com-

panies to shorten testing periods in order to

start its vaccination program in August.

These panicked eorts are eerily reminis-

cent o the swine fu scare o the 1970s. Due

to worries o a possibly deadly pandemic, 40

million Americans were injected with a vaccinethat was rushed through production and saety

trials. The eared pandemic did not occur,

but hundreds o cases o the infammatory

nerve disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome and

25 deaths cost the government millions o dol-

lars in damages and resulted in a huge public

backlash against the “health bureaucracy.”

The current health care reorm debates

do not need to be urther exacerbated by a

vaccine scandal. The government must act

with more caution and deliberation this time

around, and also make sure to provide the

public with unexaggerated, up-to-date inor-

mation about H1N1. Hundreds o swine fu-

related deaths occurred in Mexico beore the

Mexican government knew how to react. We

cannot aord the slow spread o important

new H1N1 inormation.

The White House advisory panel’s alarming

90,000 estimate is “on the high side,” according

to ocials at the Centers or Disease Control

and Prevention and the National Center or Immunization and Respirator y Diseases.

The chairmans o the panel variously de-

ended the estimates, saying they were a “dose

o reality” at a time o public “complacency.”

However, prevention should not be ocused

only on inciting ear and dependence on a

rushed vaccine, but also on letting people

know exactly what sort o threat they’re ac-

ing. Each year in the United States there are

about 36,000 deaths rom the seasonal fu;

the government needs to provide inormation

about how swine fu compares to seasonal

fu, how it is transmitted and risk actors or

serious illness.

Observations o swine fu cases in the

Southern Hemisphere have revealed that

the pandemic itsel is “moderate” according

to past WHO estimates. This means that most

o the inected recover without medical care

and that H1N1 inection levels are similar to

those o regular seasonal fu. But the phrase

“moderate pandemic” in and o itsel is unset-tling i let unexplained. As o now, it seems

that all hope or prevention lies in the rantic

production o a vaccine, while all the public

can do in the interim is rely on hand sanitizer

and a vague sense o oreboding.

Perhaps a greater ear is that the system o

healthcare in the United States will have a very

dicult time dealing not only with outbreaks,

but with the associated panic as well. Most

people rely on mass media or quick inorma-

tion, and the media is oten ond o blowing

things out o proportion. Will hospitals be able

to deal with rightened patients fooding in at

the slightest sign o discomort?

The rst 40 million doses o the swine

fu vaccine will be available by October. Thegovernment has a compelling interest to see

people vaccinated, but it will be unair i a

glossy media campaign and exaggerated es-

timates o death rates are all the public has

to help decide whether or not to receive the

vaccine.

To ensure that history does not repeat

itsel, the vaccine cannot simply be rushed

through clinical trials just to make a deadline.

We need to take responsibility and do our own

research beore we get our shots.

ivy Chn ’10 s ls ans,Cn. Sh cn b chd

[email protected].

B

This summer, the students o the incoming

reshman class were told to read “The Beak o

the Finch” by Jonathan Weiner in preparation

or their entrance into Brown University. The

book tells the story o Rosemary and Peter

Grant, evolutionary biologists whose research with Darwin’s nches in the Galapagos Is-

lands has brought a modern understanding o

evolutionary theory back to the place where

it all began.

As a ormer Perkins resident, I jokingly

thought that I could sympathize with the di-

culties o working on an island (guratively

speaking). Still, ater just reading the sum-

mary, one may wonder why “The Beak o

the Finch” was chosen or this year’s read-

ing assignment. The Grants did give a lec-

ture here last year, and the book anecdotally

reerences Brown University in chapter 16.

But the minor connections between the book

and our university are icing on the cake; the

book itsel tells a story that any reshman in

any college across the country could benet

rom reading.

The book itsel is a delightul read. Wein-

er’s writing is elaborate and richly detailed,

whether he’s talking about history, adaptive

landscapes or Tribulus mericarps — the

spiked seedpods o a plant native to the Gala-

pagos. Each chapter oers a unique viewpoint

on some part o the evolutionary tale: some

ocus rather intensely on the Grants’ research,

while others discuss evolutionary science in

a broader scope. These discussions are more

than ordinary textbook arguments; they are so

requently injected with historical anecdotes

and vivid metaphors that it can become di-

cult at times to remember where the discus-

sion let o. Yet, it is precisely these tangents

that make the story uniquely engaging. Much

like the robust Tribulus and its seeds, each

anecdote carries an insightul comment or two

that makes its inclusion worthwhile.

For a book that primarily ocuses on evo-

lutionary research or over 200 pages, I was

most impressed with the nal section o the

book — “G.O.D.,” a tongue-in-cheek acro-

nym or “generation o diversity.” This section

expands rom merely discussing research

and history to tackling the consequences o

evolution rom a philosophical point o view.

Ater all, mankind is more than a casual ob-

server; we are both par ticipants and agents o

selection in the “existential poker game” (as

Proessor David Rand so poetically words it)

called survival. Weiner concludes his book by

contemplating this unique niche that human

beings ll in the environment — a refection

that is prooundly summed up in the book’s -

nal chapter, “The Metaphysical Crossbeak.”

Even insignicant birds on a remote ar-

chipelago in the vast Pacic Ocean can be

the inspiration or a captivating and thought-

provoking tale, one that is particularly appro-

priate or incoming college reshmen. Beyond

the romanticized retelling o Darwin’s voyage,

Weiner reveals the uncertainty and distress

that Darwin elt while ormulating his radical

theory. Underneath the detailed discussion

o the Grants’ work, he relates the diculties

and rustrations that can bother even the most

dedicated researcher.

These accounts teach a lesson in character

rom which we can all learn. As college stu-

dents or as scientists, but as Brown students

especially, we all share the quality o perse-

verance. We are always pressing or ward, in

spite o the obstacles and setbacks. Darwin

boldly published his theory despite signicant

sel-doubt. Through droughts, storms and

mountains o data, the Grants boldly continue

their groundbreaking research. As Brown

students, we are also reminded to be bold — in

our studies, our pursuits and our spirit.

Although the general purpose o sum-

mer reading is to broaden horizons, provoke

thought and provide a common experiencethrough which reshmen can connect, I

would like to think that it also sets a theme

or the rst several weeks o college. As a

reshman, I remember my rst ew weeks

as a period o immersion, exploration and

discovery, themes that played large roles in

my own summer reading book, “The Places

in Between” by Rory Stewart. Judging rom

the sentiments and ideas presented in “The

Beak o the Finch,” I predict the all o 2009

will be a period o struggle and adaptation

or some, diversication or others and sel-

discovery or the rest. This all, a reshman

at any other college might see matriculation

as simply crossing the threshold into adult-

hood. I hope that the class o 2013 sees it as

leaving the nest.

mch Fpck ’12 snycnds shppn Biol 0480:

evny By. H cn bcncd

[email protected]

bk q

“Even insignificant birs on a remote archipelago

in the vast Pacific Ocean can be the inspiration

for a captivating an thoght-provoking tale.”

“The government has a compelling interest to see

people vaccinate, bt it will be nfair if a gloss

meia campaign an exaggerate estimates ofeath rates are all the pblic has to help ecie

whether or not to receive the vaccine.”

By IVy CHANG

opinions coluMnist

By MICHAEL FITZPATRICK

opinions coluMnist

g m ay? Leave a comment online!Visit www.brownailheral.com to comment on opinion an eitorial content.



thursdAY, sePteMBer 10, 2009 PAge 12

Today 35

Mocha on the fritz

Sneakers an sharks on Thaer

The Brown daily Heral

66 / 56

todAY, sePteMBer 10

5 P.M. — New Teaching Assistant

Orientation, Sharpe Refector

7 P.M. — Town Hall: Health Care, panel

iscussion with Professor Anna Aizer,

dr. Richar Besine an

dr. Jeffre Borkan, Salomon 001

toMorroW, sePteMBer 11

2 P.M. — Aitions for

“Leavittsbrg, Ohio,” Start Theatre

3 P.M. — “Service & Community:

Fining Both at Brown,” Swearer

Center

ACROSS1 Shopping center5 Letter-routing

letters9 Confronts

14 A long way off15 Firenze farewell16 Signs of decay17 “The Flintstones”

pet18 Ruler division19 Find a new

tenant for20 Nearby, on a

country road23 When prime time

ends in MiddleAmer.

24 Counterfeit coin25 Sonoma Valley

container28 Irish homeland31 Mug shot view33 Electrical unit,

briefly36 Malty brew38 Countesses’

spouses39 Is completely

uninformed44 Impressive

grouping45 “What an idiot I

am!”46 Inclined to avoid

the spotlight

47 “Heavens!”50 Snitched53 Sneaky54 Super-duper56 Deputized group60 Row house porch64 Frighten, as

horses66 Field of expertise67 Memo phrase68 Arizona State’s

city69 Docking site70 Chess ending71 Nonpoetic writing72 Office fill-in73 Prominent

periods

DOWN1 Angry with2 In flames3 Talked a blue

streak

4 Theatricaltravelers

5 Corrosivecompound

6 Windshield glarereducer

7 Dash devices8 Useless9 Precedes

10 Mideast port onits own gulf

11 Cause of coughs

and sniffles12 Before, of yore13 Old fast plane:

Abbr.21 Abbr. for people

with only twonames

22 Prickly case26 Islam’s God27 In a foul mood29 Snitch30 Moose relative32 Web site help

sect.33 Second or sixth

president34 Gourmet

mushroom35 “Catch a Falling

Star” singer37 Call a halt to

40 Cul-de-__41 One of the Bx.

Bombers42 Not at home43 One of a

reporter’s five W’s48 Comfy footwear49 Spellbound51 Record

collector’splatters

52 Serve a sentence

55 Chill-inducing57 Salvage ship

equipment58 A bit, informally59 Fencing swords61 Butterfingers’ cry62 Abound (with)63 Memorable Old

West lawman64 NASCAR

advertiser65 As __ instructions

By Gail Grabowski04/21/09

04/21/09

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

[email protected]

A Wa Fca | Stephen Lichenstein an Aam Wagner

K a dck | Jeff Olshan

shArPe reFeCtorY

lunCh — Zcchini an Parmesan

Sanwich, Pasta With Eggplant an

Olives, Chicken Cutlet Parmesan

Sanwich

dinner — Cheese Tomato Strata,

Spice Rbbe Pork Chops

verneY-WoolleY dining hAll

lunCh — Sloppy Joe Sanwich,

Falafel in Pita Brea, Califlower a

Gratin, Swiss Fge Cookies

dinner — Roast Turkey with

Sauce, Shells with Broccoli, Mashe

Potatoes, Btternt Apple Bake

1calendar

Menu

crossword

the news in iMaGes

coMics

68 / 58

today toMorrow

inside today

p o s t - v w e e k e n d

Post- Open House

HM Naqvi Reading

F. 9 p.. ● Wynd ach

F. 5 p.. ● Bwn Bks

Higher Keys ArchSing

F. 5 p.. ● 195 an S.

Smoked Salomon:

An A Capella ExtravaganzaF. 8 p.. ● Sn 101

Wild Rockstar Party Girls ths. 10 p.. ● Vv

september 10, 2009 issue

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