Nick Neely / Herald

Laleh Ispahani, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, argued against state policies that deny felonsand ex-felons the right to vote at a Monday night lecture.

BY STEPHANIE CLARKFelons across the country are unfairlydenied the right to vote, said LalehIspahani, director of the American CivilLiberties Union’s Voting Rights Projectand leader of Right to Vote: A NationalCampaign to End FelonyDisenfranchisement.

Maine and Vermont are the onlystates that don’t take away any of crimi-nals’ voting rights, while 14 states per-manently disenfranchise felons and ex-felons, Ispahani said in a lectureMonday night. She called the nation a“crazy quilt” of policies, with state lawsranging from immediate restoration ofthe right to vote upon release fromprison to permanent disenfranchise-ment.

The issue is particular to the UnitedStates, according to Ispahani. “Weentered the 21st century with possiblythe most restrictive disenfranchisementpolicy in the world,” she said. InGermany, felons are disenfranchised forfive years if they have committed “seri-ous legislative offenses.” And in Finlandand New Zealand, disenfranchisementis limited to those caught buying or sell-ing votes, and even then, it lasts for onlytwo years, she said.

An Israeli court ruling stated thatdenying felons the right to vote wouldhurt not the felon but the voting system,Ispahani said. As a result, there are nowpolling stations set up inside Israeliprisons.

Ispahani said state laws disenfran-chising felons and ex-felons are a seri-

ous threat to American democracy. Thecurrent policies are “truly criminal,”said Ispahani. “We’re effectively tellingpeople, ‘Welcome back, pay taxes, don’tvote.’”

She cited disorganization and redtape as other factors making it especial-ly difficult for ex-convicts to vote. “Some

states require a state-issued ID to vote,... and they cost money. Many ex-felonsdon’t have an extra $20 or $30 to get anID so they can vote,” she said.

There are strong racial overtones inthe issue of felony disenfranchisement,

THE BROWN DAILY HERALDAn independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 0 4

Volume CXXXIX, No. 33 www.browndailyherald.com

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I N S I D E T U E S D AY, M A RC H 1 6 , 2 0 0 4TUESDAY

snowhigh 39low 29

W E AT H E R F O R E C A S T

WEDNESDAY

snowhigh 36low 24

Flasher marks Rockwith indecentexposure in twoSunday night incidentscampus news, page 3

Laptop thief found,arrested in Barus andHolley Fridayafternooncampus news, page 3

Rachel Lauter ’06 saysBrown isn’t addressingthe very real problemof sophomore slumpcolumn, page 7

The Boy Scouts arebeing unfairly perse-cuted, writes LauraMartin ’06column, page 7

M. lacrosse improvesrecord by defeatingFairfield Universityin weekend matchsports, page 8

UN needs“world-class force,”says formerofficialBY JONATHAN ELLISFormer United Nations UndersecretaryGeneral Sir Brian Urquhart admitted hehad a difficult task Monday afternoon: todeliver a lecture encompassing the historyand future of the United Nations withoutrunning past midnight.

With President George W. Bush’s admin-istration promoting a doctrine of preemp-tive war, terrorist organizations posingimminent threats and many observers con-sidering the United Nations obsolete,Urquhart wondered aloud what directionthe world should take now.

“The U.N. is going to have to shape upand get into the 21st century, in which it isnot at the moment,” he said. “The (U.N.)Security Council is kind of a museum piecewith the British and the French as world-class powers.”

Urquhart did praise the U.N. charter as aflexible document “that’s extremely usefulin an untidy world.” But he said neither astronger United Nations nor a “PaxAmericana” — a U.S.-imposed world peace— would be enough to solve today’s globalproblems.

The United Nations needs a “world-classforce” available for rapid deployment,Urquhart said. “(U.N. Secretary-GeneralKofi) Annan has no force to keep peace inIraq, so it has to be kept by the coalition,”whose troops are now targets of attacks, hesaid.

But the United Nations can often beblamed, he said. “It’s one of the great ironiesof the English language that the initials of‘secretary-general’ are S.G. — which arealso the initials of ‘scapegoat,’” he said.

Diplomacy can stall because “diplomatsdilly-dally around the subject, present half-baked ideas (and) try to avoid the issue,”Urquhart said.

But bold action can backfire, he added.“Unilateral preventive wars will createmore, not less, insecurity,” he said.

Urquhart did not fully blame the Bushadministration for intervening in Iraq with-out U.N. support. “It’s a great deal of fun toconstantly blame George Bush and his peo-ple, but they do have a point — somethingneeds to be done” about the UnitedNations, he said.

The world faces new dangers, he said.“We’re now dealing with the possibility ofnuclear proliferation in the hands of privatepeople who have no concern about theSecurity Council,” he said. “I think we haveto think in very scary terms about whatcould happen.”

Urquhart said the best way to effectchange in the United Nations is throughpublic pressure on governments and diplo-mats.

Urquhart also spoke about Thursday’sbombings in Madrid in response to a ques-tion from the audience.

see URQUHART, page 4

ACLU representative says felons deserve voting rights

Dillard University is getting a little bitof help from one of its most famousalums — President Ruth Simmons.

Simmons, who graduated from theuniversity in 1967, is serving an advi-sory role in Dillard’s search for its newpresident. Dillard’s former president,Michael Lomax, left after a seven-yeartenure to run the United NegroCollege Fund. The UNCF recruitedLomax partly because of his fundrais-ing successes at Dillard, according tothe New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Dillard has chosen an interim pres-ident until a permanent replacementis found to fill the role. Simmons saidshe feels the interim appointment isindicative of the amount of time andconsideration the university willdevote to finding the best possiblepresident.

“My hope is that they’ll take theirtime,” she told The Herald.

Simmons said Dillard is a small

institution that lacks many of theresources Brown has. “I had theopportunity to go to college because asmall college gave me a scholarship,and I’m very attached to it,” she said.

Simmons said there are no plans forher to visit the school during thesearch process. Instead, she will offeradvice about candidates and proce-dure by phone. Simmons said her rolewill remain strictly advisory becauseshe feels her schedule does not allowfor a greater commitment.

“I made it clear that I don’t seemyself as being very involved with thesearch committee and that I don’tneed to be,” she said.

“Certainly, when I retire fromBrown, I’d love to have more time tohelp (Dillard) out,” Simmons added.“It means a lot to me as my under-graduate college.”

— Leslie Kaufmann

Simmons to help with search for newpresident of alma mater Dillard U.

see ISPAHANI, page 4

T O D A Y ’ S E V E N T S

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TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004 · PAGE 2

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Blocks Charlie Beresford

Four Years Eddie Ahn

My Best Effort Will Newman & Barron Youngsmith

Coup de Grace Grace Farris

Jero Matt Vascellaro

Hopeless Edwin Chang

M E N U

ACROSS1 Mend, as socks5 Smelter refuse9 Browbeaten

14 Skin soother15 Couple16 ...miss is as

good as __17 “Bravo!” for

Tuesday andIrene?

19 Ball girl20 Wedding page

word21 Craggy ridge22 Chilean

mountains23 Trampled24 Pithy26 Make disgusted29 Long painfully30 CIA ancestor33 Total confusion34 Champagne

grape35 __ mode36 Sculling gear37 “The Lord of the

__”38 Singer Redding39 Env. contents40 Protestors’

deprivations41 __ brûlée:

custard dessert42 Bank acct.

entry43 Division word44 Stops45 Ancient Aegean

region47 Cinderella’s

dance48 Pasta tubes50 Nearby52 Point a weapon55 Has status56 Moss and

Gabriel’sstomach woe?

58 Activist Medgar59 “Picnic”

dramatist60 Finishes61 Intrinsically62 Praiseful

poems

63 “Winnie-the-__”

DOWN 1 Daybreak2 Toward shelter,

at sea3 Stage part4 Actor Beatty5 Goad6 Like Olympic

pools7 “__

Misbehavin’”8 Formal “Hello!”9 Minnelli movie

musical10 Prophetic signs11 What Oscar

and Joyce Carolsow?

12 French pronoun13 Low marks18 Challenges23 Fight enders25 Seth’s son26 Take to task27 “__ it when that

happens”28 Vikki and

Harold’sprofession?

29 Kind of bean31 Muck32 Ms. enclosures34 Nutty ice cream

flavor37 Royal sari

wearer38 Word-of-mouth40 Tactful handling41 Fanzine focus44 Social classes

46 Lulus47 Funny pianist

Victor48 Get ready49 Icicle site51 Touch down52 Florence’s river53 Prefix with

Chinese54 Screen material57 Slangy “Sure”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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17 18 19

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M U S E R A D A R O C H SO P A L A L I B I L O I SP R I S O N E R O F Z E N D AP O N I E D A L O O FE A T E R T H R E E E A RD R S R A I D S E T N A

U P E N D N A T T YH O S T A G E C R I S I S

H O N E S O U G H TA B E D S P U R S O W EY O U T E A S E A P R I L

P S A L M I N L A N DC A P T I V E A U D I E N C EO B E Y E L I T E A G E SW A D E S A L E S T E S T

By Frances Burton(c)2004 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

03/16/04

03/16/04

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

SHARPE REFECTORY

LUNCH — Vegetarian Fagoli Soup,Chicken Mulligatawny Soup, TunaNoodle Casserole, Spinach Feta Pie,Stewed Tomatoes, Rice KrispieTreats, Lemon Pie, ChocolateCinnamon Cake Roll

DINNER — Vegetarian Fagoli Soup,Chicken Mulligatawny Soup, BBQPork Chops, Chicken Tikka, PestoPasta, Basmati Rice Pilaf, IndianGreen Beans, Whole Kernel Corn,Corn Bread, Rice Krispie Treats,Lemon Pie, Chocolate CinnamonCake Roll

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH — Vegetarian RoastedButternut Soup with Apples,Chicken Vegetable Soup, MeatballGrinder, Vegetarian Pot Pie, Spinachwith Lemon, Rice Krispie Treats

DINNER — Vegetarian RoastedButternut Soup with Apples,Chicken Vegetable Soup,Shepherd’s Pie, Vegan VegetableCouscous, Baked Sweet Potato,Italian Vegetable Saute, Fresh SlicedCarrots, Corn Bread, ChocolateCinnamon Cake Roll

ETHNIC POLARIZATION,POTENTIAL CONFLICT AND CIVILWARS4 p.m. (Robinson Hall, Room 301) —José García Montalvo, associate pro-fessor of economics at the UniversitatPompeu Fabra and research profes-sor at the Valencian Institute forEconomic Analysis.

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT,NON-FARM GROWTH AND RURALINEQUALITY: INDIA 1970-20004 p.m. (McKinney Conference Room,Watson Institute) — Andrew Foster,chair of the Economics Department.Presented by the Global EthicsSeminar Series.

P U Z Z L E S

Answer:The gumbo.One letter after G is H,two letters after U is W,three let-ters after M is P,four letters after B is F and five letters after O is T.The first let-ter is coded by the next letter in the alphabet,the second letter in the word iscoded by the second letter after it in the alphabet and so on.

Rasheed is sitting in a new CIA diner. It appears coded entrees are a part ofthe CIA ambience. Unable to read the menu, Rasheed asks the waitress what

certain items stand for. She explains,“Salad is printed as ‘tcoei,’ steak as ‘tvhep’and chili as ‘djlpn’”. Rasheed quickly picks up the pattern and orders the

“hwpft.”What did he order? By Veer Bhavnagri

CAMPUS NEWSTHE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004 · PAGE 3

The College Democrats and The Brown Daily Herald present

A Dinner Conversation

with M. Charles Bakst ’66

SENIOR POLITICAL COLUMNIST FOR THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Wednesday, March 17 • 6 p.m

Chancellor’s Dining Room (in Sharpe Refectory)

Nepotismcontroversy pushesformer Providencesuperintendent Lamfrom NYC postBY KIRA LESLEYFormer Providence school chief Diana Lam resignedfrom her position as deputy chancellor of the New YorkCity schools last week amid charges of nepotism.

Lam, who served as superintendent of theProvidence Public School District before going to NewYork, resigned March 8 after a city investigators’ reportaccused her of securing her husband a job in theschools without the required conflict-of-interest clear-ance.

The report, issued March 5 by Special Commissionerof Investigation for the New York City schools RichardCondon, concluded Lam had helped place her hus-band in a supervisory job in the Bronx. When schoolofficials determined his job placement was inappropri-ate, he was moved to a teaching job at a small Bronxhigh school, the report stated. At no time did Lam seekrequired clearance from the Conflicts of Interest Board,according to the New York Times.

Several hours after Condon’s report was issued,Chancellor Joel Klein issued a statement defendingLam’s abilities and “her continued efforts to provideNew York City’s 1.1 million public school children withthe education that they need and deserve.”

But after Lam announced her resignation, Kleinissued a second, terse statement saying that he hadasked Lam to leave.

Lam had been a controversial player in Bloomberg’sreorganization of the New York Department of

see LAM, page 5

Library flasher still on the looseA quiet evening at the Rockefeller Library took an unex-pected turn Sunday night after a man wandering thebasement stacks exposed himself to two female stu-dents.

The first incident occurred at about 10 p.m., accord-ing to Michelle Nuey, assistant manager of special serv-ices for the Department of Public Safety. Police did notapprehend the suspect, who left the library before policearrived and is not believed to be affiliated with theUniversity, Nuey said.

Laura Kavazanjian ’06 said she was studying on thebasement level when a man who looked about 30 yearsold approached her and asked if she smoked. She repliedthat she did not, and he walked away, asking other peo-ple in the area the same question.

Kavazanjian said the man returned about 10 minuteslater. When he squatted to retrieve a book from the shelffacing her, Kavazanjian said she realized he wasn’t wear-ing any underwear, she said, “and everything wasexposed.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Oh, this poor man, he does-n’t realize what he’s doing. He needs to get some under-

wear.’ I didn’t look back at him,” Kavazanjian said. Kavazanjian simply faced the wall and continued

doing her homework, she said. It was only a few minuteslater, when a police officer approached her to ask aboutany “interesting interactions,” that she realized she’dbeen intentionally flashed.

The man also exposed himself to another femalelibrary patron, who reported the incident to BrownPolice.

In both instances, the perpetrator was wearing bluesoccer-type shorts and carrying a light-colored back-pack, Nuey said.

The suspect is a clean-shaven male, about 5 feet, 6inches tall, 25 to 30 years old, with short, light hair, Nueysaid. He was carrying a light-colored backpack at thetime and has two large tattoos on one of his calves, sheadded.

The suspect, who was observed on the A level of theRock, was not apprehended, Nuey said. DPS is investi-gating the incidents.

— Herald staff reports

Man caught in Barus and Holley with stolen laptopA professor’s tip led to the arrest of a man in possession ofa stolen laptop computer Friday afternoon.

The suspect “was first identified as a suspicious personin a lab by a professor,” said Michelle Nuey, assistant spe-cial services manager for the Department of Public Safety.

Nuey identified neither the suspect nor the professor.The professor asked the suspect what he was doing in

Barus and Holley, according to Nuey. The suspect’sanswer was suspicious, she said.

The professor then noticed the suspect had a gray lap-top and asked for his identification, Nuey said. At thispoint, the suspect attempted to flee the area, she said.

DPS was notified, apprehended the man and turned

him over to Providence Police Department, Nuey said.The suspect had an outstanding PPD warrant, she added.

The owner of the laptop, a RISD student, has been noti-fied of its recovery, Nuey said.

Andrew Del Donno ’06 told The Herald he saw DPSofficers leading the suspect away from Barus and Holleyin handcuffs. The suspect did not appear to be resistingarrest, Del Donno said.

Del Donno said the suspect appeared to be in his 20s or30s.

DPS is still investigating the incident, Nuey said.

—Jonathan Ellis

Ispahani said. Sixty-seven per-cent of the nation’s prison popu-lation is African American orLatino, and about one-third ofdisenfranchised felons areAfricanAmerican men. In statesthat have a policy of permanentdisenfranchisement, 40 percentof black men will lose their rightto vote at some point duringtheir lives.

But racial reasons for disen-franchisement are not new,Ispahani said. Historically, statelaws have explicitly describedtheir felony disenfranchisementpolicy as a way to keep AfricanAmericans from voting.

New Jersey’s current policy isto deny the vote to ex-convictson parole or probation, Ispahanisaid. She said 81 percent of thefelons in New Jersey are minori-ties, compared to 13 percent ofthe population at large. NewJersey state officials admittedthat this number was dispropor-tionate due to racial profiling,

she said.There are many reasons legis-

lators use to justify these poli-cies, Ispahani said. Some ofthese include maintaining the“purity of the ballot box” andpreventing electoral fraud, shesaid.

But Ispahani said a clear dis-tinction needs to be madebetween different types ofcrimes. “There may be a reasonto disenfranchise a felon con-victed of electoral fraud, but it’shard to imagine why a car thiefwould engage in electoralfraud,” she said.

“You hear themurderer/rapist issue a lot,” shesaid, explaining legislators’resistance to grant the vote toperpetrators of violent crimes.“But it’s not a criminal justiceissue, it’s an issue of democracy.It’s an issue of fairness.”

Ispahani said that recentlypeople have begun showingsupport for the cause of restor-ing felons’ right to vote, and as aresult, 25 states have “signifi-cantly reformed” their disen-franchisement laws in the past

year. “Across the nation, 80 percent

of Americans believe that oncesomeone has served their time,they should be allowed to voteagain,” she said.

Ispahani noted societal igno-rance of laws disenfranchisingfelons in the context of MarthaStewart’s recent conviction. Atelevision panel was discussingStewart’s status as a felon whensomeone brought up her right tovote, Ispahani said. “Can shevote? No one knew.”

Lack of information is a wide-spread problem, Ispahani said.“Sometimes legislators don’teven know about the disenfran-chisement laws of their ownstate,” she said.

One of the most importantcomponents of the Right to Votecampaign is raising awarenessof the voting policies of eachstate. There is a need to promoteeducation in prisons so thatprisoners will have knowledgeof what to do and where to go tovote when they get out, she said.

The Right to Vote campaignformed in early 2003, when

many national organizationscame together to “seriouslymake a dent,” Ispahani told theHerald. They began by focusingon five states, chosen on thebasis of their current state lawand the potential for change.

She said the most importantmessage she could give wouldbe to get involved.

“Even if you do nothing else,write about it, talk about it, getpeople informed about it,” shesaid.

Katherine Cummings ’06, amember of Students for aSensible Drug Policy and one ofthe organizers of the event, saidshe felt the problem is animportant one, particularlybecause so few people knowabout it. The policies of felonydisenfranchisement “don’t jibewith our idea of democracy,” shesaid.

The event, which drew asmall audience to List 120, wassponsored by the Brown CollegeDemocrats, SSDP and the ThirdWorld Center as part ofDemocracy Awareness Week.

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004

continued from page 1

Ispahani

“If it was al-Qaeda, it meansthey’ve developed a much morepowerful weapon, and that is theability to politically terrorize gov-ernments and force them tochange their policies,” he said.

Urquhart’s lecture was part ofan ongoing program sponsoredby the Thomas J. Watson Institutefor International Studies that cel-ebrates the life of Ralphe Bunche,the first person of color to receivethe Nobel Peace Prize.

“Ralph is the only person Iknow who wrote two chapters ofthe U.N. charter,” Urquhart saidof his friend, who preceded himas under-secretary general forspecial political affairs.

Working on the commissionon Palestine, Bunche’s main pro-posal included an economic linkbetween Jewish and Arab states,Urquhart said, because Bunchefeared that an Israeli upper classand a Palestinian Arab lowerclass “could lead to tensions.”

Bunche won the Nobel Prizein 1950 for negotiating a halt tothe 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli war.During the negotiations, the twosides would argue by day, andBunche would stay up each nightrewriting proposals for the next

day’s round of talks, Urquhartsaid.

Bunche eventually generatedthe only written agreementbetween Israel and its neighbor-ing Arab states until the CampDavid Accords nearly 30 yearslater, Urquhart said.

After that, “anyone in troubleanywhere in the world wantedBunche as a mediator or negotia-tor,” Urquhart said.

Urquhart said Bunche was astrong opponent of what Bunchecalled “preventive war” — war toprevent future wars.

Bunche also “invented theconcept of peacekeeping” whenthe U.N. intervened in the 1956Suez Canal crisis, Urquhart said.But Urquhart drew a sharp dis-tinction between Bunche’s visionof peacekeeping and its recentpractice.

“Bunche’s peacekeeping sys-tem was supposed to keep peacebetween nations, not withinthem,” he said. That especiallyholds true when “thugs” com-mandeer a country, he added.

Urquhart called U.N. efforts inBosnia, Rwanda and Somalia“disasters” but said he was sur-prised there have not been more.

The lecture accompanied theannouncement of the winner ofthe Watson Institute’s RalphBunche U.N. Internship Award.

Elizabeth Goodfriend ’04 willwork for three months in theU.N. Department ofPeacekeeping Best PracticesUnit.

Many members of the audi-ence could be seen scribblingpages of notes during Urquhart’sspeech.

Urquhart “discussed a veryimportant topic in a very accessi-ble manner,” said Amanda Nagai’05.

Urquhart’s first-hand knowl-edge of the United Nations —gleaned from his 12-year tenureas under-secretary general untilhis retirement in 1986 — was evi-dent. But in the end, he said, “It’ssomething I’ve read so muchabout, I’ve forgotten the wholedamn thing.”

After all, he had never wantedto work there in the first place, hequipped. “I always wanted towork in the League of Nations,but unfortunately that went outof business,” he said.

After a lively 90-minutespeech, with content rangingfrom the gravely serious to thepoignantly funny, Urquhartreceived a standing ovation froma crowded Salomon 001.

Herald staff writer Jonathan Ellis’06 can be reached atjellis@browndailyherald.com.

continued from page 1

Urquhart

quack

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so don’t be afraid to go out on alimb.

Finally, keep regional bias outof it if you really want to win. Yes,if you’re from Kentucky, go aheadand put the ’Cats all the waythrough to the Final Four, butdon’t do the same for the UTEPjust because you’re from El Paso.

Now, on to the breakdown ofthis year’s tourney.

St. Louis Region: In case you getconfused, the committee isn’treferring to the regions by theirgeneral location, but rather bywhere the regional finals will beplayed. Kentucky, the No. 1 overallseed, will play in this region, andthe committee certainly gave the’Cats a pretty easy road to SanAntonio. Yes, the Washington-UABwinner will give them a reason-ably tough game in the secondround, but the high seeds in thisregion are relatively weak.

Gonzaga is good, but they justhaven’t been tested enough thisseason to handle Georgia Tech inthe Sweet 16. The Zags haven’tplayed a team that made thetournament since they lost toStanford December 20. GeorgiaTech is the only team that has alegit shot at stopping Kentuckyin this bracket. To be honest, aFinal Four comprised entirely ofteams from the ACC would notsurprise me — that’s how deepthe conference was this year.Still, when I look at Kentucky, Ijust see it as a machine run byone of the best Tournamentcoaches of this era. Look for the’Cats to come out of this bracket.

Atlanta Region: If we were to goback to my “Survivor” analogyfrom before, this region would be“Survivor: All-Stars.” Honestly,the top 11 seeds in this region areall teams that could make theSweet 16. But my favorite thingabout the region is thatPrinceton is going to get the snotkicked out of it by Texas, a teamthat scores so well it won’t evenhave to worry about the vauntedPrinceton offense.

North Carolina is everyone’ssleeper pick for the Final Four atthe six seed, which immediatelyturns me off the team.Cincinnati, coming off its

Conference USA Tournamentvictory, could be the team thatcan knock off No. 1 seed Duke,but I have a real problem pickingBob Huggins to go that far. Yourbest bet in this region may be togo eeny-meeny-miney-moe, butI’ll go out on a limb and pick theBlue Devils, if only for the reasonthat my high school has the samemascot. (Hey, sometimes itcomes down to that when you’repicking among teams like these.)

Phoenix Region: This bracketfeatures two powers in Stanfordand UConn, and two ACC sleep-ers in North Carolina State andMaryland. The NCAA wants aStanford-UConn war to see whogoes to San Antonio for the FinalFour, and that’s just what they’regoing to get.

This entire tournament hingeson the health of UConn starEmeka Okafor. If he’s healthy, it’stough to bet against them. If hewinds up on the sidelines at anytime in this tournament, therewill be plenty of sullen faces. Still,against my better judgement, I’lltake the red-hot Huskies.

On a side note, Vermontabsolutely got jobbed, as Okaforis one of only a handful of guys inthe tournament who can handleTaylor Coppenrath. I was all setto pick the Catamounts in a first-round upset, but then the com-mittee went and matched themup with UConn.

East Rutherford Region: St. Louis,Atlanta, Phoenix … EastRutherford? I don’t know what’sgoing on there either, but this isone doozy of a region. St. Joe’s isthe number-one seed nobody isgoing to pick for the Final Four,and rightfully so. They’re going tobe tested every step of the way,starting with their second-roundmatch-up with the Texas Tech-Charlotte winner.

Six-seed Wisconsin deserved ahigher seed after winning the Big10 Tournament, even thoughthat conference was unusuallyweak this year. Look for one ofWisconsin, Oklahoma State,Pittsburgh or Wake Forest tocome out of the grand city of EastRutherford — my money’s onWake. Also, don’t be surprised ifManhattan beats Florida in thefirst round. They’re aPrinceton/Gonzaga-esque teamthat has given opponents fits in

the tournament that nobodyever seems to talk about.

So there you have it: Kentucky,Wake Forest, Duke and UConnwill be headed to San Antonio forone final week’s worth of terriblepuns about dancing. After all issaid and done, if Emeka Okafor ishealthy, UConn will be the lastteam standing. Of course, I mightjust be writing this so that youpick them, allowing me to takeyour money with my true,Nostradamus-like prognostica-tions. But that’s just a chanceyou’ll have to take.

Sports editor Chris Hatfield ’06makes his picks shrouded indruid robes.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

continued from page 8

NCAA

Jeter/Rodriguez rivalry. I wonderif chemistry is actually a strongpoint for a Cardinals combo thatjust started playing together andprobably requires a bilingualthird-base coach to translate,“It’s mine.”

5) Haskins: Gets credit forteaching me a little bit. Shouldhave focused exclusively on theno-name infielder who was awalking quote machine.Received two elimination votesbut hung on to fight another

week. Next week could be judg-ment day without a Frank Reich-like comeback.

6) Nick Stevens (Eliminated):This guy can’t win. One minutethe judges say he’s smug andcorny, the next the say he’s dull.He must have slept with a pro-ducer’s wife because his per-formances really haven’t beenthat bad. Mercifully, the compe-tition is over for Nick.

7) Kelly Milligan: I would havecut the oversized used-car sales-man. I worried for his health inthe summer heat. The words “onlocation” and Kelly Milliganshould be mutually exclusive. Sithim behind a desk or his days are

numbered. There’s only oneWillard Scott.

8) Chet Anekwe (Eliminated):Might have a career in voice-overs for a perfume companybut just doesn’t fit as a sports-caster. Anyone who cites statis-tics from spring training as a“positive sign” doesn’t under-stand the irrelevance of presea-son sports.

Tune in next week at 10 p.m.for the final six contestants,including Haskins.

Herald staff writer Brett ZardaGS is covering ESPN’s “DreamJob” and can be reached at bzar-da@browndailyherald.com.

continued from page 8

Dream Job

Education. She stirred up angerfor criticizing programs for gift-ed students, and the citywideliteracy curriculum she selecteddrew criticism from PresidentGeorge W. Bush’s top advisor onreading education. She alsocame under fire for touting hightest scores New York studentshad actually achieved beforeshe took the helm of the city’sschools.

As Providence superintend-ent, Lam spearheaded a com-prehensive school reform pro-gram titled “Rekindling the

Dream: A Framework forReform in the Providence PublicSchools.” The program aimed toincrease student achievement,improve school infrastructureand engage parents and thecommunity.

Lam’s tenure in Providencelasted three years, until she leftfor New York in 2002. It wasmarked by critiques of her con-troversial management styleand of her decisions to imple-ment programs that wereunpopular among some educa-tors.

Herald staff writer Kira Lesley’07 can be reached atklesley@browndailyherald.com.

continued from page 3

Lam

EDITORIAL/LETTERSTHE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004 · PAGE 6

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C O R R E C T I O N S P O L I C YThe Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Correctionsmay be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

C O M M E N T A R Y P O L I C YThe staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflectthe views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only.

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R P O L I C YSend letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters forlength and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may requestanonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed.

A D V E R T I S I N G P O L I C YThe Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

Rifa’a Rafi’ At-Tahtawi, Night EditorJennifer Resch, Brian Schmalzbach, Copy Editors

EDITORIALJuliette Wallack, Editor-in-Chief

Carla Blumenkranz, Executive Editor

Philissa Cramer, Executive Editor

Julia Zuckerman, Senior Editor

Danielle Cerny, Arts & Culture Editor

Meryl Rothstein, Arts & Culture Editor

Zachary Barter, Campus Watch Editor

Monique Meneses, Features Editor

Sara Perkins, Metro Editor

Dana Goldstein, RISD News Editor

Alex Carnevale, Opinions Editor

Ben Yaster, Opinions Editor

Christopher Hatfield, Sports Editor

PRODUCTIONLisa Mandle, Design Editor

George Haws, Copy Desk Chief

Eddie Ahn, Graphics Editor

Judy He, Photo Editor

Nick Neely, Photo Editor

BUSINESSJohn Carrere, General Manager

Lawrence Hester, General Manager

Anastasia Ali, Executive Manager

Zoe Ripple, Executive Manager

Elias Vale Roman, Senior Project Manager

In Young Park, Project Manager

Peter Schermerhorn, Project Manager

Laird Bennion, Project Manager

Bill Louis, Senior Financial Officer

Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep.

Elyse Major, Advertising Rep.

Kate Sparaco, Office Manager

POST- MAGAZINEEllen Wernecke, Editor-in-Chief

Jason Ng, Executive Editor

Micah Salkind, Executive Editor

Abigail Newman, Theater Editor

Josh Cohen, Design Editor

Allison Lombardo, Features Editor

Jeremy Beck, Film Editor

Jessica Weisberg, Film Editor

Ray Sylvester, Music Editor

S T A F F E D I T O R I A L

Staff Writers Marshall Agnew, Kathy Babcock, Zaneta Balantac, Elise Baran, Alexandra Barsk, ZacharyBarter, Hannah Bascom, Danielle Cerny, Robbie Corey-Boulet, Lexi Costello, Ian Cropp, Sam Culver,Gabriella Doob, Jonathan Ellis, Justin Elliott, Amy Hall Goins, Dana Goldstein, Bernard Gordon, KateGorman, Aron Gyuris, Krista Hachey, Chris Hatfield, Jonathan Herman, Miles Hovis, Masha Kirasirova,Robby Klaber, Kate Klonick, Alexis Kunsak, Sarah LaBrie, Kira Lesley, Matt Lieber, Allison Lombardo,Chris Mahr, Lisa Mandle, Craig McGowan, Jonathan Meachin, Monique Meneses, Kavita Mishra, SaraPerkins, Melissa Perlman, Eric Perlmutter, Sheela Raman, Meryl Rothstein, Michael Ruderman, MarcoSantini, Jen Sopchockchai, Lela Spielberg, Stefan Talman, Joshua Troy, Schuyler von Oeyen, JessicaWeisberg, Brooke Wolfe, Melanie Wolfgang, Brett ZardaAccounts Managers Daniel Goldberg, Mark Goldberg, Victor Griffin, Matt Kozar, Natalie Ho, IanHalvorsen, Sarena SniderPagination Staff Peter Henderson, Alex Palmer, Michael RudermanPhoto Staff Gabriella Doob, Benjamin Goddard, Marissa Hauptman, Jonathan Herman, MiyakoIgari, Allison Lombardo, Elizabeth MacLennan, Michael Neff, Alex Palmer, Yun Shou Tee, SorleenTrevinoCopy Editors Stephanie Clark, Katie Lamm, Jennifer Resch, Asad Reyaz, Amy Ruddle, BrianSchmalzbach, Melanie Wolfgang

A N D R E W S H E E T S

L E T T E R S

Crime alertThere is some truth to the common characterization of Brownas a bubble that is immune to the problems that face most citiesor, for that matter, the rest of Providence. Most students behaveas though they do not live in an urban center — leaving walletson tables and holding doors for strangers — and their behavioris supported by the relative safety of the campus.

Two unrelated campus crime incidents this weekend repre-sent the kinds of intrusions the community commonly suffers.One stranger to the campus stole a RISD student’s laptop andwas later apprehended in Barus and Holley, while anotherexposed himself to two students in the stacks of RockefellerLibrary. Neither appears to have any affiliation with theUniversity, making it easy to attribute these incidents to whathappens when the outside world gets in.

This is precisely the wrong way to think about security. Brownprides itself on remaining open to the rest of Providence, and aspart of the city, the University faces security problems like therest of the city’s communities. The gates that block our view ofdowncity don’t physically protect us; they simply allow us tothink most of the time that the laptop thefts and flashers are theworst that can happen at Brown.

We admit this weekend’s incidents seem inconsequential, butwe take this opportunity to remind students to be careful. Wesee Department of Public Safety and Providence Police patrolsevery day, and we walk by private security guards stationedaround campus. But when we haven’t heard of a serious crimein weeks, it’s easy to forget the crime reports that sometimesflood our e-mail inboxes with alarming regularity.

It was only two years ago that the severity of campus crimemade arming DPS seem to be an imminent necessity. Similarly,it was only a few weeks ago that the community suffered whatappears to be the latest in a series of bias-related assaults, mostlikely perpetrated by students, and no suspect has yet beenapprehended for a violent hate crime against a Brown studentin September.

There are few concrete steps we as students can take to pre-vent these incidents, large and small, from occurring, beyondthe obvious steps of locking our doors and traveling in groups.But considering the limited means of defense we can offer our-selves, cautionary words can’t be spoken often enough. It’s adangerous world out there and, believe it or not, in here as well.

Contrary to Heraldreports, LSD is badTo the Editor:

The “Psychedelic Art Extravaganza”(“Hallucination artwork stresses connectedness,creators say,” March 12) presents a limited pictureof both creative artistry and the use of psychedelicdrugs. More than any other drug, a person’s moodand expectations will affect their experience usingpsychedelics (usually LSD or mushrooms).

If people are anxious or upset, or they becomeanxious or upset after taking these drugs, they willprobably have a bad trip. A bad trip can cause ter-rifying thoughts and feelings, despair, nausea, fearof losing control and fear of death. These problemsare worse for people with underlying mentalhealth problems like severe depression, schizo-phrenia or bipolar disorder.

Fatal accidents can occur if a user hallucinatessafe situations when they are actually in danger.Flashbacks of a bad trip can occur long after some-one has tried psychedelics, and you can’t predictwhen they will happen.

Finally, equating drug use with good art under-mines the reality that hard work, talent and cre-ativity are what make great artists great. I have anartist friend who creates incredible video imageswith psychedelic themes. You could look at hiswork and see the same “interconnectedness,”“mental stimulation” and “hypnotic imagery” thatthese artists use to describe their work. And henever uses drugs.

Frances MantakDirector of Health Education

March 15

Mel’s apocryphalGospel To the Editor:

Stephen Beale ignores the many levels between“anti-Semitism” and “fine art” in his most recent col-umn (“A Passion for Christ,” March 11). The movieand the uproar surrounding it frighten me preciselybecause of statements like Beale’s declaration that“The Passon of the Christ” is “a literal rendition ofstory in the Gospels.” This new two-hour GospelAccording to Mel cannot encompass the complexityof the Bible. The movie gives the viewer Mel’s image ofthe last 12 hours of Christ, leaving no room for inter-pretation.

No matter how you slice it, when you transportwritten text to film, there is some adaptation. MelGibson chose what to show, what not to show andhow to depict events that are not explicit in the Bible.Mel took liberties that Beale should look into beforehe praises Gibson’s “fidelity to the original text.” If Iwere a religious Christian, I would be offended thatmy children would learn about what Beale calls the“fundamental truths about human existence”through a Hollywood star’s Cliff’s notes.

The danger of “The Passion” is not in the plot, norin any supposed anti-Semitism. This movie uses aspiritually significant story to further the idea thatthere is the truth (Mel’s vision) and everything elsethat opposes the truth. The fear of anti-Semitism isnot that this movie will cause a second Holocaust, butthat it will reinforce fundamental ways of thinkingthat feed xenophobia.

There are many reasons besides “the misinforma-tion of the mainstream press” to dislike “The Passionof the Christ.” Mr. Beale’s argument seems so polar-ized into this “anti-Semitic vs. fine art” binary that hedoesn’t consider that it might be neither.

Dana Kroplick ‘06March 12

C O R R E C T I O N

A photo caption in Monday’s paper misspelled the name of a performance poet who spokeSunday as part of Taiwanese Cultural Week. Her name, spelled correctly in the article, is Chia-ti Chiu.

OPINIONSTHE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004 · PAGE 7

Never before in this country will the support of ethnic minoritiescount for so much in a federal election. Blacks and Hispanics nowconstitute roughly 25 percent of the U.S. population, and thesenumbers will continue to increase. In order to be re-elected,President George W. Bush needs to gain support from a decent per-centage of the minority voting block, at least matching the 35 per-cent of Hispanic voters that voted for him in 2000.

So how should Bush go about courting the minority vote? Theanswer is to appoint minorities to important positions on the fed-eral bench. If the traditionally underrepresented at least see faceslike theirs in federal district and circuit courts, they’ll be likely tovote favorably for 43, right? By complementing minority judgeswith the judicial elevations of racist whites, however, Bush is doingnothing more than insulting the intelligence of the same minoritypopulation whose approval he seeks. The proof of his surface-levelinterest in the growing minority population is black and white, asthe ideologies of right-wing extremist judicial nominees continueto encroach on the possibility of narrowing educational andsocioeconomic gaps that explicitly correlate with race.

According to Bush’s legal and judicial advisors, Janice Rogers-Brown of the California Supreme Court appears to be a wonderfulcandidate. If unqualified, black and female means “wonderful,”they are right. After two years of unsuccessfully seeking to get thefirst Hispanic judge on the Washington, D.C., court of appeals,Bush is now pursuing what would be another historical landmark— getting a judge on the bench who has earned among the mostdismal rankings of any federal nominee by the American BarAssociation.

Numerous groups, including the ABA, have called Rogers-Brown“unqualified” for her lack of respect for established opinion andher frequent tendency to candidly interpolate personal politicaland philosophical views in rulings. Even her ideologically centristcolleagues have described her written opinion on affirmativeaction and race-related issues as a “serious distortion of history.”

The old saying goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old.” Bushhas done just that. In order to appease all of the ultra-conservative,anti-Roe v. Wade, corporation-favoring women, Bush has nominat-ed old crony Priscilla Owens of the Texas Supreme Court. Throughpast rulings, the 48-year-old judge has shown herself to be againstindividual rights and partial to oil and pipeline industries.

In her defense, however, Owens does have two things going forher: reputability and loyalty. Unlike Rogers-Brown, the ABA hasgiven Owens a more favorable assessment. Also unlike Rogers-Brown, Owens was given nearly $9,000 in campaign contributionsfrom ex-energy giant Enron. In a suit brought against Enron by aschool district that concerned inventory evaluations for tax pur-poses, Owens thought it was unnecessary to recuse herself fromthe proceedings. Not surprisingly, she ended up ruling in favor ofthe defendant and contributed to the subsequent loss of revenuefor the school district. This ideologue has also made clear her viewson the issues of abortion, reproductive rights and privacy — she’snot a fan. It is no wonder her nomination has failed to secure aSenate cloture vote four times.

Given the impartial and undeserving nature of the judicial nom-inees, it is not shocking that the president opted to invoke therarely utilized power of recess appointments to slip two judges byin a six-week period. The appointments per se are not the problem;it is that Bush used recess periods to elevate judges who were hav-ing tremendous difficulty getting out of subcommittees.

After failing to receive senatorial confirmation twice, grantingCharles Pickering a seat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals onJan. 16, the day after the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., was aslap in the face to all concerned with civil rights. To have used thenine-day holiday recess to appoint a racially insensitive judgeexhibits Bush’s true feelings about a multicultural America.

Not only did Pickering use his legal training to write a law reviewarticle that illustrated methods to retain Jim Crow anti-miscegena-tion statutes, but after completion of law school he entered a pri-vate three-person practice with a known segregationist gubernato-rial candidate. Even further, during his time on the bench inMississippi he gave clemency to an individual who pled guilty toburning a cross on the lawn of a mixed-race couple. BecausePickering deemed it a “drunken prank,” he gave the criminal a 27-month sentence instead of the seven-year required minimum.

The federal judiciary is no longer, as Alexander Hamilton wrotein Federalist No. 78, the “weakest of the three departments ofpower.” Lifetime tenure allows for their rulings to be felt wellbeyond the term of any president and most congresspeople, andthough recess appointments must ultimately be confirmed by theSenate, the potential election of a more conservative upper cham-ber presents an unknowable judicial prospect. With the possibilityof three new Supreme Court vacancies next term, we must havereputable and unbiased voices as eligible arbitrators to speak outfor what America stands for.

Wilfred Codrington ’05 observed his fifth-grade bedtime on his 21stbirthday.

Bush’s scary judges

I hear so much about the “sophomore slump” that Isometimes feel the whole phenomenon is a self-fulfill-ing prophecy. The administration assumes sopho-mores are depressed, confused and angry — so wemust be. The true problem with this slump, whether ornot you believe in it is how the University is handlingthe situation.

The one conclusion I can draw from the University’sresponse to the sophomore slump (and trust me, I haveread “Sophomore: A Guide for the Second Year” coverto cover), is that the best remedy is ... wait for it ... advis-ing. The university has decided that the best way for asophomore to navigate the crazy world of concentra-tions, foreign study and internships is by sitting in anoffice with a sophomore dean or Randall counselor.

Now, I don’t have a problem with advising as aninstitution, but I do have a problem with advisors whoknow nothing about me. Instead of spending timestressing the importance of an advisor and advising,the University should ensure sophomores have thesame opportunity as students of other class years toenroll in smaller courses. Sophomore year is usuallywhen people decide their academic interests, decide toapply for internships and map out some sort of future.There is no one better equipped to help sophomoresmake those decisions than faculty members who areexperts in their fields. If sophomores were able to enrollin seminars, they would have an easier time creatingrelationships with professors who could ultimatelyserve as mentors and advisors.

The connections I made first year in smaller urbanstudies and history classes have helped me avoid theclassic symptoms of the sophomore slump. So many ofmy friends are upset, confused and stressed out. In acompetitive culture like the Ivy League, we are told that

everyone should know what they want to be and havetheir 10-year plan drafted by age 20. But few have advi-sors to turn to who know them, or their academic work,well. Without the guidance of faculty members I toowould be lost either in a world with 15 10-year plans, ornone at all.

What is Brown to do? Perhaps first-year seminarscould become first and second-year seminars, or awhole new breed of seminar could be developed forsophomores. Some say that the first-year seminar pro-gram is designed so students can make close relation-ships with faculty members early on in their academiccareer. But how many freshmen know exactly whatthey want to study, where they are going to go abroador know their future profession? It just so happens thata huge transformation occurs between freshman andsophomore years, and the best way to combat thedepression, stress and confusion associated with soph-omores would be to extend a seminar program tothem.

I vented my frustration to Associate Dean of theCollege Margaret Klawunn earlier in the semester, andI was told that there is some work being done on smallsophomore course experiences. This seems like theright direction but students should know know whatprogress is being made. I also know that President RuthSimmons’ Initiatives for Academic Enrichment call formore faculty appointments — I only hope sophomoresget a fair share of the pie. My worry is that all the soph-omores who could not get into a seminar this semesteror last, and really do not know what concentration tofile, will only receive superficial advice from someonewho does not know them come April.

Rachel Lauter ’06 says errbody in the slump get tipsy.

University ignores sophomore slump

In 2000 the Boy Scouts of America won Boy Scouts ofAmerica v. Dale, a U.S. Supreme Court case allowingthe ban of homosexuals from scoutmaster positions.Lawsuits have now been filed against BSA nationwidein an effort to overturn this ruling. The most recent law-suit, Boy Scouts v. Wyden, threatens to remove the BoyScouts from a 15.6-acre park in San Diego, which theyhave leased since 1957. Balboa Park includes a pool,campsites, an archery range, an activity center and arifle range. The Boy Scouts have invested about $5 mil-lion into the public park.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in 2000on behalf of an agnostic couple and a lesbian couple.Julia Duin of the Washington Times reported,“Although neither couple had ever visited the property,both claimed the Scouts’ policies compelling boys tobelieve in God and shunning homosexuals made themfeel excluded.” The suit also stated that the city was vio-lating the principle of separation of church and state byallowing the organization to lease the property for aminimal fee. The BSA was officially ruled a religiousorganization in July 2003 by U.S. District JudgeNapoleon Jones. The Boy Scouts have now filed suitagainst the city of San Diego, claiming the breaking ofthe lease violates the right to free speech and freedomof association. Included in the suit is a claim that cityemployees are harassing Scout leaders by photograph-ing their vehicles and issuing excessive parking tickets.

Although Jones deemed the Boy Scouts a “religiousinstitution,” the state of Connecticut has removed theorganization from its list of organizations to whichstate employees can make tax-deductible contribu-tions, because the Scouts “are not a religious associa-tion.” Judge Guido Calabresi added that the Scouts will“pay a price” for their stand on God and homosexuals.Many organizations have now cut funding to BSA InPortland, United Way plans to discontinue their$150,000 per year contribution towards 53,000 inner-city youths affiliated with the Boy Scouts.

To date the Scouts have won in excess of 30 lawsuitschallenging their right to require Scouts to believe inGod, be male and not be openly homosexual.

The Boy Scouts are not the only private institution tobe attacked. There has been a recent boycott of GirlScout cookies by pro-choice groups. The Lamb’s

Chapel v. Center Moriches School District case pro-vides another example. A New York law had authorizedschools to regulate after-hours use of school property,leading to a conflict when Lamb’s Chapel asked to usethe facility for an after-hours religious-oriented filmseries on family values. The Federal Court unanimous-ly decided that the school district was violating the FirstAmendment.

Bush’s proposed faith-based initiatives constitute arelated topic. The legislation would allow religiousgroups to compete with secular organizations for fed-eral dollars, drug treatment counseling, meal assis-tance and other programs. It would also include broad-er tax deductions for citizens who make sizable dona-tions. Bush has said, “Private and faith-based charitieswill be the administration’s first line of defense againstpoverty, addiction and homelessness.” There arenumerous Christian, Muslim and Jewish organizationsthat fall under the requirements.

Flashback to the 2000 Democratic convention. Agroup of Boy Scouts walks up onto the stage and isbooed by an auditorium of adults on national televi-sion. BSA attorney George Davidson says, “If you’re a

weirdo fringe loser, you can have all the free speech youwant. The ACLU will fall all over itself to defend theAmerican Nazis and the Klan. But woe betide anymainstream American institution that dares to buckthe tide of political correctness.”

Separation of church and state, a cornerstone ofAmerican democracy, has been enforced to theextreme discriminated against private groups. Todaythe Boy Scouts, private religious clubs and faith-basedcharities are looked upon with hostility — yet there isno hope of a centralized government eradicatinghomelessness or raising our children. Private institu-tions, often with religious affiliations, should be sup-ported in the blatantly effective work they performwithin our communities.

Laura Martin ’06 is a biophysics concentrator..

GUEST COLUMN BY RACHEL LAUTERGUEST COLUMN BY WILFRED CODRINGTON

LAURA MARTIN

The persecution of the Boy Scouts

Faith-based organiza-tions get the job done.

BY BROOKE WOLFEThe gymnastics team competed in its finalhome meet of the season on Sunday, onethat proved a worthy tribute to its seniors,as Brown posted victories over theUniversity of Bridgeport and Rhode IslandCollege. The Bears won with a score of191.2, compared to Bridgeport’s 186.1 andRIC’s 176.225.

Several seniors had especially outstand-ing performances in their last home meet.On the bars, Jennifer Coupe ’04 earned apersonal best score of 9.35. The floor wasalso a source of high scores for the Bears,with Gina Verge ’04 taking first with 9.85,Suzanne Schlosser ’04 taking second withher highest score ever, 9.825, and JayneFinst ’04 in third with 9.8. Kelly Moran ’05came in fourth with 9.775, and Jillian Day’04 scored 9.45 to give the Bears their firstof two sweeps of the podium.

Finst just missed breaking her ownschool record of 9.925 on the beam with 9.9on Sunday. Sara Cavett ’06, who recentlyinjured her knees, nonetheless competedwell on the bars, scoring a 9.8, Brown’sthird-highest score in the event. Vergecame in second with 9.775, Finst in thirdand fourth with scores of 9.75 and 9.725,giving Bruno all of the top finishes in the

bars.Brown took first and second in the vault

and, in a final show of senior leadership,Finst won the all-around with a score of39.150.

The Bears go on the road next weekendfor the ECAC Tournament at the Universityof Pennsylvania.

Herald staff writer Brooke Wolfe ’07 coversgymnastics. She can be reached atbwolfe@browndailyherald.com.

SPORTS TUESDAYTHE BROWN DAILY HERALD

MARCH 16, 2004 · PAGE 8

Enough with the clichés about filling outyour dance card — I’m ready for somebasketball. And it’s time for the greatestplayoff spectacle in all of sports, the

NCAA basketballtournament.

This mightseem like anexaggeration, butthink about it for

a second: The only other events thateven compare are the Super Bowl andWorld Series, but these two are only asingle game or series between twoteams. With the NCAA Tournament, youget 65 teams in a three-week battleroyale for the right to be called the bestin the country.

The best part of the tournament is theopportunity it gives us sports fans toprove our superiority over one another.While wagering on one game may resultin a fluke win, picking who will emergefrom the 63 games victorious is the

sports nut’s version of “Survivor,” with-out having to put up with Richard Hatchnaked. Despite my inclination to keepmy trap shut so I can win some pools,I’m going to take this opportunity to giveyou the tips you need to stay on theisland to the bitter end.

I’ll start with the ground rules. First,don’t pick all of the top seeds to winevery game. For the most part, they’lltend to win more often but not as oftenas you’ll think the first time you look atthe bracket. I generally do my picksonce, then print out another copy andtake it from the top, using my other picksas a guide.

In the same vein, ignore the seedingsfor the 8-9 and 7-10 match-ups and pickat least one 12 seed to beat the five seed,since that happens every year. One sur-prise team (i.e. seeded lower than five)makes the Elite Eight almost every year,

BY BERNIE GORDONThe men’s lacrosse team shut down previ-ously undefeated Fairfield University thisweekend in a 12-7 victory at Fairfield.Attackman Chazz Woodson ’06 led theway with four goals and one assist.

“We knew we had to play a great game,and we had to play a smart game, and wedid,” said Head Coach Dave Nelson.

Brown dominated the Stags in everystatistical category, making 39 shots toFairfield’s 22, scooping up 39 ground ballsto Fairfield’s 26 and winning 16 of 23 face-offs.

“The nicest surprise is how well we didon the face-offs,” Nelson said. “KirkTeatom (’05) did an outstanding job — itwas one of his better games ever.”

Woodson started the Brown onslaughtearly in the first period, and with DaveMadiera ’07 helped the Bears jump out toa 2-0 lead. When Fairfield scored an extra-man goal, Brown responded quickly, andboth Woodson and co-captain CharlesTowers ’04 found the net, putting the

score at 4-1 under a minute into the sec-ond quarter.

“Chazz is really at the top of his game …and not only is he scoring, he’s not turningthe ball over,” Nelson said. “He’s a toughkid, not just a talented one.”

Late in the third period, Fairfield seizedthe momentum, went on a 4-1 run andknotted the score at five. But it was the lastgasp for the Stags. Alex Buckley ’07 endedtheir chances to win the game.

With 10 seconds left in the third quar-ter, Buckley broke the tie, and when playresumed, again took the initiative, scoringtwice more. For this explosion Buckleywas named Ivy League Rookie of theWeek.

“We just were waiting for him to breakout,” Nelson said.

Towers added another goal to give theBears a dominating 9-5 lead with 11 min-utes left in the game.

The Stags may have been out of thegame at that point, but there was stillnearly a quarter of lacrosse left to play.

Midfielder Chris Mucciolo ’05 scoredtwice, and Woodson scored one last timeto give the Bears their final of 12.

“He’s been steady all year. A junior whogives us a lot of experience at midfield,”Nelson said of Mucciolo.

The Bears shone on defense as well,giving up only seven goals against a tal-ented Fairfield offense. Brown was led byAll-American goalie and co-captain MikeLevin ’04, who posted seven saves on theday.

Brown opens its home season Saturdaywith a game against the University ofMassachusetts at Stevenson Field. UMasslasted to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tour-nament last year, so the game presents asignificant challenge for the Bears.

“It’s one game at a time, and it’s a bigtest this weekend,” Nelson said.

Herald staff writer Bernie Gordon ’07 is anassistant sports editor and covers men’slacrosse. He can be reached atbgordon@browndailyherald.com.

Ariayne Hilliard / Herald

Gina Verge ’04 took second on the bars with 9.775 as the gymnastics team won its lasthome meet of the season, defeating Bridgeport and Rhode Island College.

Kentucky to win it all?An NCAA breakdown

On senior day, gymnasticstakes down Bridgeport, RIC

Men’s lacrosse drops undefeatedFairfield, 12-7, improves to 3-0 on year

Each week the finalists for ESPN’s realityshow “Dream Job” compete for a positionas the next “SportsCenter” anchor. Stillalive in the competition is Brown’s own

Maggie Haskins’04.5. For weekfour of the compe-tition, the eightremaining con-testants were sent

to Florida to develop, write and ultimatelybroadcast a story at a spring training facil-ity. Here’s how I ranked the individual per-formances of each contestant:

1) Zachariah Selwyn: Not surprisingly,Zach was the only contestant to reporton the lighter side of spring training(autograph hunting) in a Kenny Mayne-like performance. This guy could reporton the intricacies of curling and keepviewers watching. The hair could be hisultimate demise, but I promise he’ll pop

up on national television shortly there-after.

2) Aaron Levine: The only contestantto actually tell me something I didn’tknow. (Don’t tell me you had heard of theEmerging E’s before Sunday night.)Needs to lose the Pitino haircut unlesshe can prove some Italian heritage.

3) Mike Hall: Referring to St. Joe’s as St.John’s was cancelled out by a referenceto the greatest sports movie of all-time(“Major League,” of course). His storyinformed us that Omar Vizquel is old(breaking news) and almost prompted aswitch to “Entertainment Tonight.” Thelack of storyline dropped Hall belowLevine for this week, but his polish stillseparates him from the pack.

4) Casey Stern: The little man missed achance to develop a Renteria/Rolan vs.

“Dream Job,” week three:Zachariah on the fast track

CHRIS HATFIELDTHE MAD HATTER

see NCAA, page 5

see DREAM JOB, page 5

BRETT ZARDASPORTS COLUMNIST