TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013 since 1891vol. cxlviii, no. 48

INSIDE

Rhyme timeBrown’s team earned sixth place and personal awards

EDC responseThe R.I. committee looks to settle with 38 Studios

Page 5

Admit quit?Corvese ’15 says there’s no key to admission success

Page 8

Page 4

67 / 51

tomorrow

72 / 51

today

Daily HeraldTHE BROWN

By MAXINE JOSELOWSENIOR STAFF WRITER

Todd Harris ’14.5, Afia Kwakwa ’14 and Daniel Pipkin ’14 will compete to be president of the Undergraduate Council of Students in this year’s election.

Sam Gilman ’15 is running unop-posed for UCS Vice President. Leila Veerasamy ’15 and Alexander Sherry ’15 will face off for Undergraduate Fi-nance Board Chair. No one is running for the position of UFB Vice Chair.

The executive candidates, along with those running for other UCS and UFB leadership positions, submitted their petitions to run and reviewed campaign regulations at the candidates’ meeting Monday night.

Harris told The Herald he wants to improve the student advising system by “giving faculty (members) incentives for

being good advisors,” increase alum-student partnerships and improve the Council’s relationship with students.

“Increasing awareness is always im-portant,” Harris said, adding he was surprised that a lot of students he asked to sign his petition to run did not know about UCS’s initiatives.

Kwakwa also stressed the impor-tance of student government’s transpar-ency to the student body.

“I’m a very big advocate of transpar-ency. I think it’s very important that

UCS reaches out and gets feedback from students,” Kwakwa said. She said she also hopes to foster more interac-tion between UCS alums and current UCS members and ensure quality hy-dration facilities in dormitories.

Pipkin identified specific goals he would work toward if elected, like mov-ing the date for declaring a grade option one week later, ensuring the quality of dormitories and expanding the Uni-versity’s need-blind admission policies.

“I would be focusing not only on the

macro policy for need-blind but also the micro issues,” Pipkin said.

Gilman said he will run for UCS Vice President unopposed on the plat-form of “connecting Brown” to both internal and external communities.

“UCS has the power to be a nexus for different communities,” Gilman said, adding that he hopes to use his familiarity with the Swearer Center for Public Service through his role as a Starr Fellow to “centralize resources for students seek-

Students declare candidacy for UCS, UFB leadership

By ELIZABETH KOH FEATURES EDITOR

Family members and friends have begun directing appeals toward Sunil Tripathi in hopes of encouraging him to return home, mother Judy Tripathi said Monday.

Since the former member of the class of 2012 disappeared three and a half weeks ago, family members, friends and law enforcement officers have been conducting foot searches in Providence and raising awareness of Tripathi’s dis-appearance all over New England.

“One of the things we’ve been think-ing about for some time was to talk to him directly,” Judy Tripathi said, add-ing that she hopes he will “see us all together three weeks later, still hopeful, still optimistic.”

The family released a video on You-Tube Monday encouraging Tripathi to contact them and let them know he is safe.

“Sunil, the only thing missing is you,” read the description on the video, which depicts immediate and extended family members and friends coordinat-ing search efforts and speaking to the camera.

Family members have also posted photos and asked Tripathi to reach out to them through a Facebook page dedicated to the search. The family has corresponded with national missing persons or-

Family appeals to missing studentThe search for missing undergrad Sunil Tripathi continues nearly a month after his disappearance

By MATHIAS HELLERUNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Students looking for a brunch experience off College Hill would do well to consider the Classic Cafe, a small and personable eatery in West Providence with a menu as long as the line at the Blue Room any weekday around 4 p.m.

A few blocks from Federal Hill at 865 Westminster St., the Classic Cafe evokes 1950s diner culture, with comfortable red leather booths and a collection of old photos and posters adorning the walls. Even at noon on Sunday, there was no

wait for a table. The cafe also offers coun-ter seating for those interested in closer observation of the food preparation.

Lunch options run from eight-ounce gourmet hamburgers to a host of sand-wich varieties. Club house sandwiches as well as classic melts are available, and the menu also offers a range of large sal-ads — across the board, serving sizes are somewhat overwhelming.

But what really sets the Classic Cafe apart is breakfast, which is served all day. Some of the colorfully named om-elet creations — including “Up yours chicken little” and “Kiss my hash” — are on the pricier side, but those interested in watching their waistlines and wallets can take comfort in the fact that the eatery permits half-portion orders for many dishes. All omelets come with a side of grits or potatoes and either sourdough, white, whole wheat or rye toast.

From huevos rancheros to build-your-own omelets, breakfast under $10 comes in

‘Classic’ diner delivers modern comfort foodThe Classic Cafe captures the feel of a retro hangout and serves up tastes for every palette

By MARIYA BASHKATOVA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Rhode Island Senate will vote on same-sex marriage legislation before the end of April, Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport and Jamestown, told the Providence Journal Monday.

“I feel very confident that the issue will be fully debated on the floor of the Senate at some point in April,” she told the Journal, adding that it could be “as

soon as the week of April 21.” Though she is personally opposed

to same-sex marriage legalization and has in the past attempted to block Sen-ate review of similar legislation, Paiva Weed has said that she would not stop the Senate from voting on the issue.

The bill in question would legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode Island while also instituting provisions that allow religiously affiliated individuals to abstain from solemnizing marriages on the basis of religious grounds.

The bill was introduced in January and was reviewed by the Senate Judi-ciary Committee last month, the first time the committee has heard such legislation.

T h e

Senate will vote on same-sex marriage in AprilTeresa Paiva Weed, senate president, is ‘confident’ a vote will occur this month

MATHIAS HELLER / HERALD

Classic Cafe, located in West Providence, features a number of creatively named dishes such as “Up yours chicken little” and “Kiss my hash.” / / Missing page 5/ / Diner page 2

COURTESY OF AFIA KWAKWA, DANIEL PIPKIN AND TODD HARRIS

From left, the candidates for the position of UCS President are Afia Kwakwa ’14, Daniel Pipkin ’14 and Todd Harris ’14.5. Sam Gilman ‘15 (not pictured) is running unopposed for UCS Vice President.

/ / Marriage page 3

B E A R S L E AV E H I B E R N AT I O N

TOM SULLIVAN / HERALDStudents swarmed the Main Green yesterday afternoon, opting for sunshine over the library.

/ / UCS page 2

Todd Harris ’14.5, Afia Kwakwa ’14 and Daniel Pipkin ’14 will run for the position of UCS President

university news2 THE BROWN DAILY HERALDTUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

ACROSS1 Send payment6 Utter angrily, as

insults10 Cameron of

“Knight and Day”14 Compensate (for)15 On the briny16 Dope from a

booth?17 Grocery bag

option18 Narrow inlets19 1944 invasion

city20 Patient’s

therapeutic shriek23 For free26 Groundbreaking

old Fords27 Multivolume ref.28 It’s right on a map31 Mentalist’s

alleged ability,briefly

32 Tiny data storagedevice

35 Old-timey word ofwoe

39 Cowgirl Dale40 Forest feller41 Garlicky spread42 Thinker

Descartes43 Uprising at

Leavenworth, e.g.45 Old name for

Tokyo47 Sports pg.

number48 St. Louis-to-

Chicago dir.49 Open courtyards53 Warnings from a

ticked-off tabby55 Comical sort, like

the last word of20-, 32- or 43-Across

58 New Age pianistJohn

59 Tavern flier60 “Nothing

ventured, nothinggained,” for one

64 Aid in a caper65 Trees with split-

resistant wood66 Himalayan land67 Optimistic

68 Bacon buy69 ’50s-’60s TV

beatnik MaynardG. __

DOWN1 Jay-Z’s genre2 LAX listing3 Swiffer product4 All thumbs5 Scotty and Jack

Russell6 Do damage to7 Old Voice of

America org.8 Kingdom9 Caught at a rodeo

10 Tumbledowncondition

11 What spiesgather, for short

12 G sharpequivalent

13 Close-up lenses21 Words to an old

chap22 Music store buys23 Mayberry’s Pyle24 Christopher who

played Superman25 Slogan writer29 Melee memento30 Urban cruisers

33 U-turn34 Sit for a spell36 Pork cuts37 How most writers

work38 Webmaster’s

creations41 Designed to

defeat a Panzer,say

43 Scented hairointments

44 Waikiki’s island

46 “Like, no-brainer!”49 Hitching post?50 Martial arts-based

workout51 Slick tricks52 Sweater size54 Passover feast56 “__ la Douce”57 Govt. crash

investigator61 “Great” simian62 Chatter63 Golfer Ernie

By Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke(c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 04/09/13

04/09/13

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword PuzzleEdited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

xwordeditor@aol.com

4 P.M.

Guns in America: Mental Health

MacMillan 117

5:30 P.M.

Religion in Ancient Egypt

Wilbour Hall

5 P.M.

Bollywood Movie Night

Wilson 101

7 P.M.

Searching for Sugar Man Screening

Granoff, Martinos Auditorium

SHARPE REFECTORY VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH

DINNER

Asian Rice Salad, Seafood Cavatelli, Broccoli Rabe, Spicy Black Bean Veggie Patties, Assorted Pizzas

BBQ Chicken, Stir Fry Caribbean Chicken With Mint, Macaroni Salad, Corn Cobbettes, Potato Salad

Pasta E Fagioli, Krinkle Cut Fries, Cajun Corn And Tomatoes, Spicy Dahl, Cajun Turkey Cutlet

Chinese Chicken Wings, Noodle Soup, Vegan Lentil Soup, Curry Tofu and Coconut, Mandarin Blend Veggies

TODAY APRIL 9 TOMORROW APRIL 10

C R O S S W O R D

S U D O K U

M E N U

C A L E N D A R

Shefali Luthra, PresidentLucy Feldman, Vice President

Samuel Plotner, TreasurerJulia Kuwahara, Secretary

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily. Copyright 2013 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.browndailyherald.com195 Angell St., Providence, R.I.

EDITORIAL(401) 351-3372

herald@browndailyherald.com

BUSINESS(401) 351-3260

gm@browndailyherald.com

all forms here. Well-priced side orders include plainer choices like traditional English muffins as well as corned beef hash, sauteed spinach and eggs served any style. The classic breakfast sand-wich, featuring bacon, egg and Ameri-can cheese, delivered a hefty serving to anyone seeking fresher eggs than those offered on meal plan.

Some of the cafe’s choicest break-fast options can be found in the “on the smaller side” section of the menu, including a satisfying tasting plate of French toast, bacon and a fried egg for just $4. The bacon was not as lean as it could have been — a string of discon-certing fat ran through all three pieces — but the French toast was spot-on, with complimentary maple syrup, melt in your mouth sweetness and a dollop of brown sugar. The combination plates in the “on the smaller side” section still provide respectable portions and are easier to stomach than the otherwise massive servings.

Customers should also consider or-dering a single pancake, which is about twice the size of a Verney-Woolley Din-ing Hall waffle and much more authentic. Adding blueberries costs an exra 69 cents is worth it for the experience of forking away a thick slice infused with fresh ber-ries and a drizzle of butter and syrup.

Students rebounding from a late night will appreciate the cafe’s free cof-fee refills. The wait was moderate in the crowded restaurant, but service was efficient.

Classic Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.

/ / Diner page 1

ing to be entrepreneurs and change-makers” in the greater Providence community.

Veerasamy and Sherry are both run-ning for UFB Chair on platforms to increase training for UFB’s financial signatories and improve interactions between UFB representatives and stu-dent groups.

Though they endorsed similar plat-forms, Veerasamy and Sherry said they differ in their specific ideas for improv-ing the student group funding process.

Veerasamy told The Herald she would “prioritize and promote groups that want to pursue ambitious projects,” while Sherry said he hopes to make UFB representatives meet earlier “from day one” with the student groups they represent.

Maahika Srinivasan ’15 is the sole candidate running for Academics and

Administrative Affairs Chair, and Sazzy Gourley ’16 and Andrea Wistuba Beh-rens ’16 will compete for the position of Admission and Student Services Chair. Gregory Chatzinoff ’15, Malikah Wil-liams ’16 and Ho Jun Yang ’16 will face off to be Campus Life Chair. Alex Dre-schler ’15, a Herald opinions columnist, is running unopposed for the position of Student Activities Chair, and Alana Bhatla ’16 is running unopposed for the position of Treasurer.

Candidates for UCS President, UCS Vice President and UFB Chair will face off in a formal debate sponsored by the UCS Elections Board and The Herald Thursday at 8 p.m. in Metcalf Audi-torium.

“There have been no surprises” in the elections process thus far, said Caleb Miller ’16, elections board chair and a senior staff writer for The Herald, add-ing that the elections board has not had to disqualify any candidates.

/ / UCS page 1

university news 3THE BROWN DAILY HERALDTUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

hearing consisted of 12 hours of emo-tional testimony in support of and against same-sex marriage, The Her-ald previously reported. Many of the arguments against same-sex marriage were religious, while those in favor of

legalization argued the bill would grant important equal rights.

The House version of the bill passed Jan. 24 by a vote of 51 to 19. Fifty House Democrats and one House Republican voted in favor of the bill. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 has previously said he would sign the bill into law if it passes

both the House and the Senate.Over 60 percent of Rhode Island-

ers support the legalization of same-sex marriage, according to a February Taubman Center poll, and 91 percent of Brown students strongly or somewhat favor legalization of same-sex marriage, according to The Herald’s spring poll.

/ / Marriage page 1

Kevin Carlow ’13 allowed only two runs in seven innings, while Columbia’s Tim Giel threw a complete game shutout. Carlow allowed a run in the first and third innings, but he then settled in and allowed only two hits in the final four innings of the game. While the teams earned the same number of hits, Columbia was able to capitalize on key plays and score two runs.

“In close games, you will only get one or two opportunities to score,” Drabinski said. “We didn’t score on these opportunities during the couple of games we lost this weekend.”

The second game of the double-header was a tug-of-war, with the teams constantly battling for the lead until the sixth inning. The Lions scored the first run of the game in the first inning, but Bruno quickly responded with two runs in the second. Kerr drove in Massey and Van Boom with a two-run double, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.

But the Lions responded in the fol-lowing inning with an RBI triple, eve-ning the score, 2-2. Columbia tacked on another run in the top of the fifth with an RBI double, but Bruno responded in the bottom half of the inning as Marcal drove in John Sheridan ’13 with an RBI double to tie the score, 3-3.

The Lions then scored 10 runs over the following three innings, while the Bears only scored one. Columbia fin-ished the game 13-4, earning the vic-tory with a late offensive surge.

“The bullpen wasn’t as sharp this past week as it has been in the past,” Drabinski said. “But we’ll keep work-ing on it.”

The Bears continue play at home tomorrow against Connecticut at 3:30 p.m. Ivy League play will continue this weekend in Hanover with a pair of doubleheaders against Dartmouth.

reset for us to really just take off and finish that game by doing the little things and staying together ’til the end.”

The Bears made a comeback within five minutes of the timeout with a four-goal streak, which was kicked off by co-captain Lindsay Minges ’13. Bruno went on to win the match 15-9 for its second Ivy League win.

“We don’t play for the blowout games,” Minges said. “We play for the one-goal games, so for us that moment was exciting.”

Minges led the team in points with four goals, followed by co-captain Bre Hudgins ’14 with three goals and Janie Gion ’15 with two goals and an assist.

“Harvard was a huge game in reassur-ing our team’s confidence for the season,” Van Horne said. “Especially coming off of the close loss to Dartmouth, we really wanted to put them away and not just win but outperform.”

The Bears returned Sunday to Ste-venson Field to defeat the Bulldogs 12-9. Five players contributed multiple goals and co-captain Tara Rooke ’13 added four assists for the win.

Though Bryant (6-6) earned the first goal of the match two minutes into the game, Hudgins ignited a four-goal streak 18 seconds after the Bulldog’s score. The Bears ended the first half leading 8-5.

After a scoreless 10-minute interval to start the second half, Bryant netted two goals to make it a one-goal game. Grace Healy ’14 found the back of the net to return Bruno to a two-goal lead, which Bryant then cut again to one. Healy went on to score her final goal of the game, which started a three-goal scoring streak for Brown.

Healy played an important role in the victory with three goals, an assist and eight successful draw controls. The Bears put on a solid defensive performance with keeper Kellie Roddy ’15 saving five goals.

The squad will continue Ivy play Friday, traveling to Cornell for its fifth conference match of the season.

look forward to that, and I know ev-eryone on the team looks forward to it,” Traynor said. “They are perennially one of the fastest — if not the fastest — program in the country.”

Though the men’s team lost each of its four battles, the women’s squad was able to capture three out of four victories against Harvard’s women’s crew team, which still races under the name Rad-cliffe — a historic holdover from the 1976 merger between the athletic departments of Harvard and Radcliffe College. The women’s crew squad at Radcliffe was the only athletic team that voted not to adopt the Harvard name and colors, instead opting to maintain its Radcliffe black and white.

In the marquee matchup, Brown’s first varsity eight defeated Radcliffe’s varsity eight by under two seconds. The third varsity eight boat also defeated its Rad-cliffe counterpart. But Brown’s second varsity eight fell to Radcliffe’s second squad.

In the varsity four race, which fea-tured A and B boats each from Brown and Radcliffe, Bruno again proved vic-torious, with its A boat beating both Harvard’s A and B boats. Brown’s B boat brought up the rear.

The women’s team will face off against University of Rhode Island at home on the Seekonk River April 13, while the men’s team will travel to the Charles Riv-er to race against the Harvard Crimson.

/ / Sweep page 8 / / Baseball page 8

/ / Crew page 8

arts & culture4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALDTUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

By MOLLY SCHULSONSENIOR STAFF WRITER

For the second time in history, Brown made it to the semifinals of the 13th annual College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.

“I often think of CUPSI as the March Madness of poetry,” Jesse Gumbiner ’15 said. “Anything can happen, and it’s the best of the best performing.”

The team of five students — Paul Tran ’14, Hans Gao ’14, Sydney Peak ’15, Kelsey Kawana ’16 and Gumbiner — along with its coach, Rhode Island School of Design student Jess Chen — traveled to Barnard College in New York City last week to compete against 58 college teams.

The team earned sixth place in the nation with a semifinals score of 110.6, losing to New York University, the team that eventually captured the first place title.

“I could not be more proud of my team and the poetry we put out there,” Kawana wrote in an email to The Herald. Though she was the only freshman on the team, she said everyone “collaborated equally.”

Each school has about four to five competing poets who go through two preliminary bouts against three other schools, Tran said. Brown was one of three schools to win first place in both of its preliminary bouts, he said.

“When we got first place the

first night, we were really surprised,” Gumbiner said. “We had accidentally miscounted the total score and thought we got third place.”

When the emcee announced Brown as the first place winner, “we all freaked out,” he said.

“We didn’t come in the competition with high expectations to win. We just wanted to have fun,” said Tran, the only member of the group who had previ-ously competed in CUPSI.

A former competitor from Barnard told the team she had heard of its reputa-tion, Gumbiner said. “We got really ex-cited. She said that everyone was talking about how we have really good writing. We we were really happy to hear that we were being recognized.”

Only the top 15 schools advance to the semifinals. “Our main goal was to make semifinals. We didn’t really care much about winning the entire thing. It was more about getting to the final stage, where a lot of people are listening,” Gumbiner said, adding that about 500 people sat in the audience on semifinals night.

In February, the student spoken word group WORD! hosted a poetry slam open to RISD and Brown students. Out of 13 competitors, five poets were cho-sen to form a team that would compete in CUPSI, Tran said. The group then nominated Chen to be its coach.

“I never thought that I would ever end up in a position of leadership in

the poetry community,” Chen wrote in an email to The Herald. “It was with my involvement with WORD! and the Provi-dence poetry slam community since my sophomore year that I developed my voice as a spoken word poet.”

Once the group formed, it held prac-tices at least twice a week, Tran said. Chen took charge during the meetings and Chahney Hinds ’12 acted as assistant coach, though he was unable to attend the competition.

“This year, we were all kind of meet-ing each other for the first time, but we grew to trust (each other) and build friendships,” Tran said. The team’s bond

was one reason why they performed bet-ter than last year’s team, he said.

At CUPSI, judges are selected from the audience, where they rank solo or group performances from zero to 10, “with a 10 being the poem that if you were reincarnated, you would want to come back to that moment to hear the poem again,” Tran said.

Brown’s team earned two perfect scores during the semifinals round — one to Gao and one to Tran.

“(Gao’s) really impassioned and se-rious performance resonated with the audience. ... They were chanting ‘10’ after it,” Tran said. “It was the most tweeted

about performance.”Tran’s solo semifinal performance

was a “persona piece” about his incar-cerated father whom he has not spoken to in 14 years.

“I did it in his point of view, in his voice,” Tran said. “I was really trying to understand what exists behind the evil and torture that I have tried so much of my life to forget.”

Other performed pieces focused on a variety of topics, from the west-ward expansion and its relationship to a woman’s body to Vietnamese women in nail salons. One poem, addressing sui-cide of LGBTQ

Poets perform creations, earning sixth place in nationTwo members of Brown’s team earned perfect scores in a national poetry slam invitational semifinal round

COURTESY OF JESS CHEN

The student group WORD! held a poetry slam for Brown and RISD students to select the five competitors who would compete at the annual College Unions Poetry Slam in New York City held last week.

/ / Poetry page 5

city & state 5THE BROWN DAILY HERALDTUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

ganizations like the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and LostNMissing, which also encouraged addressing Tripathi directly, Judy Tripa-thi said.

“As police and FBI agents probe sur-veillance videos, the family and friends of missing Brown University student Sunil Tripathi remain positive about his return,” according to a statement from the family released Monday.

Law enforcement officers are con-tinuing to follow the case, Judy Tripathi said.

“We are all bolstered by the fact this case is still very much alive,” she added.

Since surveillance footage possibly depicting Tripathi was revealed March 29, family members have continued securing surveillance tapes from Provi-dence businesses.

Though no new footage of Tripathi has surfaced, the tapes are “eliminat-ing the streets we’ve looked at” as pos-sible routes he might have taken, Judy Tripathi said.

University officials — including University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nel-son, a first-year adviser of sister Sangee-ta Tripathi ’04 and family friend — have continued to assist the family and are “constantly in touch,” Judy Tripathi said.

Administrators have offered re-sources to the family, including bed-ding and clothing.

“(President Christina Paxson) had us for dinner one night at her house,” she added. “She’s been absolutely sup-portive and in communication with us.”

The University has also provided temporary housing in Gardner House for the family to use as a base for their search effort, she said.

The Office of the President, the Of-

fice of Campus Life and Student Ser-vices, the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life and the Department of Public Safety have all been involved in assisting the family, wrote Vice Presi-dent for Public Affairs and University Relations Marisa Quinn in an email to The Herald.

“In terms of additional campus in-volvement and communications, we will continue to follow the guidance of law enforcement on ways that we can help advance search efforts,” Quinn wrote.

Family members plan to relocate from Gardner House to an apartment near campus to continue the search, Judy Tripathi said. The family will sublet the apartment one month at a time, she said.

“The minute Sunil is found, we will have a reason to pack up and go home,” Judy Tripathi said. “Until then, we will have some presence here.”

/ / Missing page 1

individuals, was written on the bus ride to New York by Tran and Peak the night before they performed it.

Though students are not allowed to use props during their performance, they may use their bodies and their positions on stage to complement their words. “When we’re doing persona pieces, we’re very much into these characters,” Tran said, noting the performer’s focus on voice, body postures and hand gestures.

Despite not making it to the final round, the team still managed to take home two awards. One of them, the “Pushing the Art Forward” award, was created specifically for the Brown team

that competed in 2010, Tran said.The award is given to teams who are

“pushing the boundaries and ... setting the bar higher,” Tran said. This was the third time Brown has won the award.

“People are listening. As a team, we are very excited to be a part of this small ripple that is changing the slam scene and breaking down the boundaries between slam and theater,” Chen wrote in an email to The Herald.

While some students write poetry simply to “score well” in the competi-tion, the Brown team members write their poems “for the sake of performing,” Gumbiner said.

Coaches from each participating uni-versity deliberate and nominate schools

or individuals to receive awards, Tran said.

“Our coach said that ... as soon as Brown’s name came up, most of the room raised their hand — they didn’t even keep naming nominations,” Gumbiner said.

The second award was an individual award for Tran, who became one of three students to receive the Best Poet award.

“To be one of the first Asian Ameri-can poets to win this recognition and to be the second person from Brown to win, it was really special to me,” Tran said. Though he won an individual award, he said he “thinks of it as a team award.”

“I owe so much of who I am as a writer to this entire team and to each person for pushing me,” he added.

By SOPHIE YANSTAFF WRITER

The Rhode Island Economic Develop-ment Corporation responded last week to motions filed by defendants including Curt Schilling, former CEO of defunct video game company 38 Studios, to dismiss charges in an ongoing lawsuit.

The EDC’s representation, led by attorney Max Wistow, issued a 200-page motion in response to the defendants’ original request for dismissal.

The lawsuit — initially filed in No-vember 2012 — claimed the defendants were aware 38 Studios was destined to fail when the EDC approved a $75 million loan for the company. The loan was approved in 2010 as part of the General Assembly’s Job Creation Guar-antee Program — legislation intended to increase economic growth and bring jobs to Rhode Island.

As a stipulation of the deal, 38 Stu-dios relocated from Massachusetts and created hundreds of new jobs in Rhode Island. But in May 2012 the company officially laid off all employees and closed its offices. Five months later, in November, the EDC sued Schilling and several former employees of both the agency and 38 Studios, claiming they engaged in fraud, misrepresenta-tion and conspiracy during the loan negotiations.

Last month, the defendants filed motions to dismiss these charges, claim-ing they were factually incorrect and 38 studios had repeatedly informed the EDC of its financial situation before the loan was approved.

“If the EDC wins the lawsuit, aside from paying the lawyers and other ex-penses, (the money) would be used to

offset the possible debt incurred (by the loan),” said attorney Len O’Brien, University on-campus legal aid.

After the company filed bankruptcy, 38 Studios defaulted on its loan from the state, which it owed over $100 million —a burden that many have speculated will fall on Rhode Island taxpayers.

The EDC’s motion refers to the de-fendants’ filing as a “red herring” and states that the defendants “seek to get out from under the crushing evidence of their concealment of 38 Studios’ de-ficient finances.”

The motion was a formal response to the points introduced in the defen-dants’ dismissal request, Wistow said, adding that a judge will rule on the case in court May 22.

“We feel that we’ve addressed all the arguments,” said Wistow, who declined to comment further on the filing.

“Based on my general understand-ing of what is taking place right now, it is highly unlikely the court will throw out any major portion of the case,” O’Brien said.

The purpose of the defendants’ dis-missal filing was most likely to narrow down the scope of the lawsuit, as well as to make the objection in case the suit is subsequently reviewed by a higher court, he added.

O’Brien said Schilling may be able to discharge the penalties he incurs if he is found guilty of negligence by going through bankruptcy court.

But if he is found liable of inten-tional charges — such as fraud — he will not be able to have them dispelled and will be obligated to pay the full amount.

“It’s really early to assess this case. It is really a very complex whirling cloud of dust right now that needs to settle down to principal areas of fo-cus,” O’Brien said, adding that the next phases of the suit, including discovery, depositions and court hearings, will take a very long time.

EDC responds to 38 Studios dismissal motion Defendants refuted the claim that they misrepresented the company financially

/ / Poetry page 4

editorial6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALDTUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

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. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

C O M M E N TA R Y P O L I C YThe editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the 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 for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, 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.

E D I TO R I A L C A R TO O N b y v i t t o d i v a i o

“I often think of CUSPI as the March Madness of

poetry.”— Jesse Gumbiner ’15, Brown poetry slam team member

See poetry on page 4

E D I TO R I A L

An April 4 New York Times article, titled “Essay-Grading Software Offers Professors a Break,” examined a futuristic and troubling initiative in the world of higher education: essay-grading software. The software, released last month for all institutions of learning, was developed edX, a nonprofit organization whose main mission is to push into the new ter-ritory of Massive Open Online Courses. EdX “expects its software to be adopted widely by schools and universities,” “freeing professors for other tasks,” according to the article.

But the software has garnered criticism from professors, and for good reason. What edX is pushing focuses on making sure an essay is on-topic and makes an assertion — it is not even close to replicating the experi-ence of another human being reading and evaluating a student’s use of language, logic and reasoning to construct an essay. We urge universities not to adopt this program. At least for now, the software cannot be used to effectively educate.

Language is not a checklist that can be easily parsed by a series of computer algorithms, however complex and self-teaching they may be. One of the most vocal critics of this machine grading, Les Perelman, a former director of writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has drawn attention to the deficits of the software by composing bogus essays that fooled it into giving good marks. That the software can be fooled by a mere rearrangement of key words and phrases is disturbing and points to a fundamental flaw in its evaluative capabilities.

Trying to compress essay writing from an act of intellectual expression into little more than a rote procedure goes against ideals that make up the foundation of higher education itself. In addition, an evaluation of an essay by a professor is just as important, if not more, to a student’s scholarship and writing. The ability to sit down and discuss the particularities of an essay with another well-informed and logical human is an essential part of the essay writing experience. Many classes with writing assignments require meeting with professors or teaching assistants to discuss essays before or after their completion. This connection is lost when software becomes the intermediary.

Since the point of edX’s software is “freeing professors for other tasks,” we must ask what, beyond teaching classes and being open to students, are the tasks of faculty members, according to edX? We worry it is another way of saying professors can focus more on their own research and projects. These, while beneficial to the professors’ careers and their universities’ prestige, must be balanced with teaching responsibilities and student engagement. This connection is just as important for the educators as it is for the students. The implicit objective of turning professors away from grading and confronting student arguments and toward serving themselves and their employers does a disservice to the main objective of those institutions: teaching students.

Only when artificial intelligence can hold a conversation and under-stand the logic of an intellectual argument should the world of higher education consider placing the responsibility of engaging with student essays in the hands of technology. Until then, essay-grading software does a disservice to students, professors and the ideals of our universities, and it should not be considered an appropriate substitute for essay evaluation in its current form.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Dan Jeon, and its members, Mintaka Angell, Samuel Choi, Nicholas Morley and Rachel Occhiogrosso. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

Q U OT E O F T H E D AY

The next (flawed) generation

facebook.com/browndailyherald @the_herald browndailyherald.com

the brown daily herald

Hannah AbelowMaddie BergSona MkrttchianAdam ToobinElizabeth KohAlison SilverSahil LuthraKate NussenbaumJames BlumConnor GrealyMathias HellerAlexandra MacfarlaneEli OkunDan JeonMatt BrundageLucas HustedMaggie Tennis

Emily GilbertSam KaseSydney MondryTom SullivanDanny GarfieldAngelia Wang

Photo EditorPhoto EditorPhoto EditorPhoto EditorVideo Editor

Illustrations Editor

MultiMedia

BUSINESS

Sara PalasitsBrisa BodellEinat BrennerKyle McNamaraSandra YanJoseph SteinNeal Poole

ProductionCopy Desk Chief

Design EditorDesign EditorDesign Editor

Assistant Design Editor Web Producer

Assistant Web Producer

EDITORIAL

Arts & Culture EditorArts & Culture Editor

City & State EditorCity & State Editor

Features EditorFeatures Editor

Science & Research EditorScience & Research Editor

Sports EditorSports Editor

University News EditorUniversity News EditorUniversity News Editor

Editorial Page EditorOpinions EditorOpinions EditorOpinions Editor

editors-in-chief

Lucy FeldmanShefali Luthra

senior editors

Aparna BansalAlexa Pugh

Managing editors

Elizabeth CarrJordan Hendricks

BLOG DAILY HERALDMeredith BilskiWilliam JanoverConnor McGuiganCara NewlonGeorgia TollinJason Hu

Editor-in-ChiefManaging Editor

Deputy Managing EditorDeputy Managing EditorDeputy Managing Editor

Creative Director

general Managers

Julia KuwaharaSamuel Plotner

office Manager

Shawn Reilly

directorsEliza CooganLuka UrsicEmily ChuAngel LeeJustin Lee

ManagersJacqueline ChangLeslie ChenAnisa HolmesWenli ShaoCarolyn StichnothChae SuhWilliam BarkeleyNicole ShimerJosh EzicksonAlison PruzanMelody CaoOwen Millard

SalesFinance

Alumni RelationsBusiness Strategy

Business Development

Regional SalesRegional SalesRegional SalesRegional SalesRegional SalesRegional Sales

CollectionsCollectionsOperations

Alumni EngagementHuman Resources

Research & Development

POST- MAGAZINEZoë HoffmanClaire Luchette

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief

sections

Greg Jordan-Detamore Strategic Director

“To (All) The Colleges That Rejected Me,” a March 29 Wall Street Journal op-ed by Pittsburgh high school senior Suzy Lee Weiss is swiftly making the rounds and gaining great notoriety.

“Colleges tell you, ‘Just be yourself,’” she proclaims. “That is great advice, as long as yourself has nine extracurricu-lars, six leadership positions, three varsity sports, killer SAT scores and two moms.”

Suzy gained fans, enemies, faithful retweets and web commenters asking, “Is she serious?” Whether satire or a legiti-mate rant, her piece addresses an impor-tant point: There are flaws in the often ar-bitrary decisions made by college admis-sion committees. But these flaws are not for the reasons Weiss claims. Though col-lege admission is largely a game, it is not one with an instant ticket to success, as Weiss seems to believe.

Her ignorance of diversity and the ex-periences of minorities is alarming. Weiss regrets not having “worn a headdress” to school, as if doing so would serve as a golden ticket to higher education. Col-leges do not admit minority students be-cause they have a free pass — they do so to increase diversity and to provide equal opportunities to all, especially to histori-cally marginalized groups. Furthermore,

they do so within the context of the op-portunities afforded to them.

There are plenty of other problems in the admissions process that Suzy pays no mind to, such as legacy admission, exces-sive reliance on standardized tests and even students who pay professionals to write their college essays for them. Fac-tors like these make college admissions much more like a game than like affirma-tive action.

The system does not have the capaci-

ty to do away with problems of this kind overnight, which is why it is important that programs like affirmative action are instituted to help balance the process. These programs are certainly not perfect, but they are important for college hope-fuls around the country — even if Weiss thinks otherwise.

Weiss’ cynicism and lack of faith in her peers is concerning as well. There is no doubt that excessive resume padding happens in the college admissions pro-cess, with students joining more clubs than they can handle and scraping to-gether hours of community service just to

stand out a little more to admissions of-ficers. But that does not mean all college hopefuls are on a quest to beat the system with artificial activities.

Weiss may chastise colleges for de-manding students “just be themselves,” but some students do so anyway. Unlike Weiss, “being themselves” for some stu-dents means working diligently, being creative, engaging with their communi-ties and pursuing what interests them. Colleges want applicants to be as true to

themselves as possible while still show-ing success. Some students are experts at the admissions game — but in a way that does not involve sacrificing their integrity or their passions.

Unfortunately, Weiss does not seem to have that passion. At the end of her ar-ticle, she hushes her critics — “The Real Housewives is on!” Even here at Brown, where independent concentrations let students study whatever they want, I think she would have a difficult time get-ting approval to concentrate in “The Real Housewives Of New Jersey.”

Even after meeting the criteria, is each

and every passionate and motivated stu-dent going to get into his or her dream school? No. That is the consequence of the admissions game. The most decorated re-sume might get a student accepted to one prestigious school but rejected from an-other for no apparent reason. Valedicto-rians, sports captains and charity found-ers may get rejected for different reasons. And minority students get denied from colleges, too. There are ways to make one more qualified, but in the end, there is of-ten no rhyme or reason to a college’s final call.

I commend Weiss for recognizing that there are problems in the college admis-sions system, but change is best achieved by mobilizing ideas, not complaining about them in the Journal. She must also realize it is important for the college ad-missions system to turn away from need-less nepotism and keep heading in its cur-rent direction of helping American stu-dents who, in years past, might not have been in college at all.

Perhaps I am a cynic for buckling down and taking my standardized tests rather than seeking a different path as Weiss has. In that case, she can happily advertise publishing a rant in the Journal on her resume. Other than that, though, her CV looks pretty sparse.

Gabriella Corvese ’15 got rejected from some elite colleges, too and can be

reached atgabriella_corvese@brown.edu.

GABRIELLA CORVESE

opinions Columnist

I’ve never claimed to be anything of an expert on Venezuela or Latin America. But lately I have been fascinated by the polarized reac-tion to the death of former Venezuelan pres-ident Hugo Chavez. His critics have charac-terized his legacy as one of authoritarianism, corruption and rebelliousness. But his sup-porters, outpouring with grief over their re-cent loss, remember him as a champion of the poor and one of the greatest Latin American leaders that ever lived.

The truth is probably somewhere in be-tween these two extremes, but as a leftist my-self, it’s hard to overlook Chavez’s many ac-complishments in alleviating poverty and empowering the lower class in Venezuela.

Poverty levels were cut in half during his presidency, and extreme poverty declined by 72 percent. In his first term, he led the cre-ation of a new Venezuelan constitution that expanded political and civil rights for wom-en and indigenous peoples. And during his 14 years as president, he increased access to health care for millions, made higher edu-cation more affordable and made Venezuela the most equitable country in Latin Ameri-ca measured by the Gini coefficient. On the other hand, some criticize Chavez for wasting his country’s vast amount of oil reserves and achieving sub-par economic development.

Despite the fact that Chavez was voted into office in fair, democratic elections on four separate occasions by at least a margin

of 10 percent every time, media in the United States consistently refer to him as “a dictator.” The justification for this comes from a laun-dry list of accusations from organizations like Human Rights Watch about Chavez’s at-tempts to consolidate power and silence po-litical opponents. Perhaps most recently and controversially, the United Nations and hu-man rights groups criticized Chavez for cre-ating a climate of fear with the 2009 arrest and imprisonment of Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni.

Unfortunately, this ubiquitous character-ization of Chavez as an autocrat during his life

and presidency has apparently given the US media license to simplify and make a mock-ery of Chavez’s death. Less than a week after Chavez died, Justin Timberlake performed a crude version of Elton John’s “Candle In the Wind” on Saturday Night Live with lyrics that ridiculed Chavez as a baffoon who believed that “capitalism killed Mars.” Even National Public Radio noted that Chavez has been la-beled “a dictator” and a “tyrant” just days after his death, while millions of Venezuelan citi-zens wept bitterly over their loss.

I do not want to defend Chavez as a flaw-less leader — he certainly was not. Rather, I want to condemn the arrogance and hypoc-risy with which many in the United States sneer at Chavez’s life and legacy at the time of his death. In a country where our president has unconstitutionally granted himself the power to murder American citizens without due process or oversight, the media should pause before referring to Hugo Chavez as a tyrannical dictator.

Those who would quickly jump on the an-ti-Chavez bandwagon should be aware that the U.S. government has long had an inter-

est in sullying Chavez’s reputation. Just days ago, Wikileaks published a 2006 cable written by former US ambassador to Venezuela, Wil-liam Brownfield, in which he wrote that the embassy’s core objectives in the country were to undermine the Chavez regime and his po-litical base. The reason? “(To protect) vital US business.” In coordination with USAID and the Office of Transition Initiatives, Brown-field said the “majority” of the agencies’ ac-tivities were directed at “penetrating Chavez’ political base,” “dividing Chavismo” and “iso-

lating Chavez internationally.” The United States, which many have

called the world’s “policeman” and “beacon of democracy,” has been caught red-handed — again — interfering with another sover-eign nations’ democratic process. And sadly, the U.S. media continues to loyally serve as Washington’s handmaiden in the promulga-tion of propaganda to undermine U.S. politi-cians’ political enemies.

Right now, as the pundits impugn Chavez and lampoon his life, it may be difficult for the average American to understand the his-torical significance of his presidency and his death. But I think in time we will look back at Chavez the same way we look back at Salva-dor Allende, the charismatic socialist leader of Chile during the early 1970s. Like Chavez, Allende was seen as a political enemy because he threatened U.S. business interests and Washington’s neoliberal agenda in the region. Both men are examples of democratically elected leaders that the United States discred-ited and undermined for purely self-interest-ed reasons. But both men will continue to be revered in their respective countries for years to come for their attempts to alleviate poverty and empower the lower class.

With our own nation’s disturbing history of corruption, military dominance and pro-paganda campaigns, it’s more than hypocriti-cal for the U.S. media to continue to hurl in-sults at Chavez while Venezuelans still mourn their leader’s death — it’s utterly disrespectful. My advice to Americans: Don’t throw stones in a glass house.

Jared Moffat ’13 can be contacted at jared_moffat@brown.edu.

opinions 7THE BROWN DAILY HERALDTUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

Who wins the admissions game?

Venezuelans deserve more respect from U.S.

In a country where our president has unconstitutionally granted himself the power to murder American citizens

without due process or oversight, the media should pause before referring to Hugo Chavez as a tyrannical

dictator.

Though college admission is largely a game, it is not one with an instant ticket to success, as Weiss seems to

believe.

JARED MOFFATopinions Columnist

daily heraldTHE BROWNsports tuesday

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

By GEORGE SANCHEZSPORTS STAFF WRITER

The baseball team captured its first Ivy League win in a five-game homestand over the weekend, which included a pair of doubleheaders against Penn and Columbia. The Bears won their first game of the weekend 9-0 over the Quakers but lost the second 9-5, and were swept by the Lions 2-0 and 13-4.

In the first home game of the season against Bryant University Thursday, the Bears (3-19, Ivy 1-7) were in contention most of the game but ended up losing 11-4. Bryant started the game off with three runs in the top of the first, but Bruno answered shortly after. Wes Van Boom ’14 hit a two-out double to drive in Will Marcal ’15 and Cody Slaughter ’13, cutting the lead to 3-2.

In the bottom of the second, Daniel Massey ’14 hit a two-run home run, helping the Bears take the lead, 4-3. The squad held this lead until the sixth inning, when the Bulldogs scored a run to tie it up at 4-4. The following inning, Bryant blew the game open with six more runs on five hits. Bryant added another run in the ninth to finish the game 11-4.

On Saturday, Bruno took on the Quakers (18-11, 5-3) in a doubleheader, splitting the series to achieve its first Ivy victory of the season. Starting pitcher Anthony Galan ’14 threw a complete game shutout, allowing only four hits and leading the Bears to a 9-0 win.

“He can throw four pitches for strikes — his slider on Saturday was the best I’ve seen it all year,” said Head Coach Marek Drabinski. “He can pitch in and out, so hitters have to worry about the whole plate.”

The Bears first scored in the third

inning, when Marcal hit a two-run jack to drive in J.J. Franco ’14 and helped the team get off to a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Franco hit a solo homer to push the lead to 3-0. Bruno scored six more runs in the sixth, sealing the victory and finishing the game 9-0.

In the second game of the double-header, the Quakers scored early and led 6-1 after three innings of play.

Bruno responded in the sixth in-ning, scoring three runs to cut the lead to two. Dan Kerr ’15 and Massey hit back-to-back RBI singles, then Van

Boom drove in the third run on a ground out.

The Quakers bounced back with three runs in the seventh, taking command of the game and evened the series. Bruno put another run on the scoreboard in the ninth, but the Quakers held on to their 9-4 lead.

On Sunday, the Bears played the Lions (13-15, 6-2) in a doubleheader, dropping both games. The first game of the day featured a pitching duel, with both starting pitchers stifling any of-fensive output.

Bears open up Ivy League play at homeBruno dropped four games but grabbed its first conference win with a pitching shutout

By NIKHIL PARASHERSPORTS STAFF WRITER

The men’s and women’s crew teams each had dual road races over the weekend against highly-ranked competitors. The No. 2 men’s team traveled to Seattle to face No. 1 University of Washington, which won each of the four races between the squads. The No. 12 women’s team faced No. 11 Harvard on the Charles River, with Brown coming away with victories in three of the four races.

On Saturday, amidst strong winds and choppy waters, the men’s first fresh-man eight boat was swept off the course early in the 2000-meter sprint and fin-ished with a time of 6:25.63, over 28 sec-onds behind the time of Washington’s first freshman eight boat.

Co-captain Owen Traynor ’13 called the conditions particularly difficult for the freshmen.

“The freshmen had to deal with the worst conditions,” Traynor said. “In the first 500 meters, they said that their boat nearly swamped, and they had a hard time recovering from that.”

After observing the effect of the con-ditions in the freshman matchup, race officials decided to shorten the varsity races to 1750 meters, a distance Traynor said he had never raced before. In the race between the first varsity eight boats,

Bruno fell to Washington by just over three seconds. In a separate race, Brown’s second varsity eight boat lost to Washing-ton’s second and third varsity eight boats.

In the final match of the day, the freshmen were allowed to redo their earlier race, though the Bears still fell to the Huskies by over 14 seconds.

The men’s varsity boats had been un-defeated this season before the losses to the Huskies — it was not the first time Washington had beaten a highly-seed-ed Brown squad. At last year’s national championships, Washington bested Brown in two events before becoming the national champion, relegating the Bears to silver medal status.

“I definitely think that there is a rivalry budding,” Traynor said. Head Coach Paul Cooke and Washington Head Coach Michael Callahan “hope that this turns out into a nice rivalry,” Traynor said.

Despite going winless on the day, Traynor said the team still feels it can compete against Washington at the Inter-collegiate Rowing Association National Championships next month. Though at last year’s dual race Washington’s first varsity boat bested Brown’s by “some-thing closer to seven seconds,” Brown finished only narrowly behind at the national championships, he said. The head-to-head difference from this year was 3.29 seconds.

Traynor added that the squad is excited about the prospect of facing Washington again at the IRA National Championships.

“I definitely

Teams race on national stage against top opponents The men’s squad fell to national champion UW as the women’s squad raced ahead of Radcliffe

By HALEY ALVAREZCONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Bears defeated Bryant University and Harvard in two home games this weekend at Stevenson Field. The two wins raise Bruno’s record to 9-2 overall and 2-2 in the Ivy League — the most successful record for the women’s lacrosse team since 1999, when it went 7-7 for the season.

The squad faced Harvard (2-7, Ivy 1-3) Saturday, and though the Crimson scored the first point of the match, Bruno ended the half up 6-4. The second half started with three Harvard goals early in the period, which forced Brown’s Head Coach Keely McDonald ’00 to call a stra-tegic timeout so the team could regroup.

“Keely brought us in for that timeout to really remind us what we’re capable of and that we were playing pretty tense and sitting back when we really needed to attack,” said Abbey Van Horne ’14. “It was a great

The team jumped into the top half of the Ivy League standings with the two wins

KATIE LEBOWITZ / HERALD

Daniel Massey ’14, pictured above sliding into third base, hit a two-run home run in the team’s home opener for the season, but his output was not enough to overcome Bryant University, resulting in an 11-4 loss.

BASEBALL W. LACROSSE

Bruno completes weekend sweep

/ / Baseball page 3

CREW

/ / Sweep page 3

/ / Crew page 3