January 21, 2009 issue

by Sophia Li F eatures editor WASHINGTO N — A man’s voice thundered through the crowd in Greenbelt Metro Station in Maryland where hundreds waited — not all o them patiently — to buy their Metro passes on Sunday evening. “I was there in ’63 or the March on Washington,” he said, “when Mar- tin Luther King, Jr. gave his ‘I have a dream’ speech.” He paused. “And I’m here again to see the dream come true.” People smiled and laughed, applauded and cheered. Two days later, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President o the United States. Obama’s ascent into the highest reaches o national politics was the continuation o a much longer, and larger, story. And though classes were to begin the next morning, many Brown students were in the nation’s capital, eager or a glimpse o history. “Denitely everyone in my parents’ generation — they just eel a sense o, like, shock,” Doug Eacho ’11 said. Obama’s inauguration, he said, held a greater signicance or people who had grown up thinking there would never be a black president. “No one ever sensed that this would happen in their lietimes,” he said. Eacho became a part o the Pres- ident’s long journey to the White House when he began to volunteer or the Obama campaign over a year ago. But much has changed since Oc- tober 2007. The need or a change in administration has become more urgent, Eacho said, with the current state o the economy. He added, though, “I think now people’s expectations are more tem- pered.” Providence Mayor David Cicilline ’83, who was also in Washington or the inauguration, said the oreclosure crisis, Rhode Island’s high unemploy- ment rate and the state’s large budget decit were “serious challenges that have developed over the last eight years and won’t be resolved over- night.” But some are waiting or change to come sooner. Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 said expectations or the changing adminis - tration infuenced the design o Rhode News..... 1-4 Higher E ..5-6 Sports...7-9 W. basketball Win some, Sports, 7 Tiny parTicLeS, big News, 3 real life conflict, played Opinions, 11 i d e Students brave crowds to see history unfold U . by MaTThew VarLey HigHer ed editor “Welcome to spring semester and American history,” Ted Wid- mer, director o the John Carter Brown library, told a ull Salomon 101 Tuesday morning. “History is moving very much in the right direction today.” As President Barack Obama prepared to take the oath o o ce in Washington, D.C., students and sta attended inauguration broad- casts in Salomon, Sayles Hall and the John Hay Library yesterday morning. In the aternoon, the cel- ebratory tone on campus shited toward refection as two aculty panels addressed domestic and oreign policy challenges acing the Obama administration. In the Salomon Center, the crowd let no doubt o their en- thusiasm about the new president. A deaening silence ell over the crowd when then-President George Bush emerged rom the Capitol, but some applauded CNN Anchor Wol Blitzer’s comment that Bush’s entrance marked the last time “Hail to the Chie” would be played or the 43rd president. In contrast, students cheered or the day’s rst shot o Obama. The crowd erupted again at noon when Blitzer announced the ocial transer o power, which oc- curred during an ensemble music perormance or Obama. The new President received no ewer than three standing ovations rom students in Salomon: when he was rst introduced to the crowd, Economy’ s toll on U . unce rtain by Jenna STark News editor Brown’s endowment has been “impact- ed” in recent months by the poor eco- nomic climate, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 told The Herald in an e-mail, although the University has not announced any specics about the welare o its endowment since early this all. President Ruth Simmons announced in September that the endowment had earned a co mparatively strong 6.3 percent return in the scal year ending in June 2008 — but since then, schools around the country have re- ported signicant losses and budget cutbacks. “While we entered this period stronger than at any point in the Uni- versity’s history, the downturn has had S G z , b by nicoLe FriedMan seNior s taFF w riter Twenty-ve students on the Brown/ RISD Hillel’s Taglit-Birthright trip to Israel returned to Providence Tuesday ater 10 days o travel. Missing rom their number were 15 other students who had signed up or the trip, but backed out ater war broke out between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The three-week confict in Gaza, despite occurring in the middle o winter break and hal a world away, nevertheless reached members o the Brown community in a vari- ety o ways — whether they were traveling abroad or debating the confict rom home. A cease-re to the confict was announced over the weekend, by Israel on Saturday and Hamas on Sunday. Lindsay Babbitt ’11 canceled her plans to go on the Birthright trip ater waiting “as long as po ssible” to see i the situation would change, she said.“I was really excited about it,” she said. “I was hoping things would calm down a little bit, but they didn’t and they just kept es- calating.” She traveled to New Or- leans to build houses or a week in lieu o her Israel plans. OBAMA SWORN IN AS 44TH PRESIDENT Brian Vaner Br / Los Aneles Times (above). Cortesy of Emily Yaffe (Riht). Barack an Michelle Obama escort the former presient an first lay to their helicopter. continued on page 9 continued on page 9 continued on page 2 continued on page 2 D aily Herald the Brown vol. cxliv, no. 1 | Wednesday , January 21 , 20 09 | Serving the community daily since 1891

January 21, 2009 issue

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