The Week in Brief

Aids Day event raises dollars and sense

In observance of World AIDS Day on Tues., Dec. 1, a group of Yale students coordinated an entertainment-packed fundraiser to increase AIDS awareness and raise money for the cause. Held in St. Anthony's Hall from 9:00 to 11:30 p.m., the benefit included featured performances by the Yale Anti-Gravity Society and Ska 'n' Bones. Proceeds from the event were earmarked for the New Haven AIDS Hospice and AIDS Project New Haven.

Event co-coordinator Emily Saslow, SY '01, explained that the organizers wanted "something more festive than usual for World AIDS Day" so they solicited a variety of student performance groups. Frank DeMayo, a member of the board of directors of the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center, appreciated the fundraiser for personal reasons. "I lost my best friend to AIDS. It was like a piece of me died too," he said.

--William S. Mauldin

Biographer sketches Acheson legacy

On Thurs., Dec. 3, James Chace, biographer of former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, '15, delivered a lecture on "Dean Acheson and American Foreign Policy," sponsored by U.N. Legal Studies and International Security Studies.

Chace focused on Acheson's skillful Cold War dealings with the Soviet Union. "Ach-eson had the clearest view of what America's role should be in the Cold War to years after its collapse," Chace said. He attributed Acheson's success in crafting the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine to a strong relationship with President Truman. "Acheson and Truman's relationship was based on loyalty. They both were men of decision," he commented.

Chace is editor of the World Policy Journal. Chace's biography, Acheson: the Secretary of State Who Created the Modern World, was released this summer.

--E.Tammy Kim

Yalies protest inhumane lessons at army school

"[The protestors] were infuriated that the U.S. continues to train soldiers how to torture, assassinate, and violently and psychologically oppress common people in other countries," Grace Rollins, CC '01, a participant and a coordinator of Amnesty International at Yale, said. "It was important to have a showing of younger faces at the protest, since a large part of the anti-SOA movement is made up of older people. It was important to show others that even at an elitist school like Yale there are people who care about these issues."

The trip's sponsors included the Chiapas Action Center, Social Justice Network, and Amnesty International.

--Alan Schoenfeld

Canadian journalist ponders Quebec question

Mansbridge said the answer to the age-old question " What does Quebec want?" was complex. He predicted that "the country will continue to live on the edge...anything can happen."

--Eugenia Chen

Hurdles remain for DeStefano proposed mall

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH The mayor will present his proposal for Long Wharf to the Regional Planning Commission next week.

Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, and Filene's could soon occupy New Haven's Long Wharf area. In a press conference on Wed., Nov. 18, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., unveiled the long-awaited plans for a mall at Long Wharf. But whether these flashy shops, who have already signed on to anchor the project, will benefit the area is aquestion which remains to be answered.

The mall project must pass a vote by the Regional Planning Commission. The mayor hopes to submit the proposal to the Commission at the next meeting on Thurs., Dec. 10. The agency has 35 days to veto the proposal. Otherwise, the proposal is considered to be approved.

State Senator William Aniskovich of Branford questioned whether a mall would improve the region. "I'm skeptical," he said, criticizing the mayor's office for using its "sheer political muscle" to gain approval for the project. "Part of determining whether a project is beneficial to a region is a careful and comprehensive analysis of a number of impacts, including the transportation impact, the environmental impact, and the impact on existing retailers."

But "the mall is not the single-bullet solution that will solve all of New Haven's problems," DeStefano spokesman Michael Kuczkowski said. He believes the mall's opponents "fail to take into account the scope of the things we are going to do." These include a proposed new bus depot and train station, as well as initiatives to promote the employment of city residents and minorities.

--Kate Feather

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