The Week in Brief

In some dorms, the condoms have not yet been provided, and in others, access to the condoms is not anonymous. "We don't have a place where they are available. Our counselor keeps them in her room," Derek Lomas, PaC '03, complained.

Freshman Counselor Merrill Dobson, TD '00, had this explantion: "Some people will be immature and use them for silly games, but you hope that those who are having sex will use them."

--Jessica Cohen

Yale employees urged to `Do Downtown'

Yale employees can spice up their lunchtime routine this September, thanks to "Do Downtown," a program sponsored by the Town Green Special Services District.

The program features free weekly entertainment on the New Haven Green and targets Yale staff who work within walking distance. Organizer Marcia Stein sees "Do Downtown" as both "four weeks of fun" and "a chance for people to enjoy all New Haven has to offer." Some of the events planned for September include a tour of the Yale Art Gallery, a Jazz Trio concert, and a performance of capoeira, an art form intermingling self-defense with dancing. The less culturally inclined may be tempted by free ice cream coupons and a chance to win $500 in a Fri., Oct. 1 drawing.

Unfortunately, the first installment of "Do Downtown", held Thurs., Sept. 10, saw a poor showing from the very group for whom the activities were earmarked. "We really wish more people from Yale would come," Stein said.

--Andra Waniek

`Mad' editor says censorship is no joke

Not surprisingly, Joe Raiola, senior editor of Mad magazine, was joking. Although his Tues., Sept. 14 speech was entitled "The Joy of Censorship," the speech itself was a fiery defense of the First Amendment.

Amid Jim Carrey-like contortions, he discussed books banned at libraries and Supreme Court rulings--including one on a case involving the first comic book company and the founder of Mad magazine.

Raiola's favorite banned book was The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Family Life;
the book's depictions of sexual positions earned it a ban in Beaverton, Ill. He also mentioned a library that banned Where's Waldo? books after a woman discovered the books contained a female character dressed provocatively. Raiola dismissed censorship as an attempt by certain parties to impose their ideas of "obscene" upon the entire populace. "The whole obscenity argumentis bizarre to me," Raiola said. The former stand-up comic is currently touring universities delivering speeches on censorship.

--Ayon Nandi

Silliman Master Kelly Brownell to resign post

Professor Kelly Brownell announced on Wed., Sept. 15, that he would resign his post as Silliman College Master at the end of
the spring semester in order to devote
more time to teaching and his family. In an e-mail sent to Silliman students, he thanked them and wrote, "Whatever I have given to the college I have more than received in kindness, stimulation and just good fun from all of you." Brownell has served as Master of Silliman since 1994.

A psychology professor and director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, Brownell was probably most famous outside of Silliman for his Jell-O
wrestling matches with Pierson Master Harvey Goldblatt, GRD '77, and his extraordinarily successful Master's Teas. "Master Brownell always got us excellent Master'sTeas," Isolde Krummrich, SM '00, said. "It was an amazing experience to see Kurt Vonnegut last year."

"He's got to be the best Master at Yale by far," Johnny Scafidi, SM '01, said. "He cares so much about the students in Silliman. He attended every Student Activities Committee meeting, and I've never heard him say `No' to a request. It's funny how much we all take for granted."

--Zoe Konovalov

Yale to reflect on itself in new study

JOHN YI/YH The results of Yale's self-study will be available to students next week.

As part of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges re-accreditation process Yale must undergo every 10 years, the University has released an "Institutional Self-Study," which examines key aspects of the college and outlines plans for improvement.

"There isn't any doubt that Yale will receive accreditation," President Richard Levin, GRD '74, said. "But rather than just go through the motions of a report, which would be a waste of time, we took it as an excuse to conduct a thorough self-study."

Some of the problems the study examines include the low percentage of female tenured professors in the
sciences, the use of graduate students
and lecturers for teaching, and the lack of performance and meeting space for student organizations. The study also identifies problems with student services, including cultural centers that are too small, inadequate help for international students, and an Undergraduate Career Services office that was frustrating to use. University Health Services also came under fire; according to the study, two thirds of students felt that waits there were too long and staff members were indifferent.

Next week, Yale will post the self-study on the web at the site
www.yale.edu/accred. Students can read the report and send in comments, which will be added before the reaccreditation committee reviews the report in three weeks.

-Zoe Konovalov

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH RAINCHECK: While Hurricane Floyd narrowly bypassed New Haven this past week, local stores felt some of its fury on Thursday, September 16.

IVY LEAGUE NOTEBOOK

Brown

While "Camp Yale" consists mostly of lounging on Old Campus, Brown's freshman orientation includes "Big Ma's Talent Show," a dance, and "The Battle of the Campus Units," which shows the Brown Class of 2003 the joys of Unit loyalty. Discussions for frosh cover topics on "classism, sexism, racism, academic issues, and adjustment to college life."

However, in a decision that deprives new students of one of Rhode Island's only pleasures, the frosh will not be introduced to the beautiful shoreline of the state. In a major change to the orientation program, extensive walking and bike tours of Providence have replaced the annual beach trip.

Harvard

It may have taken a while, but Harvard administrators finally decided to do something about the smell of decaying books that permeate the campus. Dean of Faculty Jeremy Knowles noted that though the rotting books provided "olfactory nostalgia to generations of readers," the university has decided to begin spending money on renovating the library, including installing new fire detection systems and air conditioning, and constructing new reading rooms.

Apparently, the world's wealthiest university will shift from a "saving for a rainy day" budget strategy to making quality-of-life investments for its students, according to Knowles.

Pennsylvania

Chances are, students at the University of Pennsylvania would recommend eating out of a truck over eating in a dining hall. The ubiquitous food trucks that populate street corners all over Philadelphia are the best places to get food on campus, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian's latest review. Some popular meals-on-wheels include a hoagie stand run by the eccentric "Old Lady Olga" and five fruit salad trucks. The Pennsylvanian especially recommends eating raw fish off a truck at the Bento Box, because "at these prices, any risk is worth it."

--Compiled by Marissa Leung from the Daily Pennsylvanian, the Brown Daily Herald, and the Harvard Crimson.

YALE INDEX

1. Number of residents in the Swing Space	268
2. Maximum occupancy of 360-gallon whirlpool	6
3. Number of 360-gallon whirlpools required to accommodate Swing Space residents	45
4. Additional Flex Dollars available to Swing Space residents	100
5. Percentage of Swing Space residents favoring Flex Program's inclusion of Yorkside Pizza	100
6. Percentage of Swing Space residents favoring Flex Program's inclusion of Hot Tubs to Go!, Inc.	100
7. Swing Space Flex Dollars available for whirlpool rental	26,800
8. Cost, in dollars, of weekend rental of 45 portable 360-gallon whirlpools	18,495
9. Amount remaining, in dollars, per Swing Space resident, after weekend rental of whirlpool	30.99
10. Cost, in dollars, of pizza slice at Yorkside Pizza	1.5

--Compiled by Daniel Serviansky

Sources: 1) Branford College Interim Directory; 2) Watertech Whirlpool Baths catalog; 3) Yale University Dining Services memorandum to Branford College; 5, 6) Survey of Swing Space rooms 338 and 339; 7, 8) Hot Tubs To Go!, Inc. catalog; 10) Yorkside Pizza lunch menu.

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