Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 14 | Monday, February 9, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Minority prof. hiring accelerates
Vogel still mum on future plans
By Emmy Liss Features Editor
The University has seen an increase in minority and women faculty since the creation of the Office of Institutional Diversity in 2003, according to statistics released by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. Though the faculty expansion outlined in the Plan for Academic Enrichment has been completed, minority hiring will continue to improve despite the economic downturn. “Over the last six years we have made remarkable progress in diversifying the faculty,” said Dean of the Faculty Rajiv Vohra P’07. “The growth in minority as well as female faculty has been considerably higher than the overall growth of the faculty.” Since 2003, the number of Asian faculty has increased by 36 percent, black faculty by 52 percent and Hispanic faculty by 40 percent. During the same period, the number of white faculty increased by only 13 percent. The number of women on the faculty has increased by 31 percent. Vohra said these numbers demonstrate the net effect of hiring and faculty departures. Although the percentage increases show minority faculty hiring has grown faster than general hiring, the total number of minority faculty still remains relatively small. For example, there were 21 black faculty in the 2002-2003 academic year, and 32 in 2008-2009. “In terms of the big picture, because for many of these categories the numbers are still small, it’s important to measure progress over a number of years rather than on an annual basis,” Vohra said. Brenda Allen, associate provost and director of institutional diversity, said she has noticed steady growth in general minority hiring, “really good success” with women and increases in diversity “all across the University.” Though she acknowledged change does not happen “fast and overnight,” looking at the numbers from the past six years, “we can see that we’ve really made some progress,” she said. The University’s strategy for actively diversifying the faculty is “two-fold,” Vohra said. Primarily, departments searching for faculty work with Allen to determine the best strategy for increasing the number of minority applicants. “The idea is, the more people you recruit to your pool, the more
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By Sydney Ember Senior Staff Writer
and Derek Bangle ’10, to a dramatic tango set to Shakira, danced by Visiting Professor of Applied Mathematics Vladimir Dobrushkin and Michelle Norworth ’10. Short videos were played before each routine, showing some of the training process in true “Dancing with the Stars” style. This year’s event featured a real Brown celebrity judge —
Pulitzer Prize-winner and Professor of Literary Arts Paula Vogel has remained noncommittal about her plans to return to Brown for the 2009-2010 academic year, echoing the stance she took when the University granted her a one-year leave of absence. Vogel, who announced last January that she would take a leave to chair the playwriting department at Yale, has left Brown’s program without its most esteemed lecturer and its corps of second-year graduate students, all of whom followed her to Yale. In an e-mail to The Herald, Vogel wrote, “I am currently the Eugene O’Neill (Adjunct) Professor of Playwriting at Yale School of Drama, and Chair of the Playwriting Program. And that’s really, all I can say. I don’t wish to speak about leaving Brown.” “She is on leave this academic year,” said Gale Nelson, assistant director of the literary arts program. “We have not heard back from her at this point about her plans.” But Vogel added in her
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Frederic Lu / Herald Professor of Biology Robert Reenan and Reina Saki ’10 of the Brown Ballroom Dance Team dazzled Friday night en route to first place in the second annual “Dancing with the Profs” competition.
Professors show off their moves By Kelly Mallahan Staff Writer
The Brown Ballroom Dance Team’s second annual “Dancing with the Profs” on Friday night had it all — charismatic emcees, celebrity judges and, of course, a sea of sequins. From the moment Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Theresa DiDonato and Eric Ho ’11 took the floor with a hip-hop-infused cha-cha to the
crowning of Professor of Biology Robert Reenan and Reina Saiki ’10 as 2009 dance champions, the audience packed into Alumnae Hall never stopped cheering for — and occasionally laughing at — their professors’ dance moves. Six professors were paired with members of the Ballroom Dance Team to learn 90-second dance routines ranging from a high-spirited quickstep, danced by Chaplain Janet Cooper-Nelson
RISD’s Balls play tough, ‘stick together’ their fans’ applause and cheers were not diminished. “We have great fans who come As players practice their jump out to our games,” said Don Morshots on the court, the soundtrack ton, associate director of the Ofto “Space Jam” blares in the back- fice of Student Life at RISD. “It is ground. The coaches of the two not about winning — it is just all opposing teams walk over to one about pure support for the team.” another and shake hands. The two Morton said the small turnout for teams stop warming up that week’s game was and gather around their FEATURE atypical for a RISD Balls respective coaches. “Go game. Recently, he said, Balls!” shouts the team in maroon the Balls drew 400 fans when they uniforms. faced RISD’s main rival, the Pratt It’s time for the Rhode Island Institute. School of Design’s basketball team, The Balls (yes, it’s intentionthe Balls, to take the court. al) have been entertaining fans Quiet at first, a small crowd since 2000 with their moves on the of about 20 spectators who have court and their signature slogan: ventured into the Wheeler School “When the heat is on, the Balls gymnasium where the Balls are stick together.” RISD’s other taking on Sarah Lawrence soon athletic headliners, the ’Nads, becomes animated. play hockey at Meehan AuditoThough the Balls lost to the rium to fans cheering (of course) Gryphons (an alternate spelling continued on page 2 of the mythical “griffins”) 57-53, By Brian Mastroianni Senior Staf f Writer
Justin Coleman / Herald
The RISD Balls maintained strong team spirit and loyal fan support despite a loss to the Sarah Lawrence Gryphons Saturday.
Arts, 5
Sports, 7
Opinions, 11
Israel in film A College Hill film festival focused on Israeli society opened Saturday
Pretty in Pink Men’s tennis raised Breast Cancer awareness in a victory over Marist
r-e-s-p-e-c-t Tory Hartmann ’11 decries students’ lack of respect for facilities
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