Daily
Herald
the Brown
vol. cxxii, no. 56
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Since 1891
Relative to peers, U.’s financial aid lags behind Aid policies influence student body breakdown By ELI OKUN and ALEXA PUGH Senior Staff Writer and Staff Writer
Rebecca Steinberg and Julia Shube / Herald
When high school senior Vananh Tran was admitted to Brown last month, she was floored. “It was my dream school. And I honestly never expected to get in,” she said. Tran loves Brown’s “individualized attention” and its emphasis on learning over competition. But the decision-making process has not been so clear-cut. For Tran, who comes from a family of five living below the poverty line in Anaheim, Calif., finances are a major concern — and the University of California at Berkeley has
offered her a full ride with no loans or work-study. Penn, the other school she is considering, gave her a package similar to that of Brown, but requiring thousands less from her student summer earnings and including more spending and travel money. Tran attended Third World Welcome and A Day on College Hill, but before attending those events, she told The Herald she wished the choice was easier. “Honestly, if Brown had given me better financial aid, it would be no problem deciding it right now,” continued on page 4
Poll finds Taveras proposes $638 million budget support for tions in his proposed budget — will actually decrease because $7.7 of this fiscal year.” And while the including reductions in the costs million will be incorporated into Taveras administration will not health care for the city the city’s reserve fund. release any details of the meetnew housing At the annual city budget address of— retiree that depend on $7.1 million in Taveras said pension reform is ings between the administration last night, Mayor Angel Taveras payments from local nonprofits integral to the city’s economic re- and University negotiators, he is option presented the Providence City and city pension system reform. vival, though dialogue with retir- optimistic “the city and Brown By Sona mkrttchian Senior Staff Writer
A majority of students believe the University should offer genderneutral housing for first-year students, according to a Herald poll conducted last month. Roughly 60 percent of students polled said they either strongly or somewhat agreed with a gender-neutral option, with one-third of total respondents strongly agreeing, and about one-quarter indicating that they somewhat agreed with expanding gender-neutral housing. Nearly one-quarter of surveyed students said they had no opinion on the issue, and about 18 percent said they either strongly or somewhat disagreed that the option be available. Yen Tran ’14 said he supported the initiative to expand genderneutral housing to first-years. Though he doubts the option will be popular among first-years, it will be appreciated by those who want it, he said. Because genderneutral housing is optional, nobody who feels uncomfortable with it would have to utilize it, he said. GenderAction, a subgroup of the Queer Alliance at Brown, originated a proposal and signature campaign last semester to expand gender-neutral housing to first-years. The proposal is due to be submitted to the Corporation in May. Members of GenderAc-
inside
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news....................2 CITY & State........3 money...........4-5 athlete.............6-7 SPORTS..................8 editorial.............10
Council with a $638.4 million budget proposal that prioritizes education, economic development and public safety. Taveras reiterated his calls for municipal pension reform and increased contributions from the city’s nonprofits. Though a deal between Providence and the University has yet to be reached, parts of the budget rely on the outcome of the negotiations. Taveras pointed to projec-
Taveras urged the council to pass his Providence Pension Protection Plan, which he said would save the city $19 million after suspending promised annual cost-of-living increases.
city & state Though the proposed budget represents a nearly $5 million increase from last year’s plan, Taveras said that the operating budget
ees is difficult because municipal workers are no longer represented by a union once they leave their jobs. Conversations with the University and the large tax-exempt organizations in the city will continue this week, as Taveras seeks to increase voluntary contributions from the institutions. During his address, Taveras said he is hopeful the city “will reach a deal with most, if not all, of our tax-exempts before the end
University will reach an agreement that will help both parties,” David Ortiz, the mayor’s press secretary, told The Herald. But Taveras warned that if agreements are not reached with the tax-exempts, the city is prepared to work with the General Assembly to create laws that would allow the city to mandate payments. The suggestion drew continued on page 9
Sports fans on campus, but not in the stands By Ethan McCoy and Joseph rosales Sports Editor and Senior Staff Writer
Across the country, the phrase “college sports” conjures images of parking lots full of tailgaters as far as the eye can see and waves of students dressed in the same color screaming as a member of the opposing team lines up for a foul shot.
see Pages 6-7 Brown students are generally an athletic bunch that rally around their home teams and sometimes foreign leagues — as evidenced by the presence of NFL jerseys on a fall Sunday in the Ratty. But there appears to be a disconnect between non-athletes and the Bears. Though Brown has 37 teams competing in Division I of the NCAA with recent alums who have
Incentive
Bill would provide tax credits to filmmakers in R.I. city & state, 3
won Super Bowl rings and Olympic medals, attendance at games can be spotty, and only a select few students might be likely to know the records of any of the teams. Brunonians are proud of their institution, but passion for University sports rarely figures into that pride. A unified student body
“We just don’t have a sports culture here — and I wish we did,” said Mariah Gonzales ’13, who said she considered going to the University of Notre Dame because of the school spirit and camaraderie centered on its athletics. At Brown sporting events, the student fans in attendance are most often members of other athletic teams who come out to support their peers or other friends of athletes. “If you’re not on a team or dating continued on page 6
‘Dumb jock’ Student-athlete stereotypes persist on campus
athlete experience, 7
Emily Gilbert / Herald
On campus, University pride rarely translates into athletic event attendance.
Busyness
Karshenboym ’12 urges productivity
opinions, 11
weather
By Caitlin Trujillo Staff Writer
t o d ay
tomorrow
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