daily herald the Brown
vol. cxxii, no. 71
INSIDE
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Puppet show
Show captures audiences with actor-puppet blend
friday, september 21, 2012
Almost 500 courses transition to Canvas By sam heft-luthy contributing writer
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Creative med Lecture links art museums and medical schools Page 7
Minority gap Minorities underrepresented in technology, engineering today
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tomorrow
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The University’s transition from MyCourses to Canvas as its primary online course management platform is in full swing. This semester, 457 courses will use the site, up from 70 last semester, said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron. Around 7,000 students — graduate, undergraduate and medical — are using the platform this semester, according to Hong Chau, instructional technologist for the academic technology division of Computer and Information Systems. “I anticipate all students to have at least one course in Canvas by the end of the year,” Hong wrote in an email to The Herald. After MyCourses’ parent company Blackboard announced in 2010 that it would be ceasing support of the
platform this October, the University engaged in a search for a new system, ultimately choosing Canvas for its more intuitive interface. “There was a very strong response to Canvas on the part of the students who tried it out, and that ultimately swayed the decision in that direction,” Bergeron said. “I think it’s easier to navigate,” said Sophie Yan ’16, who has two classes on the new platform and one class on MyCourses. “MyCourses is less user-friendly,” Yan added. “Sometimes when I try to navigate back to the (MyCourses) home page, I get lost and go to the main Brown page.” Currently, 302 courses are still being hosted on MyCourses, Hong wrote. MyCourses will be available for professors to use until summer 2013, when the administration will completely phase / / Canvas page 2
since 1891
Courtesy of dietrich neumanN
An iPhone app developed by the history of art and architecture department collects information about University buildings. SEE PAGE 3
U. implements Affordable Care Act policies ‘Ordet’ By Kate DeSimone Senior Staff Writer
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health care legislation, this summer following a national debate over the law’s ramifications for patients and doctors. With the law’s provisions remaining intact after the court’s decision, several of its key changes have now been implemented through the University’s health insurance plan. As a result of the law, a notable increase in prescription coverage came into effect last fall for students enrolled in the University’s health care insurance plan, said Jeanne Hebert, director of insurance and purchasing services. Yearly outpatient prescription benefits jumped from $2,500 per student in 2010 to $10,000
in 2011, and now total $100,000. By 2014, the plan will have no annual limit on prescription coverage for students enrolled in the program. This change is not likely to have an impact on the cost of covering students, Hebert said. “People often bumped up against $2,500” in their prescription benefits, she said, but it’s not likely that a student will reach $100,000 or higher in annual prescription costs. In addition, the University’s health insurance plan will have no annual limit on overall benefits by 2014. The current maximum is $500,000 per injury, illness or accident per year, Hebert said. Some colleges and universities, lacking funds to upgrade their policies to meet the law’s requirements, have dropped their student health plans, according to a June Wall Street Journal article. But Brown only had to make a few changes / / ACA page 2
highlights duality of religion By maddie berg senior staff writer
arts & culture
ALEXANDRA URBAN / HERALD
As part of the Affordable Care Act, students on the University’s health plan saw a stark increase in prescription coverage last fall.
Brown-Harvard game to rouse fans Saturday By Jake Comer Sports Editor
Emily gilbert / herald
The Bears will take on the Crimson Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in what promises to be a packed stadium.
The plot of “Ordet,” Production Workshop’s newest show, revolves around a modest family in rural Denmark whose ordinary life becomes completely unordinary when one of the family members believes he is possessed by Jesus Christ. This production of the play, which was written in the 1920s by Danish playwright Kaj Munk, is only the third recorded performance outside of Denmark. Director David Lee Dallas ’13 first stumbled upon this surreal story in high school when he saw the movie version of the play. Since then, he has not forgotten the unique storyline, which featured religious tensions that resonated with him. “I instantly couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Dallas said. “I don’t know if I even liked it the first time I saw it. I was just so baffled by it.” He said he hopes the story will similarly catch the attention of the play’s audience. Dallas proposed the play — which he prefers to the movie version due to its grounded and more complete characters — to PW last spring and included his inspiration from both realist painter Andrew Wyeth and holy minimalist music. This is Dallas’ first time directing a play in college, though you wouldn’t know that from the play’s cohesion, apparent in its stark set and well-integrated music. A large component of Dallas’ vision for this production draws upon commonalities between theater and church. / / ‘Ordet’ page 4 “There are
For fans of Brown football, the Harvard game is something different. Hosting the Crimson means a thunderous Brown Stadium with filled bleachers, national television cameras, tailgates, rowdy student sections, banks of lights — and often, a tough fight for a pair of Ivy adversaries competing for the conference crown. Harvard’s squad (1-0), which mounted a comeback to win its nonleague opener against University of San Diego (0-1) last week 28-13, will return to the Bears’ home field for Saturday evening’s homecoming game. “It’s a rival,” said Head Coach Phil Estes, referring to the Crimson. “And (we) may not even be Harvard’s rival.
But because of the close proximity, because it’s Harvard, it’s a game that the guys get up for.” And the fervor surrounding clashes between the two squads has grown in recent years. Bruno’s first-ever night game was against the Crimson two years ago, and Saturday’s contest will be the Bears’ third under the lights. This year, there will be some added fireworks for the affair at Brown Stadium. A new video scoreboard installed over the summer will be officially unveiled tomorrow, and the NBC Sports Network will televise the game nationally. “Every year, it’s a big game,” said tailback Spiro Theodhosi ’13. “Obviously, we’re excited to get back into Ivy play.” / / Harvard page 9