daily herald the Brown
vol. cxxii, no. 95
INSIDE
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Perfect storm
Students socialize and speak out as Sandy storms by
wednesday, october 31, 2012
Poll: Majority of students plan to vote for Obama Students surveyed on Paxson, abortion, cheating, romance By Kate Nussenbaum Senior Staff Writer
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Defunct dept. History of Math Chair David Pingree leaves legacy Page 8
Horror fest R.I.’s film festival considers global adaptations of horror today
tomorrow
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More than 65 percent of students plan to vote for President Obama in next week’s presidential election, according to a Herald poll conducted October 17-18. The poll also found the majority of respondents reporting no opinion on how President Christina Paxson is handling her job, not cheating in any University classes and sleeping between six and eight hours each night. Most respondents also said they wish they were in an exclusive relationship. Upcoming election More than 70 percent of respondents said they plan to vote in the Nov. 6 elections — 10 percent in Rhode Island and more than 60 percent in other states. Fifteen percent of respondents said they were ineligible to vote, while
5 percent said they did not plan on voting, and 6 percent said they were unsure. Of those who planned to vote, over 80 percent of respondents supported Obama, while only 7.6 percent of respondents who plan to vote said they supported Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Varsity athletes were nearly four times more likely than respondents who were not on varsity teams to support Romney. Males were also more likely to support Romney than were females. Students largely supported abortion rights, a key social issue this campaign season. Obama maintains a pro-choice stance on abortion, while Romney has stated he believes abortion should only be allowed in cases of rape, incest or when the woman’s life is endangered. About 42 / / Poll page 2
grace sun / Herald
Tunisian abroad program relocated to France Monsters, ghosts race for a cause By Sarah perelman Staff Writer
After protesters in Tunisia attacked the U.S. embassy Sept. 14, the two Brown students in the country’s SIT Study Abroad Program were promptly relocated to Toulouse, France in response to a travel warning issued by the United States government. The students, Felice Feit ’14 and former Herald senior staff writer Sarah Forman ’13, will remain in SIT’s program in Toulouse for the rest of the semester. Feit said the program participants originally thought they would return to Tunisia after the initial turmoil died down and were even given plane tickets back dated for Oct. 5. But two days
before they were due to return, they were told the change would be permanent, Forman said. Four out of the 14 students in the program returned home in response to the announcement, Feit said, adding that two relocated to Jordan immediately after the group was moved to France. Feit said she did not feel unsafe in Tunisia while she was there, adding that the travel warning felt “pretty clearly politically motivated.” “Options are limited for people who want to do study abroad in that part of the world,” said Andrew White ’13, international relations department undergraduate group co-president. Travel warnings are a hindrance
for many students who might want to study in North Africa, he said, adding that summer study, which he did in Tunisia last summer, is sometimes easier to arrange than semesters abroad. “It is not what I wanted at all, frankly,” Feit said about her study abroad experience in France. She said she had been studying Arabic at Brown and wanted to study abroad “for the language and culture” in Tunisia, rather than for the academics SIT can provide in Toulouse. “I’m making the best of it,” she added. Forman is writing a senior thesis on North African immigrant identities and said she decided to study in Tunisia for the research opportunities.
She said at first she was disappointed about the change in locations but soon realized there are many Tunisian immigrants in Toulouse. “I’m getting a different perspective on the country I wanted to study,” Forman said. “I’m very curious about how people who were born in Tunisia or Algeria have changed their connections to their home country now that they’ve immigrated to France.” The Office of International Programs has stayed abreast of the situation in Tunisia and feels that SIT’s relocation of the students was “a wise decision,” said Kendall Brostuen, director of international programs and associate dean of the College. In light of the / / Tunisia page 3
Hurricane grazes campus but rattles East Coast By Amy Rasmussen City & State Editor
University officials canceled classes and closed administrative offices for a second consecutive day Tuesday as Rhode Island picked up in the aftermath of Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane affecting millions up and down the East Coast. While the Ocean State was spared the brunt of the storm, coastal areas of New York and New Jersey were left devastated in Sandy’s wake, experiencing severe flooding and power outages. All University business is expected to proceed normally today. “The University fared well during the storm, with some downed trees and only minor damage to a small number of facilities,” according to an email alert sent to the Brown community. The continuing education building and the Alpert Medical School, located in Providence’s Jewelry Dis-
trict, both experienced minor roof leaks, said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations. A third floor window in Vartan Gregorian Quadrangle was also blown out. Workers removed a large fallen tree behind Wilson, Quinn said, adding that several more trees fell on Young Orchard Avenue and the Barus and Holley walkway. Workers also spent time yesterday hauling away sandbags, clearing sidewalks and “removing nearly two tons of debris from campus,” according to the email. The Provost’s office is expected to send out information regarding make-up classes within the next week. Quinn said the storm caused less damage to the University than Hurricane Irene, a category 1 Hurricane that swept through Rhode Island in August 2011. Last year’s storm caused “more water intrusion, several power outages, and more trees were / / Hurricane page 7 affected,”
AnnAbel ruddle / Herald
Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast Monday, pelting the New Jersey shore with high winds and floods but leaving campus mostly unscathed.
By Rachel margolis contributing writer
Zombies and ghouls darted past superheroes, Oompa Loompas, Angry Birds and human-sized fluorescent orange crayons under an overcast sky Sunday morning as they took part in the annual Monster Dash 5K road race. The competition, which took place at the Rhode Island Convention Center, followed a youth race in the morning and a surprise performance of “Thriller” by a zombie flash mob from Studio One, a dance studio based in Lincoln, R.I. After a break in the Halloween music for the national anthem, the crowd of monsters set off under a light drizzle. Out of the approximately 1,300 people who ran the Monster Dash, most sported some form of costume, some featuring elaborate gore and others donning outlandish wigs. Many ran in teams — Snow White and the seven dwarves turned out in full force, as did King Arthur and his supporters in search of the Holy Grail, who trotted triumphantly across the finish line in 1250th place with coconuts clopping. “It was really cute,” said Madeleine Muzdakis ’16, a Brown Running Club member who participated in the race. She added that she was surprised so many participants turned up in costume. Race director “Frank,” short for Frankenstein’s Monster, staggered down the street, pausing for photos with spectators and chasing runners as they returned to the Convention Center. He was accompanied by the “Manor Wanderer,” a bloodstained man with safety pins / / Race page 5
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