daily herald the Brown
vol. cxxii, no. 107
INSIDE
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It’s a wash
App shows availability of campus washers and dryers
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Opera for bros Gilbert and Sullivan modernizes “Patience” Page 4
Family bonds Professor and son team up on socioeconomic research today
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tomorrow
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friday, november 16, 2012
As Paxson forges on, U. seeks research initiatives
since 1891
S e co n d R o u n d B o u n d
By Eli Okun
Senior Staff Writer
The University is soliciting proposals for new Signature Academic Initiatives as it looks to determine its next major research initiatives, part of the broader strategic planning process under new President Christina Paxson. The project, launched by Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 and spearheaded by Professor of Classics Sue Alcock and Vice President for Research Clyde Briant, encourages faculty to form cross-disciplinary collaborations focused on broad ideas that could become major initiatives at Brown over the next decade, according to the Strategic Planning website. The initiatives are intended to build upon the University’s existing strengths and boost Brown’s stature and reputation in those fields. More than a dozen teams have already submitted preliminary two-page proposals, which are available to view on the Strategic Planning website, ahead of a Dec. 3
deadline. Toward the end of this semester, Schlissel, Paxson and the University’s Academic Priorities Committee will review the submissions and select six ideas — either individual proposals or combinations of several — for further development next semester, said Alcock, who is a lead facilitator along with Briant. Two or three broad initiatives will be selected sometime next spring or fall, Alcock said. The significance of Brown’s current position — with a new president, a fairly new provost and an upcoming 250th anniversary — makes this the perfect time for the University to jumpstart unique ideas, Alcock said. “Brown always wants to be different,” she said. “At this stage in Brown’s life span, what should we be doing? How can we continue to be different?” The array of proposals already submitted provides some indication of the an/ / Research page 6 swer: The
jonathan bateman / herald
After a 2-0 win over Drexel, the Bears prepare to play Atlantic Coast Conference champion Maryland Terrapins this weekend. See page 8.
Post-election, fiscal cliff threatens research funding Hookup culture not as prevalent as believed, study shows Senior staff writer
search, as well as his desire to make higher education more accessible.
President Obama’s re-election Nov. 6 set off celebrations across campus, as students screamed, hugged and shed their clothes to streak across the Main Green. But a week later, it remains unclear how a second Obama term will affect private universities like Brown. During the seven-month presidential campaign, both Obama and Republican Candidate Mitt Romney spoke on issues related to higher education such as college affordability, research funding and immigration reform. “President Obama has had a strong understanding of our issues and has really made them a part of his agenda,” said Barry Toiv, vice president for public affairs at the Association of American Universities. Still, the federal government faces fiscal challenges that could make it more difficult to fund Obama’s vision for an economy fueled by innovation and re-
Facing finances The looming fiscal cliff — more than $500 billion worth of tax hikes and spending cuts slated to go into effect Jan. 1, 2013 — and its potential impact on how much federal money Brown receives for research and financial aid is of particular concern to University administrators. As part of a mandatory spending reduction policy Congress approved last year, the government’s discretionary spending will automatically be cut by 8.2 percent Jan. 1 unless Congress takes action before then. These cuts would affect the National Institutes of Health — the University’s largest source of research funding — as well as the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, said Amy Carroll, director of government relations and community affairs. If the cuts / / Obama page 5 take place, the
By Kate Nussenbaum
By Adam Hoffman Contributing Writer
Herald File Photo
President Obama’s re-election highlights challenges the federal government faces on issues of college affordability and research funding.
Play hosts blissful wedding of comedy, history By Caroline Saine Senior Staff Writer
evan thomas / herald
Set in 1930s Prague, “The Golem” is an interactive wedding, where audience members are asked to dance along and schmooze with guests.
“The Golem ... or Get These Nazis Out Of My Wedding,” Production Workshop’s new play, revolves around a wedding. Rivka and Mendel are in love and about to be married. They are the perfect young couple, but there is one problem — they are Jews living in late-1930s Prague. After the passing of the Nuremberg Laws, a set of anti-Semitic regulations enforced by the Nazi Party, marriage between Jews is outlawed throughout Western Europe. Because of the statute, Rivka and Mendel must hold their wedding underground, in the basement of the community library. “I know that we’re all feeling a little bit anxious about security,” says Rabbi Horowitz (Marty Strauss ’16) as the guests enter, “but we’ve
chosen our location well — I think the odds are pretty low that our German friends will come knocking.” No sooner have the words been spoken than a knock at the door is heard. Nazi Officer Rudolph (David Lee Dallas ’13) bursts into the wedding and declares, “if there are two things I don’t like, one is historical fabrication, and the other is mischievous Jews!” While the 25-minute play is lighthearted, the subject matter is not. “I wanted to create this positive celebration of Jewish culture, but I also didn’t want to shortchange the actual experience,” writer and director Phoebe Nir ’14 said. Nir said she wanted to emphasize that remembering the Holocaust does not have to be a source of guilt for our generation. “If you actually want to ‘never forget,’ / / Golem page 2
Despite the perceived ubiquitous nature of hookups on college campuses, sex in the context of romantic relationships is still the norm, according to a longitudinal study conducted by Brown-affiliated researchers and published last month in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “Over the past few years, hooking up has received a lot of attention in the popular press,” wrote Robyn Fielder, the lead researcher of the study, in an email to The Herald, citing movies such as “Friends with Benefits” and “No Strings Attached” and books like “The Happy Hook-up” and “The Hookup Handbook” as examples. “Hooking up probably gets more media attention than traditional dating because it is seen as more exciting and because it is considered to be a ‘new’ approach to sex and relationships,” she wrote. “Because we hear more about hooking up, we assume it is extremely common.” Fielder’s study surveyed 483 first-year females at Syracuse University and found that sex in the context of a relationship was more common than sex through hookups with a casual partner. Hookups were defined as sex outside of a relationship with “no mutual expectation of a romantic commitment.” Between 7 and 18 percent of respondents had hookup sex in a given month, while an average of 25 to 38 percent of respondents had sex with a romantic partner. Over the course of the year, 40 percent of respondents had oral and/or vaginal sex with a / / Sex page 3