Daily
Herald
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 82
since 1891
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
At forums, groups respond to strategic plan Visiting
Paxson to revise plan after student input
The president said she will strength of campus response to the — she previously said she would include student advising plan not revise the draft of the plan unand the term ‘university- less community feedback illuminated components that needed to be significollege’ By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Responding to student and faculty feedback, President Christina Paxson said at an open forum Wednesday she will revise her strategic plan to use the term “university-college” and explicitly commit to advising. The forum was part of the Undergraduate Council of Students’ weekly general body meeting. Paxson’s move indicates the
cantly rehauled. Since its Sept. 18 release, the draft of the strategic plan — a document expected to shape Paxson’s agenda over the next decade — has drawn criticism from students over the absence of advising. “I know there was some concern about the lack of discussing advising in the plan,” Paxson said at the beginning of the meeting. “This doesn’t reflect that we think it’s unimportant. I would be happy to note it as we move » See UCS, page 6
President, provost hear grad students’ concerns Graduate school funding and prominence were primary concerns presented by the GSC
and Vice President for Public Affairs and University Relations Marisa Quinn also attended the meeting, which was held in response to Paxson’s recently released strategic plan. A six-member graduate student committee — formed following the plan’s release — drafted a resolution that addressed each part of the plan as it related to graduate student priorities, said Keila Davis GS, GSC president. Paxson, Schlissel and Weber were sent a preliminary draft of the resolution prior to yesterday’s meeting. Schlissel commented during the meeting, which took place in the Graduate Student Lounge, that he » See GSC, page 4
By MAGGIE LIVINGSTONE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Graduate School departmental metrics, graduate student summer funding and improving the Graduate School’s image surfaced as dominant issues at Wednesday’s Graduate Student Council meeting, which featured President Christina Paxson and other top administrators. Provost Mark Schlissel P’15, Dean of the Graduate School Peter Weber
Admins discuss strategic plan at BUCC meeting The meeting’s discussion focused on financial aid, diversity and the University’s size By ALEXANDER BLUM SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Administrators addressed potential concerns regarding President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan at the Brown University Community Council meeting Wednesday evening. Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 presented on various aspects of the strategic plan, including financial aid, diversity, the humanities and the size of the University. Schlissel addressed the plan’s length, saying “we mercifully worked hard to make it relatively short” and adding that the plan is “a distillation of the ideas that percolated up”
ALAN SHAN / HERALD
President Paxson looks on at the Brown University Community Council meeting, where she and other administrators attempted to clarify various aspects of her strategic plan. from various exploratory and advising committees over the past year. “There’s a lot of work to be done
on fleshing out these themes,” Schlissel said of the plan’s central proposals, which do not include specifics on how
or when particular goals in the plan will be enacted. » See BUCC, page 6
U. to increase faculty population with student body By KIKI BARNES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
inside
The University may add as many as 70 new faculty positions over the next decade to maintain the studentfaculty ratios while increasing the size of the student body, Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 said. If President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan — released Sept. 18 — is approved by the Corporation, the undergraduate student body will grow by about 1 percent per year over the next decade, Paxson said
at a public forum Sept. 24. Junior level tenure-track faculty members will fill most of the new positions, McLaughlin said, adding that such a policy is an extension of the University’s ambition to make the faculty population younger and more diverse. “There are some things we want to do that require” larger numbers of students and faculty members, such as collaborative research projects among University educators, McLaughlin said, adding that “growth is a side effect of other goals.”
Areas that would benefit from an increase in the student and faculty populace include the School of Engineering, Watson Institute for International Studies and the seven areas of integrated scholarship — including environmental studies, population health and creative expression — outlined in Paxson’s strategic plan, McLaughlin said. “I don’t think it will change the quality of life,” Professor of Physics Chung-I Tan said of growing the faculty and student bodies, though he added that, physically, “Brown is too small even for the current student body.” Tan, who chaired one of the two
committees that helped select Paxson, said he hopes a larger University population will encourage students to become more global and think diversely. In the coming years, the University will encourage more students to study abroad and take internships during the academic year, said Provost Mark Schlissel P’15. Similarly, Brown will encourage more faculty members to take hands-on research sabbaticals, both ideas that will enhance Brown’s goal of a multifaceted liberal education, he said. The growth of faculty “cannot go on indefinitely,” Tan said, citing fiscal constraints. » See FACULTY, page 2
post-
Divestment debate
Double standards
Pigs in the city, wandering the aisles, exchanging some coffee
Former energy CEO, two divestment advocates discussed Brown’s policy
Khan ’15 questions Brown’s reputation as open and inclusive of diverse views
INSIDE
UNIVERSITY NEWS, 4
COMMENTARY, 11
weather
Administrators said more study abroad programs and faculty sabbaticals will alleviate campus crowding
student may face murder charges It may take a year for the trial of Yongfei Ci, who allegedly murdered his exgirlfriend, to begin By SARAH PERELMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Visiting mathematics graduate student Yongfei Ci, arrested for allegedly stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death last Friday, was arraigned Monday. He will face a preliminary hearing Oct. 22, said Nedra Lafenhagen, clerk at the Champaign County Satellite Jail in Illinois, where Ci is currently in custody. Ci was arrested Friday after Mengchen Huang was reported murdered in her apartment in Urbana, Ill., by a female friend who was present at the time of the crime. The police used cellphone technology to track Ci to a nearby motel, where he surrendered without conflict. Ci, a sixth-year graduate student at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, was a visiting student this semester at Brown’s Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics. The Urbana Police Department has launched an ongoing investigation, said Lieutenant Richard Surles. Official information has not yet been released about Ci’s motive, he added. One of Ci’s fellow researchers at Brown noticed last Thursday that Ci had been missing for more than 36 hours. “I tried to call him immediately. There was no reply,” wrote fellow visitor-in-residence Hengnan Hu in an email to The Herald. “Then I texted a short message to him and received his reply about 40 minutes later. He told me he just traveled for a few days and he was fine.” Hu was browsing Chinese news online Sunday when he discovered Ci was implicated in a homicide, he wrote. “He appeared to be quite normal and did not seem to be such a terrible person,” Hu wrote. At the University, Ci was part of a group of visiting professors, postdoctoral students and graduate students studying in a program called “Low-dimensional topology, geometry and dynamics,” said Richard Schwartz, professor of mathematics and organizer of the program. Since its founding in 2011, the » See MURDER, page 2
t o d ay
tomorrow
77 / 54
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2 university news calendar TODAY
OCTOBER 3
6 P.M.
TOMORROW
OCTOBER 4
12 P.M. Nudity in the Upspace
BURP Massage Session
TF Green Hall 8 P.M.
Faunce 229 8 P.M.
“Water by the Spoonful”
Orchestra Concert
Leeds Theatre
Sayles Hall
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH Vegetarian Moussaka, Gyro Sandwich on Pita, Cauliflower in Lemon Tahini Sauce, Vegan Vegetable Casserole
Sloppy Joes, Vegetable Strudel, Cauliflower Au Gratin, Vegetarian Cream of Mushroom Soup, Bean Stew
DINNER Vegetarian Pot Pie with Biscuits, Cavatini, Mediterranean Bar, Yogurt Bread, Citrus Chicken, Carrot Cake
Roast Turkey, Shells with Broccoli, Stuffing, Butternut Squash with Sage, Peas with Pearl Onions, Carrot Cake
sudoku
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, October 3, 2013
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
U. receives 12.6 percent investment return Brown ranks second in the Ivy League for investment returns this fiscal year By EMMA JERZYK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The University saw a 12.6 percent return on its endowment over the past fiscal year, a number expected to maintain Brown’s current endowment-centered rankings in the Ivy League. The endowment is controlled by the Investment Office, which manages the now $2.86 billion long-term pool that consists of endowed funds and current university funds. Current university funds are used for the operating costs of the University and account for approximately 5 percent of the long-term pool, said Beppie Huidekoper, vice president of administration and finances. The other 95 percent of the pool consists of endowed funds, which are invested to create a stream of funding for future University spending and “maintain or enhance the University’s purchasing power,” according to the Investment Office website. The 12.6 percent return represents a $324 million growth in the endowment’s market value, said Chief Investment Officer Joseph Dowling. This growth comprised almost 16 percent of the University’s annual budget for fiscal year 2013, amounting to $137 million — $16,000 per student — according to a University press release.
The return represents a change in the endowment’s market value due to an increase or decrease in the value of the fund’s investments and does not reflect withdrawals from or contributions to the fund. The public equity, equity-like credit, hedged strategies and private equity in which the endowment was invested “outperformed their respective benchmarks in fiscal year 2013,” Dowling said. The University Resources Committee, chaired by Provost Mark Schlissel P’15, offers a recommendation for the University’s annual budget to President Christina Paxson, who takes her recommendation to the Corporation for approval. The Corporation restricts how much of the endowment can be used based on its market value. The committee may use between 4.5 and 5.5 percent of a three-year average of the endowment’s market value for the annual budget. The past three years of endowment returns reflect market uncertainty as the economy emerges from the global financial crisis. Fiscal year 2012 yielded a 1 percent return, while fiscal year 2011 yielded an 18.5 percent return, The Herald previously reported. It is typical to see “short-term volatility from year to year,” Dowling said. “We punch well ahead of our weight,” he said — though the University’s endowment is the smallest in the Ivy League, it outperforms Cornell’s and Penn’s on a funds per student basis.
Among the Ivies that have published endowment returns for fiscal year 2013, Brown ranks second after Penn, which reported a return of 14.4 percent. Brown typically sees rates of return similar to those of its peers. At the end of fiscal year 2012, when Brown’s endowment had a return of 1 percent, Penn and Harvard saw 1.6 and -0.05 percent returns, respectively. Among its peers, Brown receives the largest percentage of its net revenue from tuition, according to a November 2012 presentation by the University Resources Committee. “We’re a tuition-driven institution,” Paxson said at a faculty meeting Tuesday evening, noting her goal of growing the University’s student body by 1 percent annually can increase revenue streams. The University increased its tuition by 4.2 percent from fiscal year 2013 to fiscal year 2014. Huidekoper said a 3 to 4 percent annual increase in the University’s operating costs necessitated a rise in tuition as opposed to an increase in payout from the endowment, citing the recently volatile market as a reason not to increase the endowment’s annual payout. “It’s been a tough time for investments,” Huidekoper said, adding, “We’re very pleased” with the high return from fiscal year 2013. The University uses a three-year average to decide how much of the endowment to use for the budget to account for market fluctuation, Schlissel wrote in an email to The Herald.
his life at Brown or ICERM,” Schwartz said. In Illinois, Ci will face more hearings and a trial in the near future. The Oct. 22 preliminary hearing will give the prosecution and defense a chance to officially meet in court and bring forth any motions to suppress, Lafenhagen said. The pre-trial will follow Nov. 19. “It usually takes a good nine months to a year” for the actual trial and jury selection process to begin, Lafenhagen said. Champaign County’s public defender, Randall Rosenbaum, will
represent Ci at trial, according to a secretary at Champaign County’s Office of the Public Defender. The criminal justice systems in Urbana — the site of the crime — and neighboring city Champaign will handle the proceedings. With a combined population of approximately 130,000 people, the two cities have about 10 total homicides per year, Surles said. “The vast majority of the homicides we work with are not domestic-related homicides,” Surles said, adding that this sort of case, though not unheard of, is unusual for his department.
for faculty positions. Such a goal will “improve not just the breadth of teaching we offer” but also the culture of the University as a whole, Schlissel said. Though many of the new hires will be on the tenure track, University tenure policies — which were recently revised — will not change, McLaughlin said. “Each member of the faculty gets judged on their own merits,” Schlissel said, adding that the most important factor is “if they make Brown better.” Former President Ruth Simmons’ Plan for Academic Enrichment, the cornerstone of her presidential tenure, sought to expand faculty-student ratios by adding more than 100 new
faculty positions, an endeavor that increased the number of faculty members by around 20 percent. Paxson’s plan, by contrast, seeks to implement more gradual growth, increasing the size of the faculty by a smaller proportion. “One has to view this from the perspective of a continuation of the PAE,” Tan said. “Brown has to continue to grow to maintain the excellence that a leading University has to offer its students.” Schlissel said the intended population growth — both of students and of the faculty — will be small enough that “it would not have been noticed” had he and Paxson not explicitly addressed it.
Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Like bars in noir films 6 Brouhaha 10 Workout woe 14 Salsa singer Cruz 15 BMW competitor 16 Invalidate 17 See 49-Down 20 Platte River settler 21 Spoil, with “on” 22 “Cagney & Lacey” Emmy winner 23 Scripture section 25 “I am just __ boy, though my story’s seldom told”: “The Boxer” 27 See 49-Down 31 ’60s-’70s “Fearsome Foursome” NFL team 34 Reported for the first time 35 Payable now 36 Is after 37 Oyster’s spot 38 Peak in a Trevanian title 40 Capri crowd? 41 “The Birdcage” wrap 42 Emerges from the wings 43 See 49-Down 47 Cosmetician Elizabeth 48 Governor who opened the Erie Canal 52 Jazz pianist Ahmad __ 54 Moscow news acronym 55 Court 56 See 49-Down 60 1-Down holder 61 Exxon forerunner 62 Hosiery thread 63 Bottom of the sea? 64 Hardly a sophisticate 65 Really worry
DOWN 1 Ice cream serving 2 Conductor Zubin 3 Spreads on the table 4 Flesh and blood 5 Sail supports 6 Get together 7 Rapper __ Fiasco 8 Gator chaser? 9 Paparazzo’s prize, briefly 10 Land of Arthurian legend 11 “Kubla Khan” poet 12 Pop radio fodder 13 “Grand” ice cream brand 18 Hindu mystics 19 Operatic prince 24 Mont. neighbor 25 Elderly 26 Claw holder 28 Massage 29 Plaintiff 30 Bierce defines it as “His” 31 WWII carriers 32 Gaseous: Pref. 33 Go over more carefully 37 Deck department supervisor, briefly
38 Surround 39 Santa Monica-toJacksonville hwy. 41 Scripps competition 42 Zhou __ 44 Retirees often do it 45 Between jobs 46 Represent officially
49 Diving rotation, and the clue for four puzzle answers 50 Alley Oop’s girl 51 Large jazz combo 52 Prom king, often 53 Sunburn soother 54 In that case 57 Lee follower 58 Granada bear 59 __ Maria: liqueur
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
» MURDER, from page 1 ICERM has chosen a new research theme each semester and invited professors and researchers with specialties related to the theme to stay on campus and perform research, Schwartz said. The ICERM selected applicants based on the “relevance (of their research) to the program and quality of the applicant,” Schwartz said, adding that the procedure is “less formal” than the application process for graduate students who will complete their PhD at the University. The crime “seems to be unrelated to
» FACULTY, from page 1
xwordeditor@aol.com
By Pancho Harrison (c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/03/13
10/03/13
“Ten percent is enough.” Since salaries comprise most of the University’s budget, Schlissel said the administration will have to moderate hiring to address financial constraints. “Every year we turn away twice as many students as we accept with the same quality of credentials,” Schlissel said. “We want to ask, ‘How many students can we accept without altering the current educational standards?’” Schlissel added that though it is easy to accept more qualified student applicants, Brown has become stronger in recent years by adding increasingly accomplished candidates
www.browndailyherald.com
university news 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
New construction, vacancies mark Thayer street makeover Construction of luxury apartments has displaced some Thayer businesses, but vacancies remain By JILLIAN LANNEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
As plans to revitalize Thayer Street continue to develop, commercial changes are already affecting students. Almost a year after the Tedeschi Food Shop shut its doors, its former storefront remains vacant. The owners posted a sign on their door indicating they “lost (their) lease” and declined to give more information to The Herald at the time of the closure. Capstone Properties, the property management company in charge of the vacant space, is still “scouting for potential businesses” to occupy it, said Robin Remy, executive director of the Thayer Street District Management Authority. The vacant storefront is “a huge target for graffiti,” and the TSDMA has tried to remove the graffiti and make the space appear “presentable,” Remy said. Many students said they are frustrated with the continuing vacancy. “It’s kind of an eyesore,” said Radhika
Rajan ’15. And some, like Jarred Turner ’16, expressed surprise that the vacancy had not yet been filled. “That space could be utilized very productively,” he said. Kailani Acosta ’16 said she would like to see the space filled with a grocery store like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. There is currently no new information on the progress of the search for a business to fill the empty storefront, Remy said, and Capstone Properties could not be reached for comment. New developments have meanwhile sprung up elsewhere along Thayer. Ben and Jerry’s is moving from its former location at 237 Meeting St. to 224 Thayer St. and should open by Nov. 1, co-owner Lorell Ferri said. She added that she is excited to open for business on Thayer, where she expects the store to have more visibility and foot traffic. The shop remains under the same management as before, but the new location will have major upgrades, Ferri said, adding that, “Everything will be … brand new.” Ben and Jerry’s former Meeting Street storefront was one of several buildings — including Sahara Hookah and Squires Salon — that closed over
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
Luxury apartments for students are currently under construction at 237 Meeting St., but not all space in the Thayer Street area is in high demand — Tedeschi Food Shop’s former storefront remains vacant. the summer to allow for the construction of a luxury apartment complex
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
Ben and Jerry’s has relocated to a more visible and accessible location on Thayer. The changes currently happening on Thayer are unrelated to a developing plan that will more broadly revamp the Thayer Street area.
for students, The Herald previously reported. The apartment buildings were designed to complement and blend in with existing architecture in the College Hill area, according to the website of the developer, Gilbane Development Company. The complex is expected to be completed by 2014. Ben and Jerry’s new address, 224 Thayer St., formerly housed Symposium Books, which closed in late May. The owners have consolidated the Thayer Street store with their other location downtown at 240 Westminster St., expanding hours and making updates to the shop in accordance with the move, according to Symposium’s website. Students generally expressed enthusiasm about the new Ben and Jerry’s location. Jacqueline Anton ’16 said that while the closing of Symposium Books was “kind of sad,” she is excited about the ice cream store’s closer location. “It’s dangerous because we’re going to go there all the time,” joked Acosta. Just down the street, the strip currently housing eateries such as Froyo
World and Better Burger Company has a new landlord, according to a June 4 Providence Business News article. AM Enterprises LLC bought the space from Jonowika Realty Corp. for $2.8 million, a $761-per-square-foot price tag, the Journal reported. “From what I see, it hasn’t affected us,” said Froyo World manager Andrea Baca, adding she could not go into details at this time about the change. Gemini Bar and Grill, which was previously reviewed in The Herald, replaced Spice, a popular restaurant near the corner of Thayer and Waterman streets. Students expressed mixed opinions about Spice and varying degrees of disappointment at its closure. Anton said she would miss the Thai bistro, while Turner said he had never gone and had not heard good reviews of it. “I feel like it used to be nicer,” Rajan said of the Thayer Street area. “I got kind of tired of Thayer after first semester freshman year.” Thayer will likely see more updates, as the Thayer Street Planning Study committee continues to develop a vision for the area’s future.
The changing face of Thayer
WEN ThayerBO Street has seen the opening and closure of several commercial establishments, among other changes in recent months.
A luxury apartment complex, expected to be complete in 2014, is being developed by Gilbane Inc. The site was formerly occupied by residential and commercial buildings.
AM Enterprises LLC bought the strip formerly owned by Jonowika Realty Corp. for $2.8 million.
ANGELL
N
WATERMA
THAYER
Symposium Books closed, consolidating its collections in its downtown location. It is being replaced by Ben & Jerry’s, which had to vacate its old location due to the luxury apartment development.
E
BROOK
The storefront formerly occupied by Tedeschi is still in search of a tenant.
P HO
MEETING
Gemini Bar and Grill, a fusion restaurant, replaced Spice, a Thai bistro. EMILY GILBERT / HERALD GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD
Efforts to remove graffiti and reduce trash are part of an overall initiative to revitalize Thayer Street.
4 university news
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
THIS WEEK IN HIGHER ED
BY DAVID CHUNG, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Explosion hits UC Berkeley Following an explosion on the University of California at Berkeley campus, officials declared a state of emergency and called for a campus-wide evacuation around 6:40 p.m. Monday. Dan Mogulof, executive director of public affairs at UC Berkeley, told the Daily Californian that four people were injured from the blast, and one of the individuals was treated for minor burn injuries at a hospital. The university was hit with a power outage earlier in the afternoon, and the explosion occurred as power was being restored to the campus. The explosion may have stemmed from vandalism to an electrical system, Mogulof said. Incidents of vandalism to copper grounding wire in the electrical system were uncovered last week.
Yale looks for ‘poopetrator’ ALEXANDRA URBAN / HERALD
Alex Friedland ’15 introduced the Janus Forum panel, where Bill McKibben P’16, Christian Parenti and James Rogers debated whether colleges should divest from large coal companies.
Panel addresses potential divestment The Janus Forum hosted a former energy CEO and two divestment advocates to debate the issue By JOSEPH ZAPPA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The tension was palpable in Sayles Hall yesterday as coal divestment advocates Bill McKibben P’16 and Christian Parenti locked horns with former Duke Energy CEO James Rogers in a Janus Forum event held just weeks before the Corporation is due to vote on coal divestment. McKibben, founder of 350.org, a site that advocates divestment from fossil fuels, called the need to divest “morally urgent,” adding that fossil fuel companies “want the old world to hang on longer … far longer than science tells us it can.” The coal industry “devastates human health and the environment” and is a “huge contributor to climate change,” according to a statement on student group Brown Divest Coal’s website. Rogers argued for a long-term approach to refining the coal business, explaining that his company “is making the transition” to cleaner energy
» GSC, from page 1 was displeased with the wording of the resolution, adding that he was “depressed” after reading it. “I feel like the graduate students are the faculty’s colleagues,” he said. “The resolution sounded like an angry group making a series of demands.” He said that while the concerns of the resolution, which students largely voiced in the forum, were valid, he thought the language used in the document could have been more “collaborative” in nature. In her presentation, Paxson said the plan is intended to “build Brown” in regard to the University’s mission and culture. She stressed increasing graduate student funding in order to compete with peer institutions, incorporating technology into graduate
but that it “can’t do this overnight.” He likened the development of environmentally friendly energy sources to the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral — though it took generations of workers to build the cathedral and many of those who worked on it died before its completion, he said, the workers “had vision, they had faith and they believed.” He urged listeners to believe that technological innovation will ultimately provide the solution to environmental problems regarding the coal industry. But McKibben and Parenti said there is no time left to wait for innovation. “In four decades,” McKibben said, “the cathedral is going to be under water.” Parenti, a professor of sustainable development at the School for International Training Graduate Institute, contextualized the economic significance of institutions like Brown divesting. Coal divestment “does not hurt the bottom line of the fossil fuel industry,” he said, but “if institutions started consuming clean energy, it would create economies of scale for the clean energy sector.” McKibben conceded that financially bankrupting coal companies like Duke Energy through divestment would be impossible but said “the goal is to
politically bankrupt them.” The conversation was not confined to coal divestment. McKibben pointed out that fossil fuel divestment is an uphill battle because “the entire budget of 350.org … is less than half of what Duke paid Mr. Rogers to be its CEO last year.” Rogers said he felt “insulted” and “attacked” by some of the other speakers’ comments and had “never heard so many half-truths said so fast.” Janus Fellows Director Alex Friedland ’15 commenced the event by addressing concerns over the format of the debate, which featured three speakers instead of two on either side of the issue, as is traditional at Janus Forum events. He assured the audience that “the speakers represent three distinct viewpoints” and urged against a tendency to “dichotomize issues.” The forum “wanted people on either sides of the issue so (it) could get multiple sides of the debate,” said Haakim Nainar ’14, executive director of the Janus Forum. The primary objective was to inform students about a topic Nainar feels “we should definitely know more about.” After the debate, Friendland said “it was still balanced” but added that he “would have encouraged more focus on the topic of divestment.”
student studies and producing “scholarship that contributes to the University’s reputation for research.” Paxson, Schlissel and Weber then took questions from the approximate 30-person audience, which included both master’s and doctoral candidates. Matthew Lyddon GS, former GSC president, voiced concerns over doctoral student funding, particularly for international students in the summer. He said summer funding for such students has remained stagnant at $2,500 since 2009 and noted that the added cost of travel for international students leaves little of the stipend to fund research. Similar concerns were written in the committee’s resolution draft, which stated that the strategic plan mentioned only faculty travel and conference expenses, not those of
graduate students. Paxson said the issue was valid but responded that solving it would be a “matter of raising the funds.” She added that travel funding should be paramount for the Graduate School to match other universities. Graduate students also expressed concern over passages in the strategic plan discussing Graduate School departmental metrics. A PhD candidate in Africana studies said she was worried that no “feedback mechanism” existed for students to respond to how their departments should be best evaluated. Others were concerned that the funding for conference travel would not rise enough to meet climbing departmental expectations, which would inform administrative evaluations of Graduate School departments.
Yale students have recently seen their attempts to do laundry hampered by a ‘poopetrator.’ Students in Saybrook College have frequently found their laundry covered in human feces in past weeks, the Yale Daily News reported. Following an additional incident last week, Yale police teamed up with Saybrook officials to find the perpetrator, whom students have begun calling the ‘poopetrator,’ the Yale Daily News reported. “The affected machines have been thoroughly disinfected, and we are actively seeking information about who the perpetrator might be,” Saybrook master Paul Hudak told the Yale Daily News. Students have called for increased security in laundry rooms, but in the meantime are resorting to monitoring the machines themselves. “It’s ruining people’s quality of life,” Yale sophomore Camille Fonseca told the Yale Daily News. Rumors have circulated that the ‘poopetrator’ has hit Yale’s other residential colleges, but the administration has not confirmed these claims.
Bard overhauls its application process Bard College no longer requires SAT or ACT scores, transcripts or teacher recommendations from prospective students, offering instead the option of writing four 2,500-word research papers. The 17 prompts range across disciplines, touching on topics as diverse as Confucius and microbes. If Bard professors judge the essays deserving of at least a B+, then the applicant will be accepted. “It’s kind of declaring war on the whole rigmarole of college admissions and the failure to foreground the curriculum and learning,” Bard President Leon Botstein told the New York Times, calling the overhaul a “return to basics, to common sense.” This move comes on the heels of an appeal from the National Association for College Admission Counseling to colleges to consider removing standardized tests from the application process because they put certain segments of the population at a disadvantage.
Schlissel said that going forward, each department should be evaluated individually, and the metric system for each should be “tailor-made.” He added that student feedback should be delivered through program heads so they can communicate with Weber to express concerns. A common thread of discussion at the forum was the lack of Graduate School awareness, both locally and internationally. Concerns were raised over the disjointed graduate student community on campus and the fact that some people “don’t even know Brown has a grad school,” as Schlissel said. Weber called the Graduate School’s lack of visibility problematic but said departmental programs could be excelling more than their reputations imply, as reputation often “lags” behind
merit. Schlissel added that creating a strong media campaign centered on advancements in graduate student research could increase awareness, both on campus and nationally. “If you have stories, great things you are doing, then get in touch with me or media relations, and we’ll spotlight that,” Quinn said. After meeting with Paxson, Schlissel and Weber, the GSC created a new committee to revise the resolution and address the administrators’ concerns with the initial draft. The updated version of the resolution will be voted on remotely by GSC members and presented to Paxson, Schlissel, Weber and the Corporation at the University’s Corporation meeting Oct. 24, when Corporation members will vote on the final draft of Paxson’s strategic plan.
university news 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
Residential Life expands community director program The office now employs six community directors, the highest number in the program’s five years of existence By BRITTANY NIEVES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Office of Residential Life’s Community Directors program expanded this year to encompass new class-specific responsibilites complementing the University’s new housing model based on students’ grade levels. ResLife brought on six community directors, two more than last year and the highest number ever, said Director of the Residential Experience Natalie Basil, adding that the growth in the number of CDs has come gradually over the past five years. The program was created in fall 2008 to assist Residential Peer Leaders by placing non-student ResLife employees as residents in various housing communities. Prior to the program’s inception, RPLs received structured support only from Basil and graduate student employees of ResLife, Basil said. The University’s new community housing model — implemented over the past two years as part of a $56
million housing overhaul — divided campus into distinct housing areas for each class year, The Herald previously reported. Three first-year housing areas, two sophomore housing areas and one upperclassman housing area were created, Basil said. The CD program’s expansion assigns each of its employees to one of these designated community areas to ensure the University’s 130 RPLs receive supervision and assistance in developing a sense of community within residence halls, Basil said. CDs also coordinate with each other to decide how to best assist students in their communities, she added. “The main goal was to get smaller staff sizes so that Community Directors could give individualized attention to the Residential Peer Leaders as they were developing and creating programs for their communities,” Basil said, adding that CDs also help dorm residents with crises or conflicts to ensure they continue to have “a fantastic experience” on campus. ResLife plans to maintain the CD
staff at six members — its target size since the program’s launch — and examine how the new model works, Basil said. All the new CDs have graduate degrees or the equivalent in higher education programs, as well as significant experience working with college students prior to coming to the University, Basil said. “We’re part of the same communities we’re trying to help better,” said Annie Maselli, CD for Wriston Quad and the Main Campus. Aris Mantopolos, CD for Andrews Hall, Miller Hall and Metcalf Hall, said he interned at the University’s summer program for high school students before assuming his role this year. Mantopolos’ internship sparked his interest in working with college students rather than high school students, he said, adding that his transition into the program was “seamless.” An average of 25 RPLs comprise each community team, and ResLife reduced the ratio of CDs to RPLs this year to faciliate more one-on-one interaction and opportunities to better know students, Basil said. Basil said ResLife does not force CDs to vacate their posts after a given time period but noted that ResLife
employees in this type of program normally stay for four to five years. James Reed ’09, CD for East Campus and Pembroke, said he worked as an RPL for three years when he was an undergraduate, a period coinciding with the start of the CD program. Reed continued to work in student residential programs at other institutions after graduating but returned to College Hill to help improve his alma mater’s residential experience, he said. “It’s been great to really focus on the sophomore experience,” Reed said of his designated community. “I think that’s something we’ve lacked here at Brown in the past, so to be able to really support a specific group of students who are trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their time here and how they want to find their voice going forward has been amazing thus far.” Students expressed mixed views on the effectiveness of the CD program over the past few years. Stephanie Harris ’14, a former Minority Peer Counselor, said her CD supported her as an MPC, but the program lacked a strong connection to supporting individual students. “I would say that unless you’re an RPL or
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you have some kind of serious crisis, I have not personally seen CDs as a visible presence in the dorms,” Harris said. Juhee Kwon ’14, who worked last year as a Women Peer Counselor, said her CD was a friendly and constructive resource but did not have a major dayto-day presence. “Because I didn’t have any major crises come up during my time as a WPC, he served as a backup supporter who I didn’t need to end up contacting,” she said. ResLife’s overhaul of the CD program leaves potential for an improvement in students’ interactions with their CDs, given the new class yearspecific focus of the program. “Last year I struggled with my previous CD,” wrote Hanna McPhee ’14, a community assistant and WPC Representative, in an email to The Herald. McPhee wrote that she previously questioned the CD program’s relevance to students’ residential experiences. “But now, having a CD I am so close with, I realize how important their role is in keeping the RPLs stable so we can help the community,” McPhee wrote. “They are also doing a great job of talking with residents one-on-one.”
6 university news » UCS, from page 1 forward with plans.” Paxson said she thinks improving advising is important, also noting its inclusion as a goal in former President Ruth Simmons’ Plan for Academic Enrichment. “I assumed implicitly that (advising) was important,” Paxson told The Herald after the meeting, adding that she will insert a passage about advising into the text of the plan. Paxson also said she will rework the plan to incorporate the University’s mission statement. The statement includes the term “university-college,” a phrase coined by former President Henry Wriston to describe a university that combines a focus on undergraduates and a liberal education with the structures of a research university. Students expressed concern at an open forum Sept. 24 and at last week’s UCS general body meeting that the plan’s omission of the phrase signaled the University is losing sight of its commitment to undergraduates. Faculty members also voiced worries
at Tuesday’s faculty meeting that the phrase’s absence signifies a shift in the University’s mission. Paxson said she will put the mission statement with the “university-college” label in a prominent place under the plan’s title, “Building on Distinction.” “There was no intention to reject that phrase,” Paxson said. “I came to Brown because I loved the fact that it has this amazing undergraduate education that’s integrated into this research university.” Students also expressed worry Wednesday night about the plan’s call to grow the student body and faculty over the next decade, and Paxson has since specified that she would like to see both grow at a roughly 1 percent annual rate. At least 80 students — a mixture of Council members and other students — attended the meeting. Ian Cossentino ’17 said he is worried that increasing the student body size would “change the small campus feel we have.” “I think Brown would be better if it were a little smaller,” said Sam Rubinstein ’17. Paxson said the proposed increase
INDIRA PRANABUDI / HERALD
In response to concerns from the community, President Christina Paxson will revise her strategic plan to include both an explicit commitment to advising and an acknowledgement of the University’s mission statement. in the size of student body would be less than the growth the University has seen over the last 10 to 12 years — a trend she said has come without negative consequences. “The thing I worry about, and we’ll have to pay attention to, is when you
INDIRA PRANABUDI / HERALD
Students gathered at a UCS forum Wednesday to express opinions on President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan. Students challenged the draft’s treatment of financial aid and undergraduate education, among other issues.
» BUCC, from page 1 “The idea of coming up with a detailed roadmap” does not “make sense,” Schlissel said at the meeting, adding that such a plan “would become stale.” Outlining a precise course of action for a 10-year period may not allow for flexibility in response to changes, Schlissel said, citing examples such as technological and economic developments over the past decade. He also cited the current federal government shutdown as an example of how changing conditions may affect
broader goals like universal need-blind admission. “We call this a 10-year plan — it’s probably much more than a 10-year plan,” Schlissel said. Kiera Peltz ’16, the Undergraduate Council of Students’ communications chair and a former Herald staff writer, said at the meeting that she was disconcerted by the plan’s emphasis on developing the University’s graduate student programs when financial need for undergraduates could still be improved. “We know we have to work hard on financial aid for middle-class students,”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
Paxson said, adding that she “doesn’t like the idea” of failing to balance potentially competing priorities such as financial aid and graduate program development. “If we want to do new things, we need new money,” Schlissel said, adding that “tuition is already extremely high.” Paxson noted that “a lot of those costs are baked into the budget,” and it would not be possible to cut tuition “without causing serious harm.” Financial aid is the “fastest growing” item in the University’s budget, Schlissel said, adding that increases should be carefully considered in conjunction
ALAN SHAN / HERALD
Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 talked at the BUCC meeting about features of the strategic plan. He stressed the need for long-term flexibility, as well as the budgetary difficulties in balancing competing priorities.
(grow the student body), you have to grow everything,” Paxson added. “We can’t just cram more students into classrooms.” Students also voiced apprehension about what some viewed as the plan’s feeble dedication to improving financial aid. Alex Mechanick ’15, president of Brown for Financial Aid, said he thinks the strategic plan espouses a weak commitment to financial aid. Though the PAE called for the University to implement full need-blind admission, this goal was not realized by the end of Simmons’ tenure, and the strategic plan does not offer a clear timeline for achieving it. Paxson said making the University a fully need-blind institution is still a goal, but “we’re in an economic environment where I feel uncomfortable putting a time limit on it.” “But you don’t have to commit to it in 10 years to take meaningful action,” said Daniel Moraff ’14, a Herald opinions columnist. Paxson said in response that she
has been traveling extensively to raise funds that could go toward financial aid. She added that she recognizes the importance of implementing need-blind admission for international applicants, given her past experience at Princeton, where she saw the effects of that university’s decision to go need-blind. In the wide-ranging conversation, other students asked questions about topics including faculty diversity, mental health, environmental sustainability, expansion to the Jewelry District, graduate education and focus on different disciplinary areas. In response to a question about the plan’s recommendation to emphasize data literacy for undergraduates, Paxson clarified that she did not intend or envision a new curricular requirement. The Council also appointed Aditya Kumar ’17 and Kevin Chen ’15 to the Campus Safety Task Force and Kumar to the Public Safety Oversight Committee. UCS President Todd Harris ’14.5 also announced that the annual UCS Fall Poll will be released to the undergraduate student body by email next week.
with other priorities — for instance, ensuring that the quality of teaching is maintained and that “once you’re here, you’re getting a world-class education.” “You can’t be excellent without being diverse,” Schlissel said, adding that diversity did not receive its own section in the plan because it is incorporated throughout. “If we literally stay the same, we’re falling behind” peer institutions, Schlissel said. Because of the University’s lesser resources in comparison to peers, collaboration will be an important goal in coming years, Schlissel said, adding, “our hospital partners are really critical to the success of our medical school.” The plan does not seek to disrupt the balance of different communities on campus, such as undergraduates and graduate students, Schlissel said. “As long as we don’t interfere with the quality of teaching,” modestly growing the student body in coming years will be a positive development, he said. Schlissel said physical upgrades to the campus are essential because “as the modes of teaching change,” it will be important to have “different kinds of interactive learning” made possible by diverging from the traditional lecture classroom setup. Linford Fisher, assistant professor of history, said at the meeting it was unclear why there was not more of an emphasis on the humanities in the plan. Paxson responded by citing statistics of new faculty hires in the past year that she said “were not skewed towards the (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) discipline.” Of faculty members hired for the 2012-13 academic year, 30 percent were in the humanities, 30 percent in the social sciences, 24 percent in the physical sciences and 16 percent in the life sciences, The Herald previously reported. “Big science needs big buildings,” Paxson said, adding that though STEM fields may seem to have a larger presence on campus, that perception is not necessarily accurate. Paxson added that though humanities may not appear to be a priority in the plan, “it is not biased towards STEM.” “We do not want to become Brown technical school,” she added. Faculty members have expressed concern because the draft does not use the phrase “university-college,” The Herald previously reported. Paxson said at the meeting she was “happy” to put the language back into the plan, but its absence does not indicate a desire to change the nature of the community. “The strategic plan has just been very vague,” said Mika Zacks ’15, a former Herald opinions columnist, who said she attended the meeting to better understand the plan. “I just wanted to hear more,” she said. Russell Carey ’91 MA ’06, executive vice president for planning and policy, briefly presented on plans for the campus safety task force. Though it has “just been formed,” it will be meeting shortly and will deliver a report of recommendations regarding safety on campus to Paxson in December.
city & state 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
State seeks to improve educator, school performance
The Dept. of Education will focus on enhancing teacher and principal quality in state public schools By EMILY BONEY CITY AND STATE STAFF WRITER
Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist discussed a variety of public education issues, from standardized testing to the implementation of the new Common Core curriculum, with Rhody Young Republicans at an event the organization hosted Wednesday night. Gist introduced a series of focal goals for the Department of Education, which are outlined in the state’s 20102015 strategic education plan, Transforming Education in Rhode Island. Educator excellence is the first priority, Gist said, calling a combination of “experienced teachers and
new faces” key to a good school. To ensure that every teacher performs well, the Rhode Island Department of Education issues educator evaluations designed to make sure teachers are “up to date on practices and curriculum.” Gist said she is focused on revising the teacher and principal improvement program. Students need a “high-quality” teacher base to succeed, she said. In addition to enhancing teacher performance, the state must focus on the overall performance of schools, Gist said. The state’s second priority is making schools as a whole function well. Gist said she wants to ensure “no schools are consistently failing students” but
added that prescriptive tactics are often unsuccessful. “The ideal classroom for me may not be the same for another teacher or for some students.” A common thread that has emerged between successful classrooms is an “engaging” and “collaborating” atmosphere, Gist said. “Schools in our state where students do well on tests are not practicing tests.” Rhode Island should develop a “world-class” testing system to ensure the state’s students are all performing at a nationally competitive level, Gist said. Akash Chougule, a 2008 graduate of the Rhode Island public school system, said he supports the mission of the New England Common Assessment Program tests, which are now implemented in all of the state’s public schools. “Standards are important,” he
said, adding that Massachusetts has some of the best public education in the country due to its high standards. “NECAP gets close to achieving that.” In addition to holding students to a high standard, Rhode Island should offer greater flexibility in choosing schools, Chougule said. A voucher system could offer a solution by providing parents with the choice to receive reimbursement from the government if they send their children to private institutions or prefer homeschooling. The Providence Student Union has voiced concerns that new policies have led teachers to teach to the NECAP test, a strategy that creates a less engaging classroom experience. “There is a lot of confusion about our diploma system,” Gist said, adding that teaching styles have always varied, and poor teaching cannot be viewed as
a direct result of standardized testing. The strategic plan states that the department should strive to use available resources effectively. Highperformance students are sometimes bored by the curriculum in standard classrooms, Gist said. “You cannot hold kids back,” Gist said. “Make no mistake — we are holding kids back.” The bottom line, Gist said, is ensuring the state is “economically competitive and that students are competent” when they graduate. “This really isn’t about politics,” said event organizer Barbara Ann Fenton, saying education affects every part of a community. “There’s a blurring of partisan lines” when creating education policy, Gist said, but education is the most important issue in the state.
SUNNY DELIGHT
Students relaxed Wednesday on the Main Green, enjoying the unusually warm October weather. The high temperature for the day was in the low 80’s.
Thanks for reading!
DAVID DECKEY / HERALD
8 city & state
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
R.I. joins interstate compact to reform presidential elections The group of nine states and D.C. hopes to use a popular vote system instead of electoral college
Changing how presidential elections are decided The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact aims to force presidential elections to be decided by the winner of the national popular vote. Once a number of states that accounts for a majority of the nation’s electoral votes agree to the compact, they will all devote their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, rendering electoral votes contributed by other states irrelevant to winning the election.
By SANDRA YAN STAFF WRITER
This summer Rhode Island joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a group of states attempting to reform the presidential election process. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 signed the legislation in early July, putting the compact more than halfway toward the number of electoral votes needed in order for it to take effect. Under the current electoral college system, a presidential candidate need not win the popular vote, so long as he or she receives a majority of electoral votes — 270 — to win the presidency. But states that are part of the compact will instead commit their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. The compact needs 270 electoral votes to go into effect. The addition of Rhode Island’s electoral votes brings the support behind the compact to 136 electoral votes, more than half the requisite amount. “The compact will make our democracy more representative because the winner will be chosen by the votes of the people and because every vote in every state will matter in an election that fills the most important office in our nation,” said Sen. Erin Lynch, D-Warwick and Cranston, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, in a press release. “A national popular vote would be vastly superior to the current system, which practically shuts out over 30 ‘safe states,’” wrote Chafee in an opinion piece for the Providence Journal. Rhode Island is a small state that has typically been a one-party lock, Chafee wrote. “Right now, candidates have no reason to campaign here, organize here or spend money here — getting more or fewer popular votes will almost never change the electoral vote outcome.” If the system changed to a national popular vote, candidates would have an incentive to campaign in smaller states like Rhode Island, he wrote. Chafee added that the current system does not adequately represent
Vermont (2011)
Washington (2009)
Massachusetts (2010)
Maryland (2007)
California (2011)
D.C. (2010)
Rhode Island (2013) New Jersey (2008)
Illinois (2008)
Hawaii (2008)
Shaded states have signed on to the compact.
The path to a majority
120
Since Maryland became the first state to sign the compact in 2007, eight others and the District of Columbia have joined. With the addition of Rhode Island, the compact is now half way to an electoral majority.
90
D.C. (3) Dec. 2010
60
Massachusetts (12) Aug. 2010 Washington (11) Apr. 2009 Hawaii (4) May 2008 Illinois (21) Apr. 2008
30
Rhode Island (4) July 2013
California (55) Aug. 2011
The current electoral vote tally stands at 136, 50.4% of the 270 needed for a majority.
Vermont (3) Apr. 2011 Congressional reapportionment in 2011 resulted in the loss of two electoral votes from the cumulative total.
New Jersey (15) Jan. 2008 Maryland (10) Apr. 2007
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD
minorities, writing that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recently passed a resolution in support of the national popular vote movement. The NAACP passed the resolution in part because “more than 80 percent of African-Americans, Latinos
and Asian-Americans live in the 37 least competitive states, compared to 70 percent of white persons,” Chafee wrote. Chafee also wrote that 74 percent of Rhode Islanders supported a national popular vote in a 2008 poll and that the measure has received support
from 70 percent of Americans “since the dawn of public polling.” “No one is pushing Electoral College systems for governors or other offices,” he added. Sen. David Bates, R-Barrington, Bristol and East Providence, who opposed the legislation, said the current
electoral college system has “worked fine since the Founding Fathers wrote it in the Constitution.” “History is on our side,” Bates added. Similar legislation is currently being debated in about 12 other states, according to the press release.
city & state 9
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
Providence City Council passes resolution to divest from coal The capital city is the first in the country to forego investing in fossil fuels due to climate change By DREW WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Providence City Council passed a resolution 11-1 in June that committed the city to divestment from any of its holdings in the top 200 fossil fuel companies in the next five years, making Providence the first capital city in the United States to do so. Councilman Seth Yurdin, Ward 1, lead sponsor of the resolution, said its passage stemmed from the City Council’s concern over the possible environmental dangers fossil fuels present. “Climate change is probably the most important issue that everybody’s facing,” he said. Divestment, which involves withdrawing current investments in fossil fuel companies and committing to discontinue the practice, is seen by many activists as a powerful way to stand up to the fossil fuel industry. Jamie Henn, co-founder and communications director of 350.org, an organization that runs worldwide campaigns to fight climate change, said that while divestment does not immediately hurt fossil fuel companies economically, it does send a political message. Calls for divestment “show that (fossil fuel companies) are morally bankrupt,” he said. These companies need to “keep roughly 80 percent of the current fossil fuel reserves … underground, in order to reach the target of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius,” Henn said. They “exert a tremendous amount of power in Washington,” and divesting from them is a public way to challenge that power, he added. The 350.org organization, which helped organize the grassroots
campaign in Providence, operates off the motto “if it’s wrong to wreck the planet, then it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage,” Henn said. Divestment is only “one of a number of tools” being used to respond to environmental concerns, said Yurdin, adding that the City Council has previously taken other sustainability measures, such as single-stream recycling and the creation of a sustainability director position. “There’s a plan to deal with transportation. This place is small enough … you could often really not need a car here,” Yurdin said, indicating possible steps the council could implement in the future, such as a bikeshare program. The divestment resolution is still under review by the Board of Investment Commissioners, which is in charge of the city’s investments, Yurdin said. Resolutions passed by the council are not binding, and final implementation decisions remain up to the Board of Investment Commissioners, which is chaired by Mayor Angel Taveras. Yurdin said he was optimistic the resolution would be implemented, as the plan is already popular with board members. He added that the review conditions within the plan were included to allow for a sound financial strategy. Divestment supporters such as Henn point to recent studies that suggest divestment from fossil fuels would not severely harm investment portfolios. The Aperio Group, an investment management firm in California, concluded that the risk of divesting from fossil fuels is “statistically irrelevant” in a 2012 report. Henn cited an Associated Press study that concluded divestment from fossil fuels two decades ago by institutions with
large endowments actually would have increased current profits by millions. 350.org is currently working with 350 colleges and universities and 100 cities and states to promote divestment from fossil fuels. Providence’s action “sends a powerful signal and helps bring other cities on board,” Henn said. “We need personal action, but we also need political action.”
As Rhode Island’s capital, Providence serves as an example to “provide incentive” for change in other parts of the state, Yurdin said. Brown Divest Coal, a student group organizing for a Corporation vote on possible University divestment from coal, was not directly involved in the movement to divest Providence from fossil fuels. But Trevor Culhane ’15, a member of Brown Divest Coal,
comics A Horse of Any Other Name | Zach Silberberg
Cat Ears | Najatee’ McNeil
said the action “bolsters our campaign because Brown is a big part of the Providence community.” “It sends a strong message that Brown should get on board with it,” Culhane said. Brown Divest Coal does not have any current plans to push the University to divest from fossil fuels in general, Culhane said, adding that coal remains the group’s current focus.
10 commentary
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
EDITORIAL
Shutdown problematic for higher education The realm of academia can appear sheltered from the rest of the world, secluded in a bubble of knowledge accumulation and dissemination. But with Tuesday’s shutdown of the federal government — the first in 17 years — the world of real politics is currently intruding on the realm of higher education in an alarming way that will surely pose a disturbance to colleges around the nation. Depending upon the length and severity of the shutdown, areas essential to daily college functions, such as financial aid, research funding and support for archives and museums could become inaccessible. An extended shutdown would hurt a number of important economic sectors in the country, including higher education. With the government shutdown, the prolonged closure of federally run agencies and departments would certainly be a blow to the United States’ infrastructure, and education is no exception to that phenomenon. While Pell Grants and other federal forms of financial aid are largely unaffected in and of themselves, the Department of Education has stated that an extended shutdown would “severely curtail the cash flow” of federal funds to colleges. The money is there, but employees are not present to direct appropriation of funds. What is more, an extended shutdown would delay fund allocation later in the year for incoming classes of students. Research funding, especially that from the National Institute of Health, would also suffer, and grant decisions — traditionally made in late fall or early winter — could be pushed back. Many museums, archives and databases are also temporarily unavailable, given that there is federal ownership of some data or artifacts. Though these effects would not directly cease operations at a university, they definitely present potential obstacles and challenges that could seriously disrupt the tightly wound college industry. Though many Republicans have suggested that now is the time to make a stand, their determination will affect higher education — which has equally important public and private components — in a negative fashion. Necessary services that require federal funding have been halted — and if that continues, universities will have to compensate quickly. Calendars and planning for financial aid and research funds would be thrown into misalignment. It’s all well and good to make a political stand, but one that so undermines the industry of knowledge production in the country is misguided at best.
K I M B E R LY S A LT Z
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Rachel Occhiogrosso, and its members, Daniel Jeon, Hannah Loewentheil and Thomas Nath. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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commentary 11
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
Brown’s double standard of inclusivity FAIZ KHAN guest columnist
If you ask students whether they think Brown is an inclusive university, most would probably respond positively. After all, Brown students have done an excellent job upholding the doctrines of religious and cultural inclusivity. The campus brims with vibrancy of cultural groups such as the South Asian Students’ Association, the African Students’ Association and many more. In my own experiences with the Brown Muslim Students’ Association, I have seen genuine curiosity and acceptance of minority religious groups. But there have been repeated incidents at Brown when students fail to foster a welcoming atmosphere of political inclusivity and diversity. One such incident even began in the pages of The Herald. In response to his now infamous column on voting rights (“Universal suffrage is immoral,” Nov. 13, 2012), Oliver Hudson ’14 received
a barrage of insults and derogatory remarks. As radical and provocative as Hudson’s views were, they do not justify ad hominem attacks that do more to halt conversation than to promote it. Fortunately, Hudson himself acknowledged that many people wrote thoughtful, informed critiques of his arguments, which may demonstrate this behavior is not severely widespread. Thus, even after seeing the backlash to Hudson’s article, I still refused to believe that most Brown students would ever unintelligently debase a minority view, even a controversial one. I especially did not believe students would do so in person. But during the activities fair in early September, members of the Brown Republicans reported that, while sitting at their booth, they were given the middle finger by other students. At first, I was surprised something like this could have occurred on a campus as inviting as Brown’s. But then it dawned on me that we often practice a double standard of inclusivity. We are
incredibly inclusive toward a wide ing racists ready to background range of sexual orientations, races check the clothes off us but rather and cultural identities, but not to- as peers equally entitled to voice ward political philosophies. their views. This indecent behavior arises Some might argue that at a colfrom a commitment to liberalism lege as liberal as Brown, it is not so dogmatic that one begins to ex- feasible to implement a doctrine pect everyone else of political incluon campus to hold “Any student with sivity. But if Brown the same views. students really are When some stu- a minority political liberal, shouldn’t dents, for examwe uphold the view should be ple, express their that have respected just as values support of the Retraditionally unpublican Party, it much as minorities derpinned liberis not uncommon in other categories alism — like free for them to be speech and polition campus are.” stigmatized withcal equality? out even having a F o r t u n a t e l y, chance to justify there are positheir beliefs. tive signs of combatting political Liberals often accuse the Re- monism and exclusivity on campublican Party of advocating rac- pus. Organizations like the Brown ist and discriminatory practic- Political Forum provide a venue es against minorities and other for minority political views to be groups. But when a Republican voiced. These groups advocate inis immediately ostracized due to telligent discourse, where civilized a blind assumption that his views debates on topics such as market are backwards or bigoted, that is economies and military intervendiscrimination in itself. Repub- tion can help drown out political licans at Brown have been tar- ignorance. BPF and like-minded geted similarly. We should treat groups serve a critical function on these students not as gun-wield- campus. As the group notes on its
webpage, current political groups “tend to be an echo chamber of like-minded opinions with little to no acknowledgement of opposing positions.” Many of our peers will go on to careers in politics, and it is important for them to respect the views of others. I am not proposing that we need to increase the number of Republicans on campus to foster a sense of political inclusivity. Rather, we should remember that any student with a minority political view should be respected just as much as minorities in other categories on campus are. In addition, it is our responsibility as a community to protect the right of political minorities to express their views, no matter how extreme they may be. Until the political culture at Brown changes to adopt this tenet, our community will continue to fall short of achieving a true sense of tolerance and inclusivity. Faiz Khan ’15 is a (confused) liberal who hopes people think more critically about their political leanings.
Summer support in the strategic plan LAUREN SUKIN opinions columnist
For those of you who haven’t read President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, you may not yet know about the new emphasis on summer support for undergraduates. This hidden gem is a policy designed to extend educational opportunities for students on financial aid beyond the months of September through May. Not only would it allow students on financial aid the support and flexibility to gain internship experience, but it would also allow students to participate in educational programs over the summers. This clause is a positive note in the plan. Financial aid is already available for students on campus as well as for students on studyabroad programs, and on-campus financial aid covers more than just classes. Adding summer support might be a cost for the University, but it isn’t a completely unprecedented one. It also isn’t the only step toward increasing financial aid outlined in the plan. The strategic plan includes a nonbinding initiative to work towards expanding need-blind admission policies to include international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education students. What exactly does the clause
say? It states the intention of the dents to accept paid and unpaid University to “provide access to internships.” additional support for aided stuIt is interesting that the Unidents so that they have the ca- versity would include both paid pacity to pursue educational or and unpaid internships. Twocareer-orithirds of inented oppor“As summer internships ternships are tunities for unpaid, acbecome increasingly at least one cording to summer durimportant for securing a Forbes aring their time ticle about future jobs, Brown at Brown.” internships. is catching up by The inclusion In addition, of “at least supporting its students’ only 23 perone summer” cent offer educations in a more indicates stipends for a committravel, and robust manner and ment to the only 13 perallowing them the program — cent offer opportunities to engage stipends for it may start out small, food. Stuwith their careers and but there is dents are bea possibility fields through internships coming acthat it could and summer education customed to expand in this reality, programs.” future years and in 2012, to provide 72 percent support for of students several of a student’s summers reported seeing compensation while attending Brown. as the least important factor in The University plans to fo- seeking an internship. cus not just on internships, but Many paid internships proalso on educational opportuni- vide insufficient funding for ties that could include summer transportation, housing and livclasses at Brown or other insti- ing expenses during the sumtutions. But the real focus seems mer. Perhaps Brown would supto be on job training. In addi- plement these minimal wages tion to an expansion for Under- and help students make ends graduate Teaching and Research meet. In a way, this is a critiAwards, which provide summer cism of the internship system. research opportunities for stu- If even paid internships do not dents, a key element in imple- provide enough income for stumenting this plan will be “finan- dents to live on their own withcial support to enable aided stu- out financial support, then this
is symptomatic of an internship system that dramatically privileges wealthier students. In addition, many internship opportunities are entirely unpaid — a fact that makes them difficult to seek for students who can’t pay their own way. Another condition adding to the bias is that only 47 percent of internships are structured programs, which can make it harder for some students to find work opportunities. The importance of internships belies the benefit of this clause. Internships offer opportunities to test out careers, chances to make connections and network with professionals in their fields and the possibility of finding outside mentors. Education is more than just classroom learning. Students can learn a lot from working that can’t necessarily be taught in a classroom, such as the culture and internal rules of certain companies and industries. Jobs also offer a different skill set than classes. This varies depending on the field, but for many areas, there is somewhat of a disconnect between formal education and working that internship experience can help correct. One of the ultimate goals for education is employment, and this premise would suggest that internships, as a key avenue for future full-time jobs, are a beneficial supplement to traditional education. Sixty-nine percent
of companies with greater than 100 employees offered their interns full-time jobs in 2012, and 39 percent of small companies did the same, according to the Forbes article. This is especially significant at a time when postcollege unemployment rates are high. The nearly 70 percent chance students have of being hired by companies they have interned with can be a huge benefit. Another reason why Paxson’s initiative is a benefit is that students who complete college without internships are in the minority. Sixty-three percent of college graduates in 2012 had held one or more internships before graduating. This means that Brown students who never hold internships are, in a way, behind when they graduate, which is a disadvantage both to students and the University. Paxson’s plan recognizes the new reality in which internships are increasingly important to securing future jobs. With this new clause, Brown is supporting its students’ educations in a more robust manner and allowing them the opportunities to engage with their careers and fields through internships and summer education programs. If it is well-executed, this change will be one for the better. Lauren Sukin ’16 is a sophomore concentrating in political science and literary arts.