Daily
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 87
Herald
since 1891
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
BUS OnCall expands service in light of campus crime
A committee may recommend making the expansion permanent if the semester-long pilot is successful By MAGGIE LIVINGSTONE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Brown University Shuttle temporarily expanded its OnCall service to all students and faculty and staff members living within a designated coverage area beginning Wednesday, wrote Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning, and Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, in a community-wide email. University Shuttle System, the company responsible for BUS, will contract three new vehicles for use during the experimental expansion, which will last through the semester, said Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president for financial and administrative services. Before Wednesday, BUS OnCall serviced only community members living
off campus who had registered through the transportation office, Gentry said. Students and faculty members will no longer have to register for the service and can now call the OnCall hotline or send a pickup request online, Gentry added. The OnCall coverage area, which will remain the same as before the expansion, spans College Hill between North and South Main streets and Chase Avenue, as well as the path between main campus and the Alpert Medical School in the Jewelry District. The shuttles’ hours of operation will be from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. every day until Daylight Savings begins Nov. 3, when the service will be available starting at 5 p.m. Some students objected to the decision not to expand the coverage area, which excludes all residences on the
fixed BUS route. Waiting outside at night for a shuttle to arrive is problematic, said Ria Vaidya ’16, who lives in Perkins Hall and said she often studies late in the Center for Information Technology — at times until 1 a.m. She said that once after text messaging the BUS phone number, she received a text that no vehicles were en route. But she was not allowed to request a pickup with OnCall because she lives on the fixed route. “I had to wait for 15 minutes not knowing if anyone was going to pick me up,” Vaidya said. “They better let us use OnCall.” The pilot expansion is occurring in light of student, parental and community concerns related to campus crime, Gentry said. “The number of robberies is down from 2012, but there has been concern with the level of violence associated with that number,” Carey said, adding that a
recent incident in which a student was seriously injured during a robbery was part of the motivation for expansion. Tenzin Lama ’16 is currently taking an architecture class at the Rhode Island School of Design that demands “out of the class studio time,” sometimes requiring her to work in a RISD building on South Main Street until 2 a.m. Though she said she often feels “uncomfortable” walking home alone at night, she has previously been unable to use the OnCall service because she lives on campus, in Keeney Quadrangle. She added that she will “definitely” use the service to commute. Julia Harvey ’14, who lives off campus on Benefit Street, said she has been frustrated with OnCall, namely because of its “inefficiency.” Harvey is a member of two dance companies that rehearse on Pembroke Campus until midnight four nights a week. » See SHUTTLE, page 3
Approvals to ‘split’ eighth semester decrease Admins aim to lower the number of students taking half courseloads over their last two semesters By MOLLY SCHULSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Following a steep increase in the number of seniors splitting their final semesters, the Committee on Academic Standing has increased the difficulty for applicants to gain approval. A “split eighth” — an option to take two courses in both an eighth and ninth semester and paying by the course instead of the term — is a “rarely used administrative mechanism to enable an extraordinary opportunity for a student that can’t be done in any other way,” wrote Chris Dennis, deputy dean of the college and chair of the CAS, in an email
to The Herald. He added that medical issues might also lead students to split their final semesters. Last academic year, 29 students split their eighth semesters, compared to 33 total over the years between 2008 and 2011. There was a “considerable spike in last year’s figures,” Dennis wrote, adding that he does not know what caused the increase. The approval rate for students applying to split their eighth semesters for the current academic year is projected to be lower than last year’s, Dennis wrote. “The bar is high,” he wrote. “To delay taking one’s degree is a matter for the most serious consideration.” “It’s very rare for splitting to be allowed at this point,” said Andrew Simmons, director of the Center for Careers and Life After Brown. The CAS plans to discuss “exceptions » See SPLIT, page 4
DAVID DECKEY / HERALD
Compared to the 33 students who split their eighth semesters between 2008 and 2011, 29 students did so in the last academic year alone.
U. aims to grow faculty research
Should the Corporation approve Paxson’s strategic plan, sabbatical reforms may go into effect By KIKI BARNES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A post-tenure sabbatical policy, changes to the academic calendar and streamlined research reporting procedures are among possible new endeavors intended to increase support for faculty research, said Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12. The projects would come out of President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, released to the campus Sept. 18. In the draft of the plan, Paxson addressed “building the research environment” as a priority and often referred to Brown as a “research university.” Though the reforms are meant to increase support for faculty research, some questioned whether they would have a significant effect. Should the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — approve the plan, a proposal for a post-tenure sabbatical is one that the administration would most likely implement, McLaughlin said. There are currently two sabbatical policies for assistant professors and tenured faculty members, McLaughlin said. Assistant professors take a one-semester sabbatical at full pay, usually during their » See RESEARCH, page 2
Engaged and underaged: Brown students find love early By SABRINA IMBLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Time passes in full moons for Dylan Felt ’16 when he is away from his fiancee. There was a full moon on their first camping trip together, and it was a blue moon when he proposed. So when his fiancee Danie left for Chile and Argentina for seven months, the two opted to mark the time by friendlier lunar units. “Instead of saying so many months to go, we said it was seven full moons, six full moons and so on,” Felt said. “Because no one has ever said, ‘Boy, I love being far away
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FEATURE
from the person I love!’” Felt is one of a small handful of engaged-to-be-married Brown undergraduates whose ‘ever after’ is just a little more certain. A modest proposal In a seventh grade jewelry workshop, Felt made a ring: a simple metal band with a red stone. He said he knew then he wanted to give the ring to the person with whom he would spend the rest of his life. “Apparently I’m a love hipster,” Felt said, ducking his head with a smile. When he proposed to Danie, the ring “fit perfectly.” Alyssa Browning ’15 has been
engaged for three years to her fiance Thomas, whom she met at a hockey game when she was 13. The middle school crush blossomed into a close and beautiful friendship, she said. “College is a fabulous dating algorithm,” said Browning, who imagined meeting her future spouse at a university. “But I don’t think it can’t happen when you’re very young.” Thomas proposed when Browning was 16. The two were standing in a gazebo on a pond with twinkling lights bouncing off the water, Browning remembered. When Thomas got down on one knee, Browning’s first thought was that he had tripped. Though Aamir Imam ’14 met his fiancee Rabia in the sixth grade, they only became close after he graduated high school, when she was a junior at
the University of Mary and Washington, he said. The summer after he graduated high school, the two would meet up and watch the star — that is, the world’s largest freestanding illuminated man-made star — in Roanoke, Va. While he was working in Chicago this summer, Imam decided to propose. When Rabia visited, he told her they were going to eat at Olive Garden. Their real plans were much more elaborate — shopping, dinner on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building and a late-night walk in Millennium Park that ended with a proposal at 10:14 and a few seconds. At 10:15, Rabia said yes. Right on cue, fireworks erupted in the sky. The marriage plot Felt attended the Lester B. Pearson
No post-
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Knowing naked
Check back next week for our special Family Weekend magazine
UCS talked about the ongoing search for a new dean of the College
Stump ’14 critiques the response to Fox coverage of Nudity in the Upspace
UNIVERSITY NEWS, 2
COMMENTARY, 7
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Handmade rings and fireworks sealed the deal for engaged undergraduates and their future spouses
United World College of the Pacific IB program in Canada to receive a full college scholarship. The program entailed an extra year of high school, during which he met Danie. They were engaged Aug. 31, 2012, the day before Felt came to Brown. Adjusting as a first-year was difficult due to his age and was made even more complicated by his relationship status, Felt said. “People on my hall would say, ‘Oh yeah, there’s that guy who’s not only a year older than you, but also engaged,’” he said. “No one really got it.” Some other misconceptions surrounded his relationship. Right before coming to campus, Felt had messaged his roommate-to-be about Danie, his fiancee in Canada. But, some time before, » See ENGAGED, page 3 t o d ay
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2 university news calendar TODAY
OCTOBER 10
10 A.M.
TOMORROW
OCTOBER 11
2:30 P.M. Free Flu Shots
The Promise of Power
Campus Center 8 P.M.
Watson Institute 11 P.M.
Unheard Open Mic Night
National Coming Out Day
The Underground
Main Green
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH Fire-Braised Chicken Thigh Sandwich, Rosemary Portobello Sandwich, Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies
BBQ Beef Sandwich, Cheese Tortellini with Sage Cream Sauce, Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies
DINNER Quiche Lorraine, Jambalaya, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Macaroni and Cheese, Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Cajun Pasta with Chicken, Tofu Parmesan, Red Flannel Hash, Caramel Apple Cupcakes
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Planning, dean search drive UCS discussion The possibility of new diversity courses sparked discussion at Wednesday’s meeting By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER
As the University moves forward with the search for a new dean of the College and the strategic planning process, departing Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron discussed how to select her successor and implement proposals in the strategic plan at the Undergraduate Council of Students general body meeting Wednesday. Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services — who will serve as interim dean of the college effective Jan. 1 — also attended. With Bergeron set to leave the University and become president of Connecticut College in January, a search committee is working to identify her successor, The Herald previously reported. Council members offered input on qualities they would like to see in the new dean of the College. Abby Braiman ’15, UCS general body
» RESEARCH, from page 1
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
third year. After being promoted to a tenured position, professors are eligible for a one-semester sabbatical after six semesters at the University, during which they earn 75 percent of their salaries. Alternatively, they may wait to be eligible for a one-semester sabbatical at full pay after 12 semesters. The post-tenure sabbatical proposal would allow newly tenured faculty members to take their first sabbatical at full pay, McLaughlin said. The tenure process requires faculty members to fill out documentation of their work to demonstrate that they are in the middle of “research with promise,” he said. “Many newly tenured faculty cannot afford to take a 25 percent pay cut,” he said, adding that as a result they must wait longer to take a sabbatical, and their research suffers. “That is more of a problem for the humanities,” said Steven Reiss, professor of computer science, adding that scholars in the hard sciences can make up the money easily by taking outside jobs for short spans of time during sabbaticals. “Sabbaticals are really important,” McLaughlin said. “They allow for faculty to refresh and expand their research, which improves the quality of teaching.”
member, said she wants Bergeron’s successor to be “interested in cross-listing classes and tying together different disciplines.” “I would love to see somebody who is focused on advising,” said Maahika Srinivasan ’15, chair of the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee. Council members gave feedback on specific proposals in President Christina Paxson’s recently released strategic plan, a document expected to shape her agenda for the University over the next decade. The plan’s call for the creation of diversity perspectives courses emerged as a major topic of discussion. “We should make sure these diversity perspectives courses are available to all students, sciences included,” said John Brewer ’17, a UCS general body member. Victoria Kidd ’16, another UCS general body member, said she is worried about the potentially “self-selective” nature of the courses. “The people taking those courses are already interested in them,” she said, adding that she hopes the University incentivizes more students to enroll in the courses. Klawunn replied that integrating
diversity perspectives courses into sophomore seminars — another one of the strategic plan’s proposed academic initiatives — could encourage more students to take them. The University should also add a feature to Banner that suggests diversity perspective courses to students, said Dolma Ombadykow ’17, a UCS general body member. “It would be great if there was an application on Banner that said, ‘If you like this course, you might also like this one.’” “(That) sounds kind of like Amazon,” Bergeron said in response. “In all seriousness, I don’t think Banner is the place for that, though. I think Advising Sidekick could do that for you.” The plan’s proposal to renovate the Sharpe Refectory sparked debate about which campus spaces need renovations. “A lot of us don’t feel like the Ratty is number one on our list of things that need to be renovated,” said Christine Mullen ’16, a UCS general body member. “There are a few other buildings that need some tender loving care,” she added, citing Alumnae Hall, Sayles Hall » See UCS, page 3
Though in the past, many faculty members have voiced concern that recent tenure reforms could favor research over teaching, McLaughlin said he does not believe this is a problem under current tenure policies. He added that the University’s increasing support for research would not lead to any additional tenure reforms. “Tenure is a well-defined process and there would be a lot of deliberation” before any changes were made, said David Savitz, vice president for research. “I don’t know if (reforms are) needed,” he added. Other ideas introduced in the strategic plan include changes to the academic calendar, which would rearrange weekly class schedules and possibly open up a winter session for intensive course offerings, McLaughlin said. “We are somewhat locked into a Monday-Wednesday-Friday grid,” he said, which makes it harder for some faculty members to participate in academic conferences. “Faculty members prefer twice a week courses, and there aren’t enough of them,” Reiss said. Reiss added that a winter session would only be popular among faculty members if students take advantage of the offerings and enroll. Savitz said his office is exploring the idea of aiding professors in simplifying
the process of reporting research they have conducted. “We want to make sure that faculty are optimally using their time,” McLaughlin said. But Reiss said he did not see how the proposed changes would help support faculty research. For instance, the 25 percent sabbatical pay cut is not much of an issue for many faculty members, he said, and the success of academic calendar changes is largely contingent on student response. Rather, Reiss said, the University should provide additional support for faculty members filling out grant applications. “Brown is more likely to get in your way when you’re writing a grant than to help you,” he said. Research funding is changing as federal funding from institutions like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation becomes more difficult to attain, Savitz said. Savitz added that though the mechanisms for attaining funding will have to become more flexible, they will not change the goals for University research. The details of the strategic plan’s proposals will have to be determined at a later time, Savitz said, adding that the support for research “is not a fundamental change, but a small shift in priorities.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
» SHUTTLE, from page 1 She said that though she has used OnCall in the past, the wait times for the shuttle have been lengthy — sometimes up to an hour. “For me, it’s a 10-minute walk home, so it’s not worth it to wait that long for the shuttle,” Harvey said. “But it’s definitely not the safest situation.” Harvey added that she hopes the increase in the number of vehicles contracted will decrease wait time for the service.
» UCS, from page 2 and Wilson Hall as examples. Wilson Hall is “on our list,” Klawunn responded. Several Council members said they would rather see the University create more study spaces instead of putting funds toward renovating the Ratty. “We need more communal study spaces besides libraries,” said Elena Saltzman ’16, a UCS general body member. The University should create more “places where you can actually get your work done” that are alternatives to libraries, said Dolma Ombadykow ’17, a UCS general body member. Keeping buildings such as Wilson Hall and J. Walter Wilson open for longer hours could ameliorate this issue, said Alana Bhatla ’16, UCS treasurer. The Council also elected Matt Wood ’17 as UCS-UFB liaison. Wood’s election
A campus safety task force headed by Carey and composed of faculty members, undergraduates, graduate students and public safety officials was recently formed and will work toward initiatives regarding campus safety, Carey said. He added that BUS OnCall’s utilization will be a major concern for the committee, specifically if the expanded service is abused. At the semester’s end, the task force will recommend to President Christina Paxson whether or not she should permanently expand the program. came after no candidates ran for the position in the last three general body meetings. In his role, Wood will facilitate communication between the Council and the Undergraduate Finance Board. In 2012, the relationship between the two bodies broke down after former UCS president Ralanda Nelson ’12 proposed an amendment to the UCS constitution that would have let the Council determine its funding independent of the board. UCS President Todd Harris ’14.5 also said 2,032 students — around 30 percent of the student body — have already taken the annual UCS Fall Poll. Last year, only around 1,000 students had responded to the poll by the Wednesday UCS meeting. The poll was released Monday and will run until 5 p.m. Friday. The Council also approved a request from the Open Arms Initiative to change its name to the Providence Refugee Project.
» ENGAGED, from page 1 Felt had accidentally set his Facebook preferences to indicate he was interested in men. He soon realized his roommate thought Felt was using his girlfriend in Canada to avoid discussing being gay. “A little way through the year he tried to give me the ‘I accept you’ talk,” Felt said. Felt had spoken of Danie to his friends for such a long time that “it was very easy for me to lend his story over to dreamland,” Ian Garrity ’16 said. So when Garrity, Felt’s current roommate, met Danie for the first time, he immediately exclaimed, “You’re real!” During senior week of last year, Alp Ozcelik ’13 was walking with a friend when he stumbled upon a couple taking wedding photos on Ruth Simmons Quad. “It was such a surreal experience,” Ozcelik remembered. “I said ‘Best wishes’ to the bride, and then I turned to the groom and was like, ‘Congra — wait, what? Jack? Oh my god!” It turned out the groom was his freshman year roommate. Ozcelik walked away stupefied, he said. Ozcelik’s roommate, Yilong “Jack” Yang ’13, met his girlfriend Afee Tian Qiu ’13 at an event in China for incoming Brown students, he said. Yang and Qiu started dating before the academic year began and began living together in a gender-neutral dorm in their sophomore year, Ozcelik said. Near, far, wherever they are Students engaged to people outside of the Brown community have to balance missing their fiancees with enjoying the lives they lead here, Felt said. For him,
that balance comes with frequent Skype sessions, nightly Facebook messages and visits as often as once a month. Garrity said he loves the reliability of rooming with someone who is engaged — it means he is never in danger of being sexiled mid-week. “I’m not chasing little flights of fancy or wondering who looked at me what way in the Ratty,” Felt said. “This one part of my life is stable and lovely and supportive, which makes me stable and lovely and supported.” Felt wears necklaces that remind him of Danie whenever the two are apart, evidenced by the brown beads peeping out from the neckline of his purple sweater. Browning’s fiance lives in Providence, so she sees him at least five times a week. The two mostly go off College Hill, shopping, eating dinner with her parents and taking low-key vacations, she said. “If this is what being married for a long time feels like, then I’ll take it!” she joked, rubbing the bright square stone on her left ring finger. The distance between Imam and his fiancee is the hardest aspect of their relationship, he said. “I would love to walk her to class or just buy her flowers,” Imam said. Reception The social atmosphere at Brown can be less than open-minded toward these students’ choices, some said. Many students Browning did not know personally initially criticized her relationship status when they learned she is engaged, she said. If people ask her and Thomas about their relationship, they talk about it. If not, they won’t. Life is smoother this way, Browning
said. She even bought him a Brown jacket to help him blend in. Browning said her engagement does not detract from other aspects of her life at school. “It doesn’t change the way I look at my classes, my career or my constantly evolving personal plan,” Browning said. “It’s just life.” Felt has never experienced this social antagonism outside of joking within his circle of friends, he said. People often think that committing in this way just does not pan out in college, Garrity said. “A certain part of me still thinks that,” he added. “But from what I’ve seen, it really can happen,” Garrity said. “And when it does, it’s incredible and magical in a way that nothing is. Real love.” Imam has only received positive feedback about his engagement — in spades. All his friends have been asking when the wedding will be so they can help him plan it, he said. Imam is half-Indian, half-Pakistani, and Rabia is Pakistani. Imam’s culture dictated that his parents ask her parents for permission, but he wanted to incorporate an American side to his proposal. As he prepared to pop the question, an anxious Imam had even explored the possibility of eloping, he said. Luckily, everything worked out. When others ask him to describe his fiancee, Felt replies, “She’s short. She’s a Francophone. She loves the ocean and snores really loudly.” Felt paused for a moment. “We just make each other happy,” he said. Saying these things can seem cliched to him at times, but “then you realize you’re engaged to someone and you love them, so why the hell do you care?”
4 university news » SPLIT, from page 1 to the eight-semester design” and students’ proposals in several meetings throughout the year, Dennis wrote. The Office of the Dean of the College, among other offices, will also participate in the review, he added. Scaling down splits Splitting eighth semesters can accommodate students who have taken leaves of absence by allowing them “to finish out their time at Brown at the ‘natural’ conclusion of the academic year, so students often feel less ‘out of step’ with the class they graduate with,” Lassonde wrote in an email to The Herald. Originally slated to graduate this semester, Alessandra Frank ’14 decided to split because she didn’t want to finish school and start her job search in December, she said. Former Deputy Dean of the College Stephen Lassonde, now dean of student life at Harvard, approved Frank’s petition last spring. But this year, fewer students are gaining approval. Vera Carothers ’14 was in proceedings with CAS earlier this semester to gain approval for a split eighth semester. The committee approves a student, “firstly, if they have an extraordinary academic opportunity that they’re trying to pursue by splitting, and secondly, (if) the extraordinary opportunity can’t be done
in a more regular way,” Carothers said. After reviewing Carothers’ proposal, the committee denied her because its members believed she could accomplish her goals in a more traditional way, she said. Capital concerns The University may have a financial incentive to limit the number of students allowed to split their final semesters. “Having students splitting eighth semesters might not be financially viable and beneficial for them,” Carothers said. “Brown doesn’t want people floating around.” Frank agreed that the University might have monetary motivations for increasing the difficulty of gaining approval. The University doesn’t profit as much when students’ courseloads are cut in half, she said. Director of Financial Aid Jim Tilton could not say how splitting eighth semesters affects the institution’s savings or expenses. Cost can vary depending on how much financial aid a student receives, he said. “I know other friends who wanted to split and now are discouraged to apply,” said Carothers, who noted that the reason she considered splitting her final semester was because many of her friends had. “The protocol has definitely changed.” Splitting eighth semesters can also influence students’ personal financial
situations. Students’ financial aid and federal grants can be affected, Tilton said. “It impacts every student differently based on aid eligibility, and it’s all individualized,” he said. “It’s important for students to know that it could impact the amount due to the institution and parent contributions.” “I’m paying half tuition for this semester, but I still have to pay the normal student fees,” Frank said. Grade expectations Brown is committed to the “traditional four-year pathway” to graduation, Simmons said. Whenever a student does something “outside the norm” of a fouryear pathway, he or she should have a good reason, he added. “It is unclear to me what the impact is on the perception of the student’s performance by people outside Brown,” Lassonde wrote. “If I were a student, I would be concerned about this.” The option may make Brown appear less rigorous, Lassonde wrote. Peer institutions such as Harvard and Yale “certainly didn’t allow this,” he added. “It’s not a conventional educational path or pacing, but it’s something better for me as a learner and a worker,” Frank said. “I see it as an advantage as opposed to as a weakness.” Mary Craig ’14, who chose to split her final semester in order to spend more time on her thesis, also said she is
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
not concerned about potential criticism. “I don’t think taking half of the classes undermines academic rigorousness,” she said. Jonah David ’14, who is also splitting, said the idea that graduate schools or employers might look down upon this option never crossed his mind. When making the decision to divide his final semester, “I knew I was going to graduate, and I didn’t think this would be problematic for employment,” he said. But, he added, “I’m sure some people would have that hesitation.” As long as a student presents a “compelling” reason for splitting his or her last semester, “it can’t hurt at all in terms of your professional growth and trajectory,” Simmons said. Attention-restriction Splitting semesters can help students focus more on their assignments and extracurricular activities, Frank said. “I feel like this is the way school should be done,” Frank said. “I have time to do readings for class and to read outside of class for pleasure. I have been doing all of my work with full enthusiasm, and I feel like I’m getting so much more out of my classes because I can really concentrate on them.” But she added that less time in the classroom does challenge her self-discipline. Craig said she found the decrease in course load “liberating.”
“When I was taking four classes, no matter how hard I was working, I always had to let some reading slide,” she said. With her focus now on two courses, she can spend more time absorbing the material, she added. But insisting that students take four courses each semester to remain in good standing and then abandoning that expectation is inconsistent, Lassonde said. “That just doesn’t seem fair to all of the students,” he added. David said taking four classes has always been a challenge. “If it were very common to be a part-time student at Brown, I might have chosen to do it,” he said. With two theses to work on, David decided to split his eighth semester since his adviser was on sabbatical during his senior spring. While David said he believes other universities should adopt the option to split, Lassonde wrote that he would support Brown’s elimination of split eighth semesters. “I would have supported the curtailment of this option even though I’m sure students would have felt that it was restricting,” he wrote. “There’s not a prescribed way in which we should attend a college and learn, and there can’t be,” Craig said. “If anything, a split eighth semester opens up your options for how you can spend your time and incorporate Brown into your life.”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
THIS WEEK IN HIGHER ED
BY MATHIAS HELLER, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Princeton to review grade deflation policy
Princeton president Christopher Eisgruber announced Monday that he will form a faculty committee to review the university’s grade deflation policy over the coming year, the Daily Princetonian reported Monday. The current policy requires that academic departments not allow A’s to account for more than 35 percent of grades. When they adopted the policy in 2004, administrators hoped that peer institutions would join Princeton in seeking to curb grade inflation, but none of the university’s peers have adopted similar policies, the Daily Princetonian reported. Eisgruber, who became president in July, told attendees at an alumni forum Monday in New York that he found grade deflation to be the biggest issue raised by Princeton community members on his introductory listening tour, the Daily Princetonian reported. The review committee will consider students’ perspectives on the current policy, as some have raised concerns that grade deflation adversely affects Princeton undergraduates’ applications to graduate and professional schools, the Daily Princetonian reported.
Harvard divestment movement continues amid president’s opposition
Though Harvard president Drew Faust announced Oct. 3 that the university does not intend to divest from fossil fuels, supporters of Harvard’s divestment movement pledged to continue their fight, the Harvard Crimson reported Tuesday. Faust publicly released a letter arguing that terminating investments in fossil fuel companies would not produce major environmental benefits and could unnecessarily politicize Harvard’s endowment, the Crimson reported. Members of Responsible Investment at Harvard — a group of alums, students and faculty members who support divestment from fossil fuels — posted a statement to the coalition’s website Monday criticizing Faust’s letter, the Crimson reported. The activists claimed Harvard has little hope of changing fossil fuel companies’ behavior while retaining investments, charging the university with a “poor history” of minimizing corporate risks, the Crimson reported. Advocates’ pledge to continue their campaign coincided with the release of a University of Oxford study detailing how the global fossil fuel divestment movement has gained traction, the Guardian reported Monday.
Study finds narrowing of college grad earnings gap
A College Board study released Monday found a slight drop in the difference between the average earnings of U.S. college graduates and individuals with only high school diplomas, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported Monday. Male college graduates’ financial edge over male high school graduates dipped from 74 percent in 2008 to 69 percent in 2011, while the gap for females narrowed from 79 percent to 70 percent over the same time period, the Chronicle reported. The study’s release comes amid continuing debate over the financial benefits and drawbacks of a college degree, with policymakers and stakeholders arguing over whether mounting tuition costs and debt have turned higher education into a losing proposition for many Americans. But college graduates’ advantage in average salary compared to Americans with only high school diplomas has grown over the past 20 years, the Chronicle reported. College graduates between 25 and 34 years old earned 56 percent more than high school graduates in 1991, the Chronicle reported.
Supreme Court declines to hear campus speech cases
The U.S. Supreme Court chose to let stand two appeals on court rulings dealing with First Amendment rights on college campuses, Inside Higher Ed reported Tuesday. The Court ignored a challenge to a 2012 U.S. appellate court ruling — Crystal Dixon v. University of Toledo — that supported the university’s dismissal of a staffer who had allegedly made anti-gay comments, Inside Higher Ed reported. The Court also let stand another 2012 U.S. appellate court ruling — OSU Student Alliance v. Ed Ray — that found Oregon State University journalists had presented enough evidence that OSU administrators violated a conservative student publication’s free speech rights by allowing the publication’s distribution bins to be seized, Inside Higher Ed reported.
university news 5 » POLL, from page 8 poll, did not release an explanation of its polling method. Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, a likely Republican nominee for the gubernatorial race, also fared “surprisingly well” in the Taubman Center poll, though he has less name recognition than Taveras and Raimando, Orr said. In a matchup between Taveras and Fung, 41.5 percent of respondents said they would vote for Taveras and 32.9 percent said they would vote for Fung, while in a race between Raimando and Fung, Raimondo
» GUNS, from page 8 right to raffle off whatever they see fit,” she said. This controversy has created a divide even within the Republican Party. Chairman Mark Smiley said the event was held purely for fundraising, but fellow Republicans like Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and Sen. Dawson Hodgson, R-East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown and Narragansett, expressed disapproval, the Journal reported. Michael Napolitano, the party’s communications director, said it might have been better to choose a different firearm but that he saw no issue in raffling off guns, the Journal reported. “I don’t think raffling off any gun would have been appropriate in this situation,” Ottiano said. Justin Braga ’16, vice president of the Brown Republicans and the chair of the College Republican Federation of Rhode Island, said he strongly supports the Second Amendment, but “given the
led only slightly, with 37.6 percent of likely votes compared to Fung’s 35.9 percent. It is still very early to predict the results of next year’s race, Orr said. Neither Raimando or Taveras has registered to run and roughly a quarter of voters remain undecided. “Voters need to hear more about the issues and need to see the candidates take positions on those issues,” Orr said. Once voters can more clearly see where the candidates stand, “you would expect to see some movement,” he said. There is also a possibility that a candidate might
make a mistake further down the road that could diminish his or her chances of being elected governor, he added. The poll also surveyed approval of current elected officials and found that all officials’ approval ratings, including Taveras’ and Raimando’s, have declined marginally since this time last year. Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s ’75 P’14 P’17 approval rating declined from 28.5 percent to 23 percent. He remains among the most unpopular of local elected officials, despite his decision not to seek reelection last month, according to WPRO.
adversity that has surrounded this particular model of firearm, I think that it was insensitive and inappropriate for it to be raffled off at an event that was a political fundraiser.” As far as the event promoted individuals’ Second Amendment right to defend themselves and provided the opportunity to learn firearm safety tactics from National Rifle Association representatives, the celebration was “absolutely fine,” Braga said. “The issue was really with raffling off the AR-15,” he said. “There are plenty other things they could have done to have a successful fundraiser rather than raffle off that particular firearm.” Despite the backlash the event has encountered even from within the R.I. GOP, it raised about $12,000, the Journal reported. Braga said GOP members like Fung and Hodgson have the right to criticize the party’s decision, but he worries this may have an adverse affect on the already small Republican voter
base in Rhode Island. “It’s tough to gauge the potential gains and costs right now. We’ll have to wait and see,” Braga said. Raffling off this sort of weapon “disrespects everyone who has personally been affected by their violence” and “enables craven individuals to singlehandedly inflict large-scale harm,” the Brown Democrats wrote in a statement. “A culture that glorifies guns and violence is not a culture we want for ourselves, our children or our future.” John Perilli ’15, communications director for the Brown Democrats, said the timing of the fundraiser indicates the state GOP is not willing to take steps to put an end to gun violence. “Our political leaders should be identifying ways to better strengthen protections for Rhode Island neighborhoods against acts of violence from these weapons, not auctioning off these weapons for financial gain,” Perilli said. “It seems like they’re not dealing with the issue seriously.”
6 commentary
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
EDITORIAL
Health reform must address provider and patient needs Even before the government shutdown, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — nicknamed “Obamacare” by many — had entered the national spotlight. On Oct.1, we saw one of the first major effects of the Affordable Care Act, where conditions of the individual mandate supplemented the creation of an online health insurance marketplace — known as an exchange — to help millions of uninsured Americans buy coverage. In principle, we fully support the Affordable Care Act and believe it will substantially upgrade the American health care system. But in practice, we worry the law does not fully address the needs and interests of health care providers, a shortcoming that could prevent it from being completely effective. In particular, doctor apathy toward the exchanges could exacerbate already existing problems with the nation’s physician supply. A September survey from the Medical Group Management Association revealed that 40 percent of polled doctors were uncertain about whether they would join the government-sponsored exchanges, in addition to another 14 percent who said they would certainly not join. These are troubling numbers. Because the ACA will grow the nation’s base of patients, the demand for health care will rise. Consequently, we worry the law could lead to a physician shortage — something that would be exacerbated if doctors have hesitated to join the exchanges. Given that the nation already faces a major shortage of physicians — and in particular, of primary care physicians — we worry about the consequences of a system that has not succeeded in attracting enough doctors. Of course, the ACA is not to blame for the nation’s shortage of primary care doctors. Studies show that increasingly aging baby boomers, as well as general population growth, accounts for 85 percent of the increased need for physicians. In contrast, only 15 percent of the feared shortage would be explained by the ACA’s perceived harms on physician supply. Considering that the individual mandate’s survival hinges on the participation of young, healthy adults to counteract the increasing health care costs of retired baby boomers, we at least cannot accuse or blame the ACA for ignoring the demographic shift. Still, without proper structural incentives put in place — whether they are established through the provisions of the ACA or through the general health care framework — we expect the number of aspiring doctors in primary care to proportionally decline. Though we do not claim that doctors in general practice medicine because of the presupposed financial benefits, it is necessary that the government — when it opens again — make a large, substantial effort to ensure a ready supply of doctors when the ACA officially goes into effect next year. The Affordable Care Act is magnificent in its ideals but imperfect in its implementation. We still applaud the president for advancing such a structural reform. But by considering the realities of not only the dynamics of American health care but also the demographic and consumption patterns of American people, we think that Obamacare could do a lot more to provide effective, meaningful health reform. If the president’s main goal was to provide universal health insurance, then he has achieved it. But to provide a truly effective reform, the government must consider both the care provider and patient. In short, we shouldn’t necessarily celebrate the ACA for just its mere ideals of helping the disadvantaged, but instead when it proves to foster the continued growth of the entire health care system — including doctors.
K I M B E R LY S A LT Z
CORRECTION An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“At forum, BCA outlines Spring Weekend act selection,” Oct. 9) incorrectly said Brown Concert Agency booked Kendrick Lamar in February 2013, after his album leaked. In fact, the album leaked in October 2012, and Kendrick Lamar was booked that same month. The Herald regrets the error.
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commentary 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
What does Obamacare mean for Rhode Island? DANIEL CARRIGG opinions columnist
The federal government is the third biggest employer in Rhode Island and employs about 11,581 people in the state. About 7,000 of these people have already been furloughed. The government shutdown will have an impact on Rhode Island, even now that employees are sure they will receive back pay. Given that the ostensible reason for this shutdown is the implementation of certain aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, now is as good a time as any to discuss what Obamacare means for the Ocean State. According to the American Community Survey, Rhode Island has the highest rate of uninsured residents in New England, at 12.2 percent of the population. Compare that to a rate of 4.4 percent in neighboring Massachusetts, where “Romneycare” has already been implemented. If the Affordable Care Act is as effective as Massachusetts’ health care reform, it could mean that about 90,000 more Rhode Islanders would have health insurance. As of 2010, 21 percent of
Rhode Islanders were enrolled the Affordable Care Act requires in Medicaid. While this number the federal government to pay may seem high, it is in fact on for 100 percent of the Medicthe low end for New England. In aid expansion up to 2016. This Maine and Vermont, 31 percent amount ramps down somewhat of citizens were enrolled in Med- to 90 percent by 2020. But overicaid. The number was 26 per- all, this represents a total 10cent for Massachusetts. Should year expense to the state’s genthe Medicaid exeral fund of less pansion provisions “If the Affordable than $200 milof the Affordable lion. Put simCare Act is Care Act work as ply, the Affordintended, startable Care Act as effective as ing January 2014, allows the state Massachusetts’ more than 51,000 to insure 51,000 people could be el- health care reform, people at a cost igible for the Medit could mean that of less than icaid expansion $400 per person about 90,000 more per year. That’s in Rhode Island. For the first time, a great deal for Rhode Islanders 45,000 childless any governor. would find adults who are not The remainthemselves with disabled would be ing 7.3 percent eligible for Medichealth insurance.” of the populaaid, if their earntion of the unings were less than insured will ei138 percent of the federal pover- ther have to purchase health care ty level — just under $16,000 per from HealthSourceRI, the state’s year. About 6,700 parents with new health insurance exchange, dependent children who earn or face a tax penalty. This is combetween 138 percent and 175 monly referred to as the individpercent of the federal poverty ual mandate and goes into effect level would also become eligible. on January 1st. In contrast, the So, should all go according Obama administration recently to plan, about 4.9 percent of delayed the mandate that large Rhode Island’s uninsured pop- employers provide coverage to ulation would find its way into their employees until 2015. the Medicaid program. The good Despite the federal shutdown, news for the state budget is that Rhode Island’s exchange went
online on Oct. 1. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 appointed Christine Ferguson to run the exchange. Ferguson was one of the architects of Senator John Chafee’s 1993 health care proposal that was put forth as an alternative to the bill proposed by President Clinton and his chief health care policy advisor, Ira Magaziner ’69 P’06 P’07 P’10. Ironically, the Affordable Care Act, which was passed by Democrats along party lines, looks a lot like the bill that Ferguson designed for a Republican senator in 1993. Now that the health exchange is online, we can get an idea of what insurance will cost under the Affordable Care Act. A basic plan for someone middle-aged making $20,000 per year will cost about $7 per month. With an income of about $35,000 per year, the tax credit has tapered off, and a basic plan costs about $200 per month. The annual tax penalty for being uninsured starts in 2014 at $95 per person or 1 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater. By 2016, that amount ramps up to $695 per person or 2.5 percent of taxable income. There are about 45,000 Rhode Islanders working in food services and another 45,000 working in sales, retail and related
occupations that have full time wages low enough that most will qualify for subsidized health insurance plans, which cost less than $66 per month. The math on this law works out extremely well for these people, just as the math on the Medicaid expansion works out very well for the state budget. The Affordable Care Act is great news for the 12.2 percent of Rhode Islanders who are uninsured. Our state has the highest rate of emergency room visits per capita in New England. If expanded insurance coverage cuts down on costs to hospitals and taxpayers for excess emergency visits and the more than $100 million spent annually in charity care and covering bad debt for hospitals, the law will leave Rhode Island in even better shape. The effects of the delayed employer mandate remain to be seen. But for what we know about the parts of the Affordable Care Act that will be implemented through 2014, this law is good for Rhode Island. Daniel Carrigg GS loves this little state he has made his home. He is pursuing a PhD in political science and can be reached at daniel_carrigg@brown.edu.
Naked Brunch DANIEL STUMP guest columnist
Last Thursday, cable funnyman Bill O’Reilly sent his cutrate goon Jesse Watters with a challenge for the “students of Brown” to justify our nakedness in terms of the tuition cost and elite status of our university. According to BlogDailyHerald, the duo wanted to portray Brown students as “over-privileged and hyper-sexualized liberal idiots.” The response went up like a Bat Signal of indignation. “We earn exactly the privilege we deserve,” it reverberated defiantly across the city-dome, “and are most certainly not hyper-sexualized.” Students carefully comb their hair while co-opting Nudity in the Upspace to the most obscene pimps of institutionalized thought around. In the words of one student: “We’re not at a frat party getting naked, you know? This is an intellectual, um, and to take it out of that context is to,
just, awful reporting.” The outrage is not the perpetuation of a corrupt social order, but that a joke of a news show mistakenly treated Brown students as a threat to the status quo — even as we stumbled over ourselves to assure everyone we weren’t a threat to anything at all. Buried in the cloying interviews, the knowing misogyny, the abusive online comments and insinuations that O’Reilly is a sex offender and Watters is the real pervert lies only pugilistic joy at having something to feel righteous about. Forget defending our for-profit “home”— last week saw no shortage of students eager to get in on the feedback cycle of, in the words of Miranda July, “pooping back and forth.” The Brown Political Review and BlogDailyHerald repeatedly emphasized that the last thing we want is people thinking we get naked to have sex and do drugs, vigorously assenting to Fox’s understanding of sex as immoral. We get naked to have discourse — and we certainly
wouldn’t endorse something as journalists, unprecedented sur“perverse” as the other kind of veillance and the sale of the -coursing in a group setting. A economy to profiteering swine poorly planned interview after by our current administration, an article has not to mention an justified the Ivy education bubble “Buried in the League status where degrees cost of our nudity cloying interviews, more and pay less by demonstratevery year. the knowing ing our ratioWe didn’t need misogyny, the nal superiority to be tricked into abusive online over vulgar naarguing for ecokedness. Brown nomic injustice comments and student groups because we’ve been insinuations that afforded such great not only desire the approval of unpaid internships O’Reilly is a sex institutional reby the same viooffender and arguards like lence we claim to Watters is the real abhor. Marvel at Fox — they feel entitled to it. America’s liberalpervert lies only So giggling est university. pugilistic joy at like middle Watters said schoolers at our having something BPR sent him a first dance, we “naked” picture, to feel righteous took our new where naked apabout.” partners’ hands parently means and spun blisshiding their genifully over anything that might tals behind copies of the BPR trouble our righteousness: the and a BPR banner. The irony of illegal wars and police state, dis- conflating “nudity” with “covmal national health care — even ered in institutionalisms” hurts with the faux-public “Obam- my head. It’s strange that kids acare”— the persecution of so eager to distance themselves
from sexual activity are willing to masturbate for TV, but there were the BPR staff ’s slick grins on the “O’Reilly Factor” — for about a second. O’Reilly’s response: “Every college does this.” Before that, he made fun of the cheesy rock grooves in their overwrought, underthought public service announcement. The Sultan of Spin is right on both counts, and worse, the wrinkled sack of hate shows a better sense of humor than the reporter who held him accountable for saying that Brown asks if applicants “believe in Christmas.” If you’re going to take the plate, at least know what you’re swinging at. But more importantly, if you care about politics and not just petty authority, don’t sell your peers and their ideas to the first cable-grade turds who’ll publish your face. You are not the university you attend, nor are you the social position it prescribes you. Daniel Stump ’14 is a hypersexualized idiot.
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daily herald city & state THE BROWN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
Raimondo leads Taveras in Dem. primary poll Raimondo, Taveras and Chafee all saw their approval ratings fall since this time last year By KATHERINE LAMB SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF JORGE ELORZA
Elorza began his career in the Providence Housing Court, as did current city mayor Angel Taveras. Elorza has aimed to improve struggling, crime-filled neighborhoods adversely affected by abandoned properties.
Housing court judge likely to run for mayor Jorge Elorza received attention for fining major banks in the midst of the city’s housing crisis By ALON GALOR CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When Jorge Elorza announced he was stepping down as a judge on the Providence Housing Court, analysts across the city speculated he was planning a run for mayor. The seat will most likely be empty as the incumbent, current Mayor Angel Taveras, is widely expected to run for governor next year rather than seek a second term. Though Elorza may be best known for the attention he received from the local media for challenging banks that were allowing vacated houses to sit abandoned — often for years — before actually declaring them foreclosed, he has also worked as a lawyer, scholar and community advocate. Elorza is expected to face former City Council President Michael Solomon and lobbyist Brett Smiley in next year’s Democratic primary. In addition, some analysts have speculated that former mayor Buddy Cianci will join the race, despite his 2002 conviction on federal corruption charges. Upon first glance, Elorza bears a striking resemblance to Taveras, said Marion Orr, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy. Both were raised by immigrant parents in Providence and participated in Head Start — a pre-kindergarten program for low-income children — before attending Harvard. After graduation, both returned to Providence to work as attorneys and, later, judges in the Providence Housing court. “I wouldn’t call it a pipeline just yet,” Elorza said of his and Taveras’ paths from the housing court to mayoral runs. “Nevertheless, (the Housing Court) entrusts you with a great deal of responsibility to find real
solutions to problems ... (and) know when to be patient and be impatient and focus on results.” As housing judges, both Taveras and Elorza focused on protecting struggling neighborhoods from the detriments of abandoned properties, which tend to become hotbeds for vandalism, theft and homelessness, leading nearby property values to plummet in already blighted neighborhoods. Since the onset of the financial crisis — which left record numbers of U.S. homeowners underwater — the incidence of abandoned and foreclosed properties has increased precipitously. A central objective of the Housing Court has been to turn these distressed properties into passable real estate, the Journal reported. Elorza made headlines when he began pursuing the largest residential lending banks in the world and fining them hundreds of thousands of dollars in an attempt to spur them to attend to the hundreds of foreclosed and abandoned properties around the city. After his efforts led to the rehabilitation of a significant number of homes, Elorza declared victory in an interview with CityScapes magazine. In addition to his work in the court, Elorza has further examined housing matters in his scholarship. During his time at Roger Williams University School of Law, Elorza has taught classes on property, housing law and policy and constitutional law, and he has researched the relationship between law, science and religion and the economics of housing policy. In his lead article in Cornell’s Journal of Law and Public Policy, Elorza proposed a rent control scheme to encourage resident landlords over absentee landlords in struggling neighborhoods. Elorza has also spent two years working for financial firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers. Referring to his battle with the big banks, Elorza
said that his business background has “helped (him) present figures more effectively and be more detailoriented.” Elorza cited his knowledge of the world as one of the major differences between him and Taveras. Having traveled to 17 countries on five different continents, Elorza has developed a vision to revive the local economy that emphasizes the potential to leverage the diversity of the local population to develop networks with emerging markets. “While our economy grows at a rate of 1 or 1.5 percent per year, emerging economies are growing at a much faster pace,” he said. Coupled with Providence’s unique geographical location, Elorza said the city is well positioned to engage in the export market. “I believe in the power of networks. If you bring people together, random atoms collide,” Elorza said. “We should invest in networks — strengthening them and nurturing them to build strong personal relationships.” Following the withdrawal of a number of Latino candidates, among them City Councilwoman Sabina Matos and Central Falls educator Victor Capellan, Elorza remains the lone Latino candidate. “They dropped out because there was a sense that having more than one Latino would divide the Latino vote,” Orr said. Elorza will likely benefit from being the only Latino candidate, Orr said. He will also “gather the support from the coalition that put Angel Taveras into the mayor’s office” — a group of white liberal reformers. If elected, Elorza would be the second successive Hispanic mayor of Providence, the first being Taveras. “It’s an interesting question whether Providence is experiencing a transition to Latino mayors,” Orr said, adding that the shift would make sense considering the city’s demographic changes in recent years.
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General Treasurer Gina Raimando would have a slight lead over Providence Mayor Taveras in a possible Democratic primary for governor, according to a new statewide poll from the Taubman Center for Public Policy. The poll, released yesterday, surveyed public opinions of a random sample of 638 Rhode Island voters and found that in response to the question, “If the 2014 Democratic primary for governor were held today, would you vote for: Gina Raimando or Angel Taveras?” 42 percent of respondents reported they would choose Raimando, while 33.6 percent indicated they preferred Taveras. Democrats, Republicans and Independents all favor Raimondo, as do both men and women, according to the press release. “One surprise is that Raimando is in fact leading and is leading by a substantial margin,” said Taubman Center Director Marion Orr. These results differ from an internal poll released by Taveras last month, which suggested that in a primary race
between Taveras and Raimando, Taveras would win 49 percent of votes and Raimando 30 percent. Neither Taveras’ nor Raimando’s offices responded to multiple requests for comment. The significant difference between the findings of these two polls, released within a month of each other, is more likely attributed to differences in polling techniques than to an overall change in likely voters’ opinions, Orr said. But it is difficult to know how the methods used for the poll released by Taveras differed from those for the newest poll, because only select parts of the Taveras poll were released to the public, he added. Bob Plain, editor and publisher of liberal blog Rhode Island’s Future wrote Wednesday that differences in polling methods, namely whether polls account for landlines, often can yield different predictions for election results and could be responsible for the variation between the polls. In the 2012 presidential race, some telephone polls, especially those that only called landlines, tended to reflect a more conservative slant, the New York Times reported at the time. Taubman Center pollers contacted voters by calling the phone numbers written on their voter registration forms, which were “not necessarily landlines,” Orr said. The Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group, which conducted the Taveras » See POLL, page 5
GOP assault rifle raffle sparks bipartisan backfire State leaders from Gov. Chafee ’75 to GOP Cranston Mayor Allen Fung decried the decision By KHIN SU CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Rhode Island Republican Party raffled off a Smith & Wesson AR-15, the rifle model used in the Newton, Conn. shootings, at a fundraiser Sunday, a move individuals from both parties called “inappropriate.” The event was held at the South County Rod & Gun Club in West Greenwich and was advertised as “a family day at the range full of targets, food, prizes and fun,” the Providence Journal reported. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 called the event “tone deaf ” and “inappropriate” due to the violence associated with the gun and called for GOP Finance Director and Rep. Doreen Costa, R-North Kingstown and Exeter, to “explain why this is a good idea,” the Journal reported. “Giving away a gun as a prize like it’s a game gives off the wrong impression,” said Sen. Scott Ottiano, R-Bristol, Portsmouth and Tiverton, a member of the General Assembly task force on gun control. The Second Amendment celebration “certainly could be perceived as insensitive to the concerns of the public,”
he added. “Newtown is fresh in all of our memories, and the Navy Yard is immediately in our history.” The controversy stems largely from the gun’s similarity to that used in the Newtown shooting — it is the same model but a different make. “The fact that it was an AR-15, which is the same weapon that was used to massacre 5 and 6-year-olds and their teachers in Newtown, Conn., does not go unnoticed. The parallel is there,” said Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, D-Jamestown and Middletown. Ruggiero is a co-chair of the task force working to balance the Second Amendment with firearm safety by increasing reporting of mental health issues to the national security background check system. “The fundraising event is mutually exclusive of the work in the task force,” Ruggiero said, but she added that it is still “very irresponsible for someone to be able to buy a raffle ticket and walk away with a weapon like that.” “The task force is something outside of this whole conversation about the GOP raffle,” said Sen. Cool Rumsey, DCharlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond and West Greenwich, a co-chair of the task force on gun safety. There is always a potential issue when anyone has a weapon in his or her possession, especially if a mental or behavioral problem exists as well, Rumsey said. But “the GOP certainly has the » See GUNS, page 5