Daily
Herald
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 121
Faculty members also discussed online course credit, research funding and promotion rules By KIKI BARNES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Brown will undergo an external review of undergraduate alcohol consumption this spring in response to a poll conducted by the Campus Life Advisory Board, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, at a faculty meeting Tuesday afternoon. Faculty members also discussed the approval of online transfer credit for students, the effects another federal government sequester could have on budget planning and amendments to the Faculty Rules and Regulations. About 45 percent of undergraduate poll respondents indicated that, during the timeframe the study was conducted in, they engaged in binge drinking — defined as consuming five drinks for males or four for females within a set time frame — a figure well above the national average of 36.5 percent of undergraduates on college campuses, Klawunn said. About 37 percent of undergraduates responded to the poll, she added. The binge drinking rate was higher among students who are at least 21 and among students who live off-campus, she said. “We will bring in a group of » See FACULTY, page 3
Community mourns death of TAPS grad student
Scott’s GS work includes multiple performances and plays, as well as several films By JILLIAN LANNEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Brian Torrey Scott GS, a doctoral candidate in theater arts and performance studies, died Nov. 29 after a prolonged battle with colon cancer. President Christina Paxson informed the campus of Scott’s death in a community-wide email Tuesday. “He was a gifted student, an incisive mind and a gentle soul,” said Erik Ehn, chair of the TAPS department. University Chaplain Reverend Janet Cooper Nelson described Scott as imaginative, passionate and kind, also noting the “incredible
outpouring of love and friendship” from his family and friends over the past year. “It was such an honor to know him and his family,” she said. Scott entered the TAPS doctoral program in 2012. He was already an established artist when he entered the program, said Patricia Ybarra, associate professor of TAPS. While at Brown, Scott pursued his interests in avant-garde theater and pataphysics, a field examining how media functions beyond the metaphysical level, she said. “He was exemplary in his interdisciplinarity,” Ehn said. “He was a creative artist as well as an academic scholar.” Scott’s professional work includes more than 20 performances and plays as well as several acclaimed films and musical collaborations, according to his biography » See SCOTT, page 2
Study links gene, impulsivity to drug-related problems Researchers required 151 marijuana users to submit DNA samples and impulsivity tests By ZACH FREDERICKS STAFF WRITER
Individual impulsivity and genetic variation make certain marijuana users more prone to “marijuanarelated problems,” according to a new study led by Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior L.
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
THANKSGIVUKKAH
Cinnamon Bidwell. The study, published in the November edition of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, required 151 marijuana users to submit DNA samples, take impulsivity tests and answer questionnaires about how marijuana use affects their daily lives. The study aimed to determine the relationship between impulsivity, genetics and the negative behavioral affects of marijuana. The researchers found that highly impulsive people with a specific variation of the cannabinoid receptor gene — CNR1 — were at higher risk of experiencing problems due to regular marijuana use.
BY EMILY WOOLDRIDGE STAFF WRITER
At the University of St. Andrews, students only had two options for lunch, each slopped on their trays, said Catherine Gross ’13 — the cafeteria line was the size of the Sharpe Refectory’s salad bar. “You couldn’t go back for seconds,” she added, “not that you would want to.” After transferring to Brown, Gross said she finds no complaints on her plate. “You appreciate things so much more when you know what it’s like
FEATURE
BRITTANY COMUNALE / HERALD
Brown RISD Hillel and Chabbad lit up an ice sculpture menorah Tuesday night on Wriston Quad to celebrate Hanukkah.
“Impulsivity is a personality trait. Just because someone uses marijuana doesn’t mean that they will become dependent,” said Jane Metrik, assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences and the study’s principal investigator. “Only about 9 percent of those who have ever used marijuana eventually become dependent, so there are certain factors that put people at higher risk.” “Now we can start to identify who might be at risk for problems and who could be targeted with prevention or treatment efforts that might protect them from those negative outcomes,” Bidwell said. The impulsivity of the participants
in the study was measured using three widely accepted impulsivity tests — the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Stop Signal Test and the Delay Discounting Questionnaire. Researchers analyzed participants’ results on these tests in conjunction with their variation of the cannabinoid receptor gene. “The impulsivity on its own and the genetic variant on its own did not provide an association,” Bidwell said, acknowledging that prior literature did not fully examine how both genetics and impulsivity affect marijuana-related problems together. The researchers also used the Marijuana Problem Scale to objectively » See DRUGS, page 4
Late on arrival: Transfers adjust to U. life Transfer students seek alternative communities, academic experiences and post-grad opportunities
inside
COURTESY OF THE SCOTT AND ADAMSON FAMILIES
Scott married his wife, Jill Adamson, three weeks before dying of colon cancer. He was diagnosed in 2012 just after arriving at Brown.
somewhere else,” she said. About 75 students transferred to the University this fall, said Associate Dean of the College Carol Cohen. About 75 to 150 students transfer to the University every fall, she added. With educational backgrounds ranging from universities overseas to community colleges, transfer students bring new perspectives to the University’s table. Their experiences have different flavors but share one key ingredient: “a willingness to take risks,” Gross said. “Moving is a process that takes work, a lot of time and money. To do it, you have to know what you want.” Finding a new recipe A variety of reasons rouse students to crack open college brochures and reacquaint themselves with the Common Application. Many feel they made the wrong
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A taxing debate
The Sphinx Club of 1904 laid the initial foundation for the Meiklejohn Program
Meiklejohn advisers may soon be able to access the Banner carts of advisees
Carrigg GS argues the state should look to income taxes to fund transportation
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U. to reassess undergrad alcohol consumption
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
choice when they applied to college the first time around. “When you’re 17, you don’t really know what you want,” Gross said. Gross’ romantic ideas about attending college in the United Kingdom were crushed by the reality of her regimented academic experience. Even though St. Andrews is one of the United Kingdom’s more liberal institutions, it was still difficult for Gross to take classes outside her major, she said. “Academically, I realized I wanted choice,” Gross added. “I didn’t know that when I applied to schools originally.” After one overnight visit at Swarthmore College, Lily Goodspeed ’13 thought she had found the right college. She applied early decision to escape the stressful application process, without really knowing what she wanted, she said. » See TRANSFER, page 3 t o d ay
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calendar TODAY
DECEMBER 4
4 P.M.
TOMORROW
DECEMBER 5
4 P.M. The Nuclear Option Lecture
Franco Preparata Farewell Lecture
Wilson 101 5:30 P.M.
CIT 368 6 P.M.
(G)ISP Talks
Light the Night
Petteruti Lounge
Brown RISD Hillel
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH French Taco Sandwich, Cajun Spiced Chicken Sandwich,Tuscan Tuna and Bean Salad, S’mores Cupcakes
Roasted Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potato, Vegan Fagioli Soup, Vegan Great Northern Bean Casserole
DINNER Orange Teriyaki Salmon, Ginger Pasta Chicken, Acorn Squash with Curried Rice and Chickpeas
Garlic Crusted Chicken with Sundried Tomato, Vegan Siena Roasted Couscous, Apple Streusel Pie
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on the TAPS website. His first book, “Green Candle,” which includes experimental writing, poetry, artwork and a full playscript, is due for release in December, according to his personal website. A copy of the book was obtained from the publisher for inclusion in a private service held Tuesday, Cooper Nelson said. “He was also an amazing presence as a teacher,” said Lin Hixson, professor of performance at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, who both taught Scott and worked with him as a colleague. Azita Youssefi, a friend and colleague of Scott’s from Chicago who worked on plays as well as musical records with Scott, said he had a propensity for collaboration. “He was a person that really liked having a lot of other people around him all the time,” Youssefi said. Scott was diagnosed with colon
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
cancer in the fall of 2012, a few months after arriving at Brown. Soon after, he went on medical leave and began treatment, Ybarra said. The cancer had already “progressed to quite an advanced place” by the time Scott became aware of his disease, Cooper Nelson said. But Scott remained “patient and optimistic,” she added. Throughout his battle with cancer, Scott kept well-wishers informed of his progress. “He documented his illness in social media as well as in his writing,” Ybarra said. “The writing he did in the last year of his life when he was fighting for his life was very profound,” Hixson said. Though a private service was held Tuesday for Scott, Cooper Nelson said a larger service will likely be held in Chicago, where Scott and his wife, Jill Adamson, spent many years. Scott and Adamson were married three weeks ago, wrote Katie Pearl GS, Michelle Castaneda GS,
Stefanie Miller GS and Lindsay Goss GS — doctoral candidates in TAPS and friends of Scott — in an email to The Herald. After the wedding, they wrote, the couple traveled to New York City for a honeymoon, “even as sick as (Scott) was.” Members of the TAPS community are planning a memorial service for Scott, Ehn said. Scott received a Bachelor of Arts degree in cinema studies and creative writing from Southern Methodist University in 1998. In 2003, he earned his Master of Fine Arts in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he served as an adjunct assistant professor from 2003 until 2010. He also taught at Columbia College from 2005 until 2010. Between 2010 and July 2012, he worked as a writer for Rosetta Stone, according to his website. “I feel so sad for Brown that we didn’t have so much more of an opportunity to spend time with Brian,” Cooper Nelson said.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
» TRANSFER, from page 1 “After a few months in, I hadn’t found people that I clicked with,” said Goodspeed, a former BlogDailyHerald and Post- editor. Troubled by the school’s small size, she filled out transfer applications, a secret she kept from everyone except her best friend and the administration. “I felt alienated, because everyone there was so excited about the place,” she said. Goodspeed was originally set on transferring to Columbia, but her mother encouraged her to check out Brown, she said. All the schools Goodspeed considered had “smart people,” but the way Brown students approached intellectualism caught her attention, she said. “At Brown, school and life don’t have these distinct lines — I liked that people were into political activism and more laid back,” Goodspeed said. While walking down the streets of Boston University, Louisa Kellogg ’14 said she rarely saw familiar faces among pedestrians. “It was too big for me.” Frustrated by unchallenging classes and a confining social scene where one was either “the kind of person who goes out or stays in every night,” Kellogg visited a high school friend at Brown and felt at home, she said. For Charlie Powell ’13, Bard College at Simon’s Rock — a self-described “early” college that enrolls high school students after the 10th and 11th grades — was a “nice claustrophobic
» FACULTY, from page 1 people who specialize in campus prevention efforts,” Klawunn told The Herald, adding that the review will be a broad evaluation that will include input from Residential Peer Leaders, students and other community members. The College Curriculum Council voted unanimously to allow transfer credit for courses taken online, said Katherine Bergeron, dean of the College, at the meeting. She added that online courses are subject to the same standards as normal courses — they must have pre-approval and postapproval by a faculty member, be the equivalent of at least four credits and be as rigorous as a course offered at Brown. Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee and Professor of Engineering Iris Bahar asked about the balance between keeping students in good academic standing — which requires taking a set number of classes on campus — and students taking multiple online transfer courses per year. Bergeron said the University prohibits students from registering for more than five classes per semester, but that standard does not apply to online courses at other universities. Beyond those rules, the University has no regulations on how many online courses students can take. Bergeron added that this change will be particularly important for undergraduate advisers and faculty members to consider, both when advising students and in the preapproval of online courses. The success of the online offering of ENGL 0180: “Introduction to Creative Nonfiction,” a for-credit course for Brown students run for the first time this summer, contributed
environment” where “the party scene consisted of “going to dorm rooms and maybe drinking a beer,” he said. “I was one of three physics majors, so I was under the microscope all the time,” he said. Powell enjoyed the closeness of his peers and faculty but felt he needed to branch out from Bard’s “caring environment,” he said. Powell transferred to Brown hoping to take advantage of laboratory science opportunities, but he found himself captivated by Russian language, history and literature, which he currently studies in graduate school at Stanford University.
smaller colleges. “It was easy to take the classes you wanted at Swarthmore. Shopping period at Brown is a bit more stressful,” Goodspeed said. After attending a college with 370 students, Powell said waiting in line for office hours and having classes with more than five people felt strange. These difficulties are all part of becoming an adult, Cohen said. “That shift doesn’t happen automatically,” she added. “People have to learn these skills, and my job is to help them learn.”
Finding friends On Gross’ move-in day, three feet of snow on the ground left her and other transfers wondering whether they could break the ice with their new classmates, she said. But orientation events warmed the chilly January 2011 day. “Orientation was well-structured and slightly awkward, but they didn’t make you feel like babies,” Goodspeed said. “Transfer counselors did a great job organizing parties,” Gross said. “They really bonded the group.” Powell said the transfer bubble was “pretty thick” in the beginning. But Goodspeed said she found she could pop the bubble by doing “all the freshman things,” even if doing so meant entering awkward situations. Homework also helped Goodspeed make friends — “never underestimate
spending seven hours in the SciLi with Goodspeed was so integrated into the someone,” she said. Brown community that she felt her Kellogg pointed to extracurricular experience differed little from that of activities as a method for meeting new her non-transfer classmates, she said. people. In some ways, her sophomore debut “I made most of my friends was advantageous because everyone through comedy stuff,” she said. spends freshman year trying to figure “The college experience is about out who they are, she said. “I found my getting to know as many people as friends after they found themselves.” possible, trying new things and finding what you are passionate about — you Making the leap can’t do that drunk on your roomTransfer students face challenges mate’s floor,” said Dylan Platt ’15, who ranging from academic requirements counts the mock trial team, Brown to class size as the enter a new acaPolitical Review, Brown Motion Pic- demic arena. tures, Shakespeare on the Green and Transfers have to “bring themselves the University up to speed with the rest Wind Symphony of the class” in order to “You appreciate among his many be successful, which ofthings so much activities. Many ten means learning rules transfer students and strategies different more when you b e c om e c lu b those of their preknow what it’s like from presidents and vious institutions, said somewhere else.” David Scofield ’13, who extracurricular triathletes betransferred from Indicause they “feel ana University BloomCatherine Gross ’13 the time crunch,” ington. Platt added. Students who transBut students do not always find fer their junior years “really have to friendships in classes or club meet- hit the ground running,” Cohen said. ings. During her first semester, Good- Platt, who transferred from Columbia speed ran into a friend of a friend at State Community College, said he feels a party who was “really drunk and bogged down by requirements and crying,” she said. “When I saw her in is unable to pursue some concentrathe Blue Room the next day, she didn’t tions that interest him. “I knew there remember me,” she added. “I was so would be hoops to jump through, but I awkward.” thought there would be more academic That girl is now one of her best freedom,” he added. friends, Goodspeed said. Brown’s size can be overwhelming By the end of her senior year, for students who previously attended
to discussions of the policy change, which brings the curriculum “upto-date” with the current national climate, Bergeron said. Administrators are currently soliciting nominations for additional summer online course offerings, said Provost Mark Schlissel P’15. Federal research funding for the University will likely be reduced should a second federal sequester take effect next month, Schlissel said at the meeting. A second set of sequester cuts — which will slash federal spending across the board, cutting defense spending in particular — would take place if Congress cannot reach a budget deal in time. If the sequester takes effect, many national organizations will face budget decreases, likely cutting the federal research funding Brown could receive, Schlissel said. That prospect “really threatens the institution,” he said, adding that federal research funding this year is roughly 20 percent lower than it was last year. “There isn’t room in the budget for many new things,” Schlissel said, adding that the University is already operating under a $4.5 million deficit. “We are going to be much more constrained” with budget planning for next year, said Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration. “We hope for some good news out of Washington.” The faculty also passed two motions to amend the Faculty Rules and Regulations. The first motion reworded certain portions of the document to add a rule for “procedural fairness” in the Committee for Faculty Equity and Diversity, and removes an inaccurate detail regarding CFED in the operations of the Tenure, Promotions and
Appointments Committee. The motion passed unanimously. The second motion — which amended regulations on faculty tenure and promotions — incited longer debate. After considerable discussion, the faculty voted to require that review committees for tenure and promotions have members from other academic departments if fewer than three tenured professors within the department are able to sit on the review committee. The motion, which addressed both tenure review and review for promotion from associate professor to professor, originally added a clause that allows faculty members from other academic departments to join the review committees in small departments. But Professor of Neuroscience Jerome Sanes called the language too tentative and proposed a motion that would change the word “may” to “shall,” requiring review committees to comprise at least three professors. Sanes’ motion passed with only one vote of opposition. In another section of the tenure and promotion review regulations, changes were made to set a standard for contacting references for the review process. Because the change did not provide for the prohibition of “informal” contact with referees, which could sway the references’ opinions, Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 proposed a motion to add a concluding sentence to the two relevant sections. The sentence prohibits any informal contact with the suggested references during a formal evaluation request. But Professor of Geological Sciences John Hermance criticized the motion, calling it “unenforceable.” After discussion, the motion passed with 38 in favor, 11 opposed
A memorial minute was also read for Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies Ernest Frierichs ’48.
and four abstentions. The faculty then approved the entire revisions to the tenure and promotion process, with two abstentions.
Food for thought Even after graduation, students said they maintained connections made on College Hill. Gross and Goodspeed each ended up living in New York with friends who also transferred, they said. “Most of my friends that I live in the same neighborhood with are all transfers,” Goodspeed said. The Brown diploma has also opened doors for students. If it were not for her Brown experience, Gross said she would not be sitting at a desk at NBCUniversal in New York, she said. A Brown alum helped Gross get an internship with the company that turned into a job after graduation, she said. “Every time I get a Brown Alumni Magazine, I see someone I know or a professor I know,” Powell said. “I didn’t realize how useful and embracing the Brown alumni community was until I was (part of it).”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
Aiming to serve, peer advising options evolve Today’s Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program has roots in earlier groups such as the Sphinx Club By ASHNA MUKHI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The year is 1904. A group of students and faculty are gathered in the Ann Eliza Club room, heads together, in the midst of an intense discussion. They are members of the Brown University Sphinx Club, founded to facilitate discourse and promote communication between students and faculty members. Named after the mythical riddle-asking creature, the group helped form the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program, which helps first-years acclimate to life at Brown today, according to the Meiklejohn Peer Advising website.
BRITTANY COMUNALE / HERALD
The study involved 151 marijuana users who on average experienced three of 22 potential drug-related problems.
» DRUGS, from page 1 quantify marijuana-related problems, which varied from unemployment to procrastination. On average, the participants reported they experienced three out of the 22 potential problems. “It was fully controlled,” Metrik
said. “We actually made sure that they did not smoke any marijuana before they came in.” Researchers made sure participants did not smoke within 12 hours of the experiment using a Smokalyzer — a carbon monoxide reader that detects how recently a person has smoked.
Back to the beginning The Meiklejohn Program also traces its roots back to the Student Advisers group, established in 1952, according to its website. The Student Advisers group and the Sphinx Club “lived in happy parallel communities” throughout the 1950s, with one promoting advising for first-years and the other focusing on faculty-student interaction. But the 1960s brought about another group, the Meiklejohn Society, “dedicated explicitly to helping students adjust to life academically as well as socially,” according to the group’s website. Named after Alexander Meiklejohn, the second dean of the College, the society continued to grow during the 1970s alongside the development of the Open Curriculum and then came to be rivaled by a fourth group. The newly-formed Team Advisers aimed to foster collaboration between student and faculty advisers and encompassed the advising and studentfaculty interaction aspects that were a part of existing programs. In 1983, the Team Advisers program was renamed the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program, which matches more than 350 student mentors with faculty advisers and first-year advisees today. Mix and match The process of pairing advisers with advisees is “highly iterated,” said Associate Dean of the College Carol Cohen. With the help of a database, Cohen said she and her team consider a student’s area of interest, background and education to find the best faculty match. They also look to have the Meiklejohn and the faculty adviser complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. “It’s a complicated algorithm,” Cohen said. This process has led to many successful student-adviser relationships, students said.
“My adviser and I really get along,” said Eimi Satoh ’17. “We share a lot of the same interests.” Ivaylo Petrov ’17 said his adviser has been helpful in guiding him through course selection by evaluating how useful his courses will be for fulfilling concentration requirements. But there are some students who “slip through the cracks,” said Meiklejohn leader Abi Kulshreshtha ’15. Lauren Sukin ’16, a political science and literary arts concentrator, was paired unsuccessfully with multiple faculty advisers during her first year. Her first adviser was rarely ever on campus and never responded to her emails, she said. “I literally hadn’t seen my faculty adviser since our two-minute conversation in the beginning of the year,” said Sukin, a Herald opinions columnist. Her second adviser also failed to keep in touch with her after taking a year-long leave, Sukin said, adding that most of the advising she received
“Advising has to be front and center at a place like Brown, given the open curriculum.” Joseph Pucci
FACULTY ADVISOR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CLASSICS during her first year was from older students in her department. Cohen said she is aware that not every student has a “top-quality” advising experience. “You have 3,000 advisees. You cannot do quality control at a super granular level for that many human beings,” she said. Meiklejohn leaders, with the Dean of the College’s office, have started holding individual meetings with Meiklejohn advisers about their progress with advisees, Kulshreshtha said. “We’ve heard from surveys that the quality of advising has gone up after we’ve made the program more demanding” of the student advisers, Kulshreshtha added. One-click adviser Recently, Meiklejohn leaders have made use of crowd-sourcing advising with the creation of the Brown Advisers Facebook page. Launched in August, the page lets students in any year anonymously post questions that are then answered by members of the Brown community. The page plays a significant role in the Meiklejohn Program’s continuous efforts to reach out to the entire student body, said Kayla Rosen ’14, a Meiklejohn leader who suggested the social media page. “I try to think about the advisee who is sort of struggling on campus, who feels alone and who doesn’t know
how to ask questions,” she said. The idea for this page came to Rosen after she witnessed the success and popularity of the similarly structured Brown Admirers and Brown Compliments Facebook pages. Having an online forum gives all students on Facebook access to the advising resource and allows the entire student body to respond, she said. This exposes the community to a variety of views on a subject, which Rosen said is important. The Brown Advisers page is “really a forum for public discussion and for students to gain multiple student perspectives,” said Associate Dean of the College Ann Gaylin. Students said they have found the page especially helpful. “Going through what people have asked is curious and informative on matters and opportunities I had not thought about,” said Petrov, who added that it was practical to have fellow students answer these queries because many have been in the same boat. ‘A jewel in the crown’ Though Gaylin said she foresees no major upcoming changes in the Meiklejohn Program, group leaders aim to strengthen advising structures already in place. “We want to focus on making sure that all the Meiklejohn advisers feel supported and … that the Meiklejohn body fully represents the diverse community of students at Brown,” Gaylin said. In conjunction with the Dean of the College’s office, the Meiklejohn leadership is continually making small changes to the program based on student evaluations, said Ted Burke ’14, a Meiklejohn leader. “We’re kind of obsessed with feedback,” he added. Recent changes include new events like the “MeikMeal,” where students can meet with their Meiklejohn advisers for an informal dinner at the Sharpe Refectory, and “Meiks in the Unit,” where Meiklejohn advisers gather in the lounges of freshman dorms to answer questions about registration, Burke said. The program is also looking to collaborate with other mentoring groups such as the International Mentoring Program, Third World Transition Program and the Residential Peer Leaders, Rosen said. Ensuring “the Meiklejohn Program dovetails well with the other first-year advising programs” is key, Gaylin said. As the University continues to change and grow, the Meiklejohn program continues to be “a jewel in the crown of advising at the College,” said faculty adviser and Associate Professor of Classics Joseph Pucci. “Advising has to be front and center at a place like Brown, given the open curriculum,” he added. “I’d like to see it continue and grow over the years.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
Tadpoles could offer insight into autism Research being conducted on campus could lead to development of drugs to help treat autism By WING SZE HO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Tadpoles are helping University researchers understand the mechanisms of autism. Eric James GS presented a tadpole model of autism at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego Nov. 10. James and Arseny Khakhalin, a postdoctoral fellow, started studying tadpole autism in Associate Professor of Neuroscience Carlos Aizenman’s laboratory about a year ago.
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Under the new policy, Meiklejohn peer advisers could view first-year schedules and offer advice if given permission.
Meiks may gain access to first-years’ Banner carts The initiative is meant to help Meiklejohns offer more informed guidance to their advisees By JOSEPH ZAPPA STAFF WRITER
A Dean of the College initiative might grant Meiklejohn peer advisers access to their first-year advisees’ course carts on Banner, given the advisees’ consent, wrote Ann Gaylin, associate dean of the college for first-year and sophomore studies, in an email to The Herald. “In the past, we have provided Meiks with advisee course preferences,” Gaylin wrote. “The cart would be a more detailed version of that information, in that Meiks would be able to see how course choices articulate or conflict with each other.” Faculty advisers are currently able to view their advisees’ carts, but Meiklejohns must meet with their advisees to learn which courses they plan to take. If enacted, the initiative would allow Meiklejohns to obtain this information before meeting with advisees to technologically enhance the communication between advisers and advisees, Gaylin wrote. The change would “make it easier to visualize what an advisee’s schedule looks like and easily get more information on their course choices,” wrote Meiklejohn Cassidy Bennett ’15 in an email to The Herald, adding she would use the ability to preview her advisees’ choices and better guide them during face-to-face meetings. “I definitely like being able to
see my advisees in person,” said Meiklejohn Fletcher Bell ’16. “That would be at risk if we were able to solve problems completely over computers.” “Meiks tend to be very dedicated,” said Meiklejohn Erin Butler ’14, but “it’s so easy when things get too busy to say ‘I’ll just do this online.’” The change is “not meant to replace a meeting with advisees but rather to enhance it,” Gaylin wrote. The additional access would be “in no way meant to undermine a relationship between an advisee and a Meik.” “It’s important to keep emphasis on the social, face-to-face aspect” of the program, said Sarah Master ’17. “If (my Meiklejohn) has access to my cart, then he doesn’t actually have to see me.” But she added that the extra access would be a “nice addition” as long as face-to-face meetings are preserved. Meiklejohn Vivian Ojeda ’16 said though she always asks her advisees to log onto Banner and show her their carts when she meets with them, having access to her advisees’ carts may resolve worries about whether they have “explored all their options” or “chosen the best English class to fulfill requirements.” The DOC office is aware that “first-years would need to be able to opt-out (of) or opt-into allowing their Meiks to see their carts, and that such permission could be revoked at any time,” Gaylin wrote. The DOC is still deciding whether consent would be given on an optout or opt-in basis, she added. “We want to be thoughtful about how and when we might implement this enhancement,” she added.
In the past, researchers mainly used rodents such as rats and mice to model the disease at a cellular level, James said. But he and Khakhalin decided to examine the disorder in tadpoles because of their large embryos and “simplistic behaviors” that can be manipulated and observed easily, James said. Autism is caused by the “subtle abnormalities” in brain wiring at the cellular level, he added. Scientists know that valproic acid, a chemical used to treat bipolar disorder, migraines and epilepsy, increases pregnant women’s risk of having a child with autism, Khakhalin said, but the exact impact of VPA on the developing brain remains unknown. Inspired by a paper about the VPA system in rodents written by a team in Switzerland, James and Khakhalin are working with undergraduates to
comics Eric & Eliot | Willa Tracy
investigate the system in tadpoles. The researchers hope to reverse the effects of VPA by manipulating proteins that are abnormally regulated in some neurodevelopmental disorders. By modeling autism in tadpoles, the researchers will better understand the mechanisms of the disorder. “If you did it, you can reverse it,” James said. Their research could “lead to development of drugs,” Khakhalin added. “By applying the diverse tools for developmental analysis created in the Aizenman (lab) … we may now have the opportunity to investigate the mechanisms underlying (autism spectrum disorder) or schizophrenia at an unprecedented level of resolution,” wrote McGill University Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery Edward Ruthazer in an email to The Herald.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
EDITORIAL
What’s in a name? Last year, Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 was labeled a Grinch and spawned multiple self-congratulatory Fox News segments after insisting the evergreen in the Statehouse be called a “holiday” tree. This year, seeking to minimize the fallout from the non-existent, so-called “War on Christmas,” Chafee has acquiesced to the demands of past angry constituents. “Despite the myriad of pressing issues facing Rhode Island and the nation, this presumably happy event became a focal point for too much anger,” Chafee said, before revealing that this year’s lighting ceremony will refer to the spruce as a Christmas tree. We support Chafee’s decision to move past last year’s manufactured controversy and his choice to focus on the state’s more pressing issues. While we appreciated Chafee’s past attempts to be inclusive, the evergreen is always associated with Christmas, whether it is called a “holiday tree,” a “Hannukah bush,” or anything else. The object itself hasn’t changed, only what we call it — in either case, it retained the same symbolism. More effective means of promoting inclusion exist. In the future, the Rhode Island Capitol could have symbols from other winter holidays from various backgrounds in hopes of appearing accepting. But having the tree does not prevent anyone from practicing a different religion or from choosing not to practice. While it is unfortunate that Chafee caved to those who made hysterical statements and baseless attacks about a phantom “War on Christmas,” the state has too many problems for the governor to continually get stuck in such nonsense. Residents are free to practice their religion within the privacy of their own residences if they choose to do so and the presence of an evergreen that we now call a Christmas tree does not change that. Rhode Island has a long and proud history of religious freedom. In the future, the state could potentially honor that history by encouraging religious leaders to donate their own symbols to the State House. If not, residents should remember that true religious freedom bans any sort of imposition of religion upon others, but permits people to practice their own faith however they see it.
A N G E L IA WA N G
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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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
Can you spare a dime? DANIEL CARRIGG opinions columnist
Last August, something surprising happened in little Rhody. The state built a new 10-cent toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge, which spans the bay from Portsmouth to Tiverton. Somebody set fire to the the toll at 1 a.m. on a Saturday, just two days before it was to take effect. The next day, hundreds arrived to protest the toll going operational. They failed. The crowd was mostly white, middle-class folks over 40. Some declared themselves members of the Tea Party. Others were not so political and just wanted to resist a new local toll that would raise the price of traveling between Aquidneck Island and the Northeast and the West. But few, if any, news outlets tied this toll to the larger problems stewing in state and national transportation policy. In short, national transportation policy is in crisis. The American Society of Civil Engineers rates the state of American infrastructure as a “D+.” The Highway Trust Fund is dwindling and could be in the red by
2015, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. The situation is so dire that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is calling for Congress to raise gasoline taxes. And as any observer knows, calling for higher taxes is not the Chamber’s usual modus operandi. Rhode Island faces similar challenges on the state level. Gasoline taxes were increased from 31 cents per gallon to 33 cents per gallon in 2010. But they cannot keep up with even basic repair needs. Multiple studies have been commissioned to figure out how to solve the problem. Former Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 commissioned a Blue Ribbon Panel for transportation funding in 2008. The State Senate followed up with a Commission on Sustainable Transportation Funding in 2011. Both reports revealed that the state had been borrowing substantial money just to pay the required match for federal transportation funds. Debt service crowded the budget out. Gasoline tax revenues remain volatile and do not appear to be sufficient to meet future needs. These reports examined a variety of options to fill the funding gap beyond solving the debt service problem. Additional tolls like the Sakonnet Bridge Toll and a poten-
tial toll on I-95 were suggested. So Much of our infrastructure is old were increased fees at the Division and in need of repair or replaceof Motor Vehicles — some of these ment. This is also a fact. The tragic have since come to fruition. Public- deaths of 13 people in the 2007 colprivate partnerships were to be ex- lapse of the I-35 Bridge in Minneplored. Even finding a way to track apolis was a grim reminder of this vehicle miles traveled and issue taxes fact. More than 20 percent of Rhode based on this was Island’s bridges are considered worthy “We have less than rated structurally of study. deficient as of July. five years before As vehicles beThe Rhode Island come more fuelPublic Transit Ausomething must efficient and more also fundbe done to shore thority, alternative fuel and ed partially by the up transportation gasoline tax, conelectric vehicles make their way tinues struggling funding both in onto roads, the gas to stay solvent. Just tax will continue to our state and across to tread water and provide diminishmaintain the road America.” ing returns. This and public transit affects both state and federal funds, service we currently have requires and every proposed solution is new enormous investment. and rather complicated. From infraPeople hate tolls. This is evistructure banks to tracking devices denced by the behavior at the Sakonon cars, officials are exploring ev- net Bridge this summer. People hate ery conceivable way to raise funds DMV fees too, especially new ones. to deal with a lack of transportation Public-private partnerships are cominfrastructure, except one: raising plicated and risky, and the truth is broad-based taxes of one kind or an- that they often come with tolls of one other and dedicating a set amount to kind or another. And if the idea of a transportation. toll sets Rhode Islanders off, imagine Transportation funds are dwin- the furor over installing government dling. This is a fact. They are dwin- tracking devices on everyone’s vehidling at the state and federal level. cle to report vehicle miles traveled
for tax purposes. So why has nobody bothered to explore the simpler option of a slight income tax increase? We will pay more to update our transportation infrastructure. We have to. Transportation is essential for commerce. The question is not if we will pay more but rather how and when. New taxes are not popular. But it is much easier to collect a bit more in income tax than do any of the alternatives. The gas tax is volatile, and fuel efficiency erodes the revenue collected from it. Tolls are somewhat expensive to administer, slow traffic down and incite public rage. And tracking VMTs not only will be expensive to administer but also will raise serious privacy concerns. Time is running out. We have less than five years before something must be done to shore up transportation funding both in our state and across America. How do you want to pay? It’s worth thinking about the next time you drop a dime taking your EZ Pass across the Sakonnet.
Daniel T. Carrigg GS thinks innovative policy solutions are great, but sometimes the old tried-and-true methods are best. He may be reached at daniel_carrigg@brown.edu.
Our latest drug problem JONATHAN STALOFF guest columnist
In my five years working on ambulances as an emergency medical technician — both at home and in Rhode Island — only once have I seen a patient come close to dying before my eyes. To my surprise, the cause of almost-death was neither heart attack nor car wreck, nor stroke nor stabbing. Instead, it came neatly packaged in a tiny white pill bearing the name Vicodin. I found my patient on the floor of his suburban New Jersey home, unconscious, not breathing and with a face as young as my own. Remembering my training, I took a deep breath and then did my best to help him. The patient’s already weak pulse was rapidly deteriorating, and all I could do was continue to ventilate him and wait for paramedics. The second they arrived on scene, they reached into their box of medications and took out an orange capped vial with a clear liquid inside, which they then in-
jected into the patient’s arm. Shortly lege students are offered a prescripthereafter, he began to breathe on his tion drug for nonmedical purposes own, his face regained its color and by their sophomore year. Prescripwe got him to tion painkillers, or the hospital in “Studies suggest that opioids, are rapidly better condition becoming the drug abuse of prescription of choice — 12 perthan we found him. After my cent of college stuopioids is most initial sense of dents report having prevalent among relief, I walked misused a prescriphighly selective away from my tion opioid in their closest run-in urban colleges in the lifetime. Studies with death feelsuggest that abuse Northeast. Does that of prescription opiing disturbed. What was this kind of school sound oids is most prevamystery medilent among highly familiar?” cine, and why selective urban coldid my patient leges in the Northhave to wait for a paramedic for it to east. Does that kind of school sound save his life? familiar? The drug is called naloxone. Our As prescription opioid misuse has war on drugs is shifting from street become increasingly common, sadly, corners to pharmacy counters, and so have its gravest side effects. Since naloxone is fighting on the front 1991, fatal overdoses from prescriplines. Prescription drug abuse now tion painkillers have more than tristeals more American lives than pled, with young people misusing heroin and cocaine combined, and opioids at the highest rates. Naloxyoung people are among the most one blocks even the most powerful common victims. According to re- prescription opioids from binding to search published in the journal Ad- their receptors, reversing the effects dictive Behaviors, 50 percent of col- of overdose and saving patients’ lives.
Recognizing the merits of the drug, several states are piloting programs that distribute naloxone to high-risk populations and teach them how and when to use it. The idea is simple. You will never find someone with a severe allergy traveling without an emergency EpiPen, and you should never find someone at risk of overdose without emergency naloxone. In Massachusetts, over 10,000 people have been trained to use naloxone, with 1,200 reported incidents of successfully reversed overdoses. This type of program is a nobrainer. Yet according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health, only 17 states have laws expanding access to naloxone. Fortunately, Rhode Island is one of those 17, but students in the remaining 33 are defenseless against the dangers of accidental opioid overdose. We must take steps toward sensible drug policy by expanding access to lifesaving therapies. Despite naloxone’s miraculous biological properties, it does nothing to address the root causes of prescription drug overdose. Our fast-
est-growing drug problem will not be resolved by just another drug. We will only overcome our prescription drug addiction if we appreciate it for what it truly is: a preventable epidemic. Drugs like Vicodin may be prescribed by a doctor, but that does not mean they are safe. Every 19 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an overdose. About 72 percent of the time a prescription pill is misused, the person popping the pill acquired it from a friend or family member. The next time you fill your prescription or share a pill with a friend, consider the dangers within that tiny capsule. By maintaining strict oversight of our prescription drugs, we can stop overdoses before they happen. But when overdoses do occur, I’d like to know that naloxone is at the ready. Wouldn’t you?
Jonathan Staloff ’14 worked at the Clinton Foundation, an organization working to improve access to naloxone and reduce prescription drug abuse on college campuses.
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daily herald city & state THE BROWN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
SCIENCE & RESEARCH ROUNDUP BY PHOEBE DRAPER, SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR
Rwandan medical schools receive international boost Recent efforts by Brown medical professionals and health care providers from other institutions to strengthen medical provider training in Rwanda were outlined in a report published Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Sub-Saharan Africa bears 24 percent of global disease but is served by a mere 4 percent of global health care providers, according to the report. With a health care provider density of only .84 health care providers per 1,000 citizens, Rwanda falls well below the World Health Organization’s recommended density of 2.3 providers per 1,000 citizens. In 2010, the country’s per capita health care spending amounted to $56, and from 2004 to 2010 only 100 physicians graduated from the nation’s sole medical school, according to the report. These factors contribute to Rwanda’s dearth of health care providers and situated the nation as the focal point for the national Human Resources for Health Program currently underway. Under the program’s umbrella, 100 American health care providers from 25 American medical institutions, including Brown, join the ranks of medical faculty at the medical school in Kigali, Rwanda each year with aims to improve medical education in the country. Launched in 2012, the $150 million initiative is planned to last seven years, after which Rwanda will run the residency and training programs on its own budget and with its own manpower, according to the report. The partnership between Rwandan- and American-grown medical professionals benefits both groups, the report argues. Rwandan students gain access to specialized clinical teaching, and Americans return better equipped to strengthen global health programs at home after their time in Rwanda. Brown medical faculty who have participated in the partnership include Alpert Medical School professors Michael Koster, Adam Levine and Brian Montague, according to a University press release. The program aims to improve both the quality and the quantity of health care professionals in Rwanda, according to the report.
Tracking web-initiated sex abuse The number of Internet-initiated sexual abuse cases with female victims increased between 1996 and 2007, while the number of cases with male victims remained constant, according to a recent study conducted by University researchers. Scouring newspaper reports of adolescent sexual assault cases, the researchers tracked the incidence of Internet-initiated sexual assault among American teenagers from 1996 to 2007. Though reported Internet-initiated assault rates are much lower than rates of other types of sexual assault, newspapers reported 812 Internet-initiated assault cases over the examined timeframe, according to the study. Among these cases, 79 percent of victims were female, with a median age of 14. The results of the study may provide insight into how these assaults occur, help in developing preventative strategies and help guide sexual assault policymaking, the researchers wrote.
The machine in the room Researchers at the School of Public Health are exploring the possibility of developing a machine to transcribe doctor-patient encounters automatically. Manual transcriptions of clinical encounters are “expensive,” creating a barrier to widespread record-keeping of interactions in the clinic, according to the study, which was published Nov. 27 in PubMed. To study the accuracy of an automatic transcription machine, the researchers analyzed 360 different outpatient visits. They compared the transcriptions generated by the automatic machines with transcriptions generated manually by human annotators. They found that automated transcriptions were capable of recording patient-provider interactions with an accuracy of 64 percent, the researchers wrote. The automatic transcribers remain “far from perfect” but offer promise for greater implementation of medical transcriptions, which can “provide important insights into clinical communication” and ultimately effect better health outcomes, according to the study.
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COURTESY OF THE SMILEY FOR MAYOR CAMPAIGN
A crowd of nearly 50 supporters gathered at the Mount Hope Neighborhod Association to hear Brett Smiley’s announcement Tuesday. Smiley emphasized Providence’s strong connection to the sciences and arts.
Smiley announces mayoral candidacy Brett Smiley emphasized public safety, education and an extra sales tax on guns and ammunition By EMILY BONEY CITY & STATE STAFF WRITER
Democrat Brett Smiley announced his candidacy for mayor yesterday, promising to be a “get-it-done mayor” focusing on public safety, education and implementing an extra sales tax on guns and ammunition. A crowd of nearly 50 supporters gathered at the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association to hear Smiley, a small-business owner and political activist, make his announcement. Smiley moved to Rhode Island in 2006 to work on former Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty’s gubernatorial campaign and has since been involved in activism for Marriage Equality Rhode Island and Rhode Island Communities for Addiction Recovery Efforts with his husband, Jim DeRentis. Among Smiley’s campaign platforms, “a supplemental sales tax on all gun and ammunition sales” is one of his defining proposed policies. “The proceeds of (the tax) will go into a restricted
receipt account to support anti-violence efforts,” Smiley said. “Just like we expect the tobacco industry to pay for public health initiatives, the firearm industry and those who prop it up should be supporting anti-violence efforts.” Smiley emphasized Providence’s strong connection to the sciences and the arts due to the city’s many hospitals and higher education institutions. “We will grow our economy by focusing on our strengths,” Smiley said, adding that Providence has the potential to become a global leader in entrepreneurship, design and medicine. “We need to not just applaud but invest in our arts and culture sector,” Smiley said. “It is an economic engine in its own right and supports our tourism industry and the thousands of service sector jobs that go with it.” Smiley also addressed the issue of public school reform, which he said always seems “one year into a three-year plan.” Constantly changing education plans does not allow the time necessary to realize goals, he said. “Imagine a process of real collaboration with everyone — parents, teachers and students, union leaders, members and community stakeholders — together, where we stopped treating one
another like enemies and slinging politically charged labels at one another,” Smiley said. “Imagine providing clear instruction, continuity and support to ensure our teachers aren’t getting whiplash from constantly changing direction.” Smiley said he looks forward to changes in the way the state handles standardized testing. The New England Common Assessment Program “is the wrong test,” he said. Smiley’s supporter and friend Cathy Lund told The Herald that Smiley is an ideal candidate because “he gets things done,” adding that he has great ideas to improve Providence and a “very good” chance of becoming mayor. Democrat Jorge Elorza, former Housing Court judge, and businessman Lorne Adrain have already declared their candidacies for mayor. City Council President Michael Solomon is expected to formally announce at the beginning of 2014 and Rep. John Lombardi, D-Providence, is also a likely candidate. Daniel Harrop is the only Republican to have announced a campaign. Current Mayor Angel Taveras announced in October that he will run for governor.