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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
VOLUME CL, ISSUE 53
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Event offers advice for sophomore year Study suggests importance of medical communication Nursing homes that score higher on accountability, communication provide better outcomes By STEVEN MICHAEL SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR
ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD
Prompted by the results of a UCS poll, Dean of the College Maud Mandel led an event Monday night intended to provide rising sophomores with information on topics such as sophomore advising and concentration selection.
Mandel hosts presentation to help first-years prepare for sophomore advising, concentration declaration By ANNE-MARIE KOMMERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“This is the official takeaway for tonight: Do not panic!” said Dean of the College Maud Mandel at an event titled “Don’t
Fear Sophomore Year” held in Salomon 101 Monday evening. The presentation attracted a small number of first-year students interested in learning more about the transition to sophomore year. The informational meeting was organized in response to an Undergraduate Council of Students poll that indicated students want better sophomore advising, Mandel told The Herald. UCS and its Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee were instrumental
in planning the event, which is part of a broader effort to focus on improving sophomore year advising, Mandel said. This effort recently included three lunches, which took place last week and were intended to address issues unique to sophomores. Elena Saltzman ’16, chair of the AAA Committee, said the idea behind the event was to reach out to first-year students before they actually became » See SOPHOMORE, page 2
Physician attentiveness and communication have a strong relationship with the quality of the care for nursing home residents, according to a study led by University researchers, which was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association April 7. The researchers collected data using surveys given to nursing directors and nursing home administrators, said Dean of the School of Public Health Terrie Wetle, a co-author of the study. The surveys addressed physician attentiveness, communication and effectiveness. This data was combined with measures of health care quality, such as referrals to hospice care and the number of unnecessary hospital admissions. The sum of the data suggest that strong physician communication and attentiveness are correlated with better health outcomes. “There were many, many fewer
avoidable hospitalizations in nursing homes that had a good score on accountability and communication,” Wetle said. Wetle noted that this conclusion may seem obvious but that it was necessary to collect data that supports the claim. Earlier research has looked at the connection between physician communication and patient outcomes in the hospital setting. But this connection had yet to be studied in nursing homes, and this study is the first to develop a scale system for measuring these factors, she said. More people die in nursing homes every year than in hospitals, but nursing home health care is less understood than acute hospital care, Wetle said. A main difference between hospitals and nursing homes is that— as the name implies — nurses provide greater breadth of care in a nursing home than in a hospital. Doctors see patients less frequently in nursing homes but are still responsible for prescribing medications and treating patients. As a result, physicians rely on nurses to a greater extent in nursing homes to inform them of patients’ symptoms and the courses of chronic illnesses, Wetle said. » See NURSING, page 2
CREW
SPORTS COMMENTARY
(No) ace in the hole: Red Sox Women take second in race out West without true No. 1 starter MIKE FIRN sports columnist
Rooting for the Boston Red Sox has always been a labor of love. Because hopes are consistently high in March, the disappointments hurt as much as the payoffs elate. One minute you’re getting emotionally sucker-punched by Aaron Boone, and the next you’re busting curses. We celebrate with champagne and comfort ourselves with fried chicken and beer. It’s just the price of being a Red Sox fan. That said, I’m (unsurprisingly) bullish about the prospects of this year’s team. While 2014 was another trough in Boston’s worst-to-first-to-worst cycle, there’s a lot to like about the 2015 squad. They’ve got stable veterans and ascending youngsters, star power and positional depth, championship leadership and goofy chemistry. On paper, the Sox boast the league’s most potent lineup, a slick defensive unit and serviceable bullpen. This team ticks a lot of boxes. The starting rotation, however, is not
INSIDE
one of those boxes. Even if the bats carry the Red Sox to the postseason, pitching remains the glaring question mark on a team with immediate championship aspirations. Instead of splurging for a big-name pitcher to slot ahead of Clay Buccholz and Joe Kelly, Boston reeled in Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson off the sales rack. Compared to the top-caliber staffs of teams like the Nationals or the Dodgers, it’s an uninspiring crew. The Red Sox, on the other hand, have no definitive ace to hand the ball to in a must-win game seven. Still, in typical fan fashion, I’m not worried. My confidence in this team stems more from a trust in management than in player personnel. After a disastrous cellar-dwelling 2014 and an offseason full of spending, I know that Boston’s front office is fully committed to winning now. Instead of overspending for a big-ticket starting pitcher, general manager Ben Cherington is taking a waitand-see approach to roster construction. Boston’s bevy of B-list starters will be asked simply to keep games competitive and let the defense and offense do the heavy lifting. The current roster will » See RED SOX, page 4
ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD
The men’s crew team lost five races against Harvard Saturday. The Bears will duel Northeastern on the Seekonk this weekend.
UC Berkeley edges women in Sacramento, as men underestimate Harvard’s boats on Charles By MATTHEW JARRELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
At a setting that will play host to this year’s national championship and against teams that will likely be competing there, the women’s crew team secured a second-place finish out of a field of nine.
The second-ranked Bears wrapped up the weekend tied with Stanford and trailing UC Berkeley, amassing 46 points at the Lake Natoma Invitational in Sacramento. The men’s team battled Harvard in Boston on Saturday, suffering five losses. The Bears anticipated a Californiasized challenge even before the boats hit the water. “We expected the competition to be tough, because we knew that (the West Coast) teams had been out on the water for a lot longer,” said Monika Sobieszek ’17, who rowed for
the second varsity eight boat. “It’s obviously a huge advantage to be able to practice on the water, whereas schools like (Harvard) Radcliffe and Princeton have been frozen in, so we definitely expected it to be harder,” added Lucie Hajian ’17, coxswain for the second varsity four. Brown ran the table against Sacramento State and Gonzaga Saturday morning. The top varsity four finished with a time of 7:12.0, comfortably ahead of the Hornets and the Bulldogs, which finished with times of 7:28.8 and 7:39.5, respectively. The varsity eight duplicated this effort, beating Gonzaga by four seconds and Sacramento State by 30. Both second teams also emerged victorious, with the eight boat cruising to a 20-second win and the four besting three boats, including Stanford, to win the heat. The afternoon session saw more of the same. Brown’s first varsity four and eight and second varsity eight easily dispatched those of the University of San Diego and the University of Rhode Island, while the second varsity four defeated UC Berkeley, Stanford and Notre Dame in a fourteam heat. In fact, the women did not suffer » See CREW, page 3
WEATHER
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
SCIENCE & RESEARCH “Still Alice” focuses on family turmoil, emotional confrontation related to Alzheimer’s Disease
SPORTS COMMENTARY Blasberg ’18: Squash players’ questionable tactics make game boring for spectators
COMMENTARY Weinstein ’17: Student groups pursuing clean energy should seek solutions other than divestment
COMMENTARY Khleif ’15: Community members should learn more about and participate in Be the Match
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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
This Week in Higher Ed BY CAROLINE KELLY, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Sexual misconduct claims filed against former Yale nephrology professor Rex Mahnensmith, a former nephrology professor at the Yale School of Medicine, has been accused of committing several acts of sexual assault between 2002 and 2013, while he was director of the New Haven Dialysis Clinic, the New York Times reported Monday. Seven current and former employees at the clinic filed two federal cases against the doctor, Yale and the center, which is run by the Denver-based company DaVita. The plaintiffs claim that the doctor made inappropriate sexual gestures at or near them but that DaVita administrators ignored complaints in order to maintain the company’s favorable contract with Yale. “This has been going on for years, … but staff were just told to try and work around him,” Jennifer Zito, a lawyer representing six of the plaintiffs, told the Times. Yale was presented with a preliminary complaint in March 2014 and removed Mahnensmith from the faculty that April. But Mahnensmith still currently works at HealthTap, an online medical practice, the Times reported. Mahnensmith has also been accused of prescribing certain drugs, such as narcotics, to patients in order to encourage them to have procedures done at the center, said Elizabeth Chiapperino, a former DaVita facilities manager, the Times reported. Chiapperino resigned after a DaVita vice president ignored her complaints of being harassed by Mahnensmith.
Shooting at Wayne Community College leaves school employee dead A former Wayne Community College student shot and killed print shop operator Ron Lane on campus in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Monday, NBC News reported. The shooting occurred near the school library after the suspect entered campus at 8:10 a.m., Wayne spokeswoman Tara Humphries told NBC News. The campus was closed for the rest of the day, and police have searched the surrounding area for suspect Kenneth Stancil, a former student who did not graduate from the college, CNN reported. Stancil may have been one of Lane’s employees at the campus print shop. “This is not a random situation. It is an isolated situation,” Major Tom Effler of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office told CNN, adding that other faculty members were familiar with Stancil.
Troy University students arrested for Florida beach rape Police arrested Troy University students Delonte’ Martistee and Ryan Calhoun April 10 for perpetrating an alleged gang rape, the Panama City News Herald reported. A video posted online shows Martistee and Calhoun allegedly raping an incapacitated woman on a crowded beach during a spring break trip to Panama City, Florida, sometime between March 10 and 12, the News Herald reported. “This is happening in broad daylight with hundreds of people seeing and hearing what is happening, and they are more concerned about spilling their beer than somebody being raped,” said Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen. The alleged victim appears to be resisting in the video and later told the Bay Country Sheriff’s office that she did not report the incident because she did not remember enough of the incident, possibly as a result of being drugged, the News Herald reported. Police discovered the video on the cell phone of a witness in the investigation of a different case involving a shooting at Troy. Officers notified officials in Panama City, making the video one of many leads in similar sexual assault cases in the area in recent weeks. Martistee and Calhoun went back to Panama City Friday to Bay County jail to face the charges, the News Herald reported.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
» SOPHOMORE, from page 1 sophomores. Though first-years and sophomores are often lumped together into one underclassmen “bloc,” they actually have very different needs, Saltzman said. In addition to Mandel, several other members of the Office of the Dean of the College— including Deputy Dean of the College Christopher Dennis and Peggy Chang, director of the Curricular Resource Center and assistant dean of the College for engaged learning — also attended the session. The event kicked off with a Powerpoint presentation given by Mandel. She discussed the sources of “sophomore angst,” such as concern about the future and unknowledgable advisers. But Mandel said rising sophomores should not panic and proceeded to explain “the sophomore mindset,” which includes “Making Choices,” “Recognizing Success,” and “Establishing Relationships.” For “Making Choices,” Mandel said rising sophomores should focus on the things they did well as first-years and build on their successes. Mandel also said students should investigate new options rather than committing too strongly to a single concentration. Rising sophomores should also strive to draw connections between different areas of study explored as first-years and map out a plan for the next three years, Mandel said. “If you are feeling tense about the big decisions, make a small decision,” Mandel said, adding that it is not true that a concentration defines the rest of a student’s life. It is important to “interrogate your motives,” and to be aware of the reasons guiding course selection, she said. Mandel continued by talking about “Recognizing Success.” She said picking a concentration is not a moral choice,
» NURSING, from page 1 In the nursing home, a “clear and trusted line of communication is more important” and “requires a higher level of trust in order to be effective,” Wetle said. This line of research began as a series of interviews with the family members of patients who died in nursing homes. Many of the respondents said they had never spoken with their family member’s doctor in the nursing home, Wetle said, adding that this led to subsequent
nor is it the end of other forms of intellectual exploration or the only pathway to employment. She especially stressed this last point and said that picking a concentration “reflects a choice to explore a mode of learning in greater depth.” Mandel displayed the Brown concentration website “Focal Point” on the overhead projector and demonstrated that each concentration contains a link to further details on the CareerLAB website. Though the link malfunctioned at the time of the presentation, it was supposed to lead to the results of a survey that Brown graduates from the past two years filled out after graduation about their current employment. Generally, Mandel said, the data shows that the majority of students end up in the same range of jobs regardless of their majors. For the last category, “Establishing Relationships,” Mandel said that every Brown student needs multiple advisers. She said sometimes first-years are misled because they believe their firstyear adviser is the only source they can consult for advice. An adviser is not the source of all information, she said, but a conversation partner and resource. To find other sources of advising, Mandel suggested that students reach out to concentration advisers listed on Focal Point and speak with advisers in University Hall and the CRC. The idea is to pull together a “stable of people” to advise you, Mandel said. At the end of the presentation, the advisers from the Dean of the College office introduced themselves. Audience members were encouraged to ask questions about the year ahead. One student asked about the timeline for students planning to doubleconcentrate. Mandel said employers do not care whether a student has double concentrated and only students with a deep interest in two subjects should do so. She also said that many students
come to Brown because of the freedom of the open curriculum, but double concentrating imposes several requirements that restrict that freedom. The deadline to declare a second concentration is not until the seventh semester of a student’s time at Brown, she added. Another student asked whether it is easy to change concentrations. Carol Cohen, associate dean of the College for health and personal issues, said it is easy to change concentrations. But students need to think about the choice and decide whether a switch is realistic based on the amount of requirements for their new concentration and the number of semesters they have left before graduation. Since the standard concentration has 10 to 12 requirements, changing concentrations is “doable,” Cohen said. After students asked questions, Matched Advising Program for Sophomores coordinators Neel Yalamarthy ’15 and Chinezi Ihenatu ’15 explained the program, which matches rising sophomores with upperclassmen mentors with similar interests. MAPS applications will soon be released for rising sophomores interested in the program. In addition to advising, MAPS offers special programs and lunches throughout the year, Yalamarthy said. After the event, audience members were invited to speak individually with the DOC advisers. Alex Vidmar ’18 said it was helpful to see so many different representatives because he had not known about all the resources available on campus. Aidea Downie ’18 also said she enjoyed hearing advice from the numerous advisers on hand but added that she was unsure whether a student’s concentration really plays such a small role in careers after college. “Some concentrations at Brown seem more career-oriented than others,” she said, adding that advising in her first year was “awesome.”
research on medical care and communication in nursing homes. Julie Lima, manager of data acquisition and senior programmer analyst at the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research at the School of Public Health, and Orna Intrator, professor of public health sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center, collaborated with Wetle on the study. Wetle said she plans to perform additional research in the field by interviewing individuals about their experiences. Intrator will continue
survey-based research in conjunction with the Veterans Administration, Wetle added. Barbara Bates-Jensen, associate professor at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Nursing, echoed the view that nurses play a larger role in nursing home care since physicians may only occasionally visit the patients. Nursing home care is also provided by nursing aides and other staff members, Bates-Jensen said, so the “level of education affects the communication that occurs.”
METRO
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Spotlight on the Statehouse BY DREW WILLIAMS, METRO EDITOR
Legislators, lobby groups debate gun control in Rhode Island The House Judiciary Committee will hear firearm reform legislation Tuesday, with a range of proposed bills attempting to create both more stringent and looser restrictions. Gun control advocates support efforts to ban guns on public school property, bar those with domestic violence misdemeanor convictions from owning firearms and set a 10-round magazine limit, the Providence Journal reported Saturday. Meanwhile, legislators backed by the National Rifle Association are promoting bills that would permit those under 21 to purchase weapons if they provide a viable reason, allow automatic renewal of carrying permits and change the application process to ask for indictments only on offenses punishable by more than a year in prison, the Journal reported. Lobbyists on both sides have expressed vocal support for their favored legislative changes. The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence will hold a “Stand Up Rally” Thursday, at which Mayor Jorge Elorza is expected to speak, followed by a press conference in the State House to “encourage our General Assembly to pass … common sense gun laws,” according to a RICAGV statement, the Journal reported. Rep. Michael Chippendale, R-Foster, Coventry and Glocester, endorsed more lenient regulation. In an interview with the Journal, he asserted that gun control laws fail to reach the criminals they are intended to stop and cited the common practice of dropping weapons charges in plea agreements.
Health Committee hears assisted suicide bill The Compassionate Care Act came under debate in the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare April 8. Legislation from Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, permitting physicians to administer lethal drugs to terminally ill patients would make Rhode Island the sixth state to adopt such a law. To qualify for this option, a patient would need to be diagnosed as having no more than six months to live, be capable of taking the medication him or herself and express the intention to die on three separate occasions, the Journal reported. If the law were adopted, doctors would not be mandated to provide this medication and could not be sued for doing so if the proper avenues were followed. Bernard Haley of the Rhode Island Catholic Conference opposed the legislation, saying at the hearing, “There is no life we consider not worth living.” The late Rhode Island Senator Lila Sapinsley worked on the bill until her death last year, and her daughter Patricia Sapinsley spoke at the hearing. “This is a compassion issue,” Sapinsley said, adding that “the death sentence is already in place for these people.”
Bill proposes analysis of monthly traffic search statistics The Comprehensive Community-Police Relationship Act of 2015 would amend the Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2004 by creating new regulations for police officers regarding the recording of traffic stops. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Providence, will be heard by the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. The bill calls for new procedures in traffic searches, requiring officers to document all searches in a publicly accessible database, including the reasonable suspicion that initiated the search, according to the General Assembly. During every traffic stop a police officer would also be required to fill out a form provided by the Office of Highway Safety that lists the race or ethnicity of the stopped driver. Collection of data would begin Jan. 1, 2016, and the Office of Highway Safety would be responsible for obtaining the forms from all state police departments each quarter for four years. A statistical analysis of the data, including a breakdown of the numbers by race, would be run and released for public viewing for each month. Every year for four years, state and municipal police would submit a report outlining any measures taken to combat disparities found within the traffic stop data.
www.browndailyherald.com
» CREW, from page 1 a loss until the second race of Sunday morning, though it proved to be a crucial heat. The first varsity four got the better of Stanford and UC Berkeley, finishing with a time of 7:20.9, six seconds ahead of the Cardinal and 10 in front of the Golden Bears. But the eights were not as fortunate. UC Berkeley’s second team defeated Bruno by just two seconds, and Brown’s first boat lost to both UC Berkeley and Stanford, marking the only race in which the team failed to pick up a point and sealing second place overall. “We saw the higher standard that schools like California are at right now,” said Sobieszek. “That’s what the next level looks like. It’s a good idea to have in mind for training.” But morale remains high, Hajian said. “Even though the results weren’t what we wanted them to be, we use that as drive and motivation to get faster and push (ourselves). We have a lot of work to do, but I’m excited for it,” she said. The Bears will look to return to Sacramento May 29 for
the national championship. Closer to home, the men took part in the annual Stein Cup versus Harvard on the chilly Charles River. While the Bears fought hard, they ultimately emerged from the competition without a win. Coming off of a challenging home tilt against powerhouse Washington last weekend, the team expected a slight downgrade in competition, said captain Walker Mills ’15, a Herald opinions columnist. “We weren’t expecting (Harvard) to be quite as fast as they were, so we were surprised. And that was our fault,” he said. In the first race of the day, Brown’s fourth varsity was beaten by Harvard’s second freshman and fourth varsity. The third varsity did slightly better, starting strong before eventually being overtaken and losing by six seconds. The freshman and JV boats were also outmatched, losing to the Crimson by nine and eight seconds, respectively. Finally, the varsity eight took to the water and gave Harvard all it could handle. With a strong
headwind and choppy waters proving as tough an opponent as the Crimson, the Bears matched their hosts stroke for stroke until late in the race. Ultimately, Harvard emerged victorious by four seconds. Mills acknowledged that the weather made an already tough matchup even more difficult. “In terms of the times of the races, it clearly played a role,” he said. But he added, “It would be a weak excuse to blame the losses on the conditions.” Like the women’s, the men’s team is using these early-season tests as reference points. “The main idea of racing this early in the season against these top teams is that we’ll see where we stack up against them,” Mills said. “There’s no fooling ourselves about how fast we’re going to need to go in June to win a national championship.” Looking ahead, the women’s team will take a trip of its own to Massachusetts this Saturday, facing off against Boston University, UMass and Northeastern. The men will also be in action that day, hosting Northeastern on the Seekonk.
SPORTS
PAGE 4 • TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
» RED SOX, from page 1 at least keep Boston in contention until one of two scenarios materialize: Either someone on the current Red Sox staff emerges as a legitimate ace, or another team’s star pitcher becomes available at the trade deadline. In either case, the Sox fill their missing piece in preparation for the playoffs. It’s true that aces are instrumental to championship success, but the label is often applied after the fact. Just because the Red Sox don’t currently have a marketable name doesn’t mean one won’t come out of hiding. With five starters between the ages of 26 and 30, it’s entirely possible that someone on the staff is primed for a leap. Mid-career reclamation projects a la Francisco Liriano do happen, and each of the Sox’s starters have demonstrated high ceilings in their careers — Buccholz, Miley and Masterson are all former AllStars, Porcello is coming off a career year and just netted an $82.5 million extension and Kelly has the most electric arm of them all. Even if none of these five steps up, top pitching prospects Henry Owens and Eduardo Rodriguez are waiting in the minors for a chance to shine. Yes, some of these arguments ignore important recent trends: Buccholz can’t stay healthy, Masterson has exhibited an ominous drop in velocity, Kelly struggles with his command and they’re all pitching in the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park. Even if the stars align, this staff won’t approach elite status. Still, all the Sox need to make a deep playoff push is for one or two pitchers to get hot at the right time. “The way I look at it, we will send a bona fide, established major league
starter to the mound every night,” said manager John Farrell. “We feel there are candidates currently in our rotation that can turn into that type of performer.” But even if midseason rolls around and it’s clear that no current Red Sox pitcher has the capacity for stardom, Cherington will have a contingency plan. The Sox have always been great at reassessing the roster during the season, adding key pieces such as Orlando Cabrera, Jake Peavy, Victor Martinez and Jason Bay at recent trade deadlines. With a wealth of talented, cost-controlled prospects and a glut of capable yet expendable outfielders, Boston will be in prime position to sublet an ace in what figures to be a buyer’s market this summer. Knowing that the bats can at least keep Boston competitive, Cherington is wisely waiting to see how the team comes out of the gate before deciding the deadline value of a Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto. At first glance, it’s perfectly reasonable to be concerned about Boston’s lack of pitching chops. At second glance, you realize that the team’s offensive and defensive prowess will limit the exposure of the rotation. At third glance, you remember that Boston’s ongoing and flexible process of roster construction will likely yield complementary pieces as the postseason approaches. Suddenly, these initial concerns seem less troublesome. The Red Sox would be better off with a dominant pitcher. But they can absolutely succeed without one on the Opening Day roster.
Mike Firn ’16 sees an MVP season from Rick Porcello. Mock his naivety at michael_firn@brown.edu.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Cheap lets and strokes a problem for squash CHARLIE BLASBERG sports columnist
The past year of professional squash has exhibited perhaps the most exciting play ever. With more countries represented in the world’s top 20 players than at any time in recent memory, tournament matches have reached unprecedented popularity. An aspect of top-level squash that has evolved over the past decade is players’ ability to retrieve shots and hit quality returns. As a result, each individual point is harder to win by conventional means: moving the opposing player out of position before finishing with a winning shot. Recently, players have been opting more and more to try to win points with dubious tactics, either by asking for questionable penalty strokes — fishing — or by subtly obstructing their opponents’ path to the ball — blocking. Both fishing and blocking are becoming serious problems in professional squash, with ripple effects throughout college and junior squash and on squash’s bid for the Olympics in 2020. Traditionally, Egyptian players have been notorious for blocking and fishing, as seen in the quarterfinal of the Windy City Open last month. The match between Egyptians Marwan El Shorbagy and Karim Gawad was essentially unwatchable because of the amount of blocking and fishing. After the first set, the match became static, as almost every point stopped for a let, which is a
stoppage in play to appeal to a referee. With the Professional Squash Association’s newly implemented threereferee system, each stop in play slows the pace of the game immensely. This makes matches boring for spectators and difficult for players, as they have to start and stop playing abruptly. It also takes focus from the skill and competition that each match exhibits and directs that attention to the jawing that takes place between players and officials. These cheap techniques are by no means limited to the Egyptians. The only player in squash who has attracted popularity through his dialogues with referees is Jonathon Power, whose wit and pure talent drew fans to him. But there have been no players since Power who have been entertaining with the referees. Recently, players’ interactions with them have been irritating to watch. Gregory Gaultier of France may have put on the most egregious display of blocking in his loss against Colombia’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez in January’s Tournament of Champions. In that match, the combination of sloppy, lethargic play from Gaultier and Rodriguez’s stellar retrieving put Gaultier in a mode of desperation in which he tried to block and fish in nearly every point because he could not win points conventionally. Fishing and blocking are cheap ways to win points, and few referees reward players for chippy techniques. The techniques of fishing and blocking have become so common in professional squash that they now pervade the college and junior levels. Coaches have
even started developing young players by teaching them blocking as a legitimate technique. There are situations in squash matches when blocking can be done cleanly, such as shutting out an opponent after a loose ball, but the kind of blocking that has appeared in professional squash lately has mostly been chippy. Some defend these techniques by equating them to drawing fouls in basketball or framing pitches in baseball. I see them differently, similar to the flopping and diving that has turned so many off from soccer. The degree to which referees have become involved in professional squash matches has deterred not only fans and spectators but also officials from the International Olympic Committee. One of the criticisms the IOC has levied against squash in its opposition to bringing the sport to the Olympic level is that the referees are too involved in a non-judged sport. Unfortunately, the problem of blocking and fishing will not be solved by masses of fans, amateur players or referees. Professional players set the trends that the rest of the sport follows, so they must be the first to realize the effect that their style of play has on the sport. If, as a group, professional players can adjust the way they play, their style can spread throughout the college and junior ranks and shift the IOC’s perception of the sport.
Charlie Blasberg ’18 can be reached at charles_blasberg@brown.edu.
TODAY
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
a r c h yo u r e a dy f o r s w ?
menu SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Gnocchi, Made-to-Order Quesadillas BLUE ROOM Mango Chicken Curry, Cauliflower and Potatoes Makhani Soups: Butternut Squash, Turkey Sausage and Kale,Three Bean Chili ANDREWS COMMONS Pizzas: Bacon Chicken Ranch, Spicy Five Cheese and Garlic, Pepperoni and Meatball
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Beet and Kale Vegan Patty, Tacos with Lettuce and Tomato, Sugar Cookies
Pasta Primavera, Roast Turkey, Cornbread Stuffing, Chocolate Cherry Upside-Down Cake
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Grilled Caribbean Jerk Chicken, Vegan Beet and Kale Burger
Saigon Beef and Ham with Vegetables, Chocolate Cherry Upside-Down Cake
sudoku
ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD
Wayland Arch overlooking Wriston Quad glows on a clear night after a warm day Monday. This night will probably be one of the last quiet nights this week as Spring Weekend approaches.
comic P-Branes and Bosons | Ricky Oliver ’17
crossword
calendar TODAY
TOMORROW
12:00 P.M. FREE SPRING WEEKEND CUSTOM
12:00 P.M. PERSPECTIVES ON IRAN NUCLEAR
AIRBRUSHED TANK TOPS
NEGOTIATIONS
Airbrush artists will turn your design idea into a custom tank top for Spring Weekend. Main Green
A panel of professors and Brown alums will discuss the proposed deal between the major world powers and Iran. Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum
5:30 P.M. MATH AT TOP SPEED!
Richard Tapia, a National Medal of Science winner, will explain how math is lurking everywhere around us. Salomon 001 6:30 P.M. IS SPORTS REAL LIFE OR JUST A GAME? REFLECTIONS FROM THE GLOBAL PLAYING FIELDS
Karen Crouse, a New York Times correspondent, will present the 15th Annual Casey Shearer Memorial Lecture. Metcalf Auditorium
6:00 P.M. HILLARY 101: AN OPEN DISCUSSION
Brown Students for Hillary will host an open discussion on Hillary Clinton’s newly announced presidential campaign. Wilson 101 7:00 P.M. BROWN’S FINEST
Contestants chosen from the senior class will compete for the title of “Brown’s Finest” in the Class Coordinating Board’s annual Spring Week Pageant. Sayles Hall
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL
Pushing up declaration deadlines Brown should strongly consider moving up the deadline for the declaration of concentrations during sophomore year. Because an earlier deadline would not presume students have a total plan for the future, students would realize that one’s concentration does not define one’s life path or personality. Rather, it is a succinct plan to complete education requirements. Ideally this earlier deadline would be paired with a routine check-in to see whether that plan is working, and if it isn’t, to allow the student to change it. A concentration plan ensures that students graduate. It opens a world of possibilities, and it is flexible, changeable and just another step toward maturing as a student. A February deadline, for example, would allow students to consider their choice under much less stressful circumstances compared to the current deadline, which falls during midterms and pre-Spring Weekend excitement on April 1. Though the Undergraduate Council of Students has tried to increase advising before the deadline by publishing a list of pre-concentration advisers — faculty members whom students may approach for input if they wish — the whirlwind of stressors may cause students to avoid concentrations that they want because they are feeling strained at the moment in classes that a particular concentration of interest might require. One might be reluctant to declare chemistry while studying for an organic chemistry midterm. Undergraduates should also remember that concentrations can be changed at Brown more easily than at most colleges. Students meet an adviser and submit a new request on Advising Sidekick. As long as one has enough time and credit slots left to complete the new concentration’s requirements, switching remains an option until Nov. 11 of their seventh semester. And when a good case can be made, deans may allow some wiggle room at their discretion. Independent concentrations take more explanation to swing but are still doable. Yet this raises a larger point: The essays on ASK, which vary by concentration, are largely projective and ask people to lay out a narrative of what they want their Brown education to be as a sophomore. Predicting and deciding our college career as sophomores is a difficult task, and advocating that it be moved to February may seem to make light of a what many students consider a serious, soul-searching exposition of what they feel they will accomplish later and who they will be. But it doesn’t need to be such a big deal. The overemphasis on one’s narrative of the education to come seems disingenuous. Most students do not interview professors or seek out available resources before writing the essays, and ASK essays are never referred to after concentrations are approved. Because they are functionally stressful formalities, we recommend striking them down in length, making it perhaps five short sentences about how the student tentatively plans to complete the concencentration’s requirements during their time at Brown, semester by semester. This is all that is needed, not an expose to be labored over like a college application. If it’s concrete and simple, it will be helpful. Declaring is just a step forward that should orient students, gently, toward the future. And if the University could take some of the stress out of the declaration process and acknowledge that it is nothing more than a semi-permanent schedule to help students graduate with a degree, they can go back to doing what Brown helps them do best: learning.
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COMMENTARY TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
The problem with divestment DUNCAN WEINSTEIN opinions columnist
This spring, many student climate activists are turning up the heat. On campuses across the country, student activists have turned to sit-ins to pressure their schools to divest from fossil fuels. At Swarthmore College, where a student divestment proposal was rejected at 2013, students have been sitting-in since mid-March. Similar protests have occurred at Bowdoin College, Yale, and the University of Mary Washington. Syracuse University recently became the largest-endowed university to completely divest from fossil fuels, after an 18-day sit-in last November, The Herald reported last week. Stanford remains the wealthiest school to have divested from coal. Other institutions have divested as well: Last September, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a charitable organization worth $860 million, announced it was going fossil free. The Guardian Media Group, which owns the Guardian newspaper, has divested. According to the New York Times, more than 180 institutions with more than $50 billion in assets have pledged to divest, along with individuals collectively worth more than $1 billion. In the fall of 2013, the Corpora-
tion decided not to divest the University’s endowment from coal, leading to the creation of Fossil Free Brown, a student group dedicated to getting the University completely divested from fossil fuel companies. Brown’s institutional policy is to divest from companies that create a social harm when either “divestiture will likely have a positive impact toward correcting the specified social harm” or the company “contributes to social harm so grave that it would be inconsistent with the goals and principles of the University to accept funds from that source,” according
its carbon footprint 30 percent from 2007 to 2013. In her email, Paxson touched on many of the most pertinent issues in the divestment debate: the urgency of action, limited effectiveness, and the alternative of colleges individually reducing their carbon footprint. At this point, the need to prevent humancaused climate change ought to be beyond debate. But divestment may not be the best way. To be clear, I don’t oppose divestment when institutions choose to do it. In my mind, the strongest argument for it is that it might stigma-
ethical message and will have a larger impact on the climate than divestment. What stops many institutions from divesting is the cost. While fossil fuel stocks might make up a small percentage of a college’s total portfolio, divesting would force the school to sell off mutual and index funds that include those stocks, meaning a much larger turnover in their portfolio. Explaining Swarthmore’s decision not to divest, Gil Kemp, chair of the school’s Board of Managers, estimated divestment would cost their $2 billion endowment $11-15 million a
Rather than push for divestment, I’d like to see student activists propose plans to make their universities energy independent.
to an October 2013 email President Christina Paxson P’19 sent to the community. She wrote that while climate change clearly constitutes a social harm, divestment would not have a significant impact on coal production and that the importance of coalpowered energy for the global economy lessened its evil. Paxson also cited Brown’s efforts to reduce its energy consumption, including reducing
tize political contributions from fossil fuel companies trying to prevent environmental action. But activists could better serve the cause they care about by spending their limited time and resources pushing their institutions to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Colleges going completely energy independent — such as investing in solar panels or investing in insulation — would send a similarly strong
year, National Public Radio reported. Rather than push for divestment, I’d like to see student activists propose plans to make their universities energy independent. Between smaller utility bills and the tax breaks available for alternative energy, these investments could be a long-term financial boon to colleges. While this wouldn’t do as much to stigmatize fossil fuel companies as divestment, it would provide concrete carbon
reductions and sustainable energy. It would also provide an alternative to colleges like Brown, Harvard, Swarthmore, Bowdoin and many others, looking to lead on climate change that have said they will not divest. Becoming energy independent could also open the door to a future where fossil fuel companies make significant investments in alternative energy as a way of adapting their business models. The argument that divestment will financially harm fossil fuel companies is seriously flawed. Most large fossil fuel companies don’t rely on the equity market for their cash flow, and their business model is independent of their stock price. A 1999 study by economists Siew Hong Teoh, Ivo Welch and C. Paul Wazzan found that while divestment from South Africa may have changed the conversation, it did not lower target companies market valuations, since other investors saw value and stepped in. What would hurt fossil fuel companies’ profitability is if colleges could go off the grid and sustainably produce enough energy to meet all their needs. Like divestment, this too would send a powerful message: A fossil-free future is possible.
Duncan Weinstein ’17 can be reached at duncan_weinstein@brown.edu.
Why not ‘Be the Match’? ZEIN KHLEIF opinions columnist
While Tinder seems to be occupying the minds of students these days, as spring fever begins to take hold, there are other ways to get matched. Today, April 14, our football team will host Brown’s 6th annual Be the Match bone marrow testing drive. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., members of the team will be standing outside of Sayles Hall recruiting students and faculty members to sign up. I grew up in a household that educated me in the importance of personal sacrifice for the benefit of others. My father has dedicated his life to cancer research and health care reform, and though he wasn’t always home in time for dinner, I would not have it any other way. He inspired me to pursue research in high school and intern at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health during my summers. I spent those humid Washington, D.C. days happily working in labs focusing on the effects of genetics on leukemia and the effects of bone marrow transplants on patients. Walking across the Main Green one day my sophomore year at Brown, I remember seeing several of our football players standing outside Sayles. They were advocating for a cause I had spent so much time researching under a microscope but never enough time inquiring what else I could do outside of the lab. After learning what being on the registry meant, I signed up for Be the Match.
I remember urging my friends to do the same. But instead of being met with enthusiastic replies, not one person I spoke to registered with me. I was told it was too much of a hassle and that it was not worth the potential inconvenience of becoming a donor. Matching, of course, is just the start of the marrowdonation process. This shocked me. The potential inconvenience of anything more than a social media match was not worth literally saving a person’s life? I do not know if my friends’ hesitation resulted from misconceptions, lack of information or fear, but it is important that our community learns about this drive — if for
and puts them into the patient’s bloodstream, where they begin to grow and make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.” On transplant day, patients receive donated cells in a process similar to that of receiving medicine through an IV. Be the Match’s website details how a bone transplant works, explains the step-by-step processes are from signing up to donating and highlights the importance of donating by sharing stories of those whose lives have been saved by donation — which, more often than not, can serve as the deciding factor to sign up. It takes as little as 45 minutes to sign up,
The potential inconvenience of anything more than a social media match was not worth literally saving a person’s life?
no other reason than just to be aware of the potential impact we can have for others. One of us could be the reason that someone — a young child, a parent or a friend — is able to stay alive. People need healthy marrow and blood cells in order to live. When an individual has a disease, such as leukemia, that prevents the healthy formation and function of marrow and cells, a blood or marrow transplant is often the best, and only, cure. As detailed by Be the Match, a transplant “takes a donor’s healthy blood-forming cells
receive a cheek swab and fill out a health history form. Upon completion, and assuming adequate health status for potential donation, a person is added to the national Be the Match registry. Addition to the registry means there is a 1 in 540, or 0.19 percent chance, of becoming a match for someone in need of a transplant. It is important to note that there are two different kind of donations: bone marrow donations and peripheral blood stem cell, or PBSC, donations. Despite common misconceptions, most donations are done through
PBSC automated blood donations — no surgery required. It is performed in an outpatient clinic using, something that most of my friends did not know until I had mentioned it. If the case happens to be one that needs a bone marrow donation, the donor will be put under general anesthesia, and liquid marrow will be withdrawn from the back of the pelvic bone. Individuals may be hesitant about the aftereffects of donating. While marrow donors take more time to heal than PBSC donors, both should expect to return to their normal daily activities between one to seven days. Some marrow donors report the aftereffect feelings being similar to a strained muscle in the back, achy hip bones or akin to that of those of falling on their butts. These aches could last a couple of weeks. In the last five years, over 1,200 Brown students, staff members and faculty members have signed up. One of our students, Matt Shannon ’14, was even selected as a match. In 2012, Shannon donated bone marrow to a leukemia patient and saved the man’s life. We can all learn from Shannon and these other 1,200-plus community members. Yes, taking 45 minutes to sign up may be inconvenient, and the additional steps may be as well. But if our community members are able to take the time today, at least to learn more about it, what is the inconvenience compared to a lifetime given to those in need?
Zein Khleif ’15 is concentrating in political psychology. She can be reached at zein_khleif@brown.edu.
SCIENCE & RESEARCH THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
‘Still Alice’ depicts woman’s struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease U. researchers tackle prevention, treatment methods of debilitating, incurable disease featured in movie By ANDREW JONES SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR
This article is part of an ongoing series, Science at the Cinema, which explores research and researchers portrayed in film. “Still Alice,” released last December, catalogs the insidious cognitive decline of a woman with Alzheimer’s Disease. With a narrative about an illness that afflicts tens of millions of people worldwide, the film shows not only the disease’s biological toll but also its associated deterioration of personal relationships. As the nation’s average age grows increasingly older, the emotionally provocative film brings to light some pressing personal and public health issues associated with dementia. The disease manifests itself in increasingly conspicuous ways in the life of the main character, Alice Howland, a linguistics professor at Columbia. She first notices her mind going awry when she gets lost while going for a routine run around Columbia’s campus. As her disease progresses, she becomes more forgetful, even struggling to remember her daughters’ names. Alzheimer’s currently affects about 5.3 million people in the United States — two-thirds of them women, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. As the only top-10 cause of death in the United States that cannot be prevented or cured, the disease also has a large economic cost, projected to total $226 billion in 2015.
Alzheimer’s is a “major public health problem” now and for the future, as the portion of the population over 65 is growing, said Stephen Salloway, professor of neurology and psychiatry and human behavior. In Japan, another country with a disproportionately large elderly population, more elderly diapers are sold annually than baby diapers, he added. Salloway is currently spearheading a research project aimed at finding viable preventative medications for early-onset Alzheimer’s — the same form of disease Alice has. Brown hosts a variety of research that focuses on prevention and treatment of the disease, said Geoffrey Tremont, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior. Some projects focus on attacking the malicious proteins that build up in a brain with Alzheimer’s, while others seek to find early detection methods, he added. Professor of Neurology Brian Ott is developing a registry of people who may be at risk for the disease that could be used to identify risk factors, Tremont said. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include forgetting new information, repeating certain habits and struggling to learn, Tremont said. Family members typically notice that “little pieces fade over time” in the afflicted family member, he added. “Still Alice” did a “pretty good job of being realistic” about the issues surrounding the disease, he said.
The disease also takes a large chunk out of Alice’s ego, as she struggles with a cognitive disorder while trying to maintain her successful career in a high-caliber arena of academia. After she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she writes down personal questions with which she quizzes herself every morning. She then records a video message saying that when she can no longer answer the questions, she should kill herself. Behaviors like these are not typical of Alzheimer’s patients, as most, unlike Alice, are not aware of a decline in their capacities, Salloway said. But they are likely to become depressed, irritable or impatient, he added. While the disease’s mark on the person afflicted is indelible and readily identifiable, the toll on caregivers and family members — poignantly featured in the film — is often overlooked. As the movie portrays, caring for a person with Alzheimer’s requires an enormous commitment of time and emotional resources. Toward the end of Alice’s cognitive decline, she is unable to recognize her own children, spurring familial turmoil. Her daughter Lydia ultimately decides to move in with Alice to provide more thorough care — a decision that requires immense personal sacrifice. Alice’s daughter belongs to the “sandwich generation,” composed of people who must care for their aging parents while rearing families of their own, Salloway said. “One of the biggest burdens for Alzheimer’s is that the care falls to the family,” he added.
In 2014, friends and family of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias provided an estimated 17.9 billion hours of unpaid care, according to the
Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s care will ultimately include both a cocktail of medications and lifestyle factors, Salloway said.