Daily
Herald
the Brown
vol. cxlvi, no. 87
Monday, October 17, 2011
Since 1891
UCS names Hundreds join Occupy three to movement downtown advisory committee By Sophia seawell Staff Writer
By Sahil Luthra Senior Staff Writer
The Undergraduate Council of Students confirmed three student representatives and an alternate to the Campus Advisory Committee at an emergency meeting last night. The committee will assist the Corporation’s Presidential Search Committee in identifying President Ruth Simmons’ successor. The UCS Executive Board unanimously selected Brandon Broome ’12, Raj Dhaliwal ’12 and UCS Vice President David Rattner ’13 as representatives and Paul Tran ’14 as an alternate. A UCS quorum approved the all-male selection. UCS President Ralanda Nelson ’12 announced the application process for the committee in a campuswide email Oct. 3, and applications were due Oct. 6. Broome, Dhaliwal and Tran were selected from a pool of 57 applicants, 15 of whom were finalists, according to a statement from UCS spokesman Sam Gilman ’15. Rattner was selected as the Executive Board’s representative through a separate process from a pool of five members. Undergraduate representatives of the advisory committee will be tasked with identifying what the student body wants to see in the University’s next president. They continued on page 5
Several hundred protesters, including students involved in Occupy College Hill, joined the growing Occupy movement Saturday evening in Burnside Park downtown. The movement, which began with the
city & state Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, opposes growing economic disparity and corporate greed. “One percent of the population has all the wealth, and I would like to see it spread out,” said Providence resident Catherine Rhodes, who set up a tent prior to the Occupy
Providence rally with the intention of camping in the park, which is next to Kennedy Plaza. Several other protesters had similar plans, and some said they intended to stay Sunday night as well. “That 1 percent is overrepresented in the political system,” said Joseph Freitas, who was interviewed with Rhodes. “I really want to find ways to disconnect money from politics,” said Jim Barfood. Barfood, who is middle-aged, said he attended the rally in part to dispel the notion that the Occupy movement is strictly youth-based. The rally was relatively informal.
Courtesy of Caroline Sagalchik
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Professor of Applied Mathematics Chip Lawrence joined the growing number of Occupy Providence protesters Saturday in Burnside Park.
Masturbator Bears wallop Princeton in shutout win spotted at win of the year. The struggling Newhall-Caballero ’11.5 led anTigers (1-4, 1-1) failed to keep other stellar offensive perfor- Brook and their Ivy record unblemished after mance, going 22-31 for 229 yards Wide receiver Tellef Lundevall ’13 a win over Columbia Oct. 1. and a touchdown. Wide receiver caught a touchdown and threw Head Coach Phil Estes credited Alex Tounkara-Kone ’11.5 turned Angell Football
By ethan mccoy Sports Editor
for another as Brown dominated Princeton 34-0 Saturday at Brown Stadium. It was the first shutout for the Bears (4-1, 1-1 Ivy) since 1990. Shutting a team out “just gets us fired up,” said linebacker Dan Smithwick ’12. “We definitely take pride in shutting down an offense like that and putting that goose egg up on the scoreboard.” The victory is the Bears’ third in a row and their first conference
defensive coordinator Mike Kelleher for drawing up the highly effective defensive game plan, which he said kept a threatening Tigers offense “out of rhythm” for the entire game. “With our defense and our game plan, the coaches had us ready,” Smithwick said. “We expected and anticipated what they were going to run, and we were in the right position.” Co-captain quarterback Kyle
in his strongest performance since the season opener, catching five passes for 97 yards, while Lundevall and Jimmy Saros ’12 hauled in six catches apiece. The rushing attack continued to progress, contributing 194 yards. Perhaps most importantly, the offense did not turn over the ball for the third straight game. “They matched up really well
their support, their involvement in their children’s lives and for being role models for students. Simmons briefly discussed the University’s position as one of the happiest schools in the country and noted that many of her acquaintances are thrown off by the rating. “So often, we don’t trust the fact that we can be gloriously happy and exultant,” Simmons said. “I’m glad our students can stand up in a public space and articulate their ideas without descending into the vortex of insults,” she said to applause. At the end of her speech, Simmons opened the floor to ques-
The recent public masturbation spree on College Hill continued last night with an incident at the corner of Angell and Brook streets. Alejandra Ceja ’12 was sitting at the kitchen table of her friends’ apartment at 9:34 p.m. when a man appeared outside the window. He saw her, removed his pants and underwear and began to masturbate, she said. Ceja said she is used to seeing people outside the window, which opens onto a driveway between student residences, and initially thought the man was a friend. When she realized what was happening, she ran from the window and yelled to call the police. The man then ran away. Erika Kohnen ’12, who lives at the house, also witnessed the incident. “I didn’t see his face,” she said. “I only saw the action.” At 9:35 p.m., Kohnen called the Providence Police Department. Ceja called the Department of Public Safety at 9:49 p.m. Both Providence and Brown police officers arrived at the scene just after 10 p.m. Ceja said she was surprised it took Providence police almost 30 minutes to arrive. “If the aim is to catch him, they’re not doing what they need to,” she said.
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Tom Sullivan / Herald
inside
Beautiful weather greeted visiting families during Family Weekend.
Arts..........................2 SPORTS....................3 editorial...............6 Opinions................7
Stormy Bard Troupe impresses during Family Weekend
Arts & Culture, 2
Speaking for the last time to parents on Family Weekend, President Ruth Simmons relied on a superlative. “Brown has the most supportive parents, unmatched by any of its peers,” she said. Simmons’ speech, before a crowd of more than 100 students and parents Friday, was engaging and casual. She joked with the audience, mentioning Saturday morning’s homecoming win against Princeton and poking fun at Provost Mark Schlissel P’15, a Princeton alum, for sitting at the back of the stands, wearing orange and black. She also thanked parents for
Occupy
Rosenbloom ’13: movement too simple Opinions, 7
weather
Simmons lauds parents at final Family Weekend By Caroline Flanagan Arts & Culture Staff Writer
By Lucy Feldman Senior Staff Writer
t o d ay
tomorrow
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2 Arts & Culture
The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 17, 2011
calendar Today
OctobeR 17
5:30 P.m.
ToMORROW
OcTober 18
5 p.m.
Panel Discussion on Greek Crisis,
“Human Trafficking and the Law,”
Joukowksy Forum
Pembroke Hall 305
8 p.m.
8 p.m. Sukkot Extravaganza,
Jazz Combos Concert,
Brown-RISD Hillel
Grant Recital Hall
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH
Cajun Pasta with Chicken, Tortellini Provencale, Cauliflower, Green Beans and Peppers
Hot Roast Beef on French Bread, Swiss Broccoli Pasta, Nacho Bar, Curly Fries
DINNER Texas BBQ Beef Brisket, Jumbo Couscous, Vegan Roasted Veggie Stew, Grilled Cheese
Roast Pork Calypso, Oven Roasted Tofu, Coconut Rice, Stir Fry Carrots with Lemon and Dill
Sudoku
Crossword
Glenn Lutzky / Herald
Shakespeare on the Green’s fall production was staged this weekend on the steps of Manning Hall.
‘Tempest’ enchants the Quiet Green By caroline flanagan Arts & Culture Staff Writer
Shakespeare on the Green staged its traditional Family Weekend production this weekend with Director Christina Sauer’s ’14 adaptation of “The Tempest.” The play took place in Kassar Auditorium Friday evening due to rain, but thanks to beautiful weather the rest of the weekend, the production was able to move to the Quiet Green and the steps of Manning Hall — its planned location. The play starts with a tempest, which causes a ship to run aground on a magical island. The castaways include the king of Naples, his son and other subjects. Prospero, a knowledgeable and powerful sorcerer, lives on the island with his daughter Miranda and controls the island’s spirits. He uses the spirits to create the tempest, hoping for redemption against one of the castaways, his brother Antonio, who banished him to the island in a bid for power. “It’s a comedy, but the theme of forgiveness comes across as well,” Sauer said. “And it’s just fun.” Sauer’s adaptation preserves the
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light-hearted nature of the play. The actors prance around, dancing through the audience and running around the green. Five actors dressed in whimsical costumes portrayed the spirits that Prospero summons. Some were strung with leaves and most wore flowing garments and had their faces painted. They were in constant motion, gamboling around the audience or creeping up to the stage on all fours. Allison Schaaff ’14 played Ariel and successfully portrayed the playful, mischievous spirit who serves Prospero. She was constantly grinning and skipping around the stage. The spirits were one of the most entertaining aspects of the play. All the actors seemed to be having fun and imbued their characters with this excitement. They also sang and were accompanied by musical themes when demonstrating their power. Austen Hyde ’14 composed the spirits’ songs and selected the rest of the music in the play. Overall, the music was well-done, strengthening the production’s emotional intensity. The trio of Stephano (Erin Schwartz ’15), Caliban (Nicole
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Damari ’12) and Trinculo (Christian Petroske ’15) was hilarious. When Caliban, Prospero’s scheming slave, was first introduced, he emerged from underneath the Quiet Green’s ring sculpture, where he had been curled up, unnoticed for the first part of the play. The three claimed the majority of the audience’s laughs with their silly antics — Stephano constantly nursed a bottle of wine and drunkenly joked with audience members. Additional highlights from the cast include Ben Jones ’13 as Antonio and Phillipe Roberts ’15 as Alonso. Jones’ Antonio was wonderfully evil, scowling throughout the production. Roberts’ Alonso was more tragic, genuinely distressed by the apparent death of his son. Costume design was well-executed, capturing the dual nature of the play, both whimsical and dark at times. Though the spirits were dressed in bright clothing, Caliban looked as though he was dressed in stark scraps of clothing messily sewed together. He slunk about the stage, usually wearing a long, leather, hooded coat resembling a canvas sack. The staging was notable for its creative design. Though actors made use of the entire field, all action took place on Manning Hall’s steps. Prospero, Miranda and the spirits inhabited the top of the steps, watching the invading castaways at the bottom. “The ethereal upper level converges with the lower human level at the end,” Sauer said. One of the play’s weaker points was that it was often hard to hear. Set outside, the play was disrupted by traffic and wind that sometimes drowned out the actors. Stephanie Randall ’15, as Miranda, was particularly hard to hear. Though she did well embodying the innocent and endearingly naive character, her voice did not carry as well as other voices.
Shakespeare on the Green’s adaptation of “The Tempest” was magical and entertaining — talented actors turned the Quiet Green into Prospero’s island playground.
Sports Monday 3
The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 17, 2011
For first time in 21 years, Crimson crumble under Bruno’s might Bears record shutout win M. Soccer
By Sam rubinroit Assistant Sports Editor
The men’s soccer team posted its second Ivy League win Saturday night, earning a 1-0 victory on the road over Harvard. Harvard (2-9-1, 0-3 Ivy) has struggled this season, dropping its first two Ivy matches against Yale and Cornell, 1-0 and 3-1, respectively. The Bears (7-4-1, 2-1) were prepared for a hard-fought matchup, knowing that a third loss in league play for the Crimson would diminish all chances of a conference title for Harvard. “Harvard is traditionally a powerhouse, and they were coming out looking to turn their season around,” said defenseman Ryan McDuff ’13. “They knew that if they lost this game, their season was likely over, and so they threw
two or three extra forwards up front and fought the whole game.” But the Bears did not back down, and midfielder Evan Coleman ’12 scored the game’s lone goal in the 31st minute, netting a pass from forward T.J. Popolizio ’12. The goal marked Coleman’s second in as many games, and Popolizio earned his second assist of the season. “He plays with a lot of passion,” McDuff said of Coleman. “He kind of surprised the keeper last night. He took a page out of (Popolizio’s) playbook and toepoked one in.” With their season hanging in the balance, the Crimson kept up the pressure for the rest of the game, but found the Bears’ defense unrelenting. Though Harvard held a 4-1 advantage in shots in the second half, goalkeeper Sam
Kernan-Schloss ’13 made three saves to improve his record to 4-2-1 overall. McDuff said he was proud of his fellow defenders for maintaining their composure late in the game. “We put up a fort and defended the Alamo in the backfield, and we held out for the 1-0 win,” he said. The Bears return to action Saturday night when they travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to face an undefeated Cornell side in another Ivy showdown. With a victory, the Bears could move into first place in the conference. “Cornell is a very improved team in the Ivy League,” McDuff said. “They are 3-0 right now, but our guys are focused. We need to work hard and scrap, and hopefully we will win this game and be on top of the Ivy League.”
W. Soccer
Squad lets ‘golden opportunity’ slip By Sam wickham Sports Staff Writer
After blowing out Francis Marion University 5-1 Thursday, the women’s soccer team suffered a tough loss on the road against Harvard Saturday night. Forward Chloe Cross ’15 led the offense with a hat trick against the Patriots (3-10-1), but the Bears (8-4-1, 2-2 Ivy) were unable to carry the offensive momentum into their matchup against the Crimson (9-4-1, 3-0-1). Brown 5, Francis Marion 1
In addition to Cross’ hat trick, forward Eliza Marshall ’13 netted two goals in the team’s most dominant win of the season. Though a missing referee delayed kickoff, Bruno got off to a roaring start once the opening whistle blew. Marshall got on the score sheet first in the 15th minute after putting home a cross from midfielder Mika Siegelman ’14. “It was really good to see us come out strong in the first half,” Marshall said. “That was something we had been struggling with, so we did well in that case.” Marshall assisted on Cross’ goal just seven minutes later. Her pass found its way past Patriot defenders to Cross, who finished confidently to give the Bears a two-goal cushion. But Cross was just getting started, and found the back of the net again only five minutes later. Defender Gloria Chun ’12 sent a long through ball up to Cross, who rounded the keeper and calmly slotted her finish into the vacated goal to increase the lead to 3-0 going into halftime. Though the Patriots forced a save from MC Barret ’14 just 58 seconds into the half, the Bears continued to pile on the goals when Marshall
fired past the keeper from the top of the box in the 53rd minute. The goal marked Marshall’s team-leading fourth of the season. “It’s not necessarily about scoring,” Marshall said, “But also about holding the ball, and distributing it to my teammates to help the attack go forward.” Bruno’s final goal of the day came just a minute later. Marshall received a ball at the left post from midfielder Allie Reilly ’15 and shot just wide. Cross swooped in before the ball rolled out of play and shot across the goal for her third of the day, giving Brown a commanding 5-0 lead. A late goal from the Patriots in the 86th was too little, too late, and the Bears came away with a convincing win. “I can’t tell you how many times Brown came out and scored that many goals in a game,” said Head Coach Phil Pincince. “I can’t tell you the last time we had a Brown player who scored a hat trick, and I can’t remember the last time we played everybody that was able to play in that game, so that was exciting.” Harvard 2, Brown 1
Though Bruno found the back of the net early against the Crimson, Harvard stormed back in the second half to grab the conference win and possession of first place in the Ivy League. The Bears are four points behind the Crimson with three league games left in the season. “Every year, you’re going to play 17 games,” Pincince said. “But there are some games that are golden opportunity games, and yesterday was a golden opportunity game because we were fighting for first place.” “It was obviously a heartbreaker,” Marshall said. “We didn’t play 90 minutes of good soccer.” The Bears got off to a cracking
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start when Kiersten Berg ’14 flicked a set-piece cross from Marshall into the far side of the goal in the 16th minute, giving Bruno an early 1-0 lead. Harvard nearly equalized eight minutes later, as a shot flew over goaltender Amber Bledsoe’s ’14 head and off the crossbar. The Crimson outshot the Bears 6-4 in the first half but could not get on the score sheet before the half. But Harvard turned up the pressure at the start of the second half and found the goal in the 59th minute. After a free kick outside the area, the Crimson’s Melanie Baskind fired a loose ball into the net to equalize. Five minutes later, Harvard came up with the game-winner. Mai Le collected the ball eight yards out from goal off another set piece and slotted home a finish to give the Crimson the deciding 2-1 lead. “It was sort of a broken-play goal,” Pincince said. “All three of them were like that. They got two, we got one, and unfortunately, we came back to Providence with no points.”
continued from page 1 on the perimeter with us,” said Princeton Head Coach Bob Surace about the Brown passing attack. “With those big receivers, they had terrific timing from quarterback to receiver. They had diving catches, fingertip catches,” he said, “You have to credit them, but I thought we had chances to stop them on third down and didn’t, so that was frustrating.” Brown almost doubled Princeton’s yardage total, outgaining the Tigers 415 yards to 208. On the other side of the ball, the Bears’ defense shut down Princeton’s passing attack, giving Tigers quarterback Tommy Wornham an abysmal stat line of 11-27 for 75 yards and an interception. Princeton was only 3-15 on third down conversions. By contrast, Brown was 9-16 on its third down chances. “Those third- and fourth-down plays — those are the times for our defense to really step up and prove what we have out there,” Smithwick said. Brown took the lead only 57 seconds into the game when Smithwick intercepted Wornham and ran it back for a touchdown. On the third play of the game, the Princeton quarterback put the pass right into Smithwick’s arms, and the senior obliged by taking it 36 yards to the house. “It got the momentum going and really helped carry us through the game,” Smithwick said. “Danny’s been making big play after big play, game after game,” Estes said. Along with his touchdown, Smithwick led the Brown defense with eight tackles. A 39-yard field goal by kicker Alex Norocea ’14 extended the Bears’ lead to 10-0 in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Newhall-Caballero found Lundevall for a touchdown to cap a 78yard drive that featured a 41-yard reception by Tounkara-Kone and a third down Newhall-Caballero run to the Tigers’ one-yard line. A holding call on Lundevall pushed the ball back to the 11, but the junior receiver redeemed himself on the next play by making a diving
catch at the pylon for the score. Later in the quarter, the Bears again marched down the field for a touchdown. The drive featured a pair of key third down conversions, including a catch and run by Tounkara-Kone to take the ball to the Tigers’ one-yard line. The Bears scored on the next play, though it was not how the coaches drew it up. A direct snap to running back Mark Kachmer ’13 flew over his head. But Kachmer was able to run back, scoop up the ball, then sprint to the left edge and leap over the pylon to make the score 24-0 in Brown’s favor at the halftime whistle. Norocea tacked on another field goal in the third quarter, but in the fourth, the Bears sealed the win in dazzling fashion. On fourth and 14 from the Princeton 46, punter Nate Lovett ’12 surprised the Tigers by tucking the ball and running on a fake punt call. There was nothing but open field in front of Lovett, who ran for 22 yards and the first down. On the next play, Estes again dialed up some trickery for a score. Lundevall was handed the ball on an end around, and then lobbed the ball into the middle of the end zone to Saros. Saros was well-covered but was able to wrestle the ball away from the defender to make the final score line 34-0. Estes said the play — known appropriately as the “Tiger Pass” — is one that has been in the playbook for 14 years, and the Bears practice versions of it every day. Three times in the second half, Brown’s defense forced a turnover on downs inside its own 10-yard line to preserve the shutout. The win came in front of 5,265 on Family Weekend. The win puts the Bears right back in the thick of things in the Ivy League race. Bruno will travel next week to Ithaca, N.Y., to take on Cornell (2-3, 0-2) in another crucial conference matchup. With Yale (3-2, 2-0), Harvard (4-1, 2-0) and Penn (3-2, 2-0) each undefeated in Ivy play, a win over the Big Red could prove crucial in the Bears’ quest for an Ivy crown.
4 Campus News
The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 17, 2011
Conference resurrects Eying peers, U. considers open access to research ‘dead’ language continued from page 8 Latin authors hailed from a combination of Christian, pagan and secular backgrounds, their works offer unique perspectives on the relationships between individuals and lovers, as well as individuals and God. Scott McGill — whose book on the concept of plagiarism in ancient Rome and its implications for contemporary society will come out next year — referred to the conference as a “Late Antique Woodstock.”
He said late antiquity has traditionally been overlooked in this country. Conference participants stressed that late Latin antiquity is a new field, which, as Vessey put it, “is only just beginning to be measured out.” The conference proved that centuries later, ancient material can continue to deliver fresh insight. “Latin isn’t dead,” Pucci said, “It’s not spoken, but it isn’t dead. Any language that can allow you access to a culture isn’t dead.”
PPD slow to respond to masturbator sighting continued from page 1 She described the man as a white male with short brown hair. She said he looked to be around 20 years old and was wearing jeans. The residents said they did not believe the man was the same as the one who has been spotted several times masturbating on John Street. His appearance did not match a description given in a Sept. 29 Herald article, in which the masturbator was described as having a “mop of black hair.”
One of the PPD officers who arrived on the scene said in a conversation with other police officers he was unaware of the previous incidents involving public masturbation on John Street. “I think if they really want to catch the guy, they should inform not just the Brown police but the Providence police as well,” Ceja said. The residents of the apartment took the incident with a sense of humor. “It wasn’t traumatizing or anything. We were just surprised,” Kohnen said.
By Margaret Nickens Contributing Writer
Last month, Princeton became the latest in a series of prestigious universities to adopt an open-access policy, allowing free public access to research completed at the university. The University Library Advisory Board, the Research Advisory Board and a group of deans have been considering adopting a similar policy at Brown. But drawbacks to the program have made the University hesitant, said University Librarian Harriette Hemmasi. Open access to research can cause conflicts with journal publishers. When professors publish their work in a journal, they often waive the copyrights to their studies, preventing publication elsewhere. To comply with an open-access policy, a researcher might have to forgo publishing in the journal or break his or her contract with the publisher to make the work publicly available. In response, universities with open-access policies allow some professors to opt out of the open-access repository. Some journals have begun accepting this new trend — 16 major publishers openly support MIT’s open-access policy. But not all publishers cooperate, posing a problem for many researchers, said Robert Pelcovits, professor
of physics. “Until there’s a major culture shift, which is probably going to take years, you have to assume that people also want to publish in traditional journals,” Pelcovits said, “especially people looking to get tenure, looking to get promoted to full professor — even people just looking for grant support.” The open-access policy would encourage professors to publish in the repository but would not force them to do so, Hemmasi said. “A policy is not like a law,” she said. The policy would improve a professor’s bargaining chips when negotiating with publishers, she said, allowing researchers to use the policy as an excuse to retain the rights to their works. The policy “might give the faculty member more backing to say to the publisher, ‘I want this, and my university expects me to keep the copyright,’” Hemmasi said. Lack of peer review poses another major problem with openaccess journals, said Harold Cook, professor of history, who said this makes him hesitant to support such a policy at Brown. Others simply do not think open access is necessary. Mangala Patil ’13, a neuroscience concentrator, said because the University already pays the subscription fees for a number of journals, students do not need open access to view scientific research. The Library pays about $4 million in subscription fees, but due to rising journal costs, it has cut around 2,000 scientific journals from its budget in the past couple of years, Hemmasi said. Pelcovits said open access is already very common in his field. His physics research, which has also been published in traditional scientific journals, is already available freely on his website. Computer science, medical science and some of the life sciences are also becoming increasingly open-access friendly, Hemmasi said. The National Institutes of Health requires any of its funded research be freely available to the public. Administrators at universities where open-access policies have already been adopted are enthusiastic about the program. Andrew Appel, the chairman of the committee that enacted the open-access policy at Princeton, and Ellen Duranceau, the program manager for scholarly publishing and licensing at MIT, said that open access has been highly successful at their universities and encouraged other schools to consider adopting similar policies. Open access is based on “the general principle that universities are here for the purpose of doing scholarship and disseminating it to the world, and that there are many people out there in the world who aren’t at rich universities that can afford to get all their articles from behind a paywall,” Appel said. “Brown has to proceed carefully, rather than simply adopting the principal and saying ‘yes, we believe in open access,’” Cook said. “We all have to think about how this is going to work for us.”
News in brief
Med School doles out white coats The white coat, an international symbol of the medical professional, is not an accessory to be worn lightly at Alpert Medical School. The Med School welcomed the 109 members of the class of 2015, giving each student their first white coat Saturday afternoon. The students will wear the coat, a slightly shorter version of a doctor’s coat, for the next four years. “There is no honor like the honor of wearing this white coat,” said Nilay Patel ’08 MD’12, the student representative at the Ceremony of Commitment to Medicine. Speakers at the ceremony included Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Edward Wing and Fred Schiffman, professor of medicine. The coat is “a symbol of authority, garnering respect,” Schiffman said. He told students to wear the coat to remind themselves of their first priority as a doctor — loyalty to the patient. Patel said the coat helped him gain confidence as a doctor. “People will mistake you for a doctor sooner than you’re ready to be one,” he said, “and that’s not a bad thing.” “When people accidentally put their faith in you, you may accidentally rise to the challenge,” Patel said. The class of 2015 will be the first to enjoy the Med School’s newly finished headquarters at 222 Richmond St. for the entirety of their medical educations. “The building’s terrific,” Wing told The Herald after the ceremony. It primarily houses classrooms for first- and second-year students and also includes spaces for studying and events. “It is beautiful,” said Amber Clark MD ’15. Clark said one of her favorite features of the building is the anatomy suites, specially designed to integrate iPads into the dissection process. “Everything is at our disposal,” she said. — Kat Thornton
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Campus News 5
The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 17, 2011
Students join local College Hill praised for ‘rare’ mix Occupy movement continued from page 8
continued from page 1 Speakers did not address the audience for extended periods of time, but rather took the microphone briefly to instigate chants. Those who did give speeches generally paused after each sentence to allow the protesters nearest to them to repeat their words so the entire crowd could hear. The same technique has been used at other Occupy movement demonstrations around the country. The movement shies away from more traditional forms of organization, placing emphasis on the power of communal decisions. “It doesn’t have to be hierarchical to be organized,” said Perry Hull GS. Several dozen students — most involved with Occupy College Hill — marched down to the park together at 5 p.m. Saturday. Trevor Culhane ’15 said the movement addresses many issues he cares about. “At my high school, there was no way to voice that concern,” he said. Anna Muselmann ’14 said she had “mixed feelings” about the protest. “I support the cause,” she said, but added that the movement’s lack of specific goals made the protest seem unfocused. As the students walked through Burnside Park, other protesters greeted them with cheers and applause. “It’s encouraging to see students,” said Providence resident Jay Wills, who spoke Wednesday at Occupy Providence’s Teach-In on the Occupy Movement in Salomon 101. Wills added that he wants to see an even stronger student presence. “The raw intellect at Brown could be used to help us organize,” he said. “Their minds could help us answer some of our questions.”
“It’s exciting to see so many college students and local people from the community united and mobilized in a way I haven’t seen yet as a college student here in Providence,” said Maggie Millner ’13. The Occupy movement has drawn criticism because its protests of systematic inequality and other societal ills have not been accompanied by policy prescriptions. But Rhode Island resident Deborah Lennon said she has several ideas. “We need to revamp the tax code so there are no more loopholes, raise corporate tax rates and reform campaign finance regulations so that money doesn’t buy votes,” she told The Herald. Protesters marched through downtown Providence, making several stops along the way. First, they stood outside the world headquarters of billion-dollar conglomerate Textron for several minutes, erupting in chants of “Textron World and BP, Shell, take your wars and go to hell.” The protesters then marched to Providence Place Mall, where they voiced support for the recent nationwide strike of 45,000 Verizon workers. “We are all working people. An injury to one is an injury to all, and we will be undefeatable if we stand in solidarity,” said Justin Kelly, a member of the painters’ union, in a speech. The march ended at the State House, where ralliers flooded the steps and vowed to continue their fight. “This is day one of an indefinite occupation that we intend to last in whatever form it takes, and however long it takes, to establish a society for, of and by the people,” one protester announced.
buildings are close together and of similar heights. Neumann said the neighborhood’s cultural history — particularly its Portuguese roots — has also left behind interesting details such as bathtub Madonnas and grape vines over driveways. He cited the neighborhood’s proximity to downtown, the nearby Narragansett Bay, affordability and Brown’s presence as part of a “rare and positive mix.” Johnson said civic engagement and the neighborhood’s partnerships and productive dialogue
with Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design were also characteristics that helped College Hill make the list. Allison Spooner, president of the College Hill Neighborhood Association, said her organization, in conjunction with the Providence Preservation Society, helps advocate for the preservation of the neighborhood’s historic design. “We’re continuing to advocate for things — whether it’s the cobblestone on the streets or other original details from hundreds of years ago,” Spooner said. Spooner said she thinks many
people are drawn to the neighborhood because of its college town feel and the resources offered by the two universities it encompasses. Two other neighborhoods on the list — Highland Park in Birmingham, Ala., and Northbrae in Berkeley, Calif. — are also near universities, but Johnson said few neighborhoods enjoy the same level of integration with their universities as College Hill does with Brown and RISD. Ebae Kim, a junior at RISD, said she considers College Hill a great place to live. “It’s cool other people think so, too,” she said.
Simmons promises more honesty continued from page 1 tions from parents and students. Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76, Schlissel and Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration, answered questions such as whether the amount of work students had could be lessened on Parent’s Weekend and inquiries about how the University would survive in an increasingly virtual world. One parent appealed for the return of the printed course bulletin, and a student advertised the next day’s Occupy Providence protest.
Some of the questions led to lengthy discussions. In response to a question about Brown’s role in stemming corporate greed, Simmons described how difficult it is for her to express her own opinions because of her position as the speaker for the University. Simmons said she is eager to be able to speak out on current affairs once she steps down as president. In response to a question from a student, Simmons said her successor should first give the University physical attention. Improvements to facilities and expansion of the campus are of the utmost importance right now, she said.
“She’s a great speaker. I love how she takes criticism and turns it into something positive. She puts it into action,” said David Pleet P’12 after the speech. The day after her speech, the Brown Alumni Association presented Simmons with a Brown Bear Award at Sunday’s Alumni Recognition Ceremony. The award, which dates back to the 1940s, traditionally honors alums’ outstanding service to the University. Gladys Ndagire ’13, who works for the Office of Alumni Relations and was at the event, said this is the first time someone who was not a Brown alum received the award.
comics Chester Crabson | Tess Carroll
No females chosen for search committee continued from page 1 will also interview presidential candidates. Tran will focus on discussions with student groups and will only sit on the committee if a student appointee has to step down. Along with the undergraduates, the committee will be composed of students from the Graduate School and Alpert Medical School, faculty and staff. Speaking to UCS about the lack of female representatives, Nelson said male applicants “outperformed” the females. “We thought that they could carry the Brown community much better than the women applicants that we had,” she said. “Maybe it’s a problem that UCS has in marketing itself when we don’t necessarily prepare female applicants the way in which we (prepare) the male applicants. As student leaders, we’re kind of going back to the table and thinking about how we can better alleviate
what we see as a discrepancy.” Twenty-one female students applied to the Committee. Of the 15 finalists, six were female. Nelson told UCS she did not anticipate Rattner’s family ties to the Corporation would impact his ability to represent the student voice, adding that he “knows the gravity of what he represents” and was picked partially for his knowledge of University governance. Rattner’s father, Steven Rattner ’74 P’10 P’13 P’15, a former Herald editorin-chief, is a former fellow of the Corporation. The Corporation had asked UCS to name the appointees by last night, which Nelson initially thought would not be possible due to the UCS meeting schedule and the short timeline for the interview process. After the Executive Board selected the nominees, Nelson called last night’s emergency meeting to meet the Corporation’s deadline.
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
Fraternity of Evil | Eshan Mitra, Brendan Hainline and Hector Ramirez
6 Editorial Editorial
The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 17, 2011
Editorial cartoon
by pao l a e i s n e r
Turning down the traditional thesis As some seniors start to rent out library carrels in preparation for the long hours they will spend researching and writing their honors theses, most of them can predict what their final product will look like: dozens of pages pressed and bound, and once presented, stacked away on a shelf to gather dust. This is how it is done and how it has always been done. But there is a trend beginning among graduate dissertations and trickling down to undergraduate theses, particularly in the digital humanities — in lieu of the traditional paper essay, degree candidates receive credit for projects in alternative formats. Among Brown undergraduates, this is readily seen in the arts, where seniors put on performances or exhibits at the end of the year. But other departments are starting to offer non-traditional alternatives to concentrators as well. For example, in the development studies program, where writing a thesis is required to graduate, some advisers have encouraged concentrators to think beyond daunting tomes. For some, this means using photography and video to exhibit their work. For others, it involves creating financial portfolios or proposals that real businesses and organizations plan to use. In the graphic forms, where there is no physical paper to show for the final product, critics may be tempted to see this as a cop-out. But students pursuing these alternative forms told the editorial page board that it is no easy task. They must be proficient in their particular art form to effectively present their material through digital media. This might mean taking extra courses and even double-concentrating to acquire the skill set necessary to produce a cohesive thesis project. We applaud professors in the development studies program and others for giving their concentrators room for innovation. We find this academic flexibility consistent with the value Brown places on taking ownership of one’s education. Development studies, as a highly interdisciplinary program to begin with, seems like a natural place for this trend to take root. That said, it is certainly possible for such a concept to work its way into other departments or programs that have traditionally expected their concentrators to submit theses in paper form. Some departments may wish to offer thesis credit for shorter journal publications or co-authorships rather than one long, consolidated document. This broadens the impact of a student’s work and encourages one to draft practically useful proposals. Expanding options for engagement in broadly applicable work and novel forms of presentation challenges students to commit more fully to fleshing out their thesis project. Bridging disciplines should also incentivize students to further engage with the faculty, students and research in other concentrations in order to weave the concerns of multiple academic fields together. And crafting a senior project in an alternative form serves to distinguish students from their peers as undergraduates prepare to showcase their knowledge and skill sets to graduate schools and employers. While there is certainly no point to forcing an alternative thesis for the sake of appearing creative, we hope departments offer honors recognition for non-traditional, outstanding work. We are confident students will take on the challenge. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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quote of the day “I didn’t see his face. I only saw the action.” — Erika Kohnen ’12 See masturbator on page 1.
Correction An article in Thursday’s Herald (“Latin conference kicks off,” Oct. 13) referred to a 2006 German colloquium on Latin study as a predecessor of the conference held on campus this week. In fact, the gathering most relevant to this weekend’s conference was a more recent German conference on decadence in late Latin antiquity. The Herald regrets the error.
Clarification An article in Thursday’s Herald (“Charter school proposal sparks protest, debate,” Oct. 13) reported that Providence is slated to receive $150 million in federal education funding over the next seven years. Providence is receiving an additional $150 million on top of the federal education funding it already receives.
letters@browndailyherald.com C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. C ommentary P O L I C Y The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
Opinions 7
The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 17, 2011
Brown should stand with Indonesian workers By Ian Trupin Opinions Columnist Earlier this year, 2,800 workers in Curug, Indonesia suddenly found themselves without jobs when their factory, PT Kizone, was closed down. The owner had fled, leaving the workers without the severance pay that was legally owed them — an amount totaling $3.3 million. Former machine operator Budi, 29, described the situation of his family and of many others: “We can’t find food, drink — if we can eat even once a day, we say thank you to God.” These people are in dire straits, but they struggle on the other side of the world from Providence. Surely this does not concern us. But it does. These workers made apparel for companies including the familiar college apparel giants Adidas and Nike. Brown’s varsity athletic teams are sponsored by Adidas, and it is quite possible that these workers once sewed Brown University logos. Brown is not directly responsible, of course, for the crime that has been done to these workers, but we are all clearly connected to them through Brown’s business relationship with Adidas. No one can pay these workers what they are owed other than the companies for whom they made apparel. Yet these brands, including Adidas, have refused to pay. They refuse on the grounds that they did not directly employ the workers at PT Kizone, and therefore the wage theft is none of their con-
cern. Nike is a partial exception because it has agreed to pay a percentage of the severance money that it claims is equivalent to the percentage of Nike orders in the factory’s total output. This so-called “partial responsibility” approach is problematic, as it would suggest that Nike is not wholly responsible for ensuring that their clothing is made in factories that are ethical and that follow the law. But Adidas and the others will not follow even this modest example.
Worldwide, wages, the quality of working conditions and the formality of contractual obligations between worker and boss decrease as the complexity of subcontracting increases. For example, 95 percent of the Indian workers in a survey did not even have a contract letter from their employer. While we at Brown may not have the power to stop brands like Adidas from preying upon their workers as subcontracted labor, we can at least refuse to accept the twist-
As your business partners, we will not tolerate your neglect of the legal and human rights of the people who make our apparel.
The subcontracted status of labor is a classic excuse that companies use to deny responsibility for conditions of the workers who make the product they market. For many brands, the opportunity that subcontracting provides to distance their names from such unpleasant words as “sweatshops” and “worker abuse” is one of the appealing aspects of this business strategy. As brands subcontract their orders to factories around the globe, and as those factories themselves subcontract the most dangerous and laborintensive piecework to even smaller units, the relationships between brands and workers become increasingly difficult to trace. According to a study by Women Working
ed logic that brands use to deny the causal relationship between their actions as bidders for dirt-cheap labor and the conditions and abuses that the workers endure. But this is not all that Brown can do. The Fair Labor Association, an organization I described in a previous column (“Celebrating 10 years of the Worker Rights Consortium,” Sept. 27), categorically refuses to acknowledge that brands have any responsibility for their subcontracted workers. In a case of wage theft in Honduras similar to that at PT Kizone, the Fair Labor Association held that Nike had no responsibility to pay workers $2.5 million in severance when two of their supplier factories shut down in 2009.
Though Nike was eventually pressured by public opinion into paying the severance, the Fair Labor Association still maintains that they had no obligation to do so and will continue to side with brands in every wage theft case in the foreseeable future. To help remove this obstacle to justice for workers, the University should disaffiliate from the Fair Labor Association. As long as it remains affiliated, we are obliged to support it both monetarily — yes, our tuition dollars are going to that shameless organization — and symbolically. As long as Brown’s name is attached to it, our prestige is window dressing that they can flaunt every time they list us among their affiliates. This is why I, along with many other students who are aware of this issue, want our University both to disaffiliate as soon as possible from the Fair Labor Association and to send an unequivocal message to Adidas: As your business partners, we will not tolerate your neglect of the legal and human rights of the people who make our apparel. Members of the Student Labor Alliance delivered messages Oct. 7 to President Ruth Simmons’ office and to the office of Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger saying exactly that. The letters called on the administration to respond within 10 days — that is to say, by today. As Simmons completes her final year in office, I hope that she will be able to add “standing with Indonesian workers” to her list of achievements. Ian Trupin ’13 believes that one day, brands will stop cheating their workers. Impossible is nothing.
The fight for the soul of the Occupy movement By Oliver Rosenbloom Opinions Columnist The Occupy Wall Street/Providence/College Hill movement has the potential to be a generation-defining protest movement. It could make our political landscape more compassionate and equitable. Yet this movement could also become a force for further polarization, discord and folly. As a student body with many political activists, our choices will help to determine the eventual course of this new protest movement. In its brief time in Providence and on College Hill, the Occupy movement has already exhibited both its potential for positive social transformation and its capacity for destructive rhetoric. Some Brown students have used their time and influence to advocate for more just and empathetic practices. But other community members have used the Occupy movement to indulge in spiteful, simplistic and self-righteous politics. The Occupy protesters should be motivated by compassion for the victims of the current economic order and a desire to alleviate their suffering, not by malice toward the wealthy. Some protesters certainly have been guided by a single-minded desire to address injustice. I hope they will continue to advocate for productive solutions and drown out the spiteful and simplistic rhetoric that is also on display at the Occupy protests. One negative narrative of the Occupy movement is that the wealthiest 1 percent of the world’s population is to blame for all the problems experienced by the other 99 per-
cent. This theme played a prominent role in early Occupy College Hill demonstrations. It does not provide an accurate description of our world’s problems, nor does it lead to productive dialogue aimed at effective solutions. The idea that the richest 1 percent cause all of our pain is an appealing narrative. It shifts all the blame to Wall Street and offers a seductively simple solution to all our problems. Unfortunately, any honest appraisal of the current political situation leads to a much more complex picture. David Brooks of the New York Times wrote, “A group that divides the world between the pure 99 percent and
rather live in a world with simpler, easier solutions. While it is tempting to believe that condemning the super-rich will solve all our problems, it is intellectually dishonest to do so and ignores the complexity of the current economic situation. This 99 versus one approach is not just inaccurate as political analysis. It also leads to excessive victimization and self-righteousness. This extremely elevated sense of moral superiority and nobility was on full display at the Occupy teach-in held at Brown Oct. 11. Professors invoked Gandhi and the American civil rights movement in describing the Occupy movement.
The Occupy protesters should be motivated by compassion for the victims of the current economic order and a desire to alleviate their suffering, not malice toward the wealthy.
the evil 1 percent will have nothing to say about education reform, Medicare reform, tax reform, wage stagnation or polarization. They will have nothing to say about the way Americans have overconsumed and overborrowed.” An overly simplistic analysis of the root of our problems leads to similarly flawed solutions. Revitalizing the world economy will take shared sacrifice and complex policy proposals. It will require experimentation and attention to detail. This is a frightening truth. We would all
Comparing oneself to Gandhi or civil rights protesters causes an elevated sense of moral righteousness. It is hard to relate to your opponents or reflect on your own shortcomings when you see your movement as analogous to those led by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. When you view yourself in such morally elevated terms, it is easy to scapegoat all of those who are not on your side. Poverty, economic injustice and bad employment prospects are not caused by any one person, political party or policy. Ad-
dressing these problems cannot be accomplished merely by vilifying bankers and the wealthy. Gandhi had more reason to demonize his opponents than do the Occupy protesters, yet he overcame this impulse to denigrate and instead focused on finding productive solutions to address injustice. Though some Brown community members have fallen into the trap of self-righteousness, others have shown a refreshing sense of humility and self-examination. At the Occupy College Hill assembly meeting held Oct. 12, members of the movement expressed an awareness of their own fallibility and shortcomings. Justin Kuritzkes ’12 said in an Oct. 13 Herald article that fighting inequity in one context “doesn’t mean you’re an angel.” If all Occupy participants share this mindset, then the Brown community can use the Occupy movement to promote justice in a productive and honest manner. This humility will make the Occupy movement appear more credible and pragmatic to a mainstream audience. If Occupy participants instead opt for the path of self-righteousness and hatred of the rich, then the opportunity for lasting social change provided by the Occupy movement will be wasted. The basic impulse behind Occupy College Hill is commendable. These protests show that the Brown community has a strong desire for social justice and equality. In order to effectively advocate for change, we must rise above simplistic and spiteful rhetoric and instead be guided by a genuine desire for social justice. Oliver Rosenbloom ’13 is a history concentrator from Mill Valley, Calif. He can be contacted at oliver_rosenbloom@brown.edu.
Daily Herald Campus News the Brown
Monday, October 17, 2011
College Hill honored on list of best places By Kate Nussenbaum Contributing Writer
Move over, Cambridge. And see you later, New Haven. The American Planning Association selected College Hill as one of the top 10 great neighborhoods in America this year. Denny Johnson, the association’s public affairs coordinator, said over 75 places were considered before the top neighborhoods, streets and spaces were named Oct. 4. According to the association’s website, the 10 neighborhoods on the list are “places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work every day.” Johnson said anyone can submit suggestions for great places. Staff members then look at the places and invite the best ones to apply. This year, around 45
neighborhoods applied for one of the 30 spots on the three lists. The association was already familiar with Providence after designating Water Place a great public space in 2008, Johnson said. This year, a staff member suggested College Hill as a great neighborhood on account of its architectural history and a 1959 report on historic area renewal by the Providence Preservation Society. The study, which affirmed that restoring historic sites was more valuable than tearing them down and starting over, “became a national model for how areas can be redeveloped,” Johnson said. Once invited to apply, Providence city planners put together a detailed application that outlined how the neighborhood fit the
association’s qualifying criteria, which emphasize quality of life, safety and aesthetic design. “There was not much question in our mind,” Johnson said. “There’s so much (to College Hill), in terms of the architecture, the participation of the community and the planning.” Dietrich Neumann, professor of history of art and architecture, who currently teaches a class on the history and architecture of downtown Providence, said the neighborhood offers an interesting architectural mix, with buildings from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. “Here we have such a compact neighborhood that seems to fulfill all the criteria for good urbanism,” he said, explaining that the continued on page 5
Herald file photo
The historic structures of College Hill contribute to the neighborhood’s appeal.
Profs support stricter research rules By Neel Yalamarthy Contributing Writer
Glenn Lutzky / Herald
Professor David Bright of Emory University (above) participated in last week’s conference.
‘Late antique Woodstock’ brings Latin to life By Erin Kilduff Contributing Writer
For a dead language, Latin showed an awful lot of life at last week’s “Classics Renewed” conference on the poetry and prose of late antiquity. The conference, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, brought 19 speakers from four continents to the Annmary Brown Memorial. Brown played host to the second of two parts of the conference, which began at Rice University in March. At the close of the discussion, conference organizers Scott McGill of Rice University and Joseph Pucci, associate professor of classics, associate professor of comparative literature and lecturer in the Program in Medieval Studies, said they may turn the conference’s lectures into a book. The majority of attendees were classicists, though graduate and undergraduate students also attended. Robin McGill GS said the conference offered an exciting venue for sharing ideas with other scholars. Other attendees said the novelty of the topic made it particularly interesting. The relevance of the topic to con-
temporary society and the expansion of the field came up frequently in discussion. As speaker Mark Vessey of the University of British Columbia put it, “20 or 30 years ago, you had to be a bit odd to get into late antiquity.” Recently, late antiquity’s role as a bridge between the classical period and the early middle ages — between classics and Christianity — has elevated its importance in academic scholarship. Because it represents a period of transition, late Latin poetry is more disjointed than the staid genres of classical poetry that precede it. At times, it is also both sexually and socio-politically explicit — in one lecture, James Uden of Boston University explored parallels between late Latin poetry and 20th century Beat poetry. Several conference participants stressed a particular sexiness to the works discussed, jokingly commenting that the paintings of nude women gracing the walls of the Annmary Brown Memorial would make good cover images for the proposed book based on the conference. Because late continued on page 4
Faculty are expressing support for revisions to conflict of interest and disclosure rules enacted this August for federally funded medical research. The revisions are the first since 1995. The federal rules regarding financial conflicts of interest needed revision, said Deborah Ciombor, associate professor of orthopedics. “Science is not as pure as it was,” she said. At times, researches do not behave “within the ethics of science,” she said. The changes include lowering the value of what is considered a substantial financial interest f rom $10,000 to $5,000, mandatory conflict of interest training for researchers, public access to information about financial conflicts of interest
upon request, the disclosure of privately sponsored travel and reimbursements and new financial conflict of interest reporting regulations for research institutions. The new rules will benefit medical researchers on the whole, said Alfred Ayala, professor of surgery. It is “always good to know the relationship between investigators and organizations,” he said. Ciombor said she did not believe the rules would affect her research much because she rarely encounters conflicts of interest. But she said they could have affected her earlier work, which sometimes involved corporations. Brown’s Office of the Vice President for Research created a University-wide conflict-of-interest policy for researchers in 2009. The University requires all researchers
to complete an Assurance of Compliance agreement each year and, if needed, a Report of Significant Financial Interests. A relatively low proportion of Brown’s researchers have financial conflicts of interest, but they are not “inherently bad,” wrote Regina White, associate vice president for research administration, in an email to The Herald. Procedures in place make it possible to preserve the objectivity of research, she wrote. The office is in the process of updating the University’s policy to accommodate the new federal rules, including methods for publicly disclosing conflicts of interest. The office is also reviewing the effect of the new rules on researchers and faculty. White wrote that the policies will include more disclosure of information from faculty.
Students explore ‘Museum after Dark’ By Adam toobin Contributing Writer
For one night each year, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum leaves the lights on late and opens its doors for college night. Last Thursday, students from Brown, RISD and neighboring colleges attended the diverse exhibitions and performances on display at the museum.
arts & culture While the museum is always free to Brown and RISD students, free admission was extended to all students with a photo identification card on Thursday, an incentive Deborah Clemons, the associate educator of public programming at RISD, said she hoped would allow students to engage with the museum on their own time, and not just as a part of a class. If a student comes to college night and sees other students and their friends enjoying themselves
while engaging with the art, hopefully he or she will want to return, Clemons said. Last October the RISD museum held its first college night and, based on its success, decided to do it again this fall, Clemons said. They are also considering a spring version of the event. Visitors enjoyed live music, lectures, spoken word performances, student exhibitions and a few chances to make art themselves. Two bands from RISD played throughout the evening, drawing large crowds to the Grand Gallery. Ruthy, Moonshine and the Ruckus Boys, a folk-Americana rock band played first, followed by the alternative band Celadour. While watching from their seats, students could sketch on their paper tablecloth with pencils provided by the museum. Perhaps the most popular event of the night was the spoken word performances by two Brown students from Word! and one RISD junior. Tim Natividad ’12 read a poem about his experience work-
ing with an international nonprofit organization in Cambodia promoting child rights and opposing land evictions. The poem protested the Cambodian government’s backhanded deals with corporations to buy cheap land and kick out current, poorer residents in order to gentrify neighborhoods and make money. Ramsey Jeremie ’12 read two poems, “What Ignorance Was Thinking When Its Wings Burnt Off,” inspired by the verse novel “Autobiography of Red,” and “For Her” a poem about his mother. Other events included a screening of a film on the “A” Course, a course designed in 1969 by faculty at Saint Martins School of Art that became famous for its lack of student evaluations, deadlines and verbal communication, as well as its focus on art. Gareth Jones, a professor at RISD, and Garth Evans, head of sculpture at the New York Studio School, discussed their own experiences in helping to design and implement the course.