Daily
Herald
the Brown
vol. cxlvi, no. 104
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Faculty ask Spouse support prompts for vision, complaints from faculty fundraising from new president By Phoebe Draper Contributing Writer
By Shefali Luthra Senior Staff Writer
Nearly 25 faculty members, administrators and search committee members discussed research, interdisciplinarity and the University’s mission at a Tuesday evening faculty forum on the search for the University’s 19th president. The transition to a new president offers “an opportunity to take a close look” at the University and its priorities, said Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76, who chairs the Corporation Search Committee and moderated the forum. He emphasized that the forum should be “as conversational as possible.” The next president should understand what makes the University distinct without letting it become stagnant, said Thomas Lewis, associate professor of religious studies. The University is distinguished by intellectual curiosity, high regard for the humanities, interdisciplinary collaboration and a blend of teaching and scholarship, he said. The requirement that all faccontinued on page 4
Thirty percent of faculty members are dissatisfied with faculty spouse support, according to a poll conducted by The Herald earlier this semester. While about onethird of faculty was not familiar enough to answer, only 19 percent indicated satisfaction. Faculty frustration is most likely directed at situations where the University tries to simultaneously hire both partners in a couple for two academic positions, said Elizabeth Doherty, senior associate dean of the faculty. When academics land job offers, they may be unwilling to accept unless their partners are also offered positions at the
University. In this case, the couple works with the Office of the Dean of the Faculty to work out a hiring solution. “When we recruit faculty, it’s not infrequent that someone has a partner also in academia,” Doherty said. The University does not distinguish between legally married, non-married and samesex couples. “A partner’s a partner,” Doherty said. In some cases, there is an available position in the partner’s field, and the University hires both partners at once. Such was the case with Ross Levine, professor of economics, and Maria Carkovic, professor of economics and director of continued on page 3
Since 1891
Signing out
Hilary Rosenthal
Hundreds of retirees and union members gathered at the statehouse yesterday to protest a bill that would cut portions of pensions for public workers.
U. ups diversity funding, staff BRAINS! By Alison Silver Contributing Writer
As part of its efforts to foster a more diverse campus community, the University has beefed up staffing and funding for the Third World Center, Student and Employee Accessibility Services, the LGBTQ Center and the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center over the past two years, according to a recent update on the Diversity Ac-
tion Plan. The plan, one part of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, has also led to increased promotion of religious literacy and support for graduate and international students. Support at the College
At the undergraduate level, the University has expanded support for staff and services. The Office of Student Employment has employed three full-time
staffers to better support employee- and student-access needs. Disability Support Services changed its name to Student and Employee Accessibility Services June 1 to signal a broadening of its focus to employees as well as students, according to Ricky Gresh, senior director for student engagement. Student and Employee Accessibility Services has also set up continued on page 2
‘The Marriage Plot’: refraction of the real? Jeffrey Eugenides ’82 did not intend to set his latest bestseller “The Marriage Plot” at Brown. “But I decided that no matter what I did, people would prob-
Arts & Culture
Herald file photo
inside
Brown in the 1980s is the scene for a new novel that explores familiar student woes.
news....................2-5 editorial.............6 Opinions..............7
ably think it was Brown anyway, so I just decided to go for it,” Eugenides said. Besides, he added, “Brown really hadn’t had that many novels. … I decided I would try to rectify that.” While his characters navigate a 1980s collegiate love triangle, they often recognize their own experiences in works of literature. This makes for eerie reading
arts & culture, 2
The joy of college lies in not always knowing Opinions, 7
Though Halloweek may be over, costumes put away and candy eaten, the thrill of monsters will never die. The vampire has recently dominated popular culture with monster hits like “Twilight,” “True Blood” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
Feature And the zombie dawn is rising. The zombie’s popularity has surged most visibly in the entertainment world, with movies and shows like “Shaun of the Dead,” “Zombieland” and “The Walking Dead.” But recent courses, colloquiums and events on campus prove that the zombie’s popularity has also taken an academic spin. “Raising the Undead: The Image of the Zombie in Transnational Popular Culture,” a colloquium series created by Brent Fujioka GS and Amy Johnson GS, held its first lecture Nov. 6 and will continue over the course of the academic year. Thursday’s lecture, titled
continued on page 5
continued on page 4
Wilde Society Ignorant Bliss Sky High Boisterous comedy delivers in ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’
By Corinne cathcart Contributing Writer
for the current Brown student as characters walk down Benefit Street, meet up in the Blue Room and party at Hawaiian Night at Sigma Chi. But perhaps even more provocative are the familiar themes of depression, aimlessness and gender relations — albeit seen through the lens of the early 1980s. Eugenide’s two previous novels, “The Virgin Suicides” and “Middlesex,” take place in his hometown of Detroit. While he manages to squeeze in a few pages of Motor City, he mostly explores new terrain in “The Marriage Plot.” Though the first third of the book is set in Providence, the plot
Translation journal gains notoriety news, 8
weather
By talia kagan Features Editor
Academics consider the zombie
t o d ay
tomorrow
66 / 51
64 / 44
2 Campus News
A silk-tongued comedy fit for this century
calendar Today
November 9
6:30 P.m.
ToMORROW
november 10
6 p.m. Emerging Writers’ Panel,
“Libya: Law and Intervention,”
Brown/RISD Hillel
Smith-Buonanno 106
7:30 P.m.
7 p.m.
A Night of a Thousand Readings,
“ADHD and Women: A Hidden
McCormack Family Theater
Disorder,” Salomon 101
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH
Beef Tacos, Vegetarian Tacos, Vegetarian Mori Soba Noodles, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies
Italian Beef Noodle Casserole, Asparagus Quiche, Glazed Carrots, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies
DINNER Castle Hill Inn Pork Spare Ribs, Vegan Jamaican Jerk Tempeh, Fudge Bars
The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Rotisserie Style Chicken, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Sticky Rice with Edamame Beans, Fudge Bars
Sudoku
By marshall katheder Arts & Culture Staff Writer
As far as Brown students are concerned, the polished pomp on stage in “Lady Windermere’s Fan” may provide a sophisticated
Arts & Culture escape — a tidy leap from East Side basements with their flat Narragansett Light and sticky floors. The production, directed by Lowry Marshall, professor of theatre arts and performance studies, illuminates the dusty Victorianera words of Oscar Wilde with surprising levity. “Lady Windermere” serves as the savory finish to a so-called “Wilde semester,” which has included Sock & Buskin’s production of “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.”
Wilde’s story swirls together melodrama with wit and wry humor. Set in Victorian London, it’s a society tale of betrayal and gossip — and terribly lavish parties. “I think what we wanted to push in this play is that it’s a comedy,” said Madeleine Heil ’13, who plays Mrs. Erlynne. “Lady Windermere’s” overarching gesture, which points to the contrived nature of good and evil, runs the risk of sounding tired and trite to a 21st century audience — especially since Wilde makes a point to emphasize by repetition. This production avoids these pitfalls skillfully, repackaging the repeated rhetoric with loud physical performance. “Lady Windermere” is bolstered by the bodies: the hunched and hardof-hearing Mrs. Cowper-Cowper (Amy LaCount ’13), who can be spoken to only by shouting into
her ear horn, and the drunken staggering of Lord Augustus (Christopher Thompson ’15), a cigar dangling from his lip. Not to be reduced to the baseness of a physical comedy, the cast delivers a silky-tongued performance — evidence of either much labor or some sort of time machine-based exchange program. “Lady Windermere” sounds a high note to end the Wilde semester. Ably acted and backed with ornate scenery, it is sure to rile up a laugh — or at least a party to attend without plastic cups and forced themes. “Lady Windermere” continues Nov. 10 through Nov. 13 in Stuart Theatre. Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
International students receive more aid continued from page 1
Cr ossword
shop in J. Walter Wilson to make its services more convenient. The Third World Center expanded its staffing from three to five people. Kyle Oberlander ’15, who is part Native American, said the Brown community has successfully fostered a welcoming campus. Oberlander especially praised the TWC’s Third World Transition Program. “I met the most amazing people who were similar to me,” he said. “It was the best feeling ever to be accepted,” Oberlander, who is gay, said of coming to Brown. Funding also increased for the LGBTQ Center and the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center. The University hired two new employees for the LGBTQ Center and instituted a program that asks sympathetic community members to display a badge signalling support of LGBTQ students. The center saw its funding increase by approximately $8,000 over the last year, covering the costs of additional staff and programming, according to LBGTQ Resource Center Coordinator Kelly Garrett. The extra funding allowed an increase in fall programming covering national coming out week, bisexuality celebration day, transgender day of remem-
Daily
the Brown
brance and the annual Pride series of events. “We were able to do a little more this year than we were able to do in past years,” Garrett said. The Office of Student Life also launched a website to centralize information about resources for transgender students. The website covers topics such as the process for changing one’s preferred name and email address within the University’s system, locations of gender neutral bathrooms and accessible faculty members for communication. The University has also continued efforts to enhance the experience of international students, Gresh said. The number of international applicants increased last year, accounting for nearly 4,700 of the 31,000 applications submitted for the class of 2015. According to the update, financial aid for international students increased from $3.3 million in 2007-08 to $7.7 million in 2010-11, and the number of international students receiving financial aid increased from 115 students in 2007-08 to 198 in 2010-11. Thirty-four percent of international students now receive financial aid. International Orientation has expanded to include more information about the American academic experience, including a student-run mentoring program.
Herald
www.browndailyherald.com 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I.
Ben Schreckinger, President Sydney Ember, Vice President
Matthew Burrows, Treasurer Isha Gulati, Secretary
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily. Copyright 2011 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. editorial
(401) 351-3372 herald@browndailyherald.com
Business
(401) 351-3260 gm@browndailyherald.com
Kayla Cruz ’15 said TWTP was “helpful in bringing people together, bringing to the forefront a lot of issues, like classism and racism.” “They attempt to continue the support, but it’s hard during the school year with everyone branched off into their own groups,” she added. Support at the Grad School
The Diversity Action Plan also aims to support graduate students, Gresh said. The Sarah Doyle Women’s Center has implemented family-oriented workshops and get-togethers for grad students who are parents. The recently completed Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center includes a lounge reserved for graduate and resumed undergraduate education students, which has promoted collaboration between the two groups, Gresh said. The Office of the Chaplain and the Office of Institutional Diversity have continued to promote religious literacy through projects such as Catalyzing Conversations and B-Literate. B-Literate aims to “get students of varying religious backgrounds to engage with each other through public service,” said University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson. The project builds on discussions that address religious literacy held by leadership cohorts comprised of Brown students and faculty members as well as students from the historically black Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss. This month’s conversation focuses on Islamic pacifism. Next semester, the project will take on Native American spirituality. “We have not been very successful at drawing Native American scholars and faculty,” Nelson said. “We’d love for many more Native American students to choose Brown.” Oberlander said he has experienced racism toward Native Americans in his native South Dakota. “I didn’t change who I was when I came to Brown, but the reasons that I was disliked at home are the reasons why I’m loved here.”
The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Campus News 3
U. seeks to facilitate dual-career hiring process for faculty continued from page 1 commerce, organizations and entrepreneurship, a couple hired in 2005. “From the beginning, it was clear to Brown that our hiring was a joint search,” Levine said. “It worked out quite well, because at the time they were recruiting me, there was a director spot available in COE.” But cases such as Levine and Carkovic’s are “coincidences,” Doherty said, adding that the dual-career partner placement process is not always smooth sailing. “We try to accommodate married couples as best as we can, but there are not always positions available,” Doherty said. When there are no vacancies, the Office of the Dean of Faculty turns to individual departments to negotiate solutions. When both partners are within the same academic specialty, negotiation is easier. But when partners pursue different disciplines, hiring can turn into a bargaining game. “Sometimes departments may hire a spouse with the understanding that the other department will help them out in the future,” Doherty said. More often than not, the University arranges a temporary agreement with the partner who is not being recruited, Doherty said. The University will usually offer the partner a three- to five-year teaching contract with the hope that he or she will land a more permanent position at a nearby institution. But these agreements can
sometimes be ambiguous, as was revealed in 2010 when Beverly Haviland, senior lecturer in American civilization, filed a complaint against the University after a breach in her employment contract. Haviland and her husband Paul Armstrong, professor of English and former dean of the College, were hired by the University in 2000 as a dual-career placement. Haviland accepted the position based on the understanding that her contract would be automatically renewed for five years, according to a Rhode Island Superior Court decision clarifying the contract. But the University only renewed her contract for two and a half years, using a different set of standards to judge her competence than Haviland believed was agreed upon in the 2000 contract, according to the decision. While Haviland believed the contract had stipulated she would be reviewed by the standards held to tenured faculty, the department evaluated her based on different “excellence in teaching” standards, according to the decision. Haviland appealed to the superior court, which sided with Haviland. To make the dual-career hiring process easier, Brown joined the New England Higher Education Research Consortium in 2006. The consortium consists of institutions that post available positions on a central website, so job-seeking professionals can search for opportunities in the New England area. Though the consortium represents cooperation between
higher education institutions, ultimately the process of dualcareer partner placement is a game of fierce competition. Couples may receive several offers for dual-career placement and can be swayed by factors such as benefits, salary and tenure. “Spousal programs are based on competition, not on any particular desires. … Basically, it’s not out of the goodness of anyone’s heart,” Levine said. “People are married. They want to live together. They are going to go to the best university that can hire them jointly.” Hiring couples benefits the University because it increases position stability, Doherty said. The dual-career job search can be such an arduous process that couples are less likely than individual faculty members to switch jobs. “There’s not a whole lot we can do,” Doherty said in response to dissatisfaction reflected in the Herald poll. The hiring process can evolve into a game of giveand-take among the hiring institution, the couples and individual departments, all with contradicting priorities. Dual-career hiring can be complex, Levine said, but his priorities are straightforward. “The most important part of my life, besides my kids, is my relationship with my wife,” he said. “The job will follow the marriage.” Methodology
Online questionnaires were sent to personal accounts of 902 faculty Sept. 25 and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail Sept. 27, Oct. 4 and Oct. 7. The
Are you satisfied with spouse support for faculty?
Katie Wilson / Herald
poll closed Oct. 8. Only faculty that “teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students” were invited to respond, and 174 responses were recorded. The poll has a 6.6 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence. The margin of error is 11.3 percent
for the subset of faculty focusing in the humanities, 10.5 percent for the subset of faculty focusing in science and 14 percent for the subset of faculty focusing in social science. Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.
4 Campus News
‘Zombie Renaissance’ in focus continued from page 1 “Walking Dead U: How the Zombie Renaissance Makes Zombie Studies Possible,” was given by Kyle William Bishop, assistant professor of English at Southern Utah University and author of “American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (And Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture.” Bishop attributed the “Zombie Renaissance” of the past 10 years to a resurgence in paranoia and fear in the American public following Sept. 11, 2001. When major national trauma occurs, the American people have commonly sought out art to exercise their feelings, he said. Bishop delivered his lecture with a balance of humor, pop culture and academia. He started with clips and images from films and TV shows, including “28 Days Later,” “Dawn of the Dead” and “Land of the Dead.” He then discussed the zombie’s academic significance. The zombie is an “allegorical figure that can be deployed to understand the world around us,” he said. Clifton Yeo ’14, who attended Bishop’s lecture, admitted that his attendance stemmed from a childhood love of zombie movies, though he left with a more intellectual appreciation for the walking dead.
Chelsea Cormier McSwiggin GS said she came for a number of reasons — her opinion that zombies could be a “legitimate area of anthropological study” and her fascination with horror movies. Bishop’s academic inquiry into zombies is certainly not an isolated incident. This spring, Fujioka, the leading creator of the colloquium series, will teach AMCV 0190E: “It’s The End of the World As We Know It: Zombie and Apocalypse Narratives in American Pop Culture.” The class is capped at 17 students, but Fujioka received over 35 email requests to join from firstyears and sophomores who had been shut out. Bishop’s book will be the cornerstone of the class, since Fujioka considers him to be one of the leading zombie scholars. Fujioka said he intends to cover zombies in both historical and contemporary perspectives in the class. While Fujioka is fascinated by the academic side of the zombie, he also focuses on the entertainment side of the monster as well, especially within the realm of comic books and graphic novels. The zombie is a monster “both shaping and reflecting American culture,” said Johnson, who took on a supportive role in the colloquium series. She hopes to gather a mix of lecturers that reflect the academic side of zombies as well as their place in pop culture.
No future speakers are set in stone, but Fujioka said he is discussing with a variety of academics and members of the entertainment industry. A modern horror zombie is an “ambulatory corpse that reproduces through infection,” Bishop said. So why is the zombie such an alluring figure? The fascination stems from the relation between the zombie and the human, said David BeringPorter, adjunct assistant professor of modern culture and media, who recently finished his dissertation on “undeadness” and the zombie. As opposed to the “aristocratic vampire” and “the otherness” of the alien, zombies are “simply us at our worst,” he said. “Zombies are the proletarian monster.” But the zombie lives on College Hill in fun ways as well. Bering-Porter helped organize a Providence Zombie Film Festival in 2008, and for five years now, RISD students have transformed themselves into zombies with makeup and fake blood on Z-Day, moaning and groaning their way up Thayer Street. The event is common nationwide, Bishop said, citing examples of other zombie-inspired events, including an ad for a zombie lap dance night at a strip club. “Fan culture has come to reflect the narrative itself — the zombie has infected us all,” Bishop said.
The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Faculty look to next leader to strengthen collaboration continued from page 1 ulty members teach is one of the University’s key values, said Bill Warren, professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences. The University must be careful not to overemphasize research under a new president and neglect teaching, Warren said. “I don’t think we’re heading in that direction,” he said. “I want to make sure that we’re not.” John Savage, professor of computer science, expressed worry that the University is disinclined to take risks. Under a new president, the University could restructure and split the role of the dean of the faculty into multiple positions based on academic division, he suggested. Other professors also suggested the new president could facilitate or incentivize greater interdisciplinary collaboration, perhaps through projects involving brain science or the Humanities Initiative. Though the new president may not influence “key pieces” of collaboration, he or she could promote large-scale interdisciplinary projects, Lewis said. He cited the Watson Institute for International Studies and the University’s plan to offer international MBAs as areas where collaborative work could be most beneficial. Tisch said the committees are “open to lots of suggestions” and that at this phase, they have few ideas about specific presidential candidates.
Bruno Harris, professor emeritus of math, said he would trust a new president promoted within the University more than someone hired from outside, citing a need for the president to “know (faculty) very well.” In response, Tisch asked all faculty members to consider brainstorming and submitting names of possible internal or external candidates. Forum attendees discussed vision, prioritization, fundraising skills and charisma as traits a future president should possess. Tisch said though fundraising skills may be hard to identify, “great fundraising starts with great vision.” He cited a former Brown professor who compared fundraising to “selling participation in a dream.” Those same skills contribute to effective internal management, he said. Marty Granoff P’93, the principal donor behind the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts and a member of the Corporation Search Committee, called fundraising ability a skill of “paramount” importance in a president, adding that without it, the University would not be able to attract strong faculty members. Tisch ended the forum by asking attendees to suggest other groups to solicit feedback from, such as representatives of particular campus groups, assistant professors or representatives of certain disciplines. Few junior faculty members attended the forum, and no female faculty members contributed to the discussion.
Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com
Campus News 5
The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Brunonia permeates Eugenides’ 82 most recent novel continued from page 1 then shifts to characters’ postgrad travels to Cape Cod, Paris and India — as well as their intellectual voyages in understanding literature, theory and themselves. But even when the action steers away from College Hill, “The Marriage Plot” is framed by its protagonists’ memories and beliefs formed at Brown. Semiotic schism
The novel was not originally set at a college. Eugenides wrote a couple hundred pages of a manuscript centered around a Midwestern family party, but became intrigued by Madeleine, a party attendee with romantic complications in the story. About seven years ago, he scrapped the original book to focus on Madeleine and her two romantic interests, Mitchell and Leonard. The book, released Oct. 11, is dedicated to Eugenides’ college roommates — “Stevie and Moo Moo” — with whom he lived in an apartment on Bowen Street, in the same building as Mitchell does. But that building, and another one on Hope Street in which he lived, no longer exist, Eugenides said. When Eugenides attended his nephew’s Commencement ceremony several years ago, he said he was “double-checking all (his) graduation facts.” He borrowed not only the physical background of 1980s College Hill, but its academic backdrop as well. Madeleine undergoes a revelation when she first discovers semiotics, mirroring Eugenide’s experience and the general academic climate in the late 1970s when the University’s semiotics program was in its infancy. At the time, French semiotics theory was gaining popularity, creating “a schism in the English department,” recalled Eugenides. Madeleine notes this shift in the novel — “by senior year she could no longer ignore the contrast between the hard-up, blinky people in her Beowulf seminar and the hipsters down the hall reading Maurice Blanchot.” There are no characters or specific events taken from his time at Brown, Eugenides said. John Hawkes, former professor of English and his most influential teacher in college, did not even make it into the story. Yet Madeleine’s studies seem to match Eugenides’ collegiate career, which “shuttled back and forth between a more traditional English curriculum and the new semiotics practice and theory,” he said. While “Middlesex” was
inspired by the writings of Michel Foucault, “The Marriage Plot” draws from that of Roland Barthes, Eugenides said. Madeleine obsesses over Barthes’ “A Lover’s Discourse” — though she is initially not sure how to pronounce the author’s name until the most pretentious student in her class says it out loud. Girls to women
Though Madeleine is enamored with the marriage plots of Victorian novels, she also holds modern sensibilities. This sets her apart from her mom, a traditional housewife who naively critiques Madeleine’s shoulder pads as too “mannish.” Mitchell later captures feminist anger en vogue with the exaggerated observation, perhaps of the Sciences Library: “College feminists made fun of skyscrapers, saying they were phallic symbols.” Mitchell considers girls at one point, but interrupts himself with a correction — “excusez-moi: women.” Eugenides said this line grew directly out of his Brown experience, when using the word girl instead of woman would get you in trouble. Feminism was a “hotter topic” back then, he said. “Can you say girl at Brown?” Eugenides asked in an interview, wondering if female students still police such language. Maybe female students today do not need to, Eugenides suggested. “The women I knew would stand against saying girl because they weren’t sure that they were going to have the power that they wanted,” he said. The situation might be different for women today, as “certain battles have been won,” he said. “A lot of the women I knew at Brown would be very against anything that would make them attractive or turn them into an object,” he added, something he said he does not see today. You may ask yourself
Eugenides contrasts not only decades, but also the theater-literary social scene he experienced at Brown with that of the writing students he currently teaches at Princeton. He said he finds his Princeton students to be generally less “colorful” and more “sober-minded and mature” than the college peers he remembers. “The benefit is they don’t seem as if they’re going to have some kind of nervous breakdown,” he noted, a fate that befalls one of the characters in his novel. “But I can’t tell if that’s a difference between Princeton or Brown
or between 2011 and 1980. You don’t have New Wave and punk rock right now, and maybe it affects people’s style,” he said. Critics often remark on the novel’s style, and it is perhaps appropriate that a book about the study of semiotics includes so many signifiers of taste. Students listen to The Talking Heads and Patti Smith, and they read Italo Calvino. While 80s music tastes remain popular today, there are clear differences between Brown in the novel and the campus in 2011. “The Marriage Plot” depicts Providence as “a corrupt town, crimeridden and mob-controlled” with “a sketchy downtown.” Course titles contain three numbers. All the girls use diaphragms. Indeed, Eugenides describes
one character’s sexual adventures with the hyperbolic statement: “A representative image of Leonard’s freshman year would be of a guy lifting his head from an act of cunnilingus long enough to take a bong hit and give a correct answer in class.” According to a recent Herald poll, only 1 percent of students reported having six or more partners this semester. Some things remain the same. Students constantly drink coffee. Alcohol fuels unexpected sexual adventure. Leonard eats a Buddy Cianci sandwich at Geoff ’s (inexplicably titled Mutt and Geoff ’s — Eugenides said no one has called him out on any inaccuracies yet). Graduation sparks existential crisis. Themes of aimlessness and post-grad uncertainty have
comics Cloud Buddies! | David Emanuel
been reworked many times before. In W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel “The Razor’s Edge,” the young Larry Darrell rejects conventional employment and “loafs around” first by traveling to Paris, then to India for spiritual and religious adventure, as one of protagonists, Mitchell, does. Mitchell’s travel partner is also named Larry. “There were some books that reached through the noise of life to grab you by the collar and speak only of the truest things,” Mitchell reflects at one point. That is a high standard to hold any book up to, and it’s not clear “The Marriage Plot” as a work of literature achieves it. But its characters’ passion for finding wisdom in the written word certainly reminds you that it is possible.
6 Editorial & Letter Editorial The full truth
Editorial cartoon
It is time for Brown to come clean about the William McCormick affair. Five years ago, a female first-year accused McCormick, a fellow first-year, of rape. Banished from campus and pressured to withdraw from school, McCormick filed suit against Brown, senior administrators, the accuser and the accuser’s father. The case has yet to go to trial. McCormick’s account of events — the only one offered by any party — paints a sordid picture of malfeasance, undue influence, unethical behavior and witness tampering. The accuser’s father, a generous donor to the University, was in regular communication with senior administrators, including President Ruth Simmons, about the case. McCormick, who requested but was denied the chance to speak with Simmons at the time, has accused University officials of being influenced by the father. The father also appears to have sought to influence at least one witness in the case, the accuser’s Residential Counselor, Shane Reil ’09. According to The Herald, the father hosted Reil for dinner and indicated that he would mentor him. A week after emailing him “to express to you how grateful I am,” Reil filed a witness statement alleging that McCormick had asked another, unnamed student to lie about his whereabouts on the night in question and further stated that he was “emotionally eccentric” and “prone to anger.” Rather than afford him a fair hearing, Brown handed McCormick a plane ticket home and ordered him never to return. He did not receive a hearing or the benefit of the neutral treatment by administrators to which he was entitled under Brown’s own disciplinary policy. Because there was never an internal hearing or criminal investigation, we will never know the veracity of the accuser’s story. If McCormick’s accusations are true, then senior administrators acted with shocking impropriety. The Brown community must know the truth about McCormick’s claims. The University’s insistence that it has done nothing wrong is unconvincing. Only an independent investigation, afforded full access to University records, communications and personnel, will have the requisite credibility. Simmons should appoint such an investigatory panel because, as she explained in her Sept. 4, 2001, Convocation address, it is our “sacred obligation to protect the light of the world. And that light is the never-ending search for truth.” Thus far, she has refused to speak to the press about the affair. Professor of Music David Josephson told the Editorial Page Board in an interview: “I can see no reason for Brown’s rejection of such a commission unless we fear that we have something to hide. If we do have something to hide, all the more reason for an independent commission so that Brown can … restore its self-respect and honor.” There must be an independent search for facts. As Simmons knows, even if the truth might be uncomfortable or embarrassing, that is no reason to avoid it. She wrote of the Committee on Slavery and Justice, “Understanding our history and suggesting how the full truth of that history can be incorporated into our common traditions will not be easy.” Simmons must ensure that Brown’s “sacred obligation” to the truth is upheld. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
t h e b r ow n da i ly h e r a l d Editors-in-Chief
Managing Editors
Senior Editors
Sydney Ember Ben Schreckinger
Brigitta Greene Anne Speyer
Dan Alexander Nicole Friedman Julien Ouellet
editorial Kristina Fazzalaro Rebecca Ballhaus Claire Peracchio Talia Kagan Amy Rasmussen Tony Bakshi Ethan McCoy Ashley McDonnell Sam Rubinroit Anita Mathews Sam Carter Hunter Fast
Arts & Culture Editor City & State Editor City & State Editor Features Editor Assistant Features Editor News Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Editorial Page Editor Opinions Editor Opinions Editor
Graphics & Photos Abe Pressman Emily Gilbert Rachel Kaplan Glenn Lutzky Jesse Schwimmer
Graphics Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor Assistant Photo Editor Sports Photo Editor
Production Dan Towne Olivia Conetta Anna Migliaccio Katie Wilson Leor Shtull-Leber Neal Poole
Copy Desk Chief Assistant Copy Desk Chief Design Editor Design Editor Design Editor Web Producer
Business General Managers Matthew Burrows Isha Gulati
Office Manager Shawn Reilly
Directors Aditi Bhatia Danielle Marshak Margot Grinberg Lisa Berlin
The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Sales Finance Alumni Relations Special Projects
Managers Justin Lee Collections Collections Sam Plotner Nicky Robbins Invoice Staff Kevin Lynch Daniel Slutsky Analytics Jared Davis Sales and Communications Alumni Engagement Nikita Khadloya Emily Simmons Ad Relations Human Relations James Eng Angel Lee Business Development Owen Millard Business Development Gregory Chatzinoff Web Relations Post- magazine Editor-in-Chief Sam Knowles Editor-in-Chief Amelia Stanton BLOG DAILY HERALD David Winer Editor-in-Chief Matt Klimerman Managing Editor
by s a m r o s e n f e l d
letter to the editor EMS procedure ensures student safety To the Editor: In response to Tuesday’s article on care for intoxicated students (“Fewer EMS’d since 2008 policy change raised cost,” Nov. 8), we would like to provide a fuller picture of our Emergency Medical Services response in these situations. We have always transported intoxicated students to the emergency room whenever it was medically necessary. Brown is one of the few universities in the U.S. that has a campus-based emergency medical service capable of transport. Our students are able to receive emergency care from emergency medical technicians who understand their particular needs and circumstances. Our protocols reflect best practices and are very welldefined to ensure the health and safety of our students. The decision to transport someone to the emergency room is only made after an extensive assessment. By the same token, students are able to refuse transport
only when it is safe to do so. Brown’s EMS response is always free. We strive to respond to student calls whenever possible. The Providence Fire Department responds only 10 to 15 percent of the time. To be able to transport students to Health Services, the Rhode Island Department of Health would require much more than a physician’s presence. All emergency patients are required by state protocol to be transported to an emergency hospital facility. We believe that students share the approach that we bring to this work every day: that we are all working together to avoid needless tragedies. Edward Wheeler Director of Health Services Amy Sanderson Manager of Safety and EMS Frances Mantak Director of Health Education
quote of the day
“Zombies are the proletarian monster.”
— David Bering-Porter, adjunct assistant professor of modern culture and media See zombies on page 1.
Correction An article in last Wednesday’s Herald (“Eyeing international students, U. ups aid,” Nov. 2) incorrectly stated that Mohsan Elahi ’14 is a member of the Brown International Scholarship Committee. In fact, he is an ambassador in the group’s Ambassadorship Program, which represents Brown at foreign high schools, but he is not a member of the group. The Herald regrets the error. 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 Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The liberal arts versus the real world By Jan Cao Opinions Columnist A friend recently complained to me that the expectations of a liberal arts education and the demands of the real world go in two opposite directions. On the one hand, he said, students are expected to gain higher awareness of the human and natural worlds they inhabit. On the other, the real world asks for professional skills that students barely have. When they graduate, students from elite colleges find themselves stuck. They have high expectations for their future but few skills to survive. My friend is not the only one worrying about liberal arts education. In his recent review of Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s new book “Academically Adrift,” Anthony Grafton quotes from the Collegiate Learning Assessment to show what has become of the university curriculum. The assessment reports that 45 percent of students — in a sample of 2,322 — had made no progress in critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing in the first two years of college. More depressingly, Grafton wrote, they found out that the vast number of students do not have a specific interest in their courses or how they might affect their future careers when they enter college. Parents read pieces like this and worry about their kids as well as the tuition
they have paid. They do not want us to become one of them, and neither do we. We all know how terrifying the job market is, and literature students like me make fun of our prospects of not finding a better job than making coffee at Starbucks. It’s unlikely that I will ever become a world-renowned philosopher or novelist. So why bother pursuing a major in the humanities if it won’t help me find a decent job? Many people feel the same way. According to Focal Point, 195 seniors from
classes at 100 seats, students who were desperate to get in even formed a black market to trade for a spot (“Econ caps spur black market controversy,” Sept. 12). It looks like the department failed to recognize how high the demand was. Although I might be anxious about my future and career, at least I have been taking classes I like. More practical-oriented students sometimes complain that they are taking classes that do not really interest them. These two kinds of students are
We are all still ignorant, and college is just the beginning of becoming wiser.
the class of 2011 concentrated in economics, while another 133 pursued international relations. The Commerce, Organizations and Entrepreneurship program attracted 75 students. In comparison, seemingly less practical concentrations are less popular. The German studies department had only six concentrators. Some economics lecture courses have also been extremely popular — some of them had more than 200 students enrolled in previous years. This year, after the department decided to cap some of those
jealous of each other, and each struggles to achieve a balance between academic interest and practical need. We are afraid of failing — failing to get a job, failing to live up to parents’ expectations, failing to have a bright future. But we do not want to give in too easily to job mania either: It’s just too cruel to believe that as human beings our fate consists of nothing more than being a little screw in a machine. We read Shakespeare and Homer because we want to know how those hugely important people in the history of man-
kind thought and how they still affect our lives. We have the desire to be connected to nature, the civilization we belong to and the history of our ancestors. Without such knowledge, we feel lost. For those who are lucky enough to have found their passion, more money or higher social status will not make them significantly happier. College gives us a chance to find the dedication that will later distinguish us from everyone else. But it does not guarantee a good result. We all waste time in classes that we later find to be uninteresting. One may read a whole semester of Descartes and wonder if he or she really knows anything about the philosopher. Many of us graduate and still feel uncertain about the future. That’s okay. It’s not our fault, nor is it the liberal arts curriculum’s. We are all still ignorant, and college is just the beginning of becoming wiser. Even if it is assumed that career-minded courses and majors lead to better job performance and security, we will not easily abandon our passions. As college students, we are still young and brave enough to follow our hearts. The University offers us the luxury to learn whatever we want, get a bad grade, acknowledge our ignorance, make big or silly mistakes, struggle to balance both interest and need and risk failure. Jan Cao ’13 is a comparative literature and German studies concentrator. She can be reached at jieran_cao@brown.edu.
Greater expectations By Camille Spencer-Salmon Opinions Columnist A recent Herald article (“First-years ‘somewhat prepared’ for Brown,” Nov. 11) reported that nearly half of Brown faculty members find first-years to be “somewhat prepared” for Brown, and 11.4 percent considered them to be “somewhat unprepared.” This may not sound dire or even particularly surprising to most. After all, some of these students are probably just getting used to not being the big fish in a small pond anymore. But when you consider this school’s steep acceptance rate and the underlying assumption that all those who make it are supposed to be fully ready to tackle college-level coursework, it strongly suggests a greater problem within the institution that was supposed to prepare them for college: high school. More specifically, public high school. Over half the students here come from public schools. Problematically, American public schools are far from top quality. According to the triennial Program for International Student Assessment, which is supposed to compare the knowledge of 15-year-olds in 70 countries around the world, American kids rank average in reading skills and science and below average in math. Doesn’t quite match up with what you would expect for a firstworld country, even one in a recession. To say there is a clear reason for this
deficit would be a dramatic oversimplification. But I can point to one key factor: low standards in the form of statewide minimum-competency tests. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandated these tests in an effort to equalize the playing field for students everywhere. The idea is that if students reach a minimum level of achievement — in the form of a passing score on their state’s standardized test — then their
tionships between different concepts or generally do much creative thinking. Unfortunately, these kinds of higherlevel thinking are what you use in higher education as well as in real life — whatever that means. These baseline standards are far too low. The reality is that when you set a minimum standard in a strained situation — for example, one sprawling education system — the minimum is what you get. I can speak only
While setting baseline standards is good, chances are the test your state required you to take did not measure how well you could synthesize new ideas, make inferences about relationships between different concepts or generally do much creative thinking.
school will receive funding as a function of student progress. In America, with exceptions like the New York Regents exams, we mainly do minimum-competency testing: “Can you find the main idea? What was the author’s purpose? Can you read a graph?” While setting baseline standards is good, chances are the test your state required you to take did not measure how well you could synthesize new ideas, make inferences about rela-
for my state here (and, admittedly, Florida tends to focus more on standardized tests than other states), but a ridiculous amount of class time was spent teaching to our state’s exam, taking away from time spent learning history, music or art — to limit myself to one grievance. Moreover, teachers in states that implement low standard tests report feeling pressure to give better grades than warranted and maximize scores through test-taking
shortcuts. These are hugely damaging practices if you believe that one of the goals of schooling is to truly learn. Admittedly, I am speaking from the privileged perspective of someone who did not have trouble figuring out the main idea. But I believe that if you treat the children moving through your system as if they have the ability to go farther than that, they will. Achieving any sort of change in public schooling takes a long time and requires a whole mess of interested parties — taxpayers, educators, officials, teachers’ unions — to agree, but in this economy it’s more necessary than ever. You can’t just pour money into a highly flawed system, though. You have to restructure it with higher standards, support for teachers and the belief that students of all demographics are capable of thinking for themselves instead of just regurgitating facts. If you must measure achievement by test scores, which is an inherently debatable practice, make sure the tests demand creative thinking. These are sweeping demands, yes, but necessary ones. To sound like an absolute liberal arts student, we as a nation need to shift our paradigms of thinking about public schools. Figuring out a concrete policy will be a long and challenging process, but that’s all the more reason to start as soon as possible. Camille Spencer-Salmon ’14 is a product of the system. She can be reached at camille_spencer-salmon@brown.edu.
Daily Herald Campus News the Brown
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
D e m o c r ac y m at t e r s
News in brief
Alum wins Holyoke, Mass., mayoral race Alex Morse ’11 was elected the youngest mayor of Holyoke, Mass., last night, defeating incumbent Elaine Pluta. “It feels great,” Morse told The Herald. “This is a victory for the campaign and a victory for Holyoke.” An urban studies concentrator at Brown, Morse will also be the city’s first openly gay mayor. He began his grassroots campaign during his senior year, focusing on the issues of education, economic development, public safety and community pride. “We’re going to hit the ground running from day one,” he said. “We’ve been working our butts off and the momentum has been building.” The 22-year-old candidate defeated Pluta, 67, by one vote in the primary elections in September. Morse also founded the city’s first LGBTQ organization and was mentored during his time at Brown by U.S. Rep David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., former mayor of Providence. — Aparna Bansal
Higher ed news r oundup Sydney Mondry / Herald
Stephen Haber, Stanford professor of political science, discussed democracy and the Arab Spring at a talk Tuesday.
Translation journal garners rave reviews By Aparaajit Sriram Contributing Writer
The second issue of Aldus, Brown’s journal of translated works, is currently under production following a well-received first issue published last spring. Possibly the only journal dedicated to the art of translation run by undergraduates, Aldus showcases works of translation produced by students, professors and eminent translators to illuminate an often underrepresented aspect of literature, said its founders, Timothy Nassau ’12 and Matthew Weiss ’12. “To translate something well is as difficult as it is to write well,” Nassau said. With campus publications giving little attention to translation, Nassau and Weiss decided to work with other like-minded students to create a journal dedicated to the subject. To get started, Nassau said he emailed student translators he met at a workshop. The founders also reached out
to Dore Levy, professor of comparative literature and a “source of indispensable advice and support from the beginning,” who has since become the journal’s faculty adviser, Weiss said. Aldus’ first issue was distributed to students and faculty on campus, mailed to recipients when requested and published online. Nassau said he estimates the readership is about 15,000 based on web views and distribution of physical copies. The journal was generously received. Three Percent, which Weiss called an “authoritative” blog on translation maintained by the University of Rochester’s Open Letters Press, wrote about Aldus’ first steps in joining the translation community. In a post entitled “Interns — They Grow Up Too Fast,” the blog mentions Nassau’s internship at Open Letters in summer 2009 and how he returned to Brown “a bit wiser and with ambition in his heart.” “Fast-forward two years, and young little Tim has helped launch
Aldus,” the post reads. Aldus was also cited on the copyright page of the bilingual edition of “Tres,” a collection of poems by Roberto Bolano, because portions of the book had previously been printed in the journal. “That was the moment when I thought, ‘We’ve won,’” Weiss said. Nassau and Weiss are already considering expanding the journal. They recently created a blog to report on literature that remains untranslated or could use more robust translation. “We’re trying to do something different with the Aldus blog,” Weiss said, “Sometimes the hardest part is even knowing a lot of this stuff exists, dormant, waiting to be given life in the English language.” With more funding, Nassau believes the journal can reach a wider audience. “Imagine seeing Aldus in a Barnes and Noble and knowing it was made by Brown undergrads,” he said. “It would be tough to do, but it wouldn’t be impossible.”
by K at Thornton senior staff writer
New Fulbright to focus on public policy The State Department added a new option to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for students to research and work in international public policy. Fellows will “serve in professional placements in foreign government ministries or institutions” while conducting research, according to the State Department website. Applications opened last week for the fellowship, which will send its first fellows abroad in the 2012-13 academic year and will be offered in 11 countries including Nepal and Haiti.
Study debunks ‘freshman 15’ myth The “freshman 15” is more like the “freshman 3,” according to a national study headed by Ohio State University Research Scientist Jay Zagorsky, the Columbus Chronicle reported. “People who go to college do gain a little bit more than similar people who don’t go to college, but it’s not really that much extra,” Zagorsky told the Chronicle. There is only a half-pound difference in average weight gain among undergraduates and their peers who do not attend college, according to the New York Times. Most of the weight gained by undergrads comes from overdrinking, the Chronicle reported.
Stanford receives 150M, establishes new institute With a $150 million gift, the Stanford Graduate School of Business announced the establishment of the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies. The donation comprises a $100 million gift and a pledge to match up to $50 million more in other contributions. The institute, funded by Dorothy and Robert King, aims “to stimulate, develop and disseminate research and innovations that enable entrepreneurs, managers and leaders to alleviate poverty in developing economies,” according to the Stanford Graduate School of Business website. “We believe that innovation and entrepreneurship are the engines of growth to lift people out of poverty,” King said in a Stanford statement, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
Entrepreneur alums say New Curriculum fosters creativity By Alexandra macfarlane Staff Writer
Entrepreneurs and cupcakes came together in downtown Providence last night at a panel discussion with Brown alums involved in the Rhode Island business world. The panel —
city & state hosted by the Brown Alumni Association, the Brown Club of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship — focused on the activities of alums who have successfully started companies in the state. Among the panelists were four Brown alums who founded businesses in Rhode Island. The event showcased both the challenges and the advantages of starting local or-
ganizations. Brendan McNally, director of the Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, moderated the discussion. He began the debate by asking the panelists to sell themselves and their product to the audience — a classic “elevator pitch.” Julie Sygiel ’09, CEO and founder of Sexy Period, sees her fashionable “time of the month underwear” as a solution to everyday problems, she said. Since 50 percent of the population menstruates, why not provide that market with comfortable and stylish underwear, she asked. Max Winograd ’09, president of NuLabel Technologies, came up with the idea for labels without backings while studying political science at the University. Winograd met his co-founders — who concentrated in a variety of subjects — in a cap-
stone seminar during his senior year. Entrepreneurship is about “seeing opportunities out there and exploiting them,” he said. Though none of the panelists studied commerce, organizations and entrepreneurship — a concentration often deemed most logical for budding entrepreneurs — each of them said they saw their the New Curriculum as essential to their career paths. The chance “to learn to do your own thing in an unstructured environment” at Brown was instrumental in developing the skills to create a business, said Charlie Kroll ’01, founder and CEO of Andera, a company that helps banks allow customers to sign up online for financial services. When students are offered the opportunity to decide their own curriculum, they learn how to choose courses more strategically, he said.
Deborah Schimberg ’80 P’05 P’12, who concentrated in comparative literature, called the opportunity to go to Brown for four years an entrepreneurial activity in and of itself. Both the New Curriculum and entrepreneurship demand problem-solving skills, which makes Brown students particularly prepared for the task of building their own businesses, she said. Schimberg is the CEO of Verve, Inc., a company that makes environmentally friendly gum that inhabits the growing natural product niche, she said. McNally asked panelists to describe the biggest mistake thus far in their careers. Many cited the lack of guidance and encouragement from outside influences as a major problem during their initial business years, noting that entrepreneurs can often experience an “us against the world”
complex. The Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship aims to be a place where business owners can find such support, McNally said. The center wants to help businesses develop, provide a network of connections and give them opportunities to stay in Rhode Island, he said. Barrett Hazeltine, professor emeritus of engineering and famed lecturer of ENGN 0090: “Management of Industrial and Nonprofit Organizations,” attended the event. He compared the process of making a business work to conducting laboratory work in science-related fields. After the panel concluded, attendees celebrated both the ideals of entrepreneurship and Hazeltine’s birthday with cupcakes and candles — it took the professor two attempts to blow them all out.