Thursday, February 7, 2013

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Gun violence Rhode Island responds to Sandy Hook shootings Page 11

Just eat it Corvese ’15 defends dining halls and city restaurants

today

27 / 22

State leaders confront gun violence following shootings

Debates on gun control, school safety, mental health and gun research emerge in Rhode Island

By Adam Toobin

Pages 4-9

tomorrow

34 / 22

since 1891

thursday, february 7, 2013

City & State Editor

The Dec. 14 murder of 20 first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. shook the nation and ignited debates about how best to ensure no such tragedy occurs again. In Rhode Island, the discourse began immediately as parents clamored for safer schools, residents questioned why military-style weapons are available to the public and health professionals warned that the state’s mental health system was allowing people who need help to become a risk to themselves and to others.

The Herald’s spread today investigates some of the conversations that arose in the city, state and on campus in reaction to the Newtown shootings. Rhode Island legislators have expressed interest in banning military-style assault weapons. The state’s congressional delegation — two representatives and two senators — have all pushed for additional national controls on firearm access. Rhode Island’s mental health care system — once the envy of the nation — has fallen into disrepair, and attempts at reformation and restoration are underway. Schools are reviewing their safety protocols with a focus on limiting casualties should a violent intruder threaten student safety. And President Obama’s executive order to increase federal funding for gun research has ignited hope on College Hill about renewed investigation of gun violence in the country. / / Gun violence spread pages 4-9

Sc h o o l S a f e t y

Herald File Photo

Among the conversations started in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a new proposal for school safety plans.

Corporation to discuss tuition, financial aid Bill would The agenda will also legalize feature strategic planning and a proposed public health school marijuana in R.I.

By Mathias Heller and Eli Okun University News Editors

Herald file photo

The Corporation will meet for the second time since Paxson’s inauguration and will discuss campus planning and technology-related issues.

The Corporation will address a host of priorities when it meets this weekend, including potential tuition and financial aid increases and the approval of the annual budget, said Russell Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy.

The meeting will mark the second time the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — has convened since President Christina Paxson assumed office last summer.

The Corporation will assemble as a group Saturday morning, at which point

members are expected to vote on the creation of a school of public health. The faculty voted to recommend establishing a separate public health school last fall. If approved by the Corporation, the program in public health would apply to the Council on Education for Public Health for accreditation this year.

As in past years, the Corporation will review a report from the University Resources Committee to consider whether and by how much to increase tuition for the next academic year, and members will discuss how much money to allot to financial aid. Carey said he cannot predict what the Corporation will decide regarding tuition and fee increases.

The Corporation will also address the preliminary recommendations announced in interim reports released last month by Paxson’s six strategic planning / / Corporation page 2 commit-

Dual degree students forge their own paths Administrators discuss the program’s developments since it began five years ago

By Loren Dowd Contributing writer

Bringing together concentrations as varied as haute couture and computing, the first class of Brown-RISD Dual Degree program students will be graduating this May. After five years, these students will leave College Hill this spring with both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from RISD. The program has been changing ever since this year’s senior class arrived in 2008 , and its feedback has contributed to the program’s evolution, administrators said.

“I think we’ve been learning a lot

feature

from this first class,” said Michele Zager, the dual degree advising assistant.

“They’ve really had the opportunity to sculpt the program.”

Students reside at RISD for the first year while they take foundation classes, but in the past few years, they have also been able to take one class at Brown — usually a first-year seminar. Students transition to Brown residence halls for the second year, though they take at least one RISD studio class during this time.

For the last three years of the program, students move between the two schools.

Seniors will complete independent study projects that culminate in capstone presentations.

While this is the first official class of the dual degree program, these students are not the first to complete two degrees from both schools. Before the program’s creation, several students were already pursuing degrees at Brown and RISD by “transferring in and out” of both / / Dual page 3 schools, said

Erik Olson / Herald

The first class of students will graduate from the Brown-RISD Dual Degree program this May, receiving a B.A. from Brown and a B.F.A. from RISD.

Proponents say the state could save money on law enforcement and raise revenue from sales taxes

By Emily boney Senior staff Writer

State Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence announced a bill at a press conference yesterday that would legalize marijuana for retail and consumption by adults 21 years and older and provide for taxing and regulating the substance.

Ajello introduced the bill to the Rhode Island House of Representatives and was joined yesterday by State Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket, a sponsor of the bill in the Senate.

“People seem to be concerned about their children,” Ajello said at the press conference, noting constituents’ concerns that her bill would make access to marijuana easier. But Ajello said the bill aims to do the opposite and keep the drug out of the hands of young people.

Currently, four out of five high school seniors report that marijuana is easy to acquire, Nesselbush said at the press conference.

“People who are selling it have no compunction,” Nesselbush said.

Both Ajello and Nesselbush said prohibition of marijuana was “ineffective,” resulting in criminal profits and easy access to the drug for minors and students. “Public officials are compelled to act,” Nesselbush said.

Law enforcement officials spend far too much en/ / Pot page 7

city & state

2 university news c alendar Thursday

February 7

4 p.m.

Friday

February 8

7:30 p.m.

Visiting Artist: Christina Hunter

BOP Winter Arias Concert

List 110

Grant Recital Hall

7 p.m.

8 p.m.

Mid-Year Activities Fair

Brown Stand-Up Comics Show

Sayles Hall and the Campus Center

Salomon 001

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Cheese Ravioli with Pink Vodka Sauce, Chicken Broccoli Pasta Alfredo,Yellow Beans with Onions and Tomatoes

Turkey Cutlet, Swiss Broccoli Pasta, Vegan Mediterranean Stew, Cajun Chicken, Nacho Bar

DINNER Texas BBQ Brisket, Sweet and White Potato Au Gratin, Lentil Croquettes, Yellow Beets with Red Onion

Pot Roast Jardiniere, Baked Manicotti with Meatless Sauce, Fried Rice Bowl with Ham, Vegetarian Rice Bowl

Sudoku

Econ dept. looks to curb grade inflation Professors are restricting the number of As to keep grades from losing meaning

By IsOBEL Heck Staff WRiter

In an effort to control grade inflation, many professors in the Department of Economics will follow an official departmental recommendation to award 30 percent of students As, 40 percent Bs and 30 percent Cs, said Roberto Serrano, professor of economics.

Serrano said the department has recommended faculty members more closely monitor grade distributions in their classes, but grades will ultimately depend on the style of the individual class. For example, he said, the recommended distributions will be hard to follow in small seminars.

“Being serious about grades is the best incentive” for students to apply themselves, Serrano said. “The idea that everybody should get an A is just terrible.”

Louis Putterman, professor of economics and director of undergraduate studies for the economics department, said he agrees with Serrano and was surprised when he first heard some economics professors award mostly As. “When I came to Brown a little over 30 years ago, there were a relatively equal number of As, Bs and Cs,” Putterman said. “Until some unspecified time,

/ / Corporation page 1

Crossword

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

tees, Carey said.

“There’s a significant part of the weekend when we’ll be engaging in discussions regarding the strategic planning process,” Carey said, adding that the Corporation will meet in a “retreat format” on Friday to engage in an in-depth review of the committees’ recommendations.

I believe that was the prevailing ethos.”

Serrano said the department believes in fairness and that the “rules of the game” — the department’s grading policies — are given to students upfront.

Both David Braun ’14, an economics concentrator, and Alyssa Garrett ’15, an economics and applied math concentrator, said they have been in classes where professors announced they would give a certain number of As, Bs and Cs. Braun said he has taken classes in which the number of As was said to be capped at 50 percent, and one this semester in which the limit is said to be 30 percent. In his syllabus for ECON 1710: “Investments I” last semester — which included a grade distribution of 30 percent As, 30 percent Bs, 30 percent Cs and 10 percent No Credit — Professor of Economics Dror Brenner wrote, “As far as your transcript is concerned, you should neither be punished nor rewarded for taking this course.”

Garrett said she thinks grade inflation is important to monitor and has been influential for students. She recalled one job recruiter on campus telling her, “You need to have above a 3.5, because we know you can do above a 3.5.”

Professors concerned about establishing negative reputations sometimes find it helpful to explain grade distribution rules are department-wide, Serrano said. “It is not about being mean

Carey said Corporation members will have the chance to provide feedback on the reports at the retreat gathering.

He said he does not expect major action this weekend on the strategic planning process, noting that the Corporation is one of several bodies currently participating in the planning discussion.

As part of the strategic planning process, the Corporation will discuss the University’s physical growth as the

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Recommended grade distribution 30 percent ­— A 40 percent — B 30 percent — C — it is about imposing an academic standard of excellence,” he said.

Garrett noted the University’s standard of awarding only straight letter grades — and no pluses or minuses — may contribute to grade inflation.

The difference between an A and B is much greater than that between an A- and B+, so implementing a plus and minus system could make the prospect of receiving a lower grade less intimidating, she said.

Putterman, Serrano, Garrett and Braun said grade inflation is not just an issue in the economics department, but also for the rest of the University.

Serrano said he worries about losing grades as a means of distinguishing a student’s abilities, adding that it is important for the University to address the issue and open a campus dialogue about the ramifications of inflation.

“Any solution has to be instituted on a department- or University-wide basis,” Garrett said. “One professor can’t alone fix grade inflation.” She added that she commends the economics department for taking the initiative.

strategic planning committees work on “re-imagining the campus,” Carey said.

“Academic space needs of the campus are definitely part of the discussion,” he said.

The meeting last October coincided with Paxson’s inauguration as the 19th president of the University, but this weekend’s meeting will not feature any special commemorations, events or building dedications, Carey said. But the Corporation will participate in a dinner hosted for all members of the strategic planning committees, he said. Corporation members will also break out into committee meetings today and tomorrow.

An ad hoc planning committee focused on campus planning and growth and composed of Corporation members and alums will meet this weekend, Carey said. The other ad hoc committee, centered on digital technology, is still in the process of discussing and reacting to the interim reports, he added.

The latter committee is looking at a wide range of technology-related issues, which have permeated many aspects of the University, said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations. “It’s really grown so tremendously in even the last five years, even from a communications standpoint,” she said.

The Corporation is also expected to approve several gifts to the University, Carey said, though he does not know in advance what they might entail.

Though an impending snowstorm this weekend may bring one to two feet of snow and blizzard conditions to Providence, the University has not altered any plans for the weekend, Quinn wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald. Some Corporation members may have to alter their travel schedules in order to attend the meeting, she added. Forecasters have warned that the snowstorm, called Winter Storm Nemo, could result in widespread power losses in New England.

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

university news 3 / / Dual page 1

Today in University history

by Kiki Barnes, Mariya Bashk atova, Emily Bone y and Sam Heft-Luthy senior staff writers

Feb. 7, 2003 The University’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety removed asbestos insulation during winter break from nearly 60 rooms in Wriston Quadrangle, The Herald reported.

Though EHS Director Stephen Morin said asbestos is only dangerous when it is damaged, the University moved quickly to remove the insulation after a broken pipe in Goddard House led to a possible release of asbestos, The Herald reported.

“There’s not a lot of asbestos in dorm rooms,” Morin told The Herald at the time. “We’re actually pretty close to having no asbestos at all in all dorm rooms.”

Feb. 7, 1983 The Herald reported that the entire campus was “left without heat or water” when two of the three boilers broke down earlier in the week.

“Unshowered students shivered in dorm rooms and ate lunch at the Ratty on paper plates with plastic silverware,” The Herald reported.

Students were displeased, calling the outage “a pain,” The Herald reported.

Feb. 7, 1973 Director of Housing Bob Hill and Acting Dean of Student Affairs James Dougherty proposed that upperclassman dorms have proctors, The Herald reported.

The proctors were intended to act in the same manner as firstyear advisers and relay information about dormitory goings-on to administrators.

Some questioned whether the proctors would actually be useful to students and where funding would come from to pay them, The Herald reported.

Feb. 7, 1963 The Cammarian Club defeated a proposal to eliminate the Freshman Week Committee in a 12-8 vote. Four other proposals were passed separately, The Herald reported at the time.

The other proposals included an increase in “spirit-raising” meetings during Freshman Week, mandatory guided tours for all first-years upon their arrival to campus and a “beer party and weiner roast” at the then-new Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. An amendment was passed, stipulating that the “serving of alcoholic beverages is to be contingent upon the approval of the University.”

The Cammarian Club would later be replaced by the Undergraduate Council of Students.

Stephen Lassonde, deputy dean of the college and co-chair of the Brown-RISD Dual Degree program. Three of those students, Andrew Bearnot Brown ’09 RISD ’10, Alice Costas ’09 and Sarah Faux ’08 served as advisers to the first dual degree class in 2008.

Students can choose their concentrations and majors based on their interests.

Current seniors are pursuing combinations as varied as Comparative Literature and Graphic Design, Religious Studies and Printmaking and Biochemistry and Industrial Design.

Jonathan Hills ’13 plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree from Brown, which Lassonde and Zager said was not recommended when the program first began. Concentrating in mechanical engineering at Brown and furniture design at RISD, Hills said he thinks it isn’t difficult to earn an ScB within the dual degree program.

Two-for-one Seniors in the program noted the benefits of receiving an education from two prestigious schools at once. “(The students) have an opportunity to explore a really rigorous intellectual inquiry that they experience at their courses at Brown, along with a very immersive studio experience at RISD,” said Patricia Philips, interim associate provost for academic affairs at RISD and co-chair of the Brown-RISD dual degree program.

Dual degree students can apply what they learn at Brown to what they do at RISD, especially through independent studies, said Alison Rutsch ’13, a student in the program.

“I feel like my Brown classes have offered me more critical social perspective, which is lacking at RISD … in terms of gender, class, race,” Rutsch said.

Courses at Brown complement the students’ intended career paths, which they identify early on in their RISD education, said Caitrin Watson ’13, who is studying environmental studies and apparel design.

“You have to find this identity that is not available anywhere else, through any other path that already exists. Your identity is formed by this in-between spot, which is a combination of two things,” said Stephanie Swart ’13.

A balancing act Dual degree students benefit from connecting with students from both schools, said Beth Soucy ’13.

“It’s really hard to meet people outside your daily routine … so being able to

come into contact with people in both worlds and learn from them is probably my favorite thing,” Swart said.

Students also developed close connections with other members of the program, Swart said.

“It’s a kind of special bond,” Swart said. “I feel like I’ll always have a special understanding with other dual degree students.”

But being a student at more than one school can be socially straining as well, as dual degree students stay a year longer than their peers at either school.

“There are a lot of difficult social aspects,” Rutsch said. After forming friendships during her first year at RISD, “being taken out of that environment and placed into an entirely new school without all of the friends you just made is really tough,” she said.

Scheduling conflicts can also be an inconvenience for students. Since RISD classes are longer than Brown classes and do not always meet on coinciding days, creating cohesive schedules is akin to completing a puzzle, several students said. RISD also has a winter session, while Brown operates on a semester schedule, which they said makes January a difficult time for housing and meals.

Pulling off this kind of program takes a lot of cooperation and patience on the students’ part, as well as advising and negotiation from both schools. The students have to find a way to balance the rigor of the RISD curriculum and the “free-form nature” of Brown’s classes, Philips said.

“There are drawbacks to spreading yourself across two institutions. You don’t get the same immersion in either school that you would get if you were only (at-

tending) one,” Rutsch said.

Finishing touches In their final semester, many students are working on degree projects or independent coursework to tie together everything they have studied and prepare for their professional pursuits following graduation.

“It’s scary to finally have to go and get a job. But it’s also really exciting,” Soucy said.

Rutsch is working on a project interviewing kids in Providence public schools and creating artwork out of her findings. “I’m proud that I’ve been able to work up to this point in terms of reaching out and making connections,” she said. Swart said she is also enjoying the opportunity to “do (her) own thing” this semester.

Fifth-year dual degree students on the job hunt said it would be preferable to get a job that combines their two passions, though they would take a job in either field.

“The first job you get out of college is not necessarily significant or meaningful,” Lassonde said. The dual degree students must “be nimble and open to letting other things happen and take advantage of those opportunities.”

The students of the dual degree class of 2013 will leave a mark on both schools as the first-ever graduates of the program.

“I think that I learned a lot more from this program than I would have if it had been (already) established,” Soucy said.

“We had to take charge of our education really early on ... that really enriched my education,” she said.

4 gun violence

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

State discusses legislation to lower gun homicide rate A committee of legislators will explore policy changes in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook

By Adam toobin City & State Editor

Following the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. — when 20 children and six educators were murdered — several Rhode Island officials have broached the subject of strengthening the state’s gun laws.

Rhode Island has some of the strictest gun restrictions in the country — only California, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Hawaii received higher scores from the Brady Campaign to

committed to any particular proposals, she said she is considering the merits of banning many military-style assault weapons as well as limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds and improving the enforcement of laws already on the books.

Rhode Island is one of three states and Washington, D.C. that require a minimum seven-day waiting period before the purchase of any firearm, though several other states have waiting periods for some firearms and not others, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. It also mandates that individuals secure a “safety

“When we make violence okay, it’s going to happen.”

Michael Chippendale State Representative, R-Foster, Glocester and Coventry

Prevent Gun Violence, an organization that advocates increased gun control across the country. But the recent tragedy has galvanized gun control advocates to push for restrictions usually outside the realm of debate, such as a statewide ban on all semiautomatic weapons.

State legislators have not introduced any gun control bills on the floor of the General Assembly, but Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 has convened a task force of legislators, public safety officials, law enforcement officials and the attorney general “to understand what the law currently requires, what changes may or may not need to be made,” said Christine Hunsinger, Chafee’s press secretary.

Rep. Teresa Tanzi, D-South Kingstown, Narragansett, said she is working on legislation aimed at reducing the number of homicides committed with firearms. Though she has not

certificate” — a license obtained after a minimum two-hour class in gun safety — before purchasing a handgun or selling firearms.

Gun control advocates point to these restrictions to explain Rhode Island’s low rate of gun murders, as well as other policies, like requiring gun owners to report to the authorities the loss or theft of a firearm — in place in seven states, including Rhode Island, as well as Washington, D.C. Gun homicides killed about .57 out of every 100,000 Rhode Islanders in 2011, one-fifth of the national average, according to the Guardian. Louisiana had the highest rate of firearm murders of any state, with 10.16 of every 100,000 Louisianans dying from gun violence in 2011.

Rhode Island may not have the most acute gun problem in the country, Tanzi said, but there is still “no need for (residents) to have these

types of military weapons.” After the Newtown shooting, Rhode Islanders were “forming a line” to talk about additional gun control, she said. Tanzi said most people were willing to have frank discussions about the merits of gun control, but she added that she was disappointed that “second amendment advocates have drawn their line in the sand,” opposing all restrictions on military-style assault weapons.

Semiautomatic firearms are often defined as assault weapons — a political, not technical, classification — when they share features commonly found on military weapons, such as pistol grips or flash suppressors.

Rep. Michael Chippendale, RFoster, Glocester and Coventry, said he would examine any bill that came to the floor of the House but would refuse to “support any form of gun control that is going to be simply for the purposes of making something happen for the sake of making something happen.” Since the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban failed to reduce gun violence across the country, Rhode Islanders should not expect a state law to make an impact, he said. “It’s been proven — statistically proven — that an assault weapons ban does not prevent crime.”

Chafee is refraining from commenting on any pending legislation before a bill comes to his desk for his

all gun control at both the state and national levels. “No one thinks any of these things would have had any impact on Newtown,” he said. He added that he “understand(s) what the game is — pick a tragedy for its political benefit.”

Zurier defended the principle behind the bill, arguing that a city should “have sensible controls on these weapons in an urban environment.” Since “there’s not a lot of hunting in the city of Providence … there’s no need for people to carry these things around,” he said.

Though Zurier said he did not know if one state enacting restrictions on assault weapons could make a difference, “if several states step up” like New York did, then “maybe” gun violence would fall. If Rhode Island leads on the issue of gun violence, it “could spur on additional states,” he added.

Chippendale pointed to illegal gun ownership and a culture that glorifies gun violence to explain the high rate of violence across the country. “I feel the more law abiding citizens who possess (guns) legally and rightfully … the less crime there will be in an area,” he said.

The state can crack down on illegal guns, and as long “you are able to … walk into any house and the kids are playing games blowing peoples’ heads off,” firearm murders will still be a

“One crime is too much crime, and the job of keeping our city safe never ends.”

Angel Taveras Providence Mayor

signature or veto, Hunsinger said. Bills often change substantially before passing through the legislature, she added.

Calls for action In the wake of the Newtown shooting, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spearheaded gun control legislation that included a ban on militarystyle assault weapons, an expansion of background checks and a seven-round limit on magazine capacity.

Some gun control advocates have pushed the legislature to go even further than New York to ban all semiautomatic weapons. The Providence City Council passed a resolution Jan. 4, requesting the General Assembly ban all ‘semiautomatic weapons’ in Rhode Island.

Semiautomatic weapons are firearms that fire a bullet, extract and eject the casing and then reload the cartridge in the firing chamber from one pull of the trigger. Chippendale said 90 percent of firearms fall into this category — under a semiautomatic weapon ban, only pump-action shotguns and revolvers would be legal.

Councilman Sam Zurier said he supported the resolution because he wants to cut the number of gun deaths in Providence. But he added that at the time of the vote he did not understand how widely the term ‘semiautomatic weapons’ applies. “Probably, in hindsight, (the resolution) might go a little further than I would like,” he said.

Michael Hammond, the legislative counsel for Gun Owners of America, a national gun advocacy organization with about 300,000 members nationally, said his organization opposes

problem, Chippendale said. “While Hollywood is promoting gun control, they have Sylvester Stallone promoting” his new movie called ‘Bullet to the Head.’

“When we make violence okay, it’s going to happen,” he said.

Despite the passage of the city council resolution about a month ago, it seems unlikely the proposed ban on all semiautomatic weapons will ever go before the General Assembly.

Sen. Harold Metts, D-Providence, said he planned to introduce a bill in the legislature on behalf of the city but was still uncertain about what specific provisions the mayor would request. He said he did not think the mayor is looking to ban all semiautomatic weapons, only assault weapons. “Those large-capacity magazines, assault weapons for war — on city streets, we certainly don’t need all of that,” he said.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras reiterated his support for increased gun control measures in his State of the City address last week. “One crime is too much crime, and the job of keeping our city safe never ends,” he said in his speech. “I am committed to passing reasonable, common-sense gun control legislation this year that puts Rhode Island in line with our neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut.”

Last year, Metts introduced a bill that would have allowed the state’s cities and towns to pass their own laws regarding gun control. Currently, only the General Assembly is permitted to legislate on gun control. He said he thought a similar provision might be

in the bill again, but he added that Taveras was concerned rural areas might use such a law to remove restrictions on gun ownership. Connecticut has averted this problem by only allowing its towns freedom to add gun control restrictions more stringent than those in state law.

“Especially in a small state like Rhode Island, access to guns will depend on not only laws in one specific city, but laws of other cities,” said Brian Knight, professor of economics, who has studied the national movement of guns from states with lenient gun laws to states with strict gun laws. “It is relatively difficult for cities to pass laws” that effectively curtail gun ownership, because people can buy guns in other towns and municipalities with more lenient laws, he said.

Chippendale went further, arguing that a bill giving legislative authority to municipalities does not make sense.

“A state like Rhode Island could never have 39 individual municipalities have their own various concealed weapon ordinances, discharge ordinances, transportation ordinances,” he said.

“It would be absolute mayhem for the police department.”

Hammond said he also opposes this legislation, because “states tend to mellow out their crazier anti-gun aspects.” If municipalities “think they can cause problems for gun owners, I think in fact they will.”

Outside interests Despite Rhode Island’s consistent support of gun control, opposition to new restrictions remains visible, especially in the more rural areas. “People want to keep their guns,” said Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science, but “legislators will act when they think it will actually make a difference.”

Though both branches of the General Assembly have strong democratic majorities, the National Rifle Association donated $13,375 to various representatives and senators during the last election cycle, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, which received its information from the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Donations included $2,000 to Senate president M. Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Newport, $1,600 to Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, DProvidence and $500 to Chippendale, among others, over the past two years.

While no one can determine for sure how much of an effect, if any, the donations will have on an effort to pass stricter gun legislation, Schiller said, “Nationally and at the state level, the NRA is influential because it gives money.” But she added that the NRA is “most influential in states that care about guns” more than Rhode Island does.

Tanzi said she thought lobbyist dollars would have no effect on the debate in the General Assembly. Donations from groups like the NRA do “not provide (lobbyists) with any special access to the legislators,” she said. “There is no understanding with lobbyists that we will be voting any more one way or another.” But she added that she cannot “say that’s an absolute.”

The National Institute on Money in State Politics did not list any gun control advocacy groups among the major donors in the past two years.

gun violence 5

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

Gun violence scholars face data, funding barriers

Obama’s order Expanding gun research and the new laws Obama has proposed to curb gun violence have met controversy due to criticisms that gun research is inherently political.

“Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected, and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy,” the National Rifle Association said in a statement. Critics of Obama’s plan have expressed skepticism the new laws would result only in a drainage of the nation’s budget and a hassle for the average gun-owner, rather than a stop to mass shootings.

But without trying, researchers cannot know if their work will curb gun violence, Baum-Snow said.

Knight said gun violence research is important in the current sociopoliti-

total cases, 1973-2012

3

NIH research awards

cal climate because the United States is an “exceptional case” when it comes to gun policy. The United States has weaker gun laws and higher gun ownership rates than comparable nations and much higher gun violence and homicide rates, Knight said.

Obama’s executive order to appropriate money for gun-related research is now in the holding pen until Congress appropriates money for the fund, Ranney said.

“If Congress provides money for research into firearms, there will absolutely be an increase in research,” she said. The timeline “really depends on Congress and how quickly they move.”

Michael Mello, associate professor of emergency medicine and associate professor of health services, policy and practice, said he thinks reforms in research will decrease gun violence. “There is no one clear solution to a complex problem,” he said. In the same way multiple levels of intervention were necessary to decrease motor vehicle crashes by 31 percent, the issue of gun violence must also involve “multiple interventions,” Mello said.

Ranney predicted that as soon as the federal ban is released, researchers will launch projects examining gunrelated issues. The first projects would be “small-scale research,” while larger projects would take more time to receive funding due to the extensive application process, Ranney said.

“People aren’t going to be afraid anymore that it is going to blackmail their research career,” she said.

Decline in CDC gun research funding Source: CNN

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Tracing data — information that allows researchers to “trace” where a gun was purchased — used to be widely accessible to researchers, Knight said.

But in 2003, the federal government heavily restricted access to this data, he said. As a result, Knight was forced to examine aggregate data by state, rather than tracing data on individual firearms, to conduct his study.

“We tend to see a lot of flow from states with weak laws to states with strong laws,” Knight said. “What this means is that states don’t have complete control over their gun policy.”

This results in a “lowest common denominator” effect, whereby states with the least strict laws set a standard for gun acquisition that ultimately affects many more states as firearms are transported across state lines, Knight said. This is the cost of “a patchwork of policies” rather than a stronger federal law infrastructure that dictates gun laws across states.

Knight did not receive federal funding for his research, and he said doing so “isn’t easy for anyone” when it comes to studying guns.

The lack of federal funding affects other fields of study that would otherwise engage with gun-related research.

“Public health and physician researchers are less likely to do research on firearms because there is not money for it from the NIH and CDC,” Ranney said.

“It’s really difficult to do good research on firearms if you are not getting funding from any sort of national organization, “ Ranney said, adding that

Data problems Limited access to data has affected the research efforts of Emilio DepetrisChauvin GS, who recently authored a study currently under review for publication that analyzes the effect gun demand had on Obama’s election in 2008.

The study found an increased demand for guns in 2008 — a phenomenon Depetris Chauvin dubbed the “Obama effect” — that was correlated with a fear of future Obama gun-control policy and racial prejudice, according to the study.

To conduct his research, DepetrisChauvin had to rely on national background check reports. The 1994 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requires gun purchasers at federal license stores to undergo a background check.

While these data are helpful, gun purchases at gun shows are not included, he said. “You only have gun ownership data on the state level every ten years — that’s a problem,” he added.

Working with what he could — most notably data that told him how many monthy background checks were run in each state — Depetris-Chauvin tracked data beginning in March 2007. Because there was no reliable agency tracking the number of guns or gun owners,

97

The lobbying effect The force behind the federal restrictions is the National Rifle Association, Ranney said. A powerful interest group, the NRA encouraged a group of Republican senators to pass the gun research ban in 1996, she added.

Since the ban’s passage, “the number of public health researchers (looking into gun-related issues) has decreased

Depetris-Chauvin said he called every police department he could and got data directly from them.

The available data come at a price — Depetris-Chauvin said Chicago’s city survey, which included questions about firearms, would have cost him $1,000 to purchase.

What he found was a “huge surge” of gun purchases in November, especially the week before the election. Compared to the year before, there was an 80 percent increase in purchases, he said.

There was also a “huge peak” in some particular states in July of 2008, when “people started to get information about Obama winning the election,” DepetrisChauvin said.

6

directly in gun violence research and remove “current barriers to firearmrelated research,” such as limitations on accessing federal data about gun ownership, according to the letter.

Though gun research is not in his area of expertise, “it just seems reasonable that research should be treated equally to other important issues,” said Nathaniel Baum-Snow, associate professor of economics and urban studies.

“I don’t think that research should be limited by statute.”

Though the topic of gun research has yet to come up in Baum-Snow’s lectures, he said it is a likely source of discussion in upcoming meetings for his class ECON 1410: “Urban Economics.”

Gun research is important because it provides evidence-based recommendations for public policy, said Megan Ranney, assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine.

“Creating policy based on emotion is often the way laws get created,” she said. “But without science and evidence behind it, we often see laws don’t have the intended effect.”

Over 4 million

Source: University of Chicago Crime Lab

99

National Rifle Association Press Release

2,068 486

Megan Ramney Assistant Professor in the department of Emergency Medicine

“Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected, and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.”

Injuries from firearms

NIH research awards

“The whole idea of research as political is baloney.

Research is research — it’s done scientifically.”

research agenda.” The lack of federal funding “certainly hampers research in the area,” he added.

Knight’s own interest in gun research was sparked when he heard anecdotal evidence of a gun trafficking network between states with strict gun laws and states with loose laws, he said.

Analyzing data about where guns were purchased versus where they were later found, Knight discovered that a significant fraction of American firearms — approximately one-third — were purchased in a different state from where they were found, he said.

Cholera, diphtheria, polio and rabies

total cases, 1973-2012

-1

Signature of support Less than a month after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., several University professors signed the letter to Biden.

In its letter, the Crime Lab recommended the federal government invest

Barriers to funding On campus, there is “no coordinated effort on gun-related research,” said Brian Knight, professor of economics.

“It’s more individuals pursuing their own

93

President Obama’s recent executive orders on gun violence in America will increase gun-related research on the University campus — a field that has been stifled since a 1996 statute barred federal agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health from funding gun-related research, University researchers said.

Several University professors have spoken out in favor of Obama’s initiative to remove past barriers to gun-related research and signed a Jan. 10 letter addressed to Vice President Joe Biden by the University of Chicago Crime Lab calling to expand research on gun violence.

While the University’s gun-related research has been stymied by funding barriers and limited access to firearm data over the last several decades, University researchers told The Herald they were hopeful Obama’s recent order will remove barriers to research and breathe new life into the field.

19

Staff writer and senior staff writer

pretty precipitously,” Ranney said. “Most of the good articles you find are from the 1990s.”

Ranney said claims that gun-related research is too political were misled.

“The whole idea of research as political is baloney,” she said. “Research is research — it’s done scientifically.”

Average annual research funding

By gabrielle dee and Phoebe draper

Disparity in NIH research awards

there have been a number of researchers at the Injury Prevention Center who have been blackmailed for pursuing gun-related research.

To skirt the federal government’s restrictions on gun-related research, Ranney said researchers pursue gun research discreetly.

Ranney is currently researching on violence among adolescents and has received federal funding to examine ways to prevent teenage girls from getting into fights. In applying for funding, Ranney did not mention firearms, but when surveying her subjects, she included several questions about whether they have been put in front of a gun, she said.

19

Obama’s executive order may rejuvenate a research field that has seen sparse funding for nearly 20 years

6 university news

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

‘Gang of Eight’ proposes new immigration policy

The legislation would give green cards to those who finish advanced degrees in STEM fields

By HANNAH KERMAN STAFF WRITER

The University’s graduate students could stand to benefit from a proposed immigration reform that would grant more cards for international graduate students studying science, technology, engineering and math.

The legislation was announced Jan. 28 by a bipartisan group of four Democrats and four Republicans in the U.S. Senate known as the “Gang of Eight.” The proposed legislation also includes a path to citizenship for those who have lived most of their lives in the United States.

The White House has also jumped into the immigration policy debate with a four-pronged plan to “fix the broken immigration system” that includes granting green cards to students with advanced degrees in STEM fields, according to a memo released Jan. 29.

The University’s graduate school contains 1,973 students, 681 of whom hail from abroad. Of those students, 471

are involved in life sciences, said Beverly Larson, communications director of the graduate school. PhD and master’s students have had difficulty obtaining the necessary visas to stay and work in the U.S, said Peter Weber, dean of the graduate school.

The current system is especially problematic for graduates who would like to start companies, Weber said.

“Visa issues are always at the front of their minds,” Weber said. “It makes it very hard for enterprising students to strike out on their own.”

Weber cited an example from a few years ago when a PhD graduate in engineering at the University began a company that used a new nanoparticle technology to clean up mercury spills.

The company prospered for a few years, but Weber said its founder was unable to receive a visa to continue operations in the U.S. He was forced to leave, and the company was left without a CEO. “It was a regrettable situation,” Weber said, adding that both the company and the local economy suffered from overly rigid immigration laws that caused a Rhode Island-based firm to cease operations.

Weber cited the instance as evidence of damage done to the state economy

by visa restrictions that forced talented Brown graduate students to leave the country.

Newly-elected Graduate Student Council president Matthew Lyddon GS criticized immigration laws that placed a legal obstacle to foreign graduate students completing their studies.

“Universities put so much time and resources into these foreign graduate students — it makes no sense to make them leave as a default,” Lyddon said.

Lyddon, a Welsh graduate student pursuing a PhD in political theory, said he was also concerned with the Senate immigration reform proposal to only grant visas to students in STEM departments.

“The STEM subjects do not have a monopoly on creating innovators and entrepreneurs,” Lyddon said.

He added that restricting the green cards to STEM disciplines limits the economic benefit derived from comprehensive visa reform.

Foreign PhD candidates under consideration for assistant professorships often struggle to stay in the U.S. unless the University has the funds to cover the lengthy and expensive visa process, Lyddon said.

Those who stay in the country as

Sam Kase / Herald

U.S. Senators have proposed a new immigration policy that would help provide STEM majors an easier path to citizenship. professors can merit their new citizen- Founding Fathers’ support for integratship through teaching American stu- ing immigrants into America’s society dents for over twenty or thirty years, and workforce.

Lyddon said.

“I understand that the country today While he sees the proposed reforms is under different pressures,” Lyddon as progress, he added that he thinks the said. “But if you go and do the math, discussions need to broaden beyond you see how much money is invested the STEM disciplines. Lyddon also re- in graduate students in top-flight uniferred to recent media coverage of the versities.”

Gu n d e b at e

Lauren Galvan / Herald

The Rhode Island State House has been the site of many recent deliberations on gun control and mental health policy.

gun violence 7

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

/ / Pot page 1 ergy and resources policing marijuana, and they will be able to focus more on “fighting violent crime” if the bill passes, Ajello said. Under marijuana prohibition, the state is “spending hard-earned tax dollars … incarcerating people who choose to consume a substance that appears to be less harmful than alcohol,” Nesselbush said.

A regulated market for marijuana would create much-needed tax revenue for the state, Ajello said. Nesselbush said it was irresponsible to “leave it up to criminals” to choose buyers for their product, especially when the state could create a new market with new jobs and taxable income. Tax revenue from mari-

city & state

juana sales would be used to fund drug education and treatment for those who need it, Nesselbush said. She said the bill would receive support from workingclass members of her district when it became clear that the legalization of marijuana would not increase its use.

“Nationwide support (for legalization) is at an all-time high,” bolstered by the success Washington and Colorado have had with similar legislation, Ajello said. She has introduced similar bills last year and the year before without success.

If marijuana were to be legalized, the bill states that purchases would be limited to an ounce at a time, and the state would leverage a $50 per-ounce wholesale tax.

Legalization on a national scale would result in savings in government spending and sales tax revenue

that would add up to between $10 and $14 billion, according to a report by Jeffery Miron, an economics professor at Harvard.

Ajello cited Rhode Island’s defiance of the national prohibition of alcohol 80 years ago, when it was the only state in the nation to “recognize that such a system was bound to fail” and “refuse to ratify the 18th amendment.” She said the legalization of marijuana would solve many of the same problems that prohibition created, such as illegal activity and underage use. During prohibition, “the product remained, as did the supply,” Ajello said.

“I see myself as a no-nonsense senator,” said Nesselbush, “And this bill makes sense … and dollars and cents.”

“This is not such a liberal, wildhaired idea,” Ajello added.

emily Boney / Herald

State Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, proposed a bill that would legalize marijuana for adult purchase and consumption in R.I.

R.I. legislators propose update to school safety plan

The state aims to revamp school safety policy as a response to last year’s Sandy Hook shooting By emily boney Senior staff writer

Two months after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., legislators, teachers and administrators have rekindled a debate on improving the safety of Rhode Island’s public schools.

State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist and members of the Rhode Island Senate Committee on Education are working on creating a school safety plan that could be enacted statewide. The model would allow individual school districts to “go over their plans and make sure they have all the required elements,” said Elliot Krieger, communications assistant to the commissioner. He added that the state’s plan would be composed of “the best elements” from existing school safety plans.

Safety plans cover a wide range of topics, ranging from teacher protocol during drills to recovery after an incident. Krieger said that instead of making the schools’ administrators read through the actual law, a model safety plan would ensure maximum efficiency and efficacy in each school’s planning process by providing only the necessary information.

The presence of armed guards at some urban schools while other schools — primarily in suburban and rural communities — are not guarded has created controversy due to its perceived neglect of certain communities. Krieger said not all schools employ armed guards, and the state legislature defers to police discretion on which schools require heightened security measures.

“Rhode Island schools are safe, but that doesn’t mean that a tragedy can’t happen anywhere,” Krieger said.

School safety plans have to be extremely detailed, with planned responses to a number of different scenarios, he said, adding that they are reviewing “what laws (they) need to strengthen, and how (they) can improve current practices.”

In a school safety hearing Jan. 22, Gist said public schools are “safe and healthy places for teaching and learning,” but added that violence and hazards can occur anywhere, so it is best to be prepared.

The state is also looking to implement a master price agreement with a security company, Krieger said, ensuring low prices for door security systems if a school chooses to upgrade.

Rhode Island has one of the strictest school safety plans in the nation, Krieger said. Every year, schools are supposed to conduct 15 emergency response drills with their students. The commissioner is planning to issue a suggestion that at least one of these drills happen early in the year to ensure immediate readiness, Krieger said.

Herald File Photo

A commision of Rhode Island legislators, school teachers and administrators are working to develop a plan to increase school safety in case of a school shooting or other emergency situation.

8 gun violence

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

R.I. Congress delegation supports federal gun restrictions Bills would expand background checks, close loopholes and limit magazine capacity

By Mariya bashkatova senior staff writer

All four members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation have taken leading roles in Congress advocating additional federal gun control regulations. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., have all either introduced or supported bills in the current session of Congress that promote what they call “common-sense” gun safety laws like universal background checks for firearm purchases.

The four members of the delegation are co-sponsoring a bill that would require a background check to purchase a firearm at a gun show, removing the “gun show loophole.” While government regulations require all firearm dealers to perform background checks, person-toperson sales are free of this restriction.

The legislators are also co-sponsoring a bill that would ban the sale or possession of “ammunition feeding devices” — such as magazines — that have a capacity of more than 10 rounds. Whitehouse, Cicilline and Reed are also co-sponsoring the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, which would reinstate the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, eliminating access to a variety of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The bill, if enacted, would never expire.

Michael Hammond, legislative counsel of Gun Owners of America — an organization with about 300,000 members — said he opposed what he called President Obama’s cynical attempt to use a tragedy for political gain. “We understand what the game is. No one thinks any of these things would have had an impact on Newtown,” he said.

Hammond said he thought Obama was pushing gun control legislation to make it harder for Republicans to return to power. “If he can destroy the Second Amendment community — the last major leg on which the Republican Party ground game rests — Obama can destroy any effective opposition to the liberal agenda for the foreseeable future,” he said. “It’s about Obama’s ruthless efforts to destroy the people who oppose him.”

Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science and public policy, said she thinks Obama sees “gun violence as an epidemic that disproportionately affects the poor” and that his support for gun control is not very politically motivated. “Everything else he wants

to do is designed to put the Republicans in a bad position,” but “it would be counter-productive of him to go after guns,” she said. A fight over gun control “only mobilizes people that are most adamantly worried about guns — and they vote Republican.”

In addition to the bills he is cosponsoring, Cicilline has introduced legislation that would close a loophole allowing gun providers whose licenses have been revoked or have expired to transfer their remaining inventory to their personal collection, said Richard Luchette, Cicilline’s communications director. Gun merchants with lapsed licenses can currently sell firearms as private citizens without nearly as much regulatory oversight, he said. Cicilline ,a founding member of Mayors against Illegal Guns — a coalition of mayors dedicated to cracking down on illegal gun use — has also pursued a “comprehensive effort to require background checks on gun sales.”

Langevin has proposed the Crackdown on Deadbeat Gun Dealers Act in Congress, which would increase the number of annual inspections on firearm merchants’ sale-records and raise penalties for violations. Currently, a disproportionately large number of guns used in crimes can be traced to a small number of irresponsible gun dealers, said Jonathon Dworkin, Langevin’s spokesman.

Langevin has had a personal connection to gun control since he was paralyzed in a gun accident in a police station locker room as a teenager, Dworkin said.

If an accident can occur in “a police station with two weapons experts … an accident could happen anywhere,” he said. Much of the legislation he supports is focused on “keeping guns out of the wrong hands” by means of background checks, Dworkin said.

Reed, a former officer in the U.S. Army, supports improved mental health care and more controls on the availability of assault weapons, according to a press release. “Assault weapon” is a political term commonly used to describe semiautomatic weapons with military-style features, like flash suppressors and pistol grips.

“I served in the Army, and I’ve used military-style weapons. Let’s be clear — they are designed to rapidly kill,” Reed said in a press release.

Langevin and Cicilline were appointed to the Gun Violence Protection Task Force, a committee of House Democrats that will propose legislative options on gun control for Congress and the president. “The goal of the task force is to recommend a set of policy proposals to reduce gun violence,” Luchette said.

Intense partisanship around gun

Examples of firearms that would be banned under the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013

AK-47

AR-15

M&P15

control legislation in Congress promises to impede progress on any of the delegation’s proposals. Of the legislation under consideration, background check laws are most likely to pass because it will be “harder for the (National Rifle Association) and (its) Democratic supporters to argue against” them, Schiller said. Many gun owners are in favor of safety precautions like background checks, even if they disagree with bans on specific firearms, Dworkin said.

Garnering support for bills restricting access to weapons or high-capacity magazines will be much more difficult, Schiller said. An assault weapons ban will be “impossible” to pass in Congress,

Schiller added, because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opposes the bill.

She said the ban is unpopular because it would only prevent gun owners who purchase weapons legally from obtaining access to firearms. Criminals who have illegal weapons will still commit violence, she added. Though limiting high-capacity magazines is important, “trying to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them” would be more popular and effective, Schiller said.

Keeping the public’s attention on the issue is integral to the success of gun control legislation, Dworkin said. The Sandy Hook shooting “really shocked

the conscience of our whole nation, but even in the month and a half since then, we’ve seen close to 1,500 people killed across the country by gun violence,” Luchette said.

To raise awareness of gun violence, Langevin and Cicilline are each inviting someone who has been affected by firearms to the President’s State of the Union next week, Dworkin said. Each member of Congress receives one guest ticket to the address.

“For advocates for gun safety to be successful, it’s really important that people across the country are making their voices heard and compelling their government to act,” Dworkin said.

gun violence 9

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

State seeks to improve mental health care system Officials will use federal funds and legislation to bolster the care R.I. delivers to the mentally ill By maxine joselow senior staff writer

Rhode Island officials are taking steps to improve the state’s mental health care system to prevent violent tragedies after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. Dec. 14.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ala., introduced legislation Jan. 23 that would give federal funding to states to prevent teen suicide and violence. The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization annually allocates $44 million “to help states and non-profit institutions prevent youth suicide,” according to a Senate press release.

“The horrific mass shootings we’ve seen at schools across the country show that more work must be done to address the mental and behavioral health of children and young adults before they hurt themselves and others,” Reed said, according to the press release.

“Many young people have treatable mental illnesses, but they don’t get the help they need,” he added. “In Rhode Island there are more than twice as many suicides as homicides.

We can do more to help schools, colleges and universities prevent youth suicide.”

Susan Jacobsen, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island, said the state’s community mental health centers — which have suffered from a decrease in federal funding over the last decade — could benefit from the increased federal backing that Reed’s bill proposes.

While Reed’s bill assumes people with mental illness are more likely to commit acts of violence, most mentally ill individuals do not become violent, Jacobsen said. Select mentally ill individuals “with a history of violence and … substance abuse disorder can be at a higher risk of harm to self or others,” but in general, mentally ill people are more likely to be victims of crimes than to commit them, she said.

“I think we have falsely perpetrated the myth that people with mental illness are dangerous,” she added.

“The research doesn’t bear that out.”

The Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation is also mak-

ing efforts to improve the state’s mental health care system. RIPCPC recently forged an alliance with Rhode Island’s Behavioral Health Providers that “will allow RIPCPC’s physicians to smoothly facilitate direct referral to competent, capable and available behavioral health professionals in a timely manner,” according to a press release from the organization.

“Without this type of concrete relationship between behavioral health and primary care, you’re not going to make as much of an improvement in terms of (patients’) outcomes,” said Noah Benedict, chief operating officer of RIPCPC. In the past, patient confidentiality policies posed an obstacle to effective communication between RIPCPC and Behavioral Health Providers, Benedict said. The two organizations will discuss and refine these policies as they move forward in their alliance, he added.

While Reed’s bill and RIPCPC’s alliance represent the most recent attempts at reforming Rhode Island’s mental health care system since Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 created the Rhode Island Health Benefits Exchange in 2011.

“The purpose of the exchange is to provide a mechanism for the public to access health insurance and a variety of products in a way that is costefficient,” said Christine Hunsinger, Chafee’s press secretary.

State Rep. Joseph McNamara, DWarwick, Cranston, said the exchange is a “great idea” that may address the discrepancy between public and private insurances’ coverage of mental health.

Rhode Island’s mental health care reform echoes President Obama’s recent proposals in response to the Newtown shooting, which include “increasing access to mental health services,” stricter background checks for gun buyers and more security in schools, according to a White House press release.

Obama’s proposals would provide funding to school districts to equip teachers with the skills and resources needed to recognize mental illness.

They would also finalize regulations compelling private health insurers and Medicaid to provide additional coverage for mental health care, according to the press release.

Outlining these proposals at a White House press conference a month after the Newtown shooting, Obama said “We are going to need to work on making access to mental health care as easy as access to a gun.”

www.browndailyherald.com

‘Master lever’ ballot may be phased out The option currently allows a voter to vote for every candidate from a particular political party By margaret farris contributing writer

Two state representatives proposed legislation in January to eliminate the master lever — a tool that allows voters to select every candidate from any party with a single mark on the ballot.

The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Michael Marcello, D-Cranston, and Rep. Brian Newberry, R-North Smithfield, Burrillville, said they aim to encourage voters to learn more about specific candidates instead of voting along party lines, according to a press release from the General Assembly.

The current policy “wreaks havoc on local elections,” Newberry said. Voters who use the master lever option to support candidates solely because of their party affiliation end up voting

city & state

for local candidates with whom they are unfamiliar, he added.

The legislation could also pressure candidates to increase campaigning instead of relying on support based on their party.

Ken Block, founder and chairman of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island, said the master lever creates an advantage for the state’s Democratic candidates.

“The average Democratic representative candidate starts out with a 16 percent advantage,” Block said. “In a great many races, this makes the difference.”

Rhode Island is currently one of 16 states that has maintained the master lever ballot option.

“This argument has been made for decades and decades, and the Democratically-controlled government has refused to allow a change,” Block said of Rhode Island.

After losing a bid for the governor’s office in 2010 as a moderate candidate, Block began his campaign to remove the master lever for the ballot. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, an indepen-

dent, won the contest.

A petition against the tool has generated 1,664 signatures on Block’s website.

“Ballots show that voters are confused about the purpose of the master lever,” Block said. “Many voters believe it is an indication of their political philosophy.”

Rep. Thomas Palangio, D-Providence, said he opposes the elimination of the master lever.

“Many times individuals don’t know who they’re voting for, and they should have the option to just vote for one party,” Palangio said, adding that more emphasis should be on party platforms and less on individual candidates.

“It means something to be a Democrat. It means something other than just a political party,” Palangio said.

He added that “no one is obligated to push the lever” — the lever is just one option voters have.

Democratic control in the General Assembly may prevent a mote on the measure, Newberry said, but “if it comes to a vote, it will pass.”

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10 editorial & letter Editorial

Law school doesn’t pass the bar Law school has traditionally been a popular option for university graduates seeking to broaden their career opportunities, especially for those interested in law or public policy. Among others, political science, international relations and history concentrators often consider pursuing a law degree either immediately or soon after graduating. Those who consider law school hoping to achieve gainful employment, six-figure salaries and elevated social statuses often view the expensive three-year venture as an attractive and logical option.

But an unsettling trend in the world of advanced degrees has sparked debate over the true opportunities a law school degree invites. Tuition is soaring, student loan debt now outpaces credit card debt and, since the recession, lucrative employment is by no means a guarantee. For the first time, the American Bar Association released employment statistics for law school graduates from the class of 2011. According to the report, only half of that year’s graduates had a full-time, secure job that required a law degree nine months after graduating. While we believe law school can be part of a fulfilling life and career, we urge students to carefully consider the decision before taking on such a drastic investment of time, effort and money.

Nationally, the growing malaise among law schools has led to a decline in enrollment and the capacities of the schools themselves. Applications to law school are on pace to hit a 30-year low with only 27,891 people applying by mid-January, a 20 percent drop from this time last year and a staggering 38 percent drop from 2010. Only 40,000 students are projected to enroll, compared to a peak year in 2004, when Law School Admission Council records show some 100,000 students attended law school. Some schools have resorted to layoffs and buyouts or even lowering the cost of tuition to stay afloat. But there is a glut of law schools — 201 accredited by the ABA — and such a steep decline in public interest will almost surely lead to drastic program cuts or even closures.

Before panic ensues, Brunonians can take comfort in some good news.

While the sobering statistics represent a larger trend of a struggling institution — a trend indisputably exacerbated by the economic downturn — top law schools continue to thrive. According to the ABA, a dozen top law schools, including the University of Virginia and N ew York University, reported that more than 80 percent of their graduates had full-time, long-term jobs.

Historically, the University has succeeded in placing graduates in these top law schools. For the law school class admitted in 2011, 183 of 201 Brown student and alum applicants were accepted — more than 20 percent above the national acceptance rate. Many Brown graduates matriculated at Yale Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, New York University School of Law, and Harvard Law School. About 80 percent of those who matriculated took at least one year off after their time at Brown.

Beyond Brown, other elite undergraduate and graduate schools overwhelmingly filled with students of more privileged socioeconomic backgrounds emerge as winners. The most recent economic recession has not affected Brown graduates as visibly as it has the rest of the nation. But there are unseen consequences that will emerge some years down the road, as more schools close down and fewer students consider law school as a viable option.

Both graduate institutions and graduates must innovate and compromise to forge a path in the new normal for the legal field.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Dan Jeon, and its members, Mintaka Angell, Samuel Choi, Nicholas Morley and Rachel Occhiogrosso. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

Editorial cartoon b y a n g e l i a wa n g

le t ter to the Editor Motto calls for moral living, not blind faith To the Editor: Jesse Hartheimer ’14 suggests the only meaning of “In God we hope” is a pious one and that it is appealing only to believers (“Hartheimer ’14: In rationis speramus,” Feb. 5). I have always personally interpreted our motto as more complex. Unlike putting our trust in God, our hope implies skepticism, a recognition that it may all be an “unjustified belief ” born of “misplaced ... confidence” we desire to be true.

“In deo speramus” has been, for me, a call for people to act in God’s stead. Be moral, improve the world, do good work here and now. Don’t rely on the belief something else will fix the world or infuse it with meaning for you. Hope for God, but it’s nothing to count on. What better message for an institution which is supposed to be preparing students for “discharging the offices of life with usefulness and reputation”?

Jason Becker ’09 ’10AM

Correc tion

An article in yesterday’s Herald (“Prof. discusses racial conflicts, lasting national legacy of 1965,” Feb. 6) incorrectly stated that in his Feb. 5 lecture at the Brown Bookstore, Professor Emeritus of History James Patterson said that “more than 500,000 Americans returned in caskets” from Vietnam and that columnist Art Buchwald wrote a piece “thanking God” Lyndon Johnson was president in 1965. In fact, Patterson said more than 500,000 U.S. troops were still in Vietnam when Johnson left office in early 1969. He also did not say Buchwald’s column thanked God for Johnson’s presidency. In fact, Patterson explained Buchwald’s column satirized Johnson and noted that his escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam was similar to a proposal advocated in 1964 by Johnson’s pro-war opponent, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-AZ. The Herald regrets the error.

quote of the day

“I see myself as a no-nonsense senator, and this bill makes sense … and dollars and cents.”

— State Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket See pot on page 1. facebook.com/browndailyherald

@the_herald

browndailyherald.com

C O R R E C T I O N S P olic y 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 ommen tar y 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.

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opinions 11

the brown daily herald thursday, february 7, 2013

Identity politics is counter-productive Kevin Carty Opinions Columnist A few months ago on Facebook, a friend of mine wrote of how one friend’s perspective “as a white male in a fraternity” seemed to guide his opinion about sexual assault policies at Brown. A couple days later, I saw one writer’s opinion explained away by another’s accusation that he was simply “bummed that his straightness, whiteness and dudeness got implicated in something negative.” I see this sort of posturing fairly often. In perennially sensitive debates about topics like race, sex, feminism or sexual assault, one participant, usually of a certain privileged status, brings up an opinion that goes against the grain, qualifies the question or challenges the conventional wisdom. And in response, he is often dismissed with some reference to his white, male or fill-in-the-blank privilege.

I do not like this trend. I find it to be a particularly unsavory, awful kind of identity politics, and I think it’s counterproductive.

I recently read a 1969 essay by feminist activist Carol Hanisch that I found helpful in deciphering this trend. The phrase “The Personal is Political” is both the title and the focus of her piece. In it, Hanisch writes that “personal problems are political problems,” and she encourages women and members of the women’s movement to recognize that the day-to-day injustices of their lives — such as men’s unwillingness to hire or date

them unless they “look pretty and giggle” or perceptions of them as “sensitive, emotional … (or) dumb” — are personal injustices that proceed from larger systems of power and control. It is worth organizing and acting against these systems of oppression, the sources of those original misdeeds.

To invert “The Personal is Political” is to say that the political — anything that comments on larger power relations — is personal. This is where the Facebook posts come in. From this inverse angle, anything

actually win the argument. The opinions they expound, regardless of how correct or incorrect they are, still stand. If a white guy posting on Facebook presents a rape myth, we should not expect to prove him wrong by saying he is posting such a thing because of his white male privilege. We should expect to prove him wrong when we prove the myth wrong. Ideas don’t leave the public sphere because they get kicked out. They leave because they are incorrect.

Likewise, this practice discourages peo-

By dismissing an opinion because of the unchosen identity of the person who gives that opinion, we do something that is antithetical to the spirit of just about every social liberation movement. from a rape joke to an online opinion can be deemed a result of the speaker’s own privilege. So, when a friend of mine expresses an opinion about Brown’s sexual assault policies, it is safe to say, if one follows this line of reasoning, that his political speech is formed by his personal experience within a larger system. It is fair to chalk up his opinion to his privileged identity “as a white male in a fraternity.” It is not ridiculous to see others as shaped by social processes and to see their opinions as evidence of that influence. It is not ridiculous — but it is detrimental.

When we discount people’s opinions by saying they are shaped by privilege, we don’t

ple who might otherwise be involved supporters. When we tell others their speech results from their privileged circumstances, we send two messages. On one level is the implicit idea that one cannot break free from those circumstances. Inevitably, we say, opinions will always be shaped by identity. On another level, we say the opinion in question, and accordingly the speaker of that opinion, is not welcome. Shaped by a privilege he cannot seem to escape, the speaker is not a part of this movement, of this concept or of this conversation.

Lastly, by dismissing an opinion because of the unchosen identity of the person who gives that opinion, we do something that is

antithetical to the spirit of just about every social liberation movement. These movements — whether a feminist movement, civil rights movement or gay liberation movement — each gain great strength from their abilities to speak to persons as distinct individuals rather than indistinguishable representatives of groups. The freedom to be seen as a unique being, filled with agency and originality, released from the burden of gender roles, racial stereotypes or heteronormativity, is a freedom for which each one of these movements strives. When we discard someone else’s opinion because of his privileged identity, we ignore this ideal. We see people as automatons, built by and trapped within a repressive system, rather than individuals. There is a serious moral failing within that judgement. It is not fair, and it is not reflective of the countless differences and nuances that reside within each one of us, whether we are influenced by privilege or by oppression.

Most of the time that we see this bit of identity politics, it surrounds a difficult debate. But when we call out others’ privileges and discount opinions in the process, we tend to make those debates even more difficult. So the next time a socially privileged person comments on a sensitive topic, think before you attribute his opinion to that which he cannot change.

Kevin Carty ’15 is a political science concentrator from Washington, D.C. He can be emailed at kevin_carty@brown.edu or followed @Politicarty.

Brown food is good food Gabriella Corvese Opinions Columnist If I could make one suggestion to President Christina Paxson on her strategic planning update, it would be to implement a Brown/Johnson and Wales culinary dual degree program.

Though I have a feeling this isn’t going to happen anytime soon, we still have an impressive variety of food here on College Hill. But not all of my peers agree with me. In fact, I have found some of my peers are more worried about the food here than they are about their exams.

Food should not be a source of worry. At a school where certain foods are staples of our University culture — spicies with and Chicken Finger Friday come to mind — it is time we realize dining hall food isn’t going to kill us.

Considering Brown’s liberal and open-minded reputation, it is a surprise how quick we are to reject school food.

The Ratty’s turkey and mashed potatoes do not compare to Mom’s Thanksgiving feast, but that does not mean the food served on trays is inferior to that served on china. Most of us came to college to try new things, and people seem to forget that includes food.

First of all, I want to get one thing out of the way: There are no laxatives in

school food. I’m not sure where this collegiate urban legend came from, but it is certainly just a rumor and nothing more.

The Ratty’s black bean stew may take a different toll on your gastrointestinal tract than a plate of pasta does, but that

need three meals a day and people who only snack. Though some feel the prices of some plans do not match their values, full meal plans are cost-effective in the long run since pooling money from all the smaller plans keeps the price of a

The Ratty’s turkey and mashed potatoes does not compare to Mom’s Thanksgiving feast, but that does not mean the food that is served on trays instead of china is inferior.

does not mean there are scheming dining services workers making sure your system gets flushed before the food poisoning kicks in. And the title “the Ratty” is not a description of work conditions, but rather a nostalgic reference to campus lore. Have a little more faith in Brown’s food and dining workers, since they are only trying to make sure we aren’t studying on empty stomachs.

Even with that reassurance, are you still apprehensive about eating every meal in a dining hall? Change your meal plan. Brown offers plans for people who

large one reasonable. For students with religious or medical reasons that prevent them from snacking with reckless abandon, Brown also offers plenty of different meal plans to accommodate even the most stringent diets.

Regardless of options, though, do you constantly dread eating Blue Room sandwiches and find Chicken Finger Friday to be a waste of a celebration? Go completely off meal plan and explore all of the food options around you. There are a handful of events on campus every day offering free food, as indicated by the phrase

“Kabob and Curry will be served” constantly punctuating event descriptions.

And when free samosas begin to get old, you are left with Brown students’ most valuable food resource: the city. Recently dubbed “the creative capital,” Providence offers restaurants near and far to creatively fit every craving and desire.

And if you truly are unhappy with the food others are preparing for you, there is always cooking. The prospect can be intimidating to some, but with practice, the right ingredients and a little bit of research, you can go from microwaving Easy Mac to preparing white truffle and gruyere macaroni and cheese in no time.

Just be careful with sharp knives, and please try not to burn anything down.

I, like many others, have opened my fridge, seen a plethora of goods and wistfully declared, “There’s nothing to eat!”

But I do hope the same stops applying to Brown. Food at Brown is what you make of it, and there are more than enough options here and in Providence to feed the pickiest student. The dining halls may not be in Zagat or Michelin guides, but I am not afraid to speak the truth some of us are too stubborn to admit: The food here is pretty good.

When all else fails, though, Johnson and Wales is just a bus ride away.

Gabriella Corvese ’15 makes a mean stir-fry and can be reached at gabriella_corvese@brown.edu

daily herald city & state the Brown

Spotlight on the statehouse

by Emily Bone y senior staff writer

Racial profiling Two state legislators introduced a proposal in the General Assembly this week to reinstate a policy of collecting data from traffic stops to curtail instances of racial profiling.

The legislation — introduced by Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Providence, and Rep. Grace Diaz, D-Providence — will require police officers to document in writing their reason for pulling over a motorist or searching a pedestrian.

“As I’ve said for years, driving while black — or brown or any other color — is not a crime,” Almeida said, according to a General Assembly press release. “More than a decade after we first started collecting traffic stop information, those of us in the minority community know that we are still being stopped more often and getting searched for no good reason.”

Legislation with similar intent has failed in the General Assembly when police organizations expressed apprehension that such laws would hinder police work.

Sugary drinks A bill proposing a new $1.28 per gallon soft drink tax was introduced by a group of legislators earlier this month.

Rep. Larry Valencia, D-Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond, Rep. Teresa Tanzi, D-South Kingstown, Narragansett, Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, Rep. Maria Cimini, D-Providence, and Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, sponsored the bill, which stipulates that a sugary beverage is a “nonalcoholic beverage … containing sugar, corn syrup or any other high-calorie sweetener including … sodas, sports drinks or energy drinks.”

The legislation aims to decrease the obesity rate, which stands at 25.4 percent among Rhode Island adults.

Restaurant owners have raised concerns that the tax will be bad for business. The Center for Consumer Freedom stated sugary drinks are not the only contributor to obesity, though Harvard’s School of Public Health published a study last September showing they are a major factor.

Manhole covers In an effort to prevent manhole theft, a bill heard in the House Judiciary Committee today would prohibit scrap metal dealers from buying manhole covers without city consent.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Elain A. Coderre, D-Pawtucket, comes in the wake of complaints from municipal officials about high rates of manhole cover theft.

A total of 230 manhole covers were stolen in Providence in 2012, racking up large costs for the city. The city recently passed a law similar to state legislation that requires scrap dealers to have a certificate from the city authorizing the purchase of their manhole covers.

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thursday, february 7, 2013

UCS may stand against federal sequester Congress’ inaction could lead to a 6 percent cut in financial aid students are eligible to receive

By Maxine Joselow Senior Staff Writer

The Undergraduate Council of Students will vote next week on a proposal to formally oppose the federal sequester, said UCS Treasurer Sam Gilman ’15.

The sequester — which was announced by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan — would cut six percent of federal student aid for millions of students, Gilman said at the UCS meeting Wednesday night.

The council should take a stand against the sequester, Gilman said,

adding that he has drafted a resolution he will invite members to review.

He asked the council to vote on the resolution at its meeting next week.

Looking forward, UCS should send the resolution to other schools and “try to get them on board,” Gilman said.

The federal sequester’s negative impact on students has not received adequate attention, Gilman added.

“They haven’t gotten any press on this,” he said. “No one’s talking about the effect on students.”

Gregory Chatzinoff ’15, parliamentarian and UCS-UFB liaison, said he wondered whether the council’s formal opposition to the federal sequester would mark the first time the council has “taken a partisan side on a political issue.”

Gilman said the issue of the fed-

eral sequester could not be divided along partisan lines.

The council also approved recategorizing 12 Category III groups that had not been spending their baseline funding. These groups included Brown EMTs, BrownNation and Latin American Student Organization.

The group leaders did not respond in time to emails notifying them of their impending decategorization, so “there is no way they can appeal” the decision, said Student Activities Chair Alexander Kaplan ’14. “If it was that important to them, they would have responded,” Kaplan said.

“It’s not like they’re not going to be groups anymore,” said Afia Kwakwa ’14, chair of the Campus Life Committee. “They’re just going down to Category II. They don’t need the money.”

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