Daily
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 54
INSIDE
POST
postSpring Weekend 2013
R.I. same-sex marriage faces final battle in Senate Chafee ’75 P’14 has promised to approve the same-sex marriage bill if it makes it to his desk
CITY & STATE EDITORS
Dukin’ DJs Invalid DJ vote for Spring Weekend leads to a re-do Page 6
Venture forth Five students win startup fellowships with VFA today
59 / 49
tomorrow
64 / 52
since 1891
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
By SONA MKRTTCHIAN AND ADAM TOOBIN
Page 2
Herald
As the national debate over samesex marriage continues to unfold, for the first time in Rhode Island’s history, the governor, the House of Representatives and a majority of state residents all support legalization. The fate of samesex marriage legalization now lies in the hands of the Senate. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 signed legislation establishing civil unions in 2011 but immediately faced criticism from same-sex marriage
CITY & STATE
activists, who continued to advocate marriage equality. With democratic majorities in both houses of the legislature, experts speculated in January that 2013 would be the year a same-sex marriage bill — variations of which have been regularly introduced in the General Assembly since 1997 — would finally be passed into law in Rhode Island. The House approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in January that is slated for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee next week. Rhode Island’s same-sex marriage debate will arrive on campus Tuesday, April 23 as The Herald and the Taubman Center for Public Policy host a panel discussion about the ongoing legislative battle. Legislative path When the General Assembly reviewed same/ / Marry page 5
See pages 6-7 for spotlights on legislating same-sex marriage.
LAUREN GALVAN / HERALD
Inside, the Herald explores several different aspects of the same-sex marriage debate, including the history of the debate in Rhode Island.
Poll predicts close race between Harris and Kwakwa Majority Polling by The Herald shows Daniel Pipkin ’14 trailing his opponents in the presidential race By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF TODD HARRIS, AFIA KWAKWA AND DANIEL PIPKIN
From left to right: Todd Harris ’14.5, Afia Kwakwa ’14 and Daniel Pipkin ’14, the three candidates for UCS president. In a recent Herald poll, Harris led by a slim margin followed by Kwakwa, with Pipkin in third.
The race for president of the Undergraduate Council of Students may develop into a close contest between Todd Harris ’14.5 and Afia Kwakwa ’14, according to polling conducted by The Herald. Out of 230 students polled, 110 — 47.8 percent of the total — said they voted for Harris, and 99 students, or 43 percent of the total, said they voted for Kwakwa. Another 21 students, or 9.1 percent, said they voted for Daniel Pipkin ’14. The Her/ / Election page 5
BCA poll results reveal pop, hip hop as most popular genres Students indicated an interest in mainstream rather than ‘indie’ musical artists By ANDREW SMYTH SENIOR STAFF WRITER
As students gear up for Spring Weekend with colorful tanks, kegs and perhaps — given Saturday’s forecast — rain ponchos, their attention is turning to the main event — a two-day musical extravaganza on the Main Green. This year’s lineup features DJ A-Trak and rapper Kendrick Lamar headlining among other performers. But students put forth a rather different body of desired artists for the concerts, according to a poll conducted last se-
ARTS & CULTURE
mester by the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Brown Concert Agency to survey student interest in potential Spring Weekend acts. With over 700 votes, rock was identified as the most popular genre among poll respondents, closely followed by pop, hip-hop and electronic music, respectively. Country, jazz, jam band, soul and funk each received close to 120 votes. The three acts that received the most votes were the popular footstomping British folk band Mumford and Sons, The Lonely Island — the comedy trio based on Saturday Night Live — and Macklemore, the up-andcoming rapper of “Thrift Shop” fame. None of the acts booked for this year’s Spring Weekend made the top 10, though rapper Kendrick Lamar, who will headline Saturday night, placed 13th among surveyed students.
Mapping the rock diaspora Though a plurality of students identified rock as their genre of choice, most of the acts they actually suggested tend to fall more comfortably into the hip hop and electronic camps. Among the top 20 acts, only The Black Keys might be classified a rock act in the conventional sense, though Mumford and Sons and Of Monsters and Men have a rock sensibility with folksy underpinnings. Emma Ramadan ’13, BCA Booking Chair, said it is difficult to book a suitable rock act given the constraints of the BCA budget and the disparate nature of the genre. “With the rock genre there’s no inbetween,” she said. “There are either these big rock names that everyone knows but are out of our budget, or there are these much, much smaller ... indie rock bands that could never headline a show.”
Olivia Petrocco ’13, music director at WBRU-FM, attributed the genre disparity to a shifting landscape of music distribution. “The alternative radio panel sound that gets played has fractured a lot recently with the differentiation of where you can get your music from,” she said. “The Internet is such a dynamic channel for music to travel through that the alternative panel is not as definitive as it once was.” Confronting the mainstream Though students indicated that Brown has a reputation for being a mecca for alternative music, this notion seems to stand in opposition to the top 10 acts, most of which enjoy regular airtime on Top 40 radio stations. “The perception that people have of Brown of being this hipster school / / Music page 3 where every-
of faculty approves of Paxson
The faculty approved of Paxson’s leadership at a higher rate than it did the Corporation’s By RACHEL MARGOLIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
About 31 percent of the faculty strongly approves of Christina Paxson’s performance as president, and 35 percent reported they somewhat approve, according to a poll of the faculty The Herald conducted April 8 to April 12. Another 30 percent said they were not familiar enough to answer or had no opinion on Paxson’s handling of her role so far. Those who somewhat or strongly disapprove made up 4 percent of respondents. Though former President Ruth Simmons received higher approval ratings in the fall of 2011 — 73 percent of the faculty strongly or somewhat approved of her performance, compared to the 66 percent who currently approve of Paxson’s — she also received higher disapproval ratings, with 18 percent indicating they somewhat or strongly disapproved of Simmons. Only 9 percent reported feeling too unfamiliar with her policies to respond or having no opinion, The Herald reported at the time. The Corporation’s governance was less popular than Paxson’s, according to this year’s poll. Eighteen percent said they strongly approve. Forty-two percent that they somewhat approve, while 16 percent reported they somewhat or strongly disapprove. Another 25 percent of respondents said they were not famil/ / Faculty page 2 iar enough to
2 university news
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
C ALENDAR TODAY
APRIL 18
5 P.M.
TOMORROW
APRIL 19
1 P.M. SPEC Carnival
Artist Talk: Mary Temple
Main Green
List 225
7 P.M.
6:30 P.M. SUGAR
Spring Weekend 2013
Granoff Studio 1
Main Green
MENU SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH Falafel with Pita Bread, Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce, Roast Pork on a Bulkie Roll
Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwich, Vegetarian Pot Pie with Biscuits, Curly Fries
DINNER Pot Roast Jardiniere, Red Potatoes with Fresh Dill, Nacho Bar with Toppings, Vegetarian Spinach Strudel
Eggplant Parmesan, Roasted Chicken, Baked Potato with Western Topping, Steamed Vegetable Melange
SUDOKU
DAVID DECKEY / HERALD
Abe Arambolo ’14 won the most votes in the Brown Concert Agency’s second poll, after the results of the first poll were invalidated due to alleged loopholes that allowed people and programs to cast multiple votes.
BCA’s student DJ vote stirs controversy The original poll to pick a student DJ for Spring Weekend allowed multiple votes to be cast By APARAAJIT SRIRAM STAFF WRITER
Brown Concert Agency’s decision to hold a re-vote for the Spring Weekend student DJ sparked an outcry from some students who alleged the decision was unwarranted and not communicated in a clear and timely manner. BCA held an initial poll from March
/ / Faculty page 1
CROSSWORD
answer or had no opinion. Two years ago, about 61 percent of the faculty voiced approval for the Corporation’s governance. Twenty-two percent of respondents said they strongly approved of the Faculty Executive Committee’s governance, 37 percent somewhat approved, 9 percent somewhat or strongly disapproved and 31 percent had no opinion or neither approved nor disapproved. Forty-five percent of respondents said the Graduate School should be the University’s top priority in coming years, making it the most popular choice. Financial aid and faculty diversity were selected by 16 and 14 percent of respondents, respectively. The 5 percent who said the School of Engineering should be the University’s top priority were all faculty members in the sciences. About 20 percent of respondents indicated they are very satisfied with the level of faculty input in the strategic planning process, and 33 percent
22 to April 5 for students to choose a DJ, who will perform three times during Saturday’s concert. But following what BCA described as “technical difficulties” in tallying the votes, a revote was held April 5 through Friday, according to a post on the BCA blog. Though Nikos Melachrinos ’15 received the most votes in the initial poll, another candidate, Abe Arambolo ’14, won the re-vote to officially become the student DJ, according to results announced by BCA on its blog Sunday. Tristan Rodman ’15 also competed in the poll. Loopholes in the initial poll al-
lowed voters to cast multiple votes by using multiple IP addresses. The poll also permitted individuals who are not Brown students to vote. These loopholes prompted concerns of votetampering in the initial poll, Arambolo and Melachrinos said. Opponents of BCA’s decision criticized the timing of the agency’s announcement of the re-vote, which was made on the same day that BCA had originally intended to announce the winner. BCA used a Google form for the second vote in order to correct “system deficiencies” from the first / / DJ page 3 vote, BCA an-
expressed being somewhat satisfied. Another 18 percent reported feeling somewhat dissatisfied and 13 percent very dissatisfied. Another 16 percent were either not familiar enough to answer or expressed no opinion. More faculty members in the sciences than in the humanities expressed satisfaction with the level of faculty input in the process, with 32.5 percent of science faculty members voicing strong approval, compared to 7.5 percent in the humanities. Another 40 percent of the science faculty reported they somewhat approve of the level of input, compared to about 33 percent of those in the humanities. Faculty members in the sciences also expressed stronger support for the decision to create a School of Public Health than their counterparts in the humanities or social sciences. Of science faculty members, 57 percent reported strongly approving, compared with 30 percent of social science faculty and 22.5 percent of humanities faculty. Overall, 39 percent of the faculty reported strongly approv-
ing of the decision, and 33 percent said they somewhat approve. Faculty members generally expressed dissatisfaction with the University’s available child care resources and spouse support for faculty. Of respondents, 14 percent indicated being very or somewhat satisfied with childcare, and 32 percent reported feeling somewhat or very dissatisfied. About 19 percent are satisfied with spouse support and 33 percent dissatisfied. The University recently attracted faculty criticism for closing the Taft Daycare Center, which operated exclusively for children of University employees and graduate students. After reviewing a report by the Advisory Committee on Childcare, Paxson recommended the University subsidize childcare for its employees but not open an exclusive daycare center, The Herald reported at the time.
www.browndailyherald.com 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. Shefali Luthra, President Samuel Plotner, Treasurer Lucy Feldman, Vice President Julia Kuwahara, 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 and once during Orientation 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 2013 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. EDITORIAL
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Methodology Questionnaires were sent to the email accounts of faculty members and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail Apr. 9. Only faculty members that teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students were invited to respond, and 120 responses were recorded out of a population of 713. The poll has a 8.7 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence. The margin of error for the subset of males is 10.8 percent and is 14.9 percent for the subset of females. The margin of error is 14.0 percent for the subset of faculty focusing in the humanities, 13.3 percent for the subset of faculty focusing in science and 20.5 percent for the subset of faculty focusing in social science. The sample polled was demographically similar to the University teaching / / Faculty page 8 faculty popula-
university news 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Five students receive fellowships with Venture for America The undergraduates selected will work in cities such as Detroit and New Orleans By SARAH SACHS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Five Brown students were selected to join the fellowship class of 2013 of Venture for America, a non-profit organization that connects new college graduates with two-year positions helping entrepreneurial startups in economically disadvantaged cities. The students — Moss Amer ’13, Zoe Chaves ’13, Jonathan Hills ’13, Avery Houser ’12.5 and Mehves Tangun ’13 — were selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants with a 15 percent acceptance rate, wrote VFA’s Communications and Development Manager Megan Hurlburt in an email to The Herald. VFA launched in 2011 and already has three Brown graduates from the class of 2012 working for the organization. Amer, Chaves, Hills and Tangun were selected this spring to join the program. Houser said he was selected in December. The new fellows will spend two
years working for small startups in cities including Detroit, New Orleans and Providence. VFA reassigns fellows to new ventures if they work at companies that collapse during their tenure, and the group’s organizing model is based on Teach for America, according to the VFA website. Four of the newly selected fellows said they have yet to be matched with the companies for which they will work, while Houser said he has been matched with Teespring, a Providence-based custom apparel company. The program looks for students with “adaptive excellence and demonstrated success” in different settings, like academics or extracurricular activities, said VFA founder Andrew Yang ’96. Tangun said she was attracted to VFA because it combines the “exclusivity and comfort” of management consulting with the exciting pace of an emerging startup. She added that she decided to apply for VFA after realizing finance and consulting were
/ / Music page 1
Hip-hop and electronic demand The popularity of hip-hop and electronic music acts among respondents might correspond to a desire to dance and unwind during the concert, students said. “The people that tend to be more passionate about their interests in
/ / DJ page 2 nounced April 5. BCA alleged that “scripts,” or programs that automatically cast votes repeatedly for a candidate, may have irreparably skewed the poll, said Omar Ben Halim ’15, who supported Melachrinos and wrote a letter to BCA criticizing the agency’s handling of the vote. Ben Halim disputed the allegation that scripts were used to skew the vote. Melachrinos said he had already received congratulatory emails from friends after he had taken the lead in the initial poll. Though students could view the vote breakdown between the three candidates during the first poll, BCA did not release the breakdown of support for each candidate in the re-vote.
2012
Color: Genre Hip-hop Alternative Pop Comedy Electronic R&B
Of Monsters and Men
2010
2008
100 votes
Avicii Ellie Goulding
Kendrick Lamar
Foster the People
Mumford & Sons
Fun.
Imagine Dragons
Florence + the Machine
Passion Pit Vampire Weekend The Lonely Island
2004
Taylor Swift 40,123,987 Likes
Lupe Fiasco
The XX
Kid Cudi
10,181,486 Likes
Drake
28,030,172 Likes
Coldplay
25,304,132 Likes
2002 Regina Spektor 2000
50 votes
students remain in the startup industry after their fellowships. “Working in startups is addictive,” he said. “You get used to seeing the impact of what you’re doing day to day, and you feel like you’re building something.” Chaves said she is unsure of what she wants to do after her fellowship but hopes she will use her new innovative skills, adding that she is a “big believer” in young people’s ability to “add value” to their lives from twoyear commitments like VFA’s fellowship program. “We hope they get a more finely developed sense of what it takes to build an impactful organization in the real world,” Yang said, adding that VFA is looking for ways to promote entrepreneurship opportunities for its fellows after they finish they finish the program. American Express has already committed $50,000 to a seed fund for VFA fellows’ potential ideas, he said. “Brown is a great training ground to entrepreneurship,” Yang said. “When Brown graduates hit the real world, they have an instinct towards exploration.”
Frank Ocean
2006
Size: votes received
and at the Swearer Center for Public Service. Yang said Chaves is “actionoriented” and that he was impressed with her large involvement in the Providence community. Houser said he spent a summer working for a startup ketchup company, which helped him realize he likes working with small businesses. He added that he is looking forward to learning the process of helping businesses grow and define their missions. Hills, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design, is a “natural builder” who can apply his skills as a designer and engineer, Yang said. Adjunct Lecturer in Engineering Danny Warshay ’87 said he taught Amer and Tangun in ENGN 1010: “The Entrepreneurial Process: Innovation in Practice” and advised both of them to apply for VFA. Young entrepreneurs can have a large impact if they strike a “balance between being assertive and humble,” he said. Yang said he hopes the accepted
The Weeknd Azealia Banks
Year band was formed
one has these really (alternative) music tastes comes from a really small but really vocal minority,” Ramadan said. On campus, preference for underground or unheard acts comes with a certain cachet, students said. “People are very sensitive about it. It’s like your wardrobe. It says so much about you, and people make judgments about it even if you don’t want them to,” said Michelle Zheng ’16. Others suggested that Brown students have more in common with mainstream culture than they think they do. “It also could be the fact that we’re not as definitely hip as either we like to think ourselves to be or the world sees us to be,” said Lucy Stephenson ’13.
a “mold that didn’t fit” her professional aspirations. Tangun said she loves the “adrenaline of pitching” business ideas in different entrepreneurship classes and competitions, and she is on a semifinalist team in the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition. Tangun, who said she was at home in Turkey for spring break when she found out that she received the fellowship, added that the acceptance injected a sense of relief into her time at home. “It was a week-long celebration in Istanbul,” she said. Amer, who is concentrating in Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations, said he has only previously written business plans in academic settings. Though Amer said he may return to academia, he is excited about the opportunity to spend two years exploring the private sector. Amer said he fell in love with VFA’s mission to revitalize local economies, adding that he wants to “create actual value” instead of working at a large firm that only cares about “maximizing efficiency.” Chaves works as a campus coordinator for Health Leads Providence
The Black Keys
Macklemore
1998
1996
1994 0
The Shins
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
Facebook “Likes”
4,000,000
MADELINE KAU / HERALD
The graphic above visualizes the musical groups that received the most votes in the fall 2012 BCA poll. Artists have bubble sizes corresponding to the number of votes they received. music are the people that are associating Spring Weekend with an enormous party, the analog of Coachella at Brown,” said Clayton Aldern ’13, former editor-in-chief of post- Magazine. The two genres with the most shared respondents were hip-hop and pop, with 300 students responding that they listened to both. “Hip-hop and electronic shows
are more conducive to the kinds of experiences people want to have on Spring Weekend,” Ramadan said. “It’s more about what people are going to be engaging with in a concert. That will be very different from the experience that’s just delivered through an MP3 player,” Stephenson said. “The same stuff ’s playing at all the
parties,” said Sasha Teninty ’14. “What people like to dance to is universal.” Alternative Spring Weekend experiences The popularity of acts like The Lonely Island among poll respondents suggests that party atmosphere and communal value of Spring Weekend may be more important than the qual-
ity of the musical experience, students said. “For me (the music) is not that important,” Perocio said. “I just go to participate in campus culture.” “In some cases it’s the music, and in some cases it’s just about the overall experience, like being with your friends and having fun,” Ramadan said.
Arambolo and Melachrinos said they decided to email BCA because friends informed them individuals could vote multiple times in the initial poll, which they said was a departure from the poll’s intent to give students a fair opportunity to select a DJ. The Facebook page for Rodman’s campaign had notified voters they could use multiple IP addresses to cast ballots, Melachrinos said, adding this post compounded his concerns about the accuracy of the poll. “I thought (BCA) could use people’s Banner IDs, or their Brown emails, to make sure that the votes were being cast by Brown students only,” Arambolo said, criticizing the lack of proper verification in the initial vote. BCA did not respond to The Herald’s requests for comment.
Melachrinos wrote in an email to The Herald that BCA asked him and Arambolo not to take advantage of the system loopholes that they identified and not to use social media to encourage users to vote multiple times. But BCA did not take any action to modify the initial poll until the agency decided to nullify its results and hold a re-vote, Arambolo and Melachrinos said. “Once BCA decided not to change the way the system worked, it became clear during spring break that this was not going to be a poll based on the merits of the DJs, but rather who could get more publicity,” Melachrinos said. As the DJs scrambled to mobilize support and “get out the vote,” the vote count began to rise considerably and reached a total of over 3,000, Arambolo said. This total, roughly half the size of
the undergraduate student body, amplified concerns of electoral irregularities, Arambolo said.
“It’s kind of wild to say that basically the whole voting process was complete bogus,” Ben Halim said.
4 university news
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
N. Carolina bill prompts voter rights debate Student group seeks to grow First Readings program One of the proposed changes eliminates same-day voter registration
By ALEX CONSTANTINO STAFF WRITER
Students from North Carolina could face difficulty voting in their home state if legislation passes removing a tax credit for familities whose children vote from outside of the state. The bill, introduced by state legislators, has prompted outcry from opponents who allege the measures are designed to stifle college student voting. Titled the Equalize Voter Rights Act, the bill is included in a larger omnibus package that would shorten early voting and end same-day voter registration. The legislation is sponsored by Republican state senators, who control a majority of seats in the chamber, and similar bills were introduced in the North Carolina House of Representatives. If enacted, the measures would eliminate a state income tax deduction of up to $2,500 per child for families with dependent children if those children register to vote outside of their families’ precinct or register vehicles outside of North Carolina. State Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, wrote in a state-
ment that the bill would save money for the state, adding that early voting costs North Carolina’s government $98,000 per day, North Carolina news station WRAL reported April 3. Associate Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller said the bill is part of a broader Republican strategy implemented since 2008, when Barack Obama was elected president. She noted that younger voters increasingly lean Democratic — New York Times exit polls showed 60 percent of 18-29 year-olds voted for Obama last November — and that young voter turnout has been rising in recent years. This trend poses a problem for Republicans because people tend to develop a long-term preference for one party after voting twice for that party’s candidates, Schiller said. She added that the turnout of young voters could be strong enough to “win a close race.” Schiller described North Carolina’s proposed limits on early voting as likely “proxy” restrictions on lowincome and African-American voting because working-class families tend to vote in the evenings and AfricanAmerican churches often take their members to vote on Sunday. She said it is unlikely that the tax measure “would pass constitutional muster” under the U.S. Constitution’s due process clause. Seventy percent of student respondents to the The Herald’s fall poll
said they planned to vote in the 2012 presidential election. Ten percent of students said they planned on voting in Rhode Island and 60 percent said they planned on voting in other states, the poll found. Brown students from North Carolina voiced mixed feelings about the proposed legislation. Annie Carlson ’14 said the tax proposal “doesn’t really solve any problems and definitely causes” new ones, adding she is concerned about “unintended consequences” if the measures are enacted. Carlson said she suspects legislators have ulterior motives for the measures. Most of Carlson’s friends go to college in North Carolina and would be unaffected by the measure, she said. Gabe Brotzman ’13, who also hails from North Carolina, voiced tentative support for the bills but said the potential fiscal savings did not motivate his support for the measures. The tax measure makes “common sense,” he said, because individuals who choose to participate in a state’s political process should be treated as legal residents of that state for tax purposes. The limitations on early voting should be adopted if data show that “no one goes at these times and we’re wasting money,” Brotzman added. If passed by both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory, the bills would go into effect Jan. 1, 2014.
www.browndailyherald.com
The 6,000 Voices group aims to have students read and debate the Open Curriculum By GABRIELLE DEE STAFF WRITER
A student group affiliated with the Dean of the College, 6,000 Voices, is working with the Undergraduate Council of Students to extend the First Readings program — in which incoming first years are assigned a summer reading assignment — to include all four years of college. The program, which would be optional, would ask students to read the Maxwell-Magaziner report — the document that led to the creation of the Open Curriculum — in addition to the book chosen for First Readings, said Sarah Forman ’13, former Herald staff writer, who proposed 6,000 Voices. Participants would also meet in student-led discussion groups in their second, seventh and eighth semesters, in addition to the initial meeting during orientation. According to the proposal, the program aims to “(help) students actively engage with their diverse peer group and with the unique features of Brown’s Open Curriculum.” Forman said the group devised the idea last summer, after talking to people who expressed interest in getting to know people who “didn’t think the same way.” “After First Readings, people never see each other again,” Forman said. “This is a group that brings together everyone.”
The program “will enable Brown to conceptualize both their pasts and post-Brown futures in a meaningful way,” wrote Manya-Jean Gitter ’14, chair of the Academics and Administrative Affairs Committee of UCS, in an email to The Herald. The group has received support from groups such as Brown Conversation, the Third World Center and Brown RISD Hillel, Forman said. “We want to spread a campus-wide culture of reflection and discussion,” Forman said. “This is something people want.” Participants will read the same book chosen as the First Readings book, as these books remain pertinent to University life and history, she added. Though the group has not yet set an exact timeline, Forman said a new executive board will run the program after she graduates. It will launch a pilot program before expanding it to the rest of the community. Students had mixed responses to the proposed program. “I don’t see how it could hurt, but I wouldn’t do it,” said Myron Lam ’15. “I don’t see how the First Readings prepared us for college.” “It’s a useful program,” said Aniqa Anwar ’14. “It’s good to introduce people to the seminar style of learning ... (but) everyone already has so much work and readings.” Kavin Nunez ’15 said the program would be hard to organize, but “it’s a great idea, and it would be nice to touch base with everyone in class again and have a common ground.”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Committee prepares for 250th anniversary The Steering Committee discussed the role of athletics and student groups in the celebration By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Members of the Steering Committee for the 250th Anniversary of the University’s founding sought feedback from the Undergraduate Council of Students on how best to incorporate athletics, student groups and alums into the upcoming anniversary celebrations at the council’s general body meeting Wednesday. In the 11 months leading up to the opening ceremonies, community feedback is critical for the committee as it transitions from hypothetical brainstorming to concrete planning, said Eve Ornstedt, executive director of the Office of the 250th Anniversary. Abigail Braiman ’15, chair of the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee, asked at the meeting what efforts the steering committee had made to feature athletics in the celebrations. The night football game, which draws about 12,000 fans to Brown’s stadium, will be designated part of the 250th anniversary celebrations, Ornstedt said in response, adding that players will wear patches on their uniforms in celebration of the anniversary and fans will be able to participate in games. The 250th planning office has also received suggestions to sponsor a road race or 250-yard dash as part of the celebrations, Ornstedt said. Todd Harris ’14.5, UCS general body member and presidential candidate, asked how student groups could engage in the celebrations. Student groups can submit proposals for programming on the 250th steering committee’s website, Ornstedt replied. Harris said the committee should publicize this option so student groups
/ / Election page 1 ald polled every third student that entered the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center or the Sciences Library during certain afternoon and evening hours Tuesday and Wednesday. Harris told The Herald he was “really excited” about the results of the poll. “I’m glad it’s a close race. It really shows how important it is to vote,” he said. Harris added he was heartened by UCS President Anthony White’s ’13 announcement at the council’s general body meeting Wednesday that 40 percent of the student body had voted as of two hours before the meeting, which marked an upsurge from the 28 percent voter turnout rate last year. “I’m still going to be out there making sure as many people vote as possible” until voting closes at noon today, Harris said. Kwakwa declined to comment on the results of the poll. Pipkin could not be reached for comment by press time. Harris has said that as UCS president he would advocate improving the advising system and increasing student-
are aware of it. Maahika Srinivasan ’15, UCS Corporation liaison, asked how alums could become involved in the celebrations. The committee will also try to engage alums through social media by inviting them to come back to campus, Ornstedt added. “A lot of peer institutions have already had their 250th anniversaries. Are we looking at their models?” Braiman asked. Though members of the steering committee met with coordinators of Yale’s and Princeton’s anniversary celebrations, “a lot of them celebrated a while ago, in the early 2000s. Things have changed,” Ornstedt said, citing social media’s new presence as an example. Though the University may emulate aspects of peer institutions’ festivities, it must still make the celebrations distinctive to Brown, Ornstedt added. The council also discussed crime prevention with Department of Public Safety officer Thomas Shelton. Shelton stressed the importance of locking doors during Spring Weekend celebrations and registering personal property such as laptops, cell phones and bicycles with DPS. Though laptop thefts decreased from 34 to 22 this year, motivating students to protect their property is something DPS constantly struggles with, Shelton said. “Do you have any tips for us going into Spring Weekend about being vigilant?” asked UCS President Anthony White ’13. Following the explosions at the Boston Marathon, students should be wary and report suspicious unattended packages to DPS, Shelton said. “Don’t drink so much,” Shelton said. “We know people smoke and drink. DPS does not come down on people like people think,” he said. “Have a good time and be safe,” he added. “You have a good, long life ahead of you.” alum partnerships. Kwakwa has said she would work to increase the council’s transparency to the student body by providing more avenues for student feedback. Pipkin has identified expanding the University’s financial aid policies as a priority he would pursue if elected. The winners of the UCS elections will be announced midnight tonight on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. The race for chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board between Leila Veerasamy ’15 and Alex Sherry ’15 may be less close, with Veerasamy possessing a significant lead, the same poll results indicate. Of 175 students, 126 — 72 percent — said they voted for Veerasamy. Another 49 students, or 28 percent, said they cast their votes for Sherry. Veerasamy has said that, if elected, she would aim to improve the board’s funding process by pairing UFB representatives with student groups that matched their interests. Sherry has said he would make the funding process more efficient by making UFB representatives meet with their student groups earlier in the semester.
university news 5 / / Marry page 1 sex marriage in 2011, spectators said the forceful leadership of Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, D-Providence, could push the legislation through. But Fox said he faced staunch opposition in the Senate and settled for civil unions legislation that gave same-sex couples almost all the benefits granted married couples. But some benefits remain exclusive to heterosexual couples, despite media reports to the contrary. Fox, one of several openly gay legislators, said he would continue fighting for legalization in future legislative sessions. The 2012 elections provided a boost for advocates of same-sex marriage. States around the country voted in referendums — for the first time ever — to legalize same-sex marriage, and several former Rhode Island state legislators who oppose legalization lost races to challengers who support it. The boost in support among state senators, combined with national momentum from both President Obama’s and the Democratic Party’s official endorsements of same-sex marriage, helped bring the issue back to the House this year. Almost as soon as the House opened its 2013 session in January, Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, introduced legislation to legalize samesex marriage. The House Committee on the Judiciary took up the bill almost immediately, passing it unanimously Jan. 22. When the legislation arrived on the floor of the House — a first for either chamber of the General As-
sembly — it passed overwhelmingly. The 51-19 vote split along party lines, with one Republican crossing the aisle to vote with 50 Democrats in support. In March, the Senate Judiciary Committee reviewed the Senate version of the legislation in an approximately 12-hour hearing. During the hearing — which began at 4:47 p.m. Thursday, March 21 and ran until 5:47 a.m. on Friday March 22, according to the Providence Journal — proponents from both sides rallied both inside and outside of the General Assembly while witnesses testified in opposition to and in favor of the bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing made national headlines, and a video of a 12-year-old boy testifying for equal rights for his two mothers went viral. “Just like you, all (same-sex couples) want is to be treated fairly,” said Matthew Lannon, a sixth grader at the Wheeler School, the Journal reported. “But unlike most of you, they have to come here again, year after year, and explain over and over why their love is equal to yours. This year, you have the opportunity to change that. I say, choose love.” Two weeks later, Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, R-Newport, announced she expects the Senate to vote on same-sex marriage by the end of April. Paiva Weed, who has opposed same-sex marriage legalization since she was first elected to the General Assembly in 1992, said she still personally opposes the policy but will “ensure an open and honest debate in committee and on the (Senate) floor,” the Journal reported.
Neither further hearings nor a chamber vote has been scheduled in the Senate. Community voices As Rhode Island’s debate over same-sex marriage increasingly receives widespread attention, representatives from national lobbying organizations have joined the debate. Lobbying organizations like the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, and the Gay and Lesbian Defenders Group, which endorses the policy have come to Rhode Island in full force. Christopher Plante, a regional director for the National Organization for Marriage and a speaker on The Herald’s panel next week, has been a prominent opponent of same-sex marriage in the state. He has supported putting the question of same-sex marriage to a referendum. Supporters of same-sex marriage have called Plante a particularly inflammatory and possibly bigoted member of the opposition. GLAAD, an organization that advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ community, has a webpage devoted to Plante’s statements. He has said children living with same-sex parents are in a “tragic situation” because they are denied either a mother or a father, according to the website. “Rhode Island stands with the vast majority of Americans in understanding that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” Plante said in an interview with the New York Times. Advocates for same-sex marriage, like Jason Wu, an attorney with GLAD and a speaker / / Marrypage 9
6 same-sex marriage
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
LAUREN GALVAN /HERALD
Though a strong majority of Rhode Island residents support same-sex marriage, a larger percentage of Brown students support legalization.
U. student support for legalization eclipses R.I.’s LAUREN GALVAN / HERALD
Students gather on the steps of the Rhode Island State House to rally in support of same-sex marriage. Student leaders said they are cautiously optimistic that same-sex marriage legislation will pass this year.
Campus groups urge legislators to act The Brown Democrats, the Queer Alliance and other groups are phone banking for equality By ALEX BLUM STAFF WRITER
Student groups remain dedicated to promoting legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode Island — legislation which passed the House of Representatives 51 to 19 in January and is currently awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. The continued efforts follow a Valentine’s Day same-sex marriage rally that inspired about 200 Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students to march to the State House to encourage passage of marriage equality legislation. Advocates are “very close” to seeing statewide same-sex marriage legislation passed, said Sofia Fernandez Gold ’14, president of the Brown Democrats. The Brown Democrats have focused on the issue of marriage equality for the past three years, during which time members of the group have been continually “working with representatives in the House,” Fernandez Gold said. While Brown’s campus is largely accepting of students regardless of their sexual orientations, this is not necessarily true of Rhode Island as a whole. Identification with a certain sexual orientation does not usually pose a bar-
rier for Brown students, but this is not necessarily true for many people in the larger Rhode Island community, Fernandez Gold said, citing this discrepancy as the driving force behind the group’s activism. The Brown Democrats has longspearheaded the campaign for marriage equality, but members of other campus groups, like the Queer Alliance, have contributed to their efforts. The group’s activism centers on phone banking to raise support across the state, she said. The Brown Democrats also partners with Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, a “broad-based grassroots coalition” with 19 partners and supporters, according to the group’s website. RIUM is “solely focused right now on passing marriage equality,” said David Driscoll, RIUM’s communications director. “Our only job is to connect constituents and Rhode Islanders with their senators,” Driscoll said, adding that the group has seen measurable progress as a result of its efforts. Recently, the East Providence and Warwick Senate Councils have come out in support of the same-sex marriage bill under review in the Senate. Ashleigh McEvoy ’15, an intern at RIUM, has been involved with oncampus phone banking efforts organized in collaboration between RIUM and the Brown Democrats, focusing on about 10 senators who could potentially vote in favor of same-sex marriage legalization, she said.
McEvoy said the state’s small size is advantageous for phone banking efforts because legislators are more likely to actually listen to their voicemails and be influenced by public opinion. “As a college student, I think it’s really important to be involved in causes,” McEvoy said. Same-sex marriage is “possibly the most accessible pathway for LGBTQ (individuals) to gain rights.” “The Queer Alliance is doing its best to support the Brown Democrats,” said Amara Berry ’16, head chair of the Queer Alliance. Berry said “(the Queer Alliance agrees) with marriage equality because it’s a human right” but added that the Queer Alliance “is not a political group” and does not “want to forget about other issues.” The Valentine’s Day rally provided a valuable opportunity to “give independent students a way to support (marriage equality),” said Michelle Bailhe ’15, a member of Brown for Marriage Equality, which organized the rally. The group was formed for students who support same-sex marriage but are not members of the Brown Democrats or other activist groups, Bailhe said, adding that prior to its formation there was “no outlet for them to show they supported the movement.” “I don’t want to look back on this and know I didn’t do anything,” Bailhe said. Same-sex marriage will be viewed as a “textbook part of history,” an important example of a minority group earning equality, she said.
The campus consensus is in favor of same-sex marriage, but Rhode Island is more divided By EMILY BONEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
While more than 90 percent of Brown undergraduates responded in a March Herald poll in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, only 60.4 percent of Rhode Island residents support legalization, according to a survey conducted in February by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. The center’s 2013 figures resemble similar data collected in its Public Opinion Survey four years ago. Rhode Island residents’ consistent support shows how liberal the state of Rhode Island is and has historically been, said Marion Orr, director of the Taubman Center. Sarah Christensen ’16 said she perceives Brown as an “oasis” and separate from the rest of Rhode Island. But Christensen said she came to Brown from a “very liberal area” and was not surprised by the amount of support for same-sex marriage legalization she saw at the University. The high level of support for samesex marriage at Brown could also stem from the liberal-arts education the University provides, said Adith Ramamurti ’13. Students at liberal universities often support same-sex marriage, he added. “My thoughts and perspectives have changed drastically since freshman year,” said Meghan Koushik ’13, adding that growing up in India gave her little exposure to the idea of same-sex marriage. Brown’s liberal and diverse student body helped her develop support for same-sex marriage legalization, she said. “Having gay friends in my life
really shaped my perspective.” Ramamurti said Brown’s political environment provides an opportunity for students to learn more about the same-sex marriage movement. “People might not have encountered these things outside of this community, and they come in here, and their ideals and values are changed,” he said. Support for same-sex marriage did not vary significantly among students of different class years, according to The Herald’s poll. Between 80 and 86 percent of respondents “strongly support” legalization, with sophomores showing the highest percentage of support. Juniors expressed the most opposition, with about 4.2 percent selecting “strongly oppose” when asked about same-sex marriage legalization. The Taubman poll revealed greater disparities among different age groups. Registered voters ages 30 to 39 showed the most support for same-sex marriage, followed closely by voters ages 18 to 29. Generational differences between those in favor and those opposed were “surprising,” Orr said. Typically, younger voters are more liberal, so the center did not expect the highest level of support to come from the 30-to-39year-old age group. But Koushik said the high level of support from the older demographic makes sense because people in their 30s are more likely to be thinking about marriage and are able to relate to the obstacles faced by same-sex couples. Of residents aged 70 and older, only 34.6 percent favored legalizing same-sex marriage, and nearly 50 percent opposed legalization, the Taubman poll showed. About one-quarter of respondents to the Taubman survey opposed legalizing same-sex marriage, with a majority citing their reasons for opposi/ / Poll page 8 tion stemming
same-sex marriage 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
LAUREN GALVAN / HERALD
About 60 percent of Rhode Islanders support legalizing same-sex marriage, according to a 2013 Taubman Center poll — the same percentage that supported the cause in the center’s 2009 poll.
R.I. same-sex marriage debate spans 20 years A bill currently in the Rhode Island Senate is the culmination of a long discussion on marriage By MARIYA BASHKATOVA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Rhode Island’s history with same-sex marriage legalization has come in fits and starts. It began nearly 20 years ago with a bill introduced in 1997 by openly gay former Rep. Mike Pisaturo, D-Cranston. The bill contained two lines and stated that “persons of the same gender shall be eligible to marry.” The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it never received a vote. The following year, Pisaturo introduced a similar bill, which added that only “ordained clergy and elders in good standing shall not be required to join persons of the same sex in marriage, although they are empowered to do so.” After it fail to receive a committee vote in 1999, then-state representative from Providence Rep. David Cicilline ’83, DR.I., an openly gay member of the Judiciary Committee, successfully secured a vote. But Cicilline cast the only vote for the proposal, so it was defeated. Pisaturo reintroduced the bill every year — without ever receiving another committee vote — until he lost reelection in 2002. Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, has introduced the bill in Pisaturo’s place every year from 2003 to 2013. The legislation passed the House 51-19 in January. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate by former Sen. Rhoda Perry P’91, D-Providence, from 2000 to 2012. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket, took up Perry’s reins this year by introducing the bill that is currently before the Senate
Judiciary Committee. Throughout the years, the bill has undergone wording revisions for the sake of clarity, Handy said. But the changes have never been a “compromise measure” to appease critics of the bill, he added. Bills to explicitly make same-sex marriage illegal in Rhode Island have continued to be introduced over the past 17 years in both the House and Senate. On the same day in 1997 that Pisaturo introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, former Rep. Susan Iannitelli, RSmithfield, introduced a bill that would prevent Rhode Island state government from legally recognizing same-sex marriages that took place in other states. Many of the bills used the language “one man, one woman” to define a marriage. In same-sex marriage’s 16-year legislative history in Rhode Island, the House Judiciary Committee has only voted on the legalization twice — once when it received one vote from Cicilline — and on Jan. 24 of this year when it passed unanimously and was sent to the House floor. “This has been a year of firsts,” said Ray Sullivan, campaign director for Marriage Equality Rhode Island. Handy said he thought the bills he introduced began to be viable starting in 2004 after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage through a state Supreme Court decision. In 2011, the bill seemed more likely to pass than in previous years, especially in the House, Handy said. But “the momentum shifted against that bill pretty quickly and surprisingly,” instead turning toward the legalization of civil unions, he said. The General Assembly approved civil unions, and the law went into effect in July 2011. Marriage equality groups were dissatisfied with the civil union compromise,
which “provide(d) a separate and unequal status for gay and lesbian couples,” and so they continued to push for samesex marriages, Sullivan said. The 2011 swearing in of Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, who promised during his campaign to sign same-sex marriage legislation if it passed the Generaly Assembly, marked a milestone in the legislative battle for same sex marriage, Handy said. Rhode Island’s previous governor, Donald Carcieri, had committed to vetoing any legislation legalizing same-sex marriages or civil unions, Handy said. It was very difficult to get a vote on the bill during Carcieri’s time because the governor would strike it down anyway, he added. The elections of November 2012 improved prospects for same-sex marriage bills, adding five senators and 10 representatives who openly supported the legislation, Sullivan said. “We have more support in both chambers than at any other point in history,” Sullivan said. He added that the elections demonstrated “that there were consequences for not being on the right side of history.” About 60 percent of Rhode Island voters support the legalization of samesex marriage, according to a 2013 Taubman Center poll. The same percentage supported same-sex marriage legalization in the Taubman Center’s 2009 poll. The House’s approval of same-sex marriage put the ball in the Senate’s court. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on the Senate version of the bill before the end of April, The Herald previously reported. If the committee passes the bill, it will go to a floor vote in the Senate. “I’m very optimistic, but I’m cautiously so,” Handy said.
LAUREN GALVAN / HERALD
While some students campaigned for same-sex marriage outside the State House earlier this year, others have different opinions on the issue.
Opponents of legislation feel ‘ostracized’ on campus Students said those who do not support samesex marriage may fear judgment from peers By SARAH PERELMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Though Brown is often abuzz with students advocating for same-sex marriage, the campus hears little from those who oppose it. “You could go around campus and pretty much assume most people support it,” said Dakotah Rice ’16, a member of the Queer Alliance. According to The Herald’s recent undergraduate poll, only 4 percent of students oppose same-sex marriage. “I have not had students come to talk to me about (the issue of same-sex marriage) really at all,” said Kirstin Boswell-Ford, associate chaplain for the Protestant community, adding that there is more back-and-forth on the subject her church than on campus. According to the poll, 15 percent of Protestant students oppose samesex marriage, the highest rate of disapproval of any religious group on campus. Students often seem “not fully comfortable discussing issues of faith
in the public arena here,” which could play a role in the lack of dialogue about this issue, she said. No students have approached Henry Bodah, associate chaplain for the Catholic community, about their views on same-sex marriage, he told The Herald. Most students seem uninterested in discussing the topic because they have already made up their minds one way or the other, he added. Ryan Fleming ’13 said he fears that people will think he opposes gay rights if he says he opposes same-sex marriage. As a result, Fleming said he generally avoids discussing the subject, saying, “it ends up being more of a pain in the ass.” “I hate it the most when people say, ‘Well, you just hate gay people,’” Fleming said. Marriage constitutes both a physical and spiritual joining of two peoples’ lives, Fleming said. While two people of any sex can combine their spirits — by living together and loving one another — only a man and a woman can combine corporeally, joining themselves in the act of conceiving a child, he said. This fusing of two individuals’ reproductive systems — which biologically cannot occur between two / / Oppose page 9
Timeline: Legislating Same-Sex Marriage
February 1997: Rep. Michael Pisaturo introduces the first House bill to legalize same-sex marriage
February 2000: Sen. Rhoda Perry introduces the first Senate bill to legalize same-sex marriage
March 2000: Same-sex marriage goes to the House Judiciary Committee and receives only one vote — then-state representative Rep. David Cicilline ‘83
January 2011: Gov. Lincoln Chafee ‘75 P’14, a supporter of same-sex marriage, is sworn in as governor of Rhode Island
July 2011: Civil unions are legalized in Rhode Island January 24, 2013: Samesex marriage passes in the House, 51-19
January 22, 2013: Same-sex marriage bill passes the House Judiciary Committee unanimously
TAYLOR SCHWARTZ / HERALD
8 feature
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Alum inspires community through fitness, family Alexis Devine ’03 attributed her motivation to her time as a teenage single mother and college student
Outside one of the studios at the Nelson Fitness Center during Alexis Devine’s ’03 spin class, the vibrations of buoyant music and the sounds of gasping laughter fill the air. Devine, a fitness instructor at Brown since 2002, teaches cycling and cardio kickboxing classes that leave participants dripping with sweat, offering a total of six classes per week. Beyond physical activity, Devine said she particularly enjoys helping students learn to advocate for themselves in terms of their stress management and self-esteem. “Brown is an intense place,” she said, which “can be really anxietyinducing.” People often overlook the difficulty of balancing a multitude of commitments at a young age, she added. Devine is keenly aware of such pressures. Before joining Brown as an undergraduate student and trainer, she gave birth to her daughter, Tyler, at age 19 and struggled as a low-income single mother for many years, she said. The motivational aspect of her classes stems from her own experiences overcoming pain, she said.
“Not to be graphic, but I’ve given birth twice, and I know there’s a point in your physical ability where your mind will say you can’t,” she said. “But you can.” She added that she encourages students to test their limits and that to do so they need to “get out of their own way.” “I was a really, really angry teenager, and I think this stemmed from insecurities I’d had since I was very young,” she said. But she added that her anger may have fueled her motivation to defy stereotypes. “People outright told me I’d never get (into Brown), that I couldn’t do it with a child,” Devine said. But she was motivated to pursue her education to live her life as the “baseline standard” for the woman she hoped her daughter would grow up to be, she said. Though Devine said she knew at the time how fortunate she was to be able to attend Brown, she and her daughter continued to confront challenges even after her acceptance letter arrived. When she first started attending the University, she lacked the funds and resources for child care services and often had to take her daughter along to classes. “(My professors) sure were confused when I walked into class with a
/ / Poll page 6
/ / Faculty page 2
from religion and a belief in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Of those who indicated support for legalization in the Taubman Center’s poll, 62.1 percent stated that they were “strongly” in favor. Almost 50 percent of those who reported supporting same-sex marriage in the Taubman poll said they consider it an equal rights issue. “When you’re growing up 40, 50 years ago, (same-sex marriage is) probably not socially acceptable, but nowadays it’s more and more acceptable,” Ramamurti said. The March Herald poll found that only about 4 percent of the student body opposes legalization. The Taubman survey — conducted by student employees Feb. 21-23 this year — polled 593 Rhode Island voters on whether they supported legalization of same sex marriage. The Herald randomly polled more than 1,100 undergraduates in March.
tion as a whole. The sample was 65.7 percent male and 34.3 percent female. Full professors made up 51.9 percent of the sample. Assistant and associate professors made up 33.3 percent of the sample, and lecturers and senior lecturers made up 14.8 percent. Of those polled, 37.4 percent focus in the humanities, 43.9 percent focus in the sciences and 18.7 percent focus in the social sciences. When reporting how long they have worked at Brown, 26.9 of those polled said five years or fewer, 22.2 percent between six and 10 years, 23.1 percent between 11 and 20 years and 27.8 percent for 20 or more years. Editor-in-Chief Shefali Luthra ’14 and Senior Editor Alexa Pugh ’14 coordinated the poll, with assistance from Strategic Director Greg JordanDetamore ’14, Data Science Editor Andersen Chen ’14 and Web Producer Joseph Stein ’16. Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.
By EMMAJEAN HOLLEY STAFF WRITER
kid — especially since I’m biracial but look white, and my kids look black,” she said, but professors were always understanding and accommodating, despite their bewilderment. Devine said her experience as a teenage mom exposed her to certain social issues that she might not have learned about otherwise. She originally intended to go to medical school, but learning about the racial disparities in health care compelled her to pursue public health. Inspired by her education in human behavior, she now runs a program that teaches professional and life skills to at-risk youth. Her philosophy about training the young people in her program extends to the methods she employs in her fitness classes, she said — her training style resembles that of a boot camp. Devine said she can intuitively perceive when a student is distracted from achieving his or her potential. When she feels the energy in her class lagging, she sometimes turns off the music and rhetorically asks, “What’s going on in here?” Briel Crespi ’15, who has been taking Devine’s cycling classes since her first semester at Brown, praised Devine’s ability to motivate students to surpass their self-imposed limitations. “First off, she cares about you, and second off, she expects more out of you,” Crespi said. “Say I’m going into
CORRINE SZCZESNY / HERALD
Alexis Devine ’03, who teaches cycling and kickboxing classes at Brown, said her training style resembles that of a boot camp. class and I’m not so into it that day — she’ll make a point of telling me I’m not sweating hard enough. Every time I go in there, I push myself further than I thought I could go before.” Mikalei Gordon ’12, a research assistant at Brown who also attends Devine’s classes, echoed this sentiment. “(Devine) really focuses on the psychological aspects of exercise as
well as the physical,” she said. “She helps you channel your inner energy and push through your mental barriers.” “You have to validate the hard things you’re going through and accept them and cry about them,” Devine said. In a world where many people face intense hardships on a regular basis, what is most important is knowing that “I woke up today and I’m okay.”
S W E E T T R E AT S
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
Josiah’s hosted a special Candyland-themed event yesterday, complete with colorful candy, root beer floats and bananas foster.
city & state 9
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
/ / Oppose page 7 men or two women — makes marriage a uniquely heterosexual institution, he added. “This is not a pressing issue in my view, so it’s not something I talk about a lot,” said a male senior who does not support same-sex marriage. The senior requested anonymity out of concern for the social repercussions of opposing same-sex marriage. “I feel the views on campus are so homogenous that I can’t even remember the last time I discussed (my opinion),” he added. He believes marriage is “a contract” that states should have the power to define as they see appropriate, he said. “I don’t think it’s illegal for a state to define it as between a man and a woman,” he said, adding that he thinks civil unions with the same tax benefits seem like a fair solution. Even among the religious leaders on campus, there has been little discussion about same-sex marriage, Bodah and Boswell-Ford said separately.
Individual Protestants have varying opinions on the issue of same-sex marriage depending on whether they look at it from a religious perspective or as a civil right, Boswell-Ford said. Boswell-Ford said she recognizes that as an African-American woman, she has only been able to attain her level of education and her career because of people’s willingness to stand up for her civil rights in the past. “It’s with this humility that I can say that there is nothing in my faith tradition that tells me I should stand in the way of someone else’s rights,” she said. The Catholic Church does not discriminate against gay individuals, Bodah said, but he believes — based on logic and reason — that the definition of marriage since antiquity in many faith traditions has involved consummation and procreation. He does not wish to deny gay people civil rights but believes that allowing gay marriage would mean changing the meaning of the word “marriage” to reflect any romantic relationship, he said. Convincing the younger generations to revert to a traditional definition
of marriage will be very difficult for the Catholic Church, he added. “I am rather pessimistic about the Church being able to undo several generations at least of reimagining marriage in terms of simply romance.” Though many students from both sides of the political spectrum said they think they are happy without much discussion of same-sex marriage on campus, a few said they would welcome the chance for a broader conversation. “I think it’s an injustice to the people who are here” that students’ political opinions lack diversity, the anonymous male senior said. Nobody benefits intellectually from a situation where everyone agrees, he said. Rice said he would be “more than interested in hearing an actual legal justification” of why same-sex marriage should not be legalized but has so far only heard religious or subjective views. “If you’re Catholic, a Mormon, all of a sudden you get lumped into this idea of southern, white racist,” Fleming said. “That’s not it.”
MR. BROWN
/ / Marry page 5 at next week’s panel, argue that civil unions relegate same-sex couples to a “second-class” status that harms the couples and their families. “It is discrimination that we have marriage for different-sex couples but have created another whole legal structure with a different name for gay and lesbian couples,” Wu wrote in a prepared testimony before the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Religious leaders have also played integral roles in Rhode Island’s debate over same-sex marriage. Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Providence has received national attention as an opponent of same-sex marriage, and Thomas Petri, a friar in the Order of the Preachers and a speaker at The Herald’s panel,
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COMICS Lonely Zoo | Rachel Himes and Daniel Moraff
Old Lace | Veena Vignale
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
Mr. Brown competition winner and former Herald Sports Editor Jacob Comer ’13 displayed his signature hair flip during a comic speech.
MS. BROWN
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
Genya Gurvich ’13 won yesterday’s Ms. Brown competition, performing a rap to the beat of Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools (Drank)” in Sayles Hall.
has emphasized his concern that if same-sex marriage is legalized, religious leaders may be forced to perform marriages against their beliefs. But Marriage Equality Rhode Island has convened a coalition of more than 100 state religious leaders to advocate legalization. The bill currently before the Senate Judiciary Committee exempts religious leaders who oppose same-sex marriage from having to officiate weddings between individuals of the same sex. Sen. Frank Ciccone, D-Providence, has introduced a bill in the General Assembly that would put the question of same-sex marriage to a state referendum. That bill would allow small businesses like flower shops and bakeries that oppose same-sex marriage to abstain from providing services to same-sex couples’ weddings.
10 editorial & letter EDITORIAL
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
EDITORIAL CARTOON b y i va n a lc a n ta r a
Changing the immigration debate On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Eight proposed legislation that would provide a path to provisional legal status for undocumented immigrants, one step on a road to citizenship. While the conservative base is still wary of granting amnesty to immigrants it considers lawbreakers, the exodus of Latino voters from the Republican base throughout 2012 has engendered softer public rhetoric from the right as evident in this bill. It has become even more critical for the nation to address the millions of undocumented immigrants within its borders and the xenophobic tensions provoked by the southern border fence. As the parameters of the immigration debate shift, we hope to see more progressive, humanizing policies benefiting the Providence community and the University. Under the new proposal, undocumented immigrants who came to the country prior to Dec. 31, 2011 and stayed continuously could attain legal status within six months, though they would still have to wait a decade or longer for full citizenship rights. This wait includes an exclusion from federal benefits until they attain full citizenship, a significant clause given that most undocumented workers participate in unorganized forms of labor. There is no more room for hesitation on immigration issues on the national scale. The demographics of the country are changing too rapidly and too sizably, and both sides of the spectrum have begun to account for this shift. Not too long ago, deportation was as widely talked about as amnesty was. Soon it may be anathema for politicians, both those on the left and right, to take a hard stance on closed borders in a national election. The Gang of Eight’s legislation will have far-reaching effects, especially at the local level. The continued growth of immigrant groups in the country — especially Asians and Latinos — has made an immediate mark on American culture and has created seismic shifts in national political representation. The national trend has prevailed in Providence, as the influx of Latino voters transformed city politics by helping to elect the city’s first Hispanic mayor, Angel Taveras. Currently, only three of the top 20 cities in the country have mayors of Latino or Asian descent, but both ethinic groups are becoming more influential and are being heavily courted by both parties. For the University, the legislation reflects the importance of the future of diversity and student aid. On March 21, following requests from the Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Office of Financial Aid elucidated its policy for undocumented immigrants, which revealed that undocumented students have been eligible for financial aid for at least seven years. While we presume the University had no reason to hide such important information, we question how many potential undocumented students have turned away from the University due to its history of amguity regarding financial aid for these students. In addition, undocumented students are admitted through a need-aware process, a caveat exclusive to this subset of the domestic student applicant pool. In light of the new legislation, the University’s need-aware policy should be seen as restrictive and backwards, given the rapidly shifting and changing sociopolitical climate. We commend the University for not barring undocumented students on the basis that citizenship should not determine educational opportunities. At the same time, undocumented students still stand in a nebulous space between foreign and domestic applicants. We hope a separate need-aware policy for undocumented students will soon become antiquated as the nation moves towards embracing this group of Americans. 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.
t h e b row n da i ly h e r a l d Editors-in-Chief Lucy Feldman Shefali Luthra
Managing Editors Elizabeth Carr Jordan Hendricks
EDITORIAL Greg Jordan-Detamore Strategic Director Sections Hannah Abelow Arts & Culture Editor Maddie Berg Arts & Culture Editor Sona Mkrttchian City & State Editor Adam Toobin City & State Editor Elizabeth Koh Features Editor Alison Silver Features Editor Sahil Luthra Science & Research Editor Kate Nussenbaum Science & Research Editor James Blum Sports Editor Connor Grealy Sports Editor Mathias Heller University News Editor Alexandra Macfarlane University News Editor Eli Okun University News Editor Dan Jeon Editorial Page Editor Matt Brundage Opinions Editor Lucas Husted Opinions Editor Maggie Tennis Opinions Editor Multimedia Emily Gilbert Head Photo Editor Sam Kase Photo Editor Sydney Mondry Photo Editor Tom Sullivan Photo Editor Danny Garfield Video Editor Angelia Wang Illustrations Editor Production Copy Desk Chief Sara Palasits Design Editor Brisa Bodell Design Editor Einat Brenner Design Editor Kyle McNamara Assistant Design Editor Sandra Yan Web Producer Joseph Stein Assistant Web Producer Neal Poole
Senior Editors Aparna Bansal Alexa Pugh
BUSINESS General Managers Office Manager Julia Kuwahara Shawn Reilly Samuel Plotner Directors Sales Eliza Coogan Finance Luka Ursic Emily Chu Alumni Relations Business Strategy Angel Lee Justin Lee Business Development Managers Jacqueline Chang Regional Sales Leslie Chen Regional Sales Anisa Holmes Regional Sales Wenli Shao Regional Sales Carolyn Stichnoth Regional Sales Chae Suh Regional Sales William Barkeley Collections Nicole Shimer Collections Josh Ezickson Operations Alison Pruzan Alumni Engagement Melody Cao Human Resources Owen Millard Research & Development POST- MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Zoë Hoffman Editor-in-Chief Claire Luchette BLOG DAILY HERALD Meredith Bilski Editor-in-Chief William Janover Managing Editor Connor McGuigan Deputy Managing Editor Cara Newlon Deputy Managing Editor Georgia Tollin Deputy Managing Editor Jason Hu Creative Director
LE T TER TO THE EDITOR UFB, Visions magazine both desire dialogue To the Editor: Even the most well-intentioned individuals can sometimes disagree and come into conflict. We at Brown are far too often siloed into our own corners of the campus and as such are unable to reach out and talk to one another. This past week has been a lesson for everyone involved that constant and open dialogue is the key to fostering genuine understanding. Only when we sit down together at the table as peers and equally concerned students of the University will we be able to uncover the fact that each of us simply wants what is best for Brown. As such, we at the Undergraduate Finance Board
and Visions are committed to working together in the following year in constructing a framework for regular and meaningful communication between ourselves and other student groups. We understand that coming to an agreement on “what is best for Brown” will not be easy. This might take a while, but we are committed to trying at least. We look forward to this future partnership. Alex Sherry ’15, Leila Veerasamy ’15 and Larry Au ’14 UFB Representatives-at-Large, Editor-in-Chief of Visions
CORREC TION The editorial in Wednesday’s Herald (“Sending thoughts and prayers for Boston,” April 17) incorrectly stated that two children had died in the explosions at the Boston Marathon Monday. In fact, one child died. The Herald regrets the error.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Not to be graphic, but I’ve given birth twice.” —Alexis Devine ’03 See fitness on page 8.
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opinions 11
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
It’s time to vote yes on coal divestment BY BROWN DIVEST COAL Guest Columnist Brown Divest Coal is asking our university to divest from the top five coal mining companies and the top 10 coal-burning utilities in the United States. By remaining invested in coal, Brown betrays its moral principles and undermines its commitment to students’ futures. According to the International Energy Agency, we need “a major wave of new and clean investments” by 2017 to avoid disastrous climate change. Unless we act now, climate change will displace at least 25 million people and will put 30 percent of all plant and animal species on a path towards extinction. A university committed to social justice should not profit from an industry that threatens to make the climate unlivable for future generations, an industry that is the single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. In her guest column Monday, President Christina Paxson expressed concerns about the “practical difficulties of monitoring which companies should be excluded from the portfolio” (“Paxson: Next steps in the consideration of divestment,” April 15). But the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies has established clear benchmarks for divestment: any U.S. mining company that produces more than 50 million tons of coal annually and any
utility that generates more than 15,000 GWh of electricity annually from coal. Coal mining companies and utilities publish these numbers in their annual 10-K business filings. Paxson also wonders whether “encouraging clean coal technologies might be a better approach until there exist viable alternatives to fossil fuels.” But clean coal technology, also known as carbon capture and sequestration, isn’t a viable option. There is not a single commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration plant operating anywhere in the world. The same cannot be said of wind, solar
Furthermore, the University’s administration has indicated that our investments in coal are worth less than 0.1 percent of the total value of our endowment. Unlike Hudson, we have total faith that Brown’s investment advisers are capable of re-investing this money effectively to ensure that we have the funds necessary for research, salaries and financial aid. Brown has been a leader on climate change before, and we join Paxson in celebrating its sustainability efforts and climate research. But in order to combat climate change with the urgency this research
Brown: Stand by your principles, stand by your students, stand by the future of this planet.
and geothermal. Renewables accounted for half of all new electricity generating capacity installed in the United States in 2012. There is no need to wait for an unproven technology like clean coal when we already have solutions to the urgent problem of climate change. In the columns, both Paxson and Oliver Hudson ’14 note that divestment from these fifteen companies might compromise Brown’s finances (“Hudson: A lump of coal isn’t so bad,” March 19). Tom Steyer, a prominent hedge fund manager, recently wrote a letter to the Corporation stating that “a coalfree endowment is a good investment policy.”
demands, Brown can no longer support the coal industry. Through divestment, Brown can use its influence as an intellectual leader to galvanize the political will necessary to confront climate change. Divestment has been a successful tactic in the past. In the 1980s, students across the country demanded their schools divest from companies supporting the apartheid regime in South Africa. Nelson Mandela cited pressure from divestment efforts as a critical catalyst in the eventual downfall of the regime. Like the fight against apartheid, combatting climate change is a moral imperative with a robust national movement demanding im-
mediate action. Brown Divest Coal is part of a fossil fuel divestment movement that has reached almost 400 schools and cities across the country, and four schools and the city of Seattle have already divested. After a full school year of events and discussion, Brown’s campus has spoken. More than 2,600 people have signed our petition, including hundreds of alums, faculty and staff. The Undergraduate Council of Students voted to support coal divestment in March, and ACCRIP followed suit two weeks ago. In the past, the Corporation has always abided by ACCRIP’s recommendations on divestment. It is easy to feel disempowered as an individual, a voter or a school when facing an issue as immense and terrifying as climate change. But it is one thing to feel disempowered and another entirely to reject action in favor of apathy. Brown now faces a choice. We can continue to delay, displaying the same lack of political will that has hindered meaningful progress on climate change from Copenhagen to Capitol Hill. Or we can take a stand, aligning our investments with our values and with the incontrovertible evidence of rapid climate change coming from our own science faculty. This is not a difficult choice. Brown: Stand by your principles, stand by your students, stand by the future of this planet. It’s time for the Corporation to vote yes on divestment in May. Brown Divest Coal is a student group calling on Brown to take a stance against the coal industry.
Economists have ethics ALEX DRESCHLER Opinions Columnist In a recent Herald column (“Economists need ethics,” April 3), Andrew Powers ’15 argued the Department of Economics should require students to take an ethics class as part of the required course load, comparing the study of economics to biological weapon research in its necessity for an ethics requirement. Unfortunately, his reasoning is flawed, as it ignores major tenets of economic theory and disappointingly promotes an untrue stigma and stereotype that accompanies one of Brown’s most popular concentrations. Powers makes a logical and well articulated argument on the merits of ethics classes, saying they make us consider the “moral ends” from which we derive value the in choices we make. But Powers does not show that economics in particular demands an ethics requirement, nor does he in any way prove that economics does not already consider ethical challenges. Unlike biological weapon research, in which the physical science is far removed from the ethical and moral underpinnings, economics as a study demands from its inception ethical considerations. From the first few lessons, economics students begin asking tough questions: How do we measure happiness and satisfaction? What is the optimal distribution of goods or resources in society? These questions are already a part of the fabric of the field, and their consider-
ation is the meat and potatoes of economic theory. As students begin taking more upperlevel classes, these sort of ethical questions become more apparent: How do societies deal with economic inequality? What role can governments play in distributing resources? How can societies improve the material well-being of their citizenry? How can we efficiently reform our health care or education systems to benefit the most people? In a science class, a student can study the mechanics behind a biological weapon without considering the moral conse-
often considered emotionless or unethical, preoccupied with numbers and graphs, removed from reality and inconsiderate of any notion of fairness or equality. By arguing for a separate ethics class, Powers has furthered this incorrect judgment. This is not to say ethics is unimportant. On the contrary, it would be detrimental to separate ethics from economics and create a separate class. A macroeconomics class or microeconomics seminar should challenge its students to consider the ethics of its various models, rather than relying on a separate class to treat this topic. Students cannot
In economics, the material examination and the ethical considerations go hand-in-hand.
quences of this machinery. In economics, though, the material examination and the ethical considerations go hand-in-hand. In that way, economics is similar to its social science brethren like political science or sociology in its habit of constantly questioning ethical assumptions. This is more than just a technicality. It is an important redeeming quality of the field. Among many of my colleagues, economics has a bad reputation. In the public eye, it is
and should not simply perform the motions of economic analysis without simultaneously considering the ethical questions Powers is so fixated on. Unfortunately, many introductory classes that provide a thousand-mile-high view may flatten some of these considerations. Often, especially in introductory classes, students are expected to ignore ethical considerations — which is the root of the misconception of economics as unethical. Even
in introductory classes, though, economics students begin to consider the consequences of models, even if those models themselves are neutral towards ethics or morals. Of course, economics classes — even upper-level ones — often try to avoid taking a “normative” stance, and instead debate mathematical models around a single “positivist” stance. Even in this case, though, it is important to realize that every economic model has underlying normative assumptions which are constantly being challenged. It is like studying Congress without a political bias in a political science class, or studying globalization in a sociology class without taking a particular normative stance. These studies do not preclude ethical analysis. Perhaps, instead of creating a separate class, we should encourage economics professors to consider ethical consequences more often or encourage economics students to challenge assumptions. Either way, it is important to realize ethics are already inherent in economic models, and separating ethics and economics classes would only produce a wedge between the two fields. In this sense, Powers hits the nail on the head — studying ethics is extremely important to economics. But a separate class is unnatural, unnecessary and counterproductive. In fact, economists already have ethics. They are taught these ethics from the moment they walk into their introductory courses. Alex Drechsler ’15 reminds his liberal friends that Paul Krugman is an economist. He — Alex, not Paul — can be reached at alex_drechsler@brown.edu.
daily herald science & research THE BROWN
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Student explores Tunisian revolution through stories Rahel Dette ‘13 collected personal narratives from Tunisians during a threemonth fellowship By APARAAJIT SRIRAM STAFF WRITER
Rahel Dette ’13 shies away from calling her work research. The word connotes something formal and authoritative, a tone she said she cannot justifiably lay claim to. Instead, she rotates between the terms “travel writing,” “narrative storytelling” and “anecdote” when describing what came out of a three-monthlong fellowship in Tunisia last summer. Through serendipitous interviews in taxis, at weddings and over expansive Iftars — the fast-breaking evening meal during Ramadan — Dette collected stories about the revolution that occurred in Tunisia in late 2010 and early 2011. “‘I would walk down the street and if someone was willing to talk to me, I would say, ‘Sure, let’s chat,’” she said. Dette delivered a lecture titled “P.S. Tunisia — Personal Stories from a Revolution and its Aftermath” at a Joukowsky forum event hosted yesterday by the Watson Institute. The lecture was in honor of Marla Ruzicka, a human rights activist who died in a suicide bombing in Iraq in 2005 and in whose memory
both the fellowship and annual lecture were established. Going into the trip, “I asked myself, how can I make this place come alive? How do I capture people’s stories? What did (Tunisians) do before, and after, the revolution?” Dette said. In her conversations, Dette said she discovered the many “ironies” and “hardships” that had set in after the initial “honeymoon phase” of the revolution, revealing a disconnect between the rhetoric and the realities of the revolution in Tunisia. Speaking with Tunisians who formerly worked in tourism — an industry Dette said has centered around generic beach towns built up in the 60s and 70s — highlighted one such irony. “The revolution began for economic reasons,” Dette said. “But people are out of jobs now. The infrastructure for tourism is terrible in Tunisia. Perhaps this is a chance to promote more authentic tourism in the country.” She also began to discern a distinction between the people who “began” the revolution and the people who “rode the revolutionary wave.” One such moment came when she was traveling in Sidi Bouzid, the city in central Tunisia where the fruit-seller Mohamed Bouazizi had burned himself in December 2010 — an incident which has been called the catalyst of the Arab Spring. She chanced upon his cousin, who took
her to Bouazizi’s grave and told her, “The revolution began in December and not in January.” His comment, echoed by others in the city, sparked questions about the ownership of the revolution and amplified her commitment to highlighting lesser-heard voices, she said. Dette also decided to curate a guidebook to Tunis, the capital, that weaves together citizen accounts of the revolution and facts about the city. “I wanted to experience the country through people’s stories. And I wanted to create a way for others to do the same,” she said Initially, Dette had wanted to study the political economy of tourism, an idea which was suggested by her adviser, Associate Professor of Political Science Melani Cammett ’91. But by the time she left in August, innumerable conversations having transpired in the interim, tourism occupied merely a corner of the insights she had gained through a process whose “legitimacy” she “sometimes doubted,” she said. “You could talk to 10 people. You could talk to a 100 people,” she said. “How do you know if that’s a legitimate approach to research?” In an email to The Herald, Cammett called Dette’s work “significant and innovative,” adding that it highlights “the human gains and costs of the extraordinary developments in Tunisia over the past two years.”
COURTESY OF RAHEL DETTE
Dette presented the results of her fellowship at a Joukowsky Forum lecture last night, recounting the “ironies” and “hardships” experienced by Tunisians after the revolution.
COURTESY OF RAHEL DETTE
COURTESY OF RAHEL DETTE
The revolution started partly for economic reasons, but people are out of work in Tunisia because “the infrastructure for tourism is terrible,” Dette said.
In describing her research process, Dette said, “I asked myself, how can I make this place come alive? How do I capture pepole’s stories?”