Daily
Herald
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 57
INSIDE
Page 3
‘Lend a hand’
Campaign shows support for missing student
This article, the second in a four-part series, tells stories of students who have been sexually assaulted and examines the avenues available to victims SENIOR STAFF WRITERS
Warning: This article contains graphic material regarding sexual assault.
India Point Petition aims to improve area by burying power lines Page 8
R.I. Works
Bill would help working parents pay for child care today
47 / 43
tomorrow
66 / 49
SILENT VIOLENCE
Victims of sexual assault confront challenges of reporting By SABRINA IMBLER AND CALEB MILLER
Page 4
since 1891
TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
On her fifth night at Brown and “desperate for friendship,” Anna, whose name has been changed SILENT to maintain conVIOLENCE fidentiality, met Part two of four up with a sophomore male. Anna remembers struggling to navigate both the University’s social scene and campus, she said. The male student guided her from Keeney Quadrangle to Pembroke, marking her first time on the latter part of campus and her first college hook-up. Anna felt
“lost in every way possible,” she said. As they kissed, he scooped her up, carried her to the bed and, without saying anything, retrieved a condom. Anna told him she was a virgin and did not want to have sex, but he kept pushing forward. “He wrapped each of his legs around each of mine and basically forcibly opened my legs and started trying to do it,” Anna said. Upon Anna’s refusal, he grew angry, scaring her and pressuring her to perform oral sex, pushing her head down until she gagged, she said. Anna rolled into a ball so he couldn’t touch her. He then walked her back to Keeney, as she did not know the way. It took a year for Anna to recognize that she had been assaulted. Untold stories “I didn’t want to have to tell people about it, I didn’t want to have to tell my
parents, I didn’t want to have to tell my friends,” Anna said. “Still very few people know about it.” Because she never reported the incident, no official University statistics included Anna’s experience, including the annual report federally mandated by the Clery Act, which requires a summary of on-campus crimes be made available for public access. According to the Clery report, there were nine reported forcible sex offenses on campus in 2010 — the year Anna said she was assaulted. In 2011, there were seven reported cases. These numbers are not representative of how many assaults actually occur, said Bita Shooshani, the University’s coordinator of sexual assault prevention and advocacy. Many cases at Brown go undocumented in the Clery report, she said, in part because the report does not include crimes that occur off University property. The number of students sexually assaulted at Brown who report the incidents to ad/ / Assault page 6
Universal need-blind Committee to vote on admission up for debate same-sex marriage
While universal needblind admission remains a goal, other adjustments have become priorities By MAGGIE LIVINGSTONE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The strategic planning Committee on Financial Aid recommended implementing need-blind admission for international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education applicants in its most recent report to President Christina Paxson, said Jim Tilton, committee chair and director of financial aid. In her State of Brown address last month, Paxson said expanding needblind admission for all students could cost as much as $250 million. Need-blind admission has been a
topic of campus debate since spring of 2012, when the then-newly formed student group Brown for Financial Aid petitioned Paxson and other administrators to make it a top priority over the next decade. Paxson will receive final reports from all six strategic planning committees in May and will use them to guide the academic plan and fundraising campaign that will mark her tenure. Paxson, Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 and the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — will meet over the summer to plan the campaign and are expected to make decisions on the recommendations by next fall, Schlissel said. Finding the funds Many administrators involved / / Aid page 4 in the Uni-
The R.I. Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision will determine whether the bill goes to a Senate vote By MARIYA BASHKATOVA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee will vote today on same-sex marriage legislation that will decide whether this year’s efforts at legalization will move to a final test in the Senate. The bill — introduced by Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket — is identical to legislation that passed 51-19 in the House in January. If the committee passes the legislation, it will go to a floor vote in the Senate.
CITY & STATE
Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 has said he will sign the bill into law if it comes to his desk. Michael McCaffrey, D-Warwick, the chairman of the committee, openly opposes same-sex marriage but has agreed to allow a committee vote. Five members of the 10-person committee have said they would vote for the legislation, and four have said they would vote against it, the Providence Journal reported. The remaining member, William Conley, DEast Providence, has not publicly stated how he will vote and has been courted by both supporters and opponents of the legislation as the presumed swing-vote. Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Newport, has said she believes the bill will pass the committee without requiring she cast a tie-breaking vote, the / / Marriage page 3 Providence
Recent crime spike inspires fear, DPS response
By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A consistent rise in crime throughout 2011 and 2012 — punctuated by 14 robbery cases in the spring of 2012 and prominent incidents of violence — left many students concerned about their safety on campus. This rise in violent crime prompted the Department of Public Safety to focus on initiatives to combat violent crime, like hiring new officers, increasing officer visibility on campus and parterning with Facilities Management employees to increase oversight of residence halls. But numbers released at a recent
Crimes on campus (Jan. 2012 to Mar. 2013) 40
Motor Vehicle Theft
35 Number of crimes
Despite a decrease in violent crimes this year, students cite them as their biggest concern
Larceny
30 25
Burglary
20
Sex Offenses
15
Simple Assault
10
Aggravated Assault
5 0
Robbery J F M A M J
J A S O N D J F M Months
JILL LANNEY / HERALD
meeting of the Public Safety Oversight Committee revealed dorm thefts comprise the majority of on-campus crimes, while violent robberies have declined. Staying off the streets Stories of late-night muggings by
suspects wielding weapons are often more highly publicized than other forms of crime, and students said their foremost fears center on walking alone after midnight. But recent crime trends suggest instances of violent crime are declining.
Many students said they feel scared when walking around campus after dark. A spike in violent street crime on campus through 2011 and early 2012 fueled these fears. There were only / / Theft page 2 five robberies
By the numbers 5 Approximate percentage of victims who come forward nationally and at Brown
4 Number of sexual misconduct cases heard by the Student Conduct Board between July 2011 and June 2012
7 Number of sexual assault cases reported to the University in 2011
9 Number of sexual assault cases reported to the University in 2010
NE WS IN BRIEF Fire breaks out in Keeney room A small fire broke out on the third floor of Jameson House in Keeney Quadrangle Monday evening, said Captain David Soscia of the Providence Fire Department. The cause of the fire was unknown and was under investigation by the fire marshal at press time, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services. The fire was contained in one room, and the sprinkler system went off, Klawunn said. No injuries were reported, but there was some “smoke and water damage,” Soscia said. The room’s window was also broken, with shards of glass and remnants of the window frame scattered in the quad below, damage that Klawunn said she assumed was a result of the fire. Residents of the first, second and third floors of Jameson were advised to “stay with a friend” for the night as clean-up crews removed water that resulted from the sprinklers, Klawunn said, adding that the University would take inventory of items that were damaged. Third floor Jameson resident Lucia Petty ’16 said she wasn’t in her room when the fire started but heard from other people a fire had broken out in the room across the hall from her. She was able to pick up some of her belongings and will be staying with friends “for the next couple of days,” she said. “The entire floor was covered in water,” Petty said. “Anything on the floor is ruined.” — Mark Valdez
2 university news C ALENDAR TODAY
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4 P.M. Make Your Own Stress Balls
David Rohde ’90: A New Middle East
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Legislating Same-Sex Marriage
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RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Los AngelesCROSSWORD Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Pink drink, briefly 6 Arson aftermath 9 Hutt crime lord of sci-fi 14 According to 15 Grazing area 16 Light purple 17 O’Neill drama set in Harry Hope’s saloon 20 Tailor’s target 21 Many a Beethoven sonata ender 22 Popeye’s __’ Pea 23 Jabber on and on 24 __ in November 25 Likable prez 27 More than feasts (on) 28 With 30-Across, drama based on ’70s presidential interviews 30 See 28-Across 32 Aspiring doc’s course 33 Walked alongside one’s master 35 On the Pacific 36 Fertilizable cells 38 “Just __!”: “Be right there!” 40 Drama about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine 45 “Friendly skies” co. 46 Greatly feared 47 Comstock Lode find 48 Fred of “My Cousin Vinny” 50 Oozed 52 With 54-Across, “Viva La Vida” rock group, and what 17-, 28-/30and 40-Across each is? 54 See 52-Across 55 Pottery “pet” 58 Smooth transition 60 Pastoral poem 64 Invisible vibes 65 More than most 66 Wine tasting criterion
53 “Whip It” band 67 Quilting parties 34 Tractor 54 Like the driven manufacturer 68 Corrida cheer snow 69 Neuter, horsewise 35 Give __: yank 55 Red wine choice, 37 By way of for short 39 Believability on DOWN the street, slangily 56 Tint 1 Slyly spiteful 41 Driver’s license fig. 57 Wrath 2 Irish actor Milo 59 Salon goop 3 Say what you will 42 Threat words 61 Mommy deer 43 Actor Snipes 4 Golda of Israel 62 Initials on 44 Thought 5 “The Lord of the L’Homme 49 “March Madness” Rings” baddie fragrance games, informally 6 Answering the 63 Took the reins penultimate exam 51 Sizing up question, say ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 7 Actor Connery 8 How lovers walk 9 “Jersey Girl” actress, to fans 10 Goals 11 Emulated Mt. St. Helens? 12 With __ breath: expectantly 13 Pains’ partner 18 Answering machine button 19 Journalist Roberts 24 Name, in Nîmes 26 Program file suffix 29 Not counterfeit 31 “The Good Earth” mother 04/23/13 xwordeditor@aol.com 32 “Nonsense!”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
/ / Theft page 1
the reports.
in 2009, but that number more than doubled to 11 in 2011 and doubled again to 22 in 2012. Alyssa Browning ’15 said she “walks with fear looming over her head” when traveling alone at night. “The scariest time of day or night is probably between 4 and 5 (a.m.) because the only people that are up at that time are probably up to no good,” said Woody Rosenberg ’13. Andrew Little ’16 was assaulted and robbed outside the Gate in January. Four assailants followed Little through campus, stole his coat, backpack and cell phone, punched him and stomped on his head, sending him to the hospital with a broken jaw. Stories like Little’s and last year’s spike in violent crime augment widespread student fear of walking at night, though the DPS reports show a decrease in violent crime on College Hill this semester. Incidents of robbery involving force or threat of force have dropped significantly this academic year, with two instances in the last six months, compared to eight incidents over the same months in the 2011-12 school year, according to DPS crime reports. Cases of laptop thefts not involving force or confrontation occur at a far greater frequency, with 21 incidents in the last three months, compared to nine in those months last year. Incidents of burglary and breaking and entering are up 46 percent this year compared to last, an indication that thefts are occurring more often in student residences than on the street. Much of the growing number of laptop thefts and burglaries stem from factors like open doors in residence halls and “crimes of opportunity,” said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of DPS. When students prop doors open for weekend parties in dorm rooms, individuals who are not Brown students enter the halls, Shanley said, noting that many of this year’s cases resulted from these situations. Unlocked dorm rooms also allow for easy access to valuables and further increase the number of burglaries, Shanley said. Two-thirds of laptop thefts this year have occurred in residence halls with no signs of forced entry to the halls or rooms, according to the reports. DPS frequently cannot recover laptops stolen from unlocked dorm rooms due to a lack of visible evidence and witnesses, Shanley said. Students whose laptops were stolen said police officers told them they would review surveillance footage when available. Four of the 21 laptops stolen this year have been recovered, according to
Visible progress This semester’s drop in robberies and “midnight mugging” incidents stems from DPS programs emphasizing officer visibility, Shanley said. Some DPS initiatives have seen more success than others, and certain programs have taken on new functions outside the realm of safety. After the number of robberies peaked at 21 in the first nine months of 2012, DPS officials looked to combat the upward trend through increased street presence. The department added six new officers to its staff in 2011 and received approval from the University Resources Committee to hire four more in the fall, The Herald previously reported. DPS also partnered with the Department of Facilities Management in January to help officers observe and prevent potentially dangerous encounters, Shanley said. DPS officers now meet regularly with Facilities Management employees — who “are in the buildings most often and know if something is out of place” — to discuss signs of suspicious activity, like broken door handles or unknown individuals in dorms, he added. “They may see a door that was damaged or they see someone that doesn’t seem right, and they’d give us a call.” Increased officer presence has yielded more arrests in robbery cases. DPS has apprehended suspects in five of the six cases this year, compared to only four out of 13 cases in spring 2012. Safewalk and safeRIDE — programs intended to give students safe means of travel around campus at night — remain the most well-known and frequently-utilized DPS efforts, but both draw students for reasons other than safety. Most students who use Safewalk are upperclassmen looking to socialize — not frightened students looking for protection, said Safewalker Onyebuchi Udozorh ’14. Benjamin Flakoll ’16 cited cold temperatures as the reason he uses safeRIDE regularly, while Emma Suchland ’16 said she uses the service for convenience. “The use of safeRIDE is not always about safety, although we do encourage the community to take advantage of the program as a safety measure,” wrote Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president for financial and administrative services, who helps oversee safeRIDE in the Transportation Office, in an email to The Herald. Any time a student rides the shuttle for any reason, it “alleviates a potential for crime,” she wrote.
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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Establishing relationships Many students do not realize how much their perception of DPS affects the department’s ability to respond to incidents and conduct investigations, Shanley said, adding that as a result, department officials have placed extra emphasis on student relations in recent years. Students used to seeing DPS officers around campus are more likely to call when they need help, Shanley said. The number of service calls the department receives can be an indicator of students’ trust in its officers, he added. In the first three months of 2013, DPS received 15.7 percent more service calls than in the same period in 2012, according to the reports. “If (students) are not telling us what is going on, we’re kind of in the dark,” said Lionel Butterfield, a DPS security officer who patrols campus to help students who have locked themselves out of their rooms and provide students and staff members with information on campus activity. Students and officers build good relationships through day-to-day interactions on the street, Butterfield said. “It takes a certain type of person to be campus officer,” he said. “It’s about developing relationships with students — it’s not about kicking ass and taking names.” DPS has also tried to use its Facebook and Twitter presences to reach out to students. Students said they base their views of DPS on officers’ performances on the job rather than on department initiatives. Most of those interviewed said they are satisfied with DPS and its coverage, citing officers’ fast response times and consistent follow-up with victims as contributing to the department’s reputation. “DPS is very good at taking care of crime immediately on campus,” said Daniel Podlisny ’14. Mary Sketch ’15 said she was impressed with the speed and extent of DPS’s response after her laptop was stolen from her room in December while she was asleep. “They were really quick to respond,” Sketch said. “I was talking to a lot of different detectives that day, which was very helpful.” She added that DPS placed a security guard in her hall as an extra precaution the night after the incident occurred. Little gave DPS a “10 out of 10” for its response after he was assaulted. “The second I reported anything (DPS) came … They were very nice to me, they brought me to court and have been very supportive.” Other students voiced concerns about campus lighting and the extent of DPS’s off-campus presence. Officers “make a big effort to prevent things and keep their students safe, though I never quite understand why the Main Green and Lincoln Field are so poorly lit,” Browning said. While there are “guards in a lot of places” on campus, Podlisny said there is little security presence off campus except for “an occasional Providence police officer.” “I feel like there is this invisible wall around Brown’s campus,” Rosenberg said, adding that once a student steps beyond campus borders, he is no longer as safe. — Additional reporting by Kiera Peltz
university news 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
/ / Marriage page 1 Journal reported. If the bill makes it to the Senate floor, 15 senators will likely vote yes, two may vote yes, 14 will likely vote no and four may vote no, while three senators remain officially undecided, predicted Providence Phoenix writer David Scharfenberg ’98. The Providence Journal reported that 15 senators will likely vote yes and 16 will likely vote no, with seven remaining undecided. Local political analysts have recently written several articles arguing the prospects for the legalization of same-sex marriage have improved markedly in recent years. Scott MacKay ’83, political correspondent at Rhode Island Public Radio, attributed the bill’s improved COURTESY OF SANGEETA TRIPATHI
Community members contributed to the search for Sunil Tripathi by sharing messages written on their hands.
Friends, family ‘Lend a Hand’ for Tripathi The Tripathi family launched a campaign to garner support for the missing student By ELIZABETH KOH FEATURES EDITOR
Clear skies and sunshine marked the first day of the “Lend Your Hand” campaign on the Main Green Monday. Family members started the campaign shortly after the one-month anniversary of the disappearance of former member of the class of 2012 Sunil Tripathi to draw attention to the continuing search, mother Judy Tripathi said. The “Lend Your Hand” campaign encourages people to write messages on their hands and submit photos to the Facebook page created for the search, Judy Tripathi said. The message “could be to Sunil or to anyone involved in struggles,” she added. “The idea is it will keep folks coming back in,” sister Sangeeta Tripathi ’04 said. Because most of the campaign is online, the table on the Main Green gave family members a chance to “do it today in real form,” she added. Equipped with markers and cameras to snap photos, family members manned the table with help from students and staff affiliated with the Third World Center. Students stopped by to write messages to Tripathi on their hands, said Sarah Day Dayon ’15, who worked at the table. “I wrote, ‘You are not alone,’” said Dayon, a Minority Peer Counselor Friend from the TWC. Other students wrote messages like, “‘Come home soon,’” she said. The campaign was also a good way to “show some communal support” for mental health in general at Brown, she said. A University photographer and a Providence Police officer also stopped by the table, Judy Tripathi said. The campaign collected more than 100 photos Monday, Judy Tripathi said. In addition to collecting the hand photos, the campaign is encouraging people to share Tripathi’s “missing” poster, she said. Meghan Koushik ’13, a Minority Peer Counselor, said Sangeeta
Tripathi, a former Residential Peer Leader, asked the TWC for help with the campaign. “For the most part people have been really willing to participate,” Koushnik said, adding she thought students felt “happy to have some way to show their support.” “Most all of the students knew about (Tripathi),” Judy Tripathi said. Though the campaign is not specific to Brown, family members chose to reach out specifically to community members, Judy Tripathi said. “We’re really excited about the Brown piece because this is our closest community.” University officials, including Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, and University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, submitted photos, Judy Tripathi said. Other University faculty and staff members, including Professor Emeritus of Engineering Barrett Hazeltine, Professor of Africana Studies Tricia Rose and Men’s Crew Head Coach Paul Cooke have also submitted photos. Online, people as far away as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have submitted messages, Judy Tripathi said. Family members began planning the event to coincide with April 16, the one-month anniversary of Tripathi’s disappearance, but decided to postpone the event out of respect for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, Judy Tripathi wrote in an email at the time. Family members hope the recent uptick in national attention will help expand the search for their son and brother. “We’re using all the energy that has been generated to engage people to spread the word about Sunil,” Judy Tripathi said. “We’re just wanting to put that into the search for Sunny.” Family members will return to the Main Green Tuesday and Wednesday to solicit more photos, Judy Tripathi said. They will also distribute table slips at the Sharpe Refectory and the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall throughout the week to raise awareness, she added. — Additional reporting by Katherine Lamb
chances to “changes in public opinion, the evolution of elected officials on the issue, the adoption of same-sex marriage in every other New England state and voter sentiment in four states, including Maine, that favored marriage equality in 2012 referenda.” The committee will also vote on a bill — endorsed by several prominent opponents of same-sex marriage and introduced by Sen. Frank Ciccone, DProvidence — that would put the samesex marriage question to a referendum in 2014. Immediately after the committee vote, The Herald and the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions will host a panel discussion on the implications of the vote for Rhode Island politics in MacMillan 117.
4 university news / / Aid page 1 versity’s financial planning support implementing universal need-blind admission, but they said the University’s capacity to offer universal need-blind admission depends largely on the success of Paxson’s upcoming fundraising campaign. Universal need-blind admission is impossible given the University’s current budget, said Susan Harvey, co-chair of the Committee on Financial Aid and professor of religious studies. The 10-year timeline suggested in the committee’s report is also “a bit misleading,” Harvey said, because the time required to become universally need-blind will ultimately depend on how Paxson and other Corporation members structure the capital campaign. “We can’t make that commitment today because our budget is already running a deficit,” Schlissel said. “Over the summer we will price out each aspect of the campaign to see where we stand.” Financial aid currently comprises the largest piece of the University’s budget at 10 percent, Schlissel said, adding that aid will see a 5 percent increase to about $90 million in the coming year. Current policies The committee suggested a 10-year plan for the University to transition to a fully need-blind admission policy, according to the two most recent reports. If Paxson, Schlissel and the Corporation decide to include this
recommendation in its academic campaign, Tilton said, they will map out concrete steps within the recommended timeline. “If they make that commitment, there will be an outpouring of support,” said Alex Mechanick ’15, a member of the Committee on Financial Aid and president of Brown for Financial Aid. “It will be a matter of changing policies and allocating resources, not necessarily intermediate steps.” International, RUE and transfer applicants are currently evaluated by a need-aware policy, while admission for all other applicants to the University is need-blind. A set amount of money is allotted to provide financial aid for need-aware students, and they are only offered admission if there is aid money available to meet their financial needs, said Jim Miller ’73, member of the Committee on Financial Aid and dean of admission. The current policy explicitly does not offer admission for students who require aid if the aid is not available to them, Miller said. “We wouldn’t want a family to make that decision.” Many applicants from need-aware categories would be accepted if financial aid were need-blind, but this policy leads the University to turn away many “great students,” Miller said. He added that few peer institutions are needblind for all applicants, so the University would be “taking a tremendous step” if it instituted universal needblind admission. Short-term plans The report also proposed smaller
scale actions to help students who receive financial aid that may be more feasible in the coming year, Tilton said. For example, the report recommends annually reevaluating demonstrated need for international students as the University does for domestic students. International students’ packages are currently determined when they are initially admitted and cannot be changed for the duration of their stay at the University due to a change in their families’ financial circumstances, Tilton said. “Circumstances for some of these students could have changed for the better or the worse,” Mechanick said. RUE and transfer students are currently allowed to reapply for aid every year, he noted, so it is “pretty silly to not allow that for certain random groups.” Many students and administrators support another provision, which would reduce summer earnings expectations for students by at least $1,000. Many students on aid take internships over the summer that are “unpaid or poorly paid,” Harvey said, and the University requires them to pay a sum that is “unrealistic.” “These internships are important learning, work and educational experiences that supplement the academic programming of the University,” Harvey said. “It’s unfair that students may not be able to take these because of a financial burden they have to repay.” A final short-term recommendation would restructure how financial aid is calculated for families in the $100,000 - $150,000 per year income bracket, according to the report.
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Currently, families in this bracket are expected to contribute more than families in the same income bracket at some of Brown’s peer institutions, Tilton said. Harvard, Yale and Princeton all use a different mechanism to calculate demonstrated need, resulting in those universities often offering students larger aid packages. Community input Student input was “integral to the planning process,” when the committee completed its report, Tilton said. He added that a resolution passed in late February by the Undergraduate Council of Students endorsed many of the initiatives outlined in the committee’s interim report — namely supporting the long-term goal of universal needblind financial aid. The UCS Admissions and Student Services Committee met with the Committee on Financial Aid shortly after the interim reports were released
in February and reaffirmed student priorities, said UCS President Anthony White ’13. White said UCS will continue to meet with Paxson next year and will “most definitely check in” after Paxson’s final plan is established in the fall to ensure it aligns with UCS’s goals. Additionally, an outreach forum sponsored by the Committee on Financial Aid was held in November and invitations were particularly sent to all international, transfer and RUE students, Harvey said. Two undergraduate students serve on the Committee on Financial Aid and a survey was sent to all alums from the past 10 years seeking their input on matters of financial concern, she said. “It’s clear to our committee and every constituency that we’ve spoken to — students, alumni — that everybody really rates financial aid as among the highest needs that Brown has,” Harvey said.
university news 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
NE WS IN BRIEF Africana studies professor to direct Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America
HERALD FILE PHOTO
The above-ground power lines near India Point Park make the land less attractive and could make the area less desirable to buyers, said David Riley, co-chair of the advocacy group Friends of India Point Park.
Petition seeks to bury power lines Moving power lines underground could increase property values by India Point Park By STEPHEN ARK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Advocacy group Friends of India Point Park has started a new petition campaign calling on Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and East Providence Mayor James Briden to accelerate the removal of above-ground power lines near the Providence River. The petition, which targets the power lines as an aesthetic barrier to economic development along the waterfront, has garnered over 500 signatures. Approximately 90 percent of the funds needed to bury the power lines have already been identified, but construction has yet to enter even the planning phase, said David Riley, cochair of Friends of India Point Park, a community group in the India Point Park area. Members created the petition online to raise awareness and push
CITY & STATE
construction forward. Putting the power lines underground would improve the waterfront area’s image and increase property values, Riley said. “Proposals to develop land near power lines … are much less attractive than those that aren’t (near power lines).” Properties located near above-ground power lines can lower property values by up to 30 percent, according to studies cited on the Friends of India Point Park website. The petition officially surpassed half of its 1,000 signature goal last week. Signers hope “burying the power lines will dramatically upgrade the Providence/East Providence waterfront both for public use and for economic development, just as waterfront properties are becoming available for development in both cities,” according to the text of the petition. The power lines are highly visible when entering the East Providence area from the bay, according to Arthur Salisbury, president of the Jewelry District Association. “We’re supporting the effort, and I did sign the petition, but we are disappointed that it does not include the Jewelry District,” he said. Power lines run through much of the Jewelry District’s waterfront as
well, Salisbury said, but the proposed construction would not completely eliminate the above-ground eyesore. Riley said any improvements to the waterfront would have far-reaching effects. “It would improve the overall attractiveness of the riverfront, which would help benefit the adjacent area including the Jewelry District.” If the funds allocated for the project are not used soon, they may expire, Riley said, though he did not specify a timeline. The plan would run power lines underneath the Providence River, Riley said. First National Grid, the company that controls the majority of Rhode Island’s power lines, must acquire an approximately 100-by-100-foot plot of land to allow wires to come out of the river and enter towers. Originally the I-195 relocation project intended to bury the area’s power lines, but officials separated the highway relocation project from the power line burial project in the early 2000s. The highway was relocated, opening up 20 acres of land for development, but the power lines remain where they had been. Momentum from this new campaign may draw / / Park page 9
Professor of Africana Studies Tricia Rose was named director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, according to a University press release. A regular contributor to several national media outlets, Rose specializes in topics related to African-Americans — including gender and sexuality, politics, popular culture and hip-hop — the last of which is the subject of her award-winning book, “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America.” The center, established in 1986, aims to facilitate interdisciplinary discussion about ethnic and racial groups and identities. The center has traditionally managed the University’s ethnic studies concentration, but oversight of the concentration will be transferred to the Department of American Studies this fall, according to the press release. “We are delighted that Tricia will be taking over this highly important leadership position at Brown,” said Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 in the press release. “Her influential, widely discussed scholarship and her commitment to intellectually responsible discourse ... make her an ideal choice to take over leadership of this important center.” Under Rose’s leadership the center will offer “faculty and
graduate student workshops, art and media exhibits and performances, faculty seminars, postdoctoral fellowships and center-sponsored faculty and student events,” according to the press release. Her plans also include establishing “The Third Rail,” a lecture series that will address topics like affirmative action and immigration policy. Rose will assume leadership of the center on July 1, replacing current director Evelyn Hu-DeHart, professor of history. Jordan DeLoach ’15, who took AFRI 0620: “African-American Life in the City” with Rose in the fall, said the course was the best she has taken at Brown so far, adding that Rose emphasizes the material’s relevance to students’ daily lives. DeLoach described Rose as an “extremely enthusiastic” professor and “very funny.” “Everyone is just drawn to her,” DeLoach said. “She really understands our culture, so she’s able to talk to us in ways we can understand and relate to.” “The way that (Rose) taught the course is what made it such a good course,” said Kenya Wright ’15, who also took AFRI 0620, adding that Rose is “passionate,” “well-informed” and “engaging.” DeLoach said that whatever new elements Rose brings to the center are sure to be “dynamic and interesting.” — Rachel Margolis
6 silent violence / / Assault page 1 minstrators is likely “similar to or exactly the national statistics, which is about 5 percent of college students a year,” Shooshani said. “It’s definitely higher than seven (people),” she added. The Alpert Medical School conducted the most recent study, published in 2005, documenting sexual assault on campus. The study surveyed female students about their knowledge and experiences of sexual victimization in the 1999-2000 school year and found that 6 percent of female students experienced a completed rape and 4 percent experienced an attempted rape during that year. Nationally, over 1,300 cases of sexual assault were reported each year between
orders and formal investigations, but it is least used by student victims, who are often intimidated by the length and intrusive nature of the procedures. Crisis counseling When a student calls Psych Services’ Sexual Assault Response Line seeking support, his or her call is directly routed to the on-call physician, who is the victim’s first contact at the office, said Belinda Johnson, director of Psych Services. Psych Services first provides students the opportunity to talk confidentially about their experiences without having to formally report the incidents to the University, Johnson said. Psych Services sends a report to the Office of Student Life after the initial confidential consultation, but this report indicates only
“I also couldn’t handle the idea of me coming forward and saying that this had happened and having it be questioned. That would have killed me.”
Anna Sexual assault victim
2007 and 2009 at private four-year and above nonprofit universities, according to summary national crime statistics released by the U.S. Department of Education. Most cases at the University occur between students who know each other, Shooshani said. Sarah, a recent alum whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality, was raped by a close friend during her senior year. Sarah and her friend had kissed one night and gone to sleep after she said she did not want to go further. She woke up to the man having sex with her. “I knew this guy,” she said. “I couldn’t reconcile that he had done that.” Chris Rotella, a detective with the Providence Police Special Victims Unit, said in his five years working with the SVU, he cannot recall ever reviewing a case on a college campus in which a student was assaulted by an unknown perpetrator. “It was never like in television where someone jumped out of the bushes and sexually assaulted another person,” he said. Students who have experienced sexual assault at the University may choose several paths in reporting their incidents. They can present their allegations to the administration, file reports or pursue criminal charges through DPS, visit Psychological Services or any combination of the above. But sexual assault at Brown is still underreported. Psychological barriers tied to sexual assault contribute to underreporting, but problems underlying the systems of reporting add to the discrepancy, students said. Psych Services can guide victims through an emotional recovery but does not offer the disciplinary recourse available through University conduct processes, which are often taxing. And police action can provide no-contact
SILENT VIOLENCE
A four-part series
the date and time of a sexual assault, she added. Students who initially report an incident of sexual assault to a different oncampus office — such as Health Services or DPS — are referred to Psych Services for this crisis response procedure, Johnson said. But some students have criticized Psych Services for not doing more to encourage victims to pursue further action. When Emily, whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality, told the male student she had been casually hooking up with that she was a virgin, “his switch flipped,” Emily said. “He had been so sweet and nice, and then he got mean. Very mean, very fast.” One night, Emily visited his room, and he told her they were going to have sex. She repeated that she did not want to, but he held her down and raped her. After about 30 seconds, Emily fought back and stopped him. Emily told her best friend what had happened and visited Psych Services, where she spoke with a counselor about postponing her exams, she said. “There was no push for me to go to see the police,” she said. “There was no push for me to go to (a) medical health center from that psychologist ... No push for me to report him, nothing.” In the 2005 Med School study, 90 percent of respondents who indicated having experienced sexual assault reported awareness of Psych Services as a resource. But only 8 percent of respondents who had been sexually assaulted reported contacting Psych Services. This was three times the number of students who reported their cases to DPS, according to the same study. Anna visited Psych Services a year after her assault. She said she thought about reporting the incident to the University. “But I never really considered
taking action largely because at the time, when I was dealing with it, a big part of me thought it was my fault,” she said. Hearing hesitation Victims can choose to go beyond Psych Services and file charges against their perpetrators through University channels, but the decision to do so can be challenging. The Student Conduct Board — a body of 14 students, eight deans and four faculty members who adjudicate University disciplinary hearings — exists for such procedures. Three members of the board — one student, one dean and one faculty member, review each case, according to the OSL website. Students “don’t normally go directly to Student Conduct,” said Maria Suarez, associate dean and director of student support services. Most “don’t want to talk about what is going on” immediately after the incident but might return to the disciplinary process later, she added. Anna said she avoided the University’s disciplinary process in part because she had trouble defining her experience. “I also couldn’t handle the idea of me coming forward and saying that this had happened and having it be questioned,” Anna said. “That would have just killed me.” On the sixth night of his first year at Brown, Jacob, whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality, was propositioned and subsequently assaulted by a sophomore male he did not know in a Keeney bathroom. Jacob said he neither expressed consent nor reciprocated “in any enthusiastic way,” but the sophomore proceeded to grab his genitals and kiss him for around 10 minutes before leaving. In February of that academic year, after months of feeling anxious and threatened whenever he saw his assaulter, Jacob had an anxiety attack in the shower. “I was shaking,” he said. “If you had asked me in that moment where I was, what I was doing, I couldn’t have told you anything.” Jacob visited Health Services, which referred him to Psych Services. He received weekly therapy for a month and was then referred to Shooshani. Though Jacob was initially hesitant about filing an official complaint, his conversations with Shooshani changed his decision, he said. “I realized that for my own growth and healing I really needed to hear it from an official source — that what happened to (me) was wrong,” Jacob said. But Shooshani warned him that the disciplinary process was meant to provide an official judgment, not to be a therapeutic procedure, he added. Trial dynamics The disciplinary review process begins with a victim filing a written complaint, after which all parties involved are notified and a hearing date is scheduled, said Yolanda Castillo-Appollonio, associate dean of the OSL. On the hearing day, the complainant and respondent give statements and written testimonies from
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
witnesses — including staff members or students with information about the alleged incident or behavior of the parties, she added. Students can receive help from nonattorney advisers to understand the procedures for hearings and collecting evidence. “They have to do all kinds of things that I think are hard for people to do by themselves,” said Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, who has served as an advocate for victims in the hearing process. “It’s useful to have somebody who knows where people can find particular kinds of help if they need it.” Shooshani said she often attends hearings to support victims through the “very harrowing” disciplinary process. Prior to his hearing, Jacob said he was given the opportunity to choose whether his assaulter would be present. Jacob filed his official complaint in early May, which the OSL could not address until September 1, when the next academic year began. The University rescheduled Jacob’s hearing twice before finally moving forward at the end of November, he said, adding that the delay frustrated him. Senior Associate Dean for Student Life Allen Ward said the University aims to schedule hearings within 60 days of when the complaint is initially filed, adding that sometimes breaks in the academic calendar make this impossible. When Jacob’s hearing finally took place, “it was three hours of stress and anxiety,” he said. “I never want to have to go through that again.” The SCB sends all parties its final decision — made by a majority vote and ranging from a not-guilty finding to a reprimand to expulsion — within five
“comments of sexually harassing nature towards others” between 2009 and 2010. The board voted to expel Jacob’s assaulter. The perpetrator filed an appeal, which Klawunn rejected. Jacob said the board’s decision was a “huge relief.” He said he had “forgotten what life without anxiety felt like for a long time.” Sarah also filed a complaint with the OSL after she was raped by her friend. She said she felt the process took too long, adding that it was particularly complicated because her assaulter’s character witnesses were also friends of hers. “It really made me upset that Brown couldn’t speed up the process because it was extremely painful,” Sarah said. “If I almost couldn’t do it, I seriously think that other people will never do it at all.” The SCB suspended her perpetrator for half a semester, which Sarah said was an “inadequate” punishment. “I think the main problem with the system is that they don’t treat it like criminal cases, which they are,” said Emily, who spoke with a dean in the OSL after visiting Psych Services but did not pursue an SCB hearing. “They were very nice to me, but I think they need to take these charges way more seriously.” Infrequent investigations While students can file reports directly to DPS, they may also be referred to the department by Psych Services or the OSL. In any case reported to DPS, the incident is included in the annual Clery statistics. The Clery report should incorporate figures collected from “campus security authorities” — a group the Department of Education describes as including deans, athletic coaches and university health care professionals in its Handbook for Campus Safety and
“The main problem with the system is that they don’t treat it like criminal cases, which they are.”
Emily Sexual assault victim
days after a hearing, according to the OSL website. If either student is unsatisfied with the outcome, he or she may appeal the decision through a written statement to Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, who can amend sanctions only if the appeal identifies “relevant new evidence” or “substantial procedural error by the University or hearing body,” according to the website. The board reviewed four cases of sexual misconduct, which includes “non-consensual physical contact of a sexual nature,” and four cases of sexual harassment between July 2011 and June 2012, according to the Student Conduct Proceedings Report issued by the OSL. Three harassment cases and two misconduct cases resulted in decisions to suspend the perpetrators. The board heard one case of sexual misconduct between 2010 and 2011 and one case of
This four-part series will investigate sexual assault at Brown, examining campus culture, the reporting and disciplinary processes for both victims and alleged perpetrators and the psychological, social and academic effects on those who have experienced or been accused of sexual misconduct. Read the entire series online at thebdh.org/assault. Monday: Despite a sex-positive culture on campus, dialogues about sexual assault and rape are often limited. This story examines the culture surrounding sex, consent and assault on campus, detailing its prevalence nationally and at Brown. Tuesday: Victims of sexual assault have the opportunity to report allegations to the University or the Department of Public Safety, as well as to seek counsel through Psychological Services. This story examines victims’ experiences and the statistical underreporting of sexual assault on campus. Wednesday: Accused perpetrators of sexual assault must also navigate a complex University judicial process and social fallout. This story examines the proceedings of a sexual misconduct hearing and explores the stories of accused students. Thursday: Sexual assault has long-term psychological and social ramifications. This story examines how victims cope with their experiences beyond their immediate aftermaths.
Security Reporting. But it is “very rare” that victims report directly to DPS, said Michelle Nuey, manager of the community relations and outreach bureau for DPS. Through DPS, a victim has the options of pressing criminal charges and filing for a no-contact order against his or her perpetrator. Requesting no-contact orders — commands to refrain from inperson, phone or Internet contact — is the most common action students take with DPS, and the orders can also be granted through the OSL. “I actually haven’t worked with anyone here who has reported a sexual assault ... to DPS or Providence Police,” said Shooshani, who has worked at the University since fall of 2011. But the few victims who choose to file charges do so because “there’s a level of fear and they find that the University is not meeting their need or ... they want an extra layer of protection,” said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of police of DPS. If a victim reports directly to DPS, an officer will respond and ascertain the time of the assault, the identity of the perpetrator, if known, and whether the victim requires medical attention, Shanley said. Out of consideration for the victim, the initial responder tries to minimize the student’s contact with police. An investigation becomes much more difficult if a victim is hesitant, Shanley said. “We do, in a nice way, try to / / Assault page 9 emphasize that
feature 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
HERALD FILE PHOTO
Jeff Bergart ’70, class Marshall at the 40th reunion of the class of 1970, riles up the crowd in remembrance of their year of activism. The Vietnam War sparked many anti-war protests on campus and across the nation.
Reflecting on a campus on fire with activism in the ’60s, ’70s Compared to the ’70s anti-war movement, current student political involvement is not as prominent By ABIGAIL SAVITCH-LEW STAFF WRITER
On the night of May 4, 1970, 3,000 Brown students gathered on the Main Green. Later, nearly 2,000 voted to strike. “The entire campus from Faunce House down (was) filled with students,” said Doug Hurley ’71, student government president at the time and a leader of the strike. He stood with other students on the steps of Sayles Hall, presiding over the nighttime meeting. They joined students at hundreds of universities and colleges that went on strike that day, responding to police shootings of student protestors at Kent State University and to the invasion of Cambodia, former President Richard Nixon’s latest move to win the war in Vietnam. Faculty members voted to make classes and exams optional for the rest of the year, and Brown’s campus transformed into a center for antiwar activism. Students organized petitions, canvassed in Providence and rallied at the State House and in Washington. “It was a very lively time that definitely had its drawbacks,” said Michael Rosen, professor emeritus of mathematics. He added, laughing, “It’s frightening how long ago it was.” ‘Symbolic engagement’ The late 1960s were an era of major student-led change at Brown. In 1968, black students participated in a five-day demonstration to protest the University’s lack of support for students of color. The next year, a student-led initiative gave birth to
today’s New Curriculum and the S/ NC grading option. In April 1970, students obstructed a Navy recruiter and campaigned to merge the Pembroke and Brown campuses, The Herald reported at the time. Brown students tended to choose debate and nonviolent action over aggressive protesting, as opposed to other schools where protestors burned buildings or harassed the police, Rosen said. “We were pretty docile,” said Jeff Bergart ’70, who supplied his classmates with psychedelic class buttons and shirts that say “The Class of 1970 Strikes Again” at reunions. “You have to understand, the people at Columbia were taking over buildings,” he added. In early 1970, the escalation of the Vietnam War, increased threat of being drafted and Kent State shootings intensified anger on campuses across the country. “There was that brief amount of time when students felt they were being caught up in a historical movement that would lead to open warfare on the streets of America where they would be outgunned,” said John Emigh, professor emeritus of theater arts and performance studies, who worked at Brown at the time. About half of the faculty attended a meeting on May 5, 1970, to decide whether to make classes and exams optional, with 80 percent voting in favor. Faculty members determined students would receive an incomplete or satisfactory mark depending on their status in the course and could receive a grade if they chose to take their final examinations. The same day, 1,600 Brown stu-
dents and some faculty members and administrators gathered in Meehan Auditorium to determine their demands and a course of action. The students demanded Nixon “withdraw all troops from Southeast Asia” and “that the president of the University, speaking in the name of the University, publicly support that demand,” The Herald reported at the time, quoting a demand proposal. Students also elected 21 students and faculty members to a steering committee for the strike, The Herald reported May 6, 1970. The students later revised their demands to include the establishment of sanctuaries and provision of resources for Vietnamese nationals as well as the “end of political and racial repression at home and abroad,” The Herald reported in June 1970. Students then presented further demands to the Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, including ending oncampus recruiting by “military and war-profiting company personnel and the University’s investments in these companies,” on May 9, 1970, The Herald reported. In the next two weeks, Sayles Hall became “The People’s Hall,” The Herald reported in June 1970. Students replaced the posters of past University presidents with sign-up sheets for strike activities. University employees were told they were free to participate in the strike without loss of pay. Athletes wore black anti-war armbands and peace insignia in their final games. Fraternities issued official statements against the war. Professors held teach-ins instead of normal classes. While the University did not formally endorse the activity, administrators did not stop the strike, which continued until the end of the school year.
Emigh helped students organize anti-war street theater in downtown Providence. Scenic designer John Lee Beatty ’70 MFA’73 designed giant heads of Nixon and then-Vice President Spiro Agnew, which students paraded around during rallies as an act of “symbolic engagement,” Emigh said. “Carrying a couple of puppet heads through the center of Providence is not going to change the world,” Emigh said. “But incrementally, when you have a lot of people doing things like this, it’s a way of contesting the way we consider ourselves to be a nation and a people of a nation.” Voices of dissent University administrators issued a statement saying that ending the University’s official neutrality would “infringe upon the rights of those whom it is our duty to welcome and whose rights to disagree we must always protect,” The Herald reported May 14, 1970. Some faculty members and students did not welcome the strike. One of Emigh’s students told him he felt the strike was “depriving him of his education,” Emigh recalled. “I thought that it took courage for him to do it,” Emigh said. “But I also felt that it was not a normal time.” When members of the Class of 1970 voted to change commencement activities in the spirit of the strike — cancelling the senior dance and replacing it with a forum to discuss war issues with alums, among other measures — four seniors protested. They argued that only one-third of the seniors had participated in the vote. Richard Dannenfelser, the University associate chaplain in 1970 and a member of the strike steering com-
mittee, said he tried to foster a spirit of respectful discourse on campus. “We have to love people enough to quarrel with them, quarrel with them meaning being involved in an honest and open dialectic conversation,” Dannenfelser said. “I think Brown for the most part did it really well.” But students were still under “intense peer pressure to take a stand,” said Deborah Brouse ’72. Conservative groups were “not very visible — I think because they realized they would not be very popular,” she added. Some black students said at the time that they felt marginalized by the strike. “Some of us are uncertain whether the strike was born out of a genuine moral indignation or a short-lived response to the criminal insult to all white students perpetrated at Kent State,” Philip Lord ’70, former co-coordinator of the Afro-American society, wrote in a column in The Herald at the time. He criticized the strikers’ vague commitments to ending domestic racial oppression and their lack of action on racial justice causes. “Black students have had four crises (in 1970) alone,” Lord wrote. “And when we boycott classes, they don’t cancel final exams.” The Millennial Generation Over 40 years later, the culture of activism at Brown is vastly different. A 2011 Herald poll found that the majority of faculty members believe student activism has decreased since they attended college, and of faculty members who had worked at Brown for more than 20 years, 82.6 percent responded that activism had decreased. In November 2011, organizers of Oc/ / Activism page 9
8 city & state
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
Bill could finance child care assistance R.I. Works is intended to help single parents who are attempting to acquire new job skills By MONICA PEREZ STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The construction project at the Amtrak train station, scheduled to begin this summer, aims to make transportation more fluid and enjoyable in downtown Providence.
Providence train station to receive facelift The Amtrak construction project aims to alleviate congestion and improve downtown transportation By MAX SCHINDLER STAFF WRITER
The Providence Amtrak station is set to undergo a $5.7 million renovation next spring, according to a statement released last week from Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s ’75 P’14 office. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will receive funding from the Federal Highway Administration to improve the 27-year-old train station’s pedestrian and mass transit entryways, said Bryan Lucier, RIDOT spokesperson. The south plaza entrance will be refurbished, adding a new RIPTA bus stop to the station and beautifying the landscape, he added. Other changes will include increas-
ing bicycle storage, better accommodating queuing taxis and adding more parking spaces, said Robert Azar, director of current planning at the Providence Department of Planning and Development. The construction project will begin spring 2014 and take approximately a year to complete, Lucier said. The renovations will “provide riders with better information and access when they arrive in Providence, whether they’re trying to take a taxi or bus or simply walk downtown.” RIDOT does not anticipate any disruption in train or bus services as a result of the project, but some passengers may be forced to find alternative parking while the station’s parking garage is be-
ing revamped, he said. The plan will add bus connections between the station and Kennedy Plaza on Exchange Street, said Amy Pettine, RIPTA’s director of planning and marketing. The project will change the streetscape and add a new screen with real-time bus arrival information and a RIPTA ticket-vending machine at the station. “We’re creating bus access directly in front of the station,” Pettine said. “Right now it’s a little counterintuitive if you want to take a bus from downtown … you kind of have to walk up the street and the bus stop is off to the side.” These improvements will strengthen access between the two busiest transit hubs in Providence — the train station and Kennedy Plaza, Pettine said. RIPTA will service the new bus stop with the new R-line, which will arrive
every 10 minutes beginning in January 2014, she said. RIDOT will also use a $3 million Federal Railroad Administration highspeed rail program grant to collaborate with Amtrak to alleviate congestion at the station, said Cliff Cole, a representative in Amtrak’s Government Affairs office. Cole said other proposed changes include greater “access points to the platform, enhanced station facilities, additional parking and improved freight and passenger services within the rail tunnel.” The scheduled construction is not expected to affect Amtrak operations, he said. All entrances are scheduled to remain open but with limited access to walking paths and the parking garage, he added. Amtrak / / Amtrak page 9
The Rhode Island House Finance Committee reviewed legislation April 10 that would provide cash assistance to working parents who are also enrolled in training or degree programs to help finance child care. Rep. Scott Slater, D-Providence, and Rep. Maria Cimini, D-Providence, introduced the legislation, entitled Rhode Island Works, Jan. 23 along with Rep. Grace Diaz, D-Providence, Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Providence, and Rep. Larry Valencia, D- Richmond, Exeter and Hopkinton. The bill is an effort to extend subsidized child care to eligible parents who are working at least 20 hours per week and want to pursue further job training, Cimini said, adding that lowincome families currently receive subsidized child care for hours of work but not hours of education or training programs. Cimini said she introduced the bill in support of single parents who lack the skills or credentials to seek out better paying jobs and also are forced to choose between watching their children or pursuing training. During the testimonies at the House committee hearing, Diaz explained that the bill would attempt to decrease the working class “skills gap” and provide a path to economic self-sufficiency, which could lead to otherwise unobtainable higher paying jobs. If passed, Rhode Island Works will apply to families already receiving public assistance and earning incomes no greater than 180 percent above the poverty level. In her testimony, Diaz said this translates into an annual income of about $34,365 for a family of three. When a parent finds the time in his or her schedule to pursue additional training, he or she quickly realizes that the costs of tuition, fees, books and child care are major obstacles, Diaz said. This creates non-ideal and potentially dangerous child care situations, she said, adding that parents may leave their children in the care of unlicensed persons or even leave them home alone. Rhode Island Works will function alongside various “train and place” programs, which last around three months and offer employment opportunities upon completion, already established in the state. At the committee hearing, the Genesis Center — where adults can receive English as a Second Language instruction, job training and financial literacy training, as well as map out a plan of self-sufficiency — was cited as an example of one of the available programs. / / Works page 9
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
/ / Park page 9 cupy College Hill, Brown and RISD’s offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, held a strike in solidarity with student protestors who had been pepper-sprayed by university police at the University of California at Davis. About 20 students and faculty members attended, and two Brown professors canceled their classes to allow students to attend the strike. More students showed up to support Occupy College Hill at the beginning of the movement, and participation began to wane by the time of the strike, Occupy College Hill organizer Julian Park ’12 GS said. Occupy College Hill faced some of the same problems as the 1960s antiwar movements. Students of color felt shut out of the Occupy discussion, and students who supported immigrant rights found themselves at odds with students who saw Occupy as a citizen movement, Park said. But in comparison to the 1960s, “we don’t have the same context today at all,” Park added.
The Occupy movement also lacked a strong connection to previous struggles for social justice, he said. “It is the fragmenting of connection between generations of leaders … and between already existing campus-wide (and city-wide) struggles that is the challenge of the present context,” Park wrote in an email to The Herald. Park said he thought Occupy College Hill alienated people by claiming the rhetoric of Occupy was enough to build a bridge between various social justice movements happening on campus. “It’s wonderful that there are all these movements, and it’s difficult to find a way to bring these movements all together,” he said. Participants in the 1970 strike shared different opinions about the necessity of finding cohesion between concurrent social movements today. Rosen said he regretted the loss of the solidarity between the movements of the 1960s. But Hurley said, “Not everybody has to sign on to being a member of
every cause.” Emigh said though the Iraq War might have warranted a strike, many people were misled by information provided by the government at the start of the war. Alums and faculty emeriti agreed that the absence of conscription in recent warfare has changed the degree to which students are concerned with American foreign policy. “Most people don’t get involved until they understand that their selfinterest is at stake,” Dannenfelser said. The Vietnam War draft forced students to consider how their personal choices would affect their families, their nation and the world, he said. Though he said he recognized the changed context, Rosen questioned if more activism should occur on college campuses to challenge the United States’ current war policy. “There are a lot of things to be angry about and upset but I don’t see it,” he said. “I don’t see that kind of ‘we’ve got to do something about this’ feeling.”
A TO N O F E N V I R O N M E N TA L S U P P O R T
BRITTANY COMMUNALE / HERALD
A 32-foot-tall balloon visualizing one ton of carbon dioxide loomed over the Main Green yesterday, the first day of Earth Week. This demonstration by emPower will be followed by other environmental events this week.
/ / Works page 8 “We want to help them help themselves,” Almeida said. The process of applying for this program does not create any additional paperwork and does not increase the pool of those eligible for child care subsidies, Cimini said, adding that it
only applies to state residents who have already been receiving assistance and are already working. At the hearings, Rachel Flum, a policy analyst at the non-partisan research group Economic Progress Institute said, “This is for people who simply want to move up the job ladder.”
/ / Assault page 6
An act of Providence If a student decides to press charges, an investigation is launched with the help of the Providence Police Department. Compared to DPS, Providence Police has “much better resources” specifically pertaining to sexual assault, such as the SVU, Shanley said. DPS liaises between the student and Providence Police and accompanies the student in court, Shanley said. In the court process, the suspect is present at all hearings at which the victim testifies except for when the victim is in grand jury, Rotella said. Some students also report directly to Providence Police. The department regularly receives cases from local universities, including Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson and
Wales University, Rotella said. City police received a few cases from Brown last academic year and over the summer, Rotella said, but he said he did not know if it had received any cases in 2013. Most of these cases involve a female victim, and many concern students under the influence of drugs used in conjunction with alcohol, Rotella said. He added that his department does not pursue charges against victims for drug use or underage drinking. Students often change their minds after filing initial reports, Rotella said. Many mistakenly believe they will be required to follow through with an investigation if they file an initial report, Shanley said. But “they can opt out at any time,” he added. And students can return to charges later if they change their minds, because there is no statute of limitations for filing sexual assault charges in Rhode Island, Nuey said. But if a victim decides partway through the process to drop the charges, the case will be dismissed, Rotella said. “The victim is pretty much involved in every step of the way,” he said. “Without the victim we can’t do anything.” On the other side of a sexual assault case is the alleged perpetrator, who must also confront personal consequences and a challenging judicial system. The next story in this series will examine the trial process for accused students, as well as the social and academic ramifications they face.
/ / Amtrak page 8
/ / Park page 5
will also work in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security to improve passenger rail safety and security, as well as physical security at the station through upgrades to the security camera system, Cole said. A number of federal and local politicians attended the groundbreaking ceremony April 15, including Chafee, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., U.S. Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., U.S. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., and Providence Major Angel Taveras. “These upgrades and improvements will help us make the experience of traveling to Providence via rail more convenient, more pleasant and more reflective of our outstanding capital city,” Chafee said in the press release.
the attention necessary to finally bury the power lines, Riley said. Friends of India Point Park’s website boasts more than 50 statements of support from elected officials and community groups. “Providence would join the list of cities such as Chattanooga, Louisville and San Antonio that have elevated their profiles by burying power lines that marred their landscapes,” Sam White, principal of Bowl Arts, wrote in a letter to Mayor Angel Taveras. In a 2003 letter, then-President Ruth Simmons noted the University’s “special connection” to India Point Park when she petitioned then-Gov. Donald Carcieri to bury the power lines in conjunction with the I-195 relocation effort.
right then and there we have a window of opportunity to gather evidence from a police standpoint,” he said. While officers try not to push a victim into an unwanted investigation, filing charges prevents a perpetrator from harming others in the future, Nuey said. “We tend to remind a victim, ... ‘Okay, we understand that you’ve been traumatized and it’s not easy to think that far ahead right now, but keep in mind that should you ever decide that you want to pursue criminal charges, let’s think about the potential evidence that could be gathered for that process,’” Nuey said.
COMICS A & B | MJ Esquivel
Class Notes | Philip Trammell
10 editorial & letter EDITORIAL
Thank you for the music
Last weekend, the Main Green was transformed into an oasis, where students could experience a few carefree days away from the pressures of outside jobs, school and other stressors. In order for us to enjoy this brief respite, security staff, administrators, student leaders, Brown Concert Agency members and Facilities Management and Dining Services staff put in countless hours. On behalf of all Brown students, we wish to acknowledge and thank these often unrecognized efforts. The efforts of Brown’s Department of Public Safety were manifest during Spring Weekend. We enjoyed the concerts within a protective sphere lined with Brown policemen and other officials. Dealing with raucous students throughout the entirety of the weekend is certainly difficult, and we appreciate the enormity of their efforts. The role of the administration is often poorly understood by students and only considered when controversy emerges. But the fact that we celebrated Spring Weekend right in front of University Hall underscores the level of respect and freedom we are given by administrators. Furthermore, many administrators and staff members — from Health Services, Residential Life and others — organized services that allowed students to remain healthy and provided options for those who wanted a tamer weekend. It would certainly be easier for University officials to be stricter and simply limit student autonomy. We appreciate the considerable effort that ensured that we were able to enjoy the weekend with built-in safeguards for our safety and well-being. Many students also took time during Spring Weekend to ensure the health of their peers, specifically underclassmen. Residential Peer Leaders and Community Assistants took shifts throughout the weekend to patrol first-year residence halls and prevent any accidents. This service is essential to the well-being of the community and ensures that those new to Brown and most vulnerable to harm are given even more support. Additionally, students who work for Emergency Medical Services took 12-hour shifts during which they made themselves available to provide medical treatment if need be. These students, who took time away from their own enjoyment to help others, deserve commendation. Students who work for BCA are often the brunt of antipathy from the student body, but they deserve more credit. While, once again, there were problems with ticket sales, this was due to a problem outside of BCA’s control and was rectified very quickly. The two concert nights went off smoothly, with few problems arising. Such a feat required significant effort not only over the weekend but also throughout the year. Finally, we should thank Facilities Management and Dining Services staff members for their significant efforts throughout the weekend. Dining Services worked on Saturday night to provide for Fratty in the Ratty, and Facilities Management staff members cleaned the many messes that students made throughout campus. The Main Green would certainly have been in a state of disrepair if not for their efforts. Amidst our enjoyment of Spring Weekend, we can sometimes appear out of touch with those who worked very hard for us to experience a few days of carefree fun. On behalf of the entire student body, we wish to express our appreciation. 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.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
EDITORIAL CARTOON b y v i t to d i va i o
LE T TER TO THE EDITOR Spring Weekend performers trivialize women To the Editor: On Saturday afternoon, Kendrick Lamar stood on the Main Green and sang that he can get past any emotional challenge so long as he has access to expensive alcohol and female sexual partners, while hundreds of Brown students sang along in approval. The night before, Big Freedia impressed the cheering crowd with endless references to female genitalia, alcohol and physical abuse. Meanwhile, two female dancers kept their backs to the audience so that only their “booties” were visible for most of the act. These were just a few examples of the many times the performances at this year’s Spring Weekend advanced the notion that women are primarily valuable as sexual objects. Though music like this is rightfully guarded by First Amendment protections, we question its role on Brown’s campus in the prime communal social event of the year. Normally, we have the choice to shut off the radio or step away from a concert if we find misogynistic lyrics offensive. But what’s particularly troubling about this situation is that our Student Activities Fund — money
all undergraduate students are expected to pay alongside tuition bills — helped to subsidize these lyrics, and each one of us was obliged to financially support music that dehumanized and devalued the women around us. In October 2012, the Undergraduate Finance Board released its budget predictions for this year, noting that it would spend $180,000, on Spring Weekend. It seems to us that our Student Activities Fund could be better spent on musical acts or other social events that don’t minimize women or perpetuate a culture that dismisses their contributions as anything besides vehicles for sexual pleasure. Next year, we encourage our student body to think more critically about the type of messages we’d like to broadcast during the only event of the year that brings together so much of our campus and about the ways we spend our community’s money. We’d like to think we could expect more. Sarah Forman ’13, Chelsea Feuchs ’14 and Nasim Azigolshani ’14
CORREC TIONS A headline in Thursday’s Herald (“BCA poll results reveal pop, hip hop as most popular genres,” April 18) incorrectly referred to pop and hip hop as the most popular genres among students. In fact, BCA poll results showed rock to be students’ favorite genre. The Herald regrets the error. An article in Monday’s Herald (“Under the surface: Sexual assault at Brown,” April 22) incorrectly said Natella Johnston ’13.5 works with rape victims through her volunteer work with the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health. In fact, Johnston does not work with rape victims at CSPH but does talk to students at the University who have experienced sexual assault. The Herald regrets the error.
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
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It takes a certain type of person to be a campus
”
officer ... It’s not about kicking ass and taking names.
— Lionel Butterfield, DPS security officer See thefts on page 1. facebook.com/browndailyherald
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CORRECTIONS POLICY 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 O M M E N TA R 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. ADVERTISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
taking sides 11
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
Should Brown pay property taxes? YES
NO
for the city? Because it would be an incredibly powerful statement about Brown’s moral integJARED MOFFAT rity. Because it would signal a profound Opinions Columnist commitment to the Providence community and to social justice. Because it would help thousands of desperately needy famiI’m not going to argue the University isn’t lies and children. This, I argue, is a sufficient “paying its fair share” with its current ex- moral reason in and of itself. emption from most property taxes. I don’t I’m not saying the University is evil or think this debate should be about fairness wrong not to pay property taxes. Rather, — it should be about compassion for our I’m suggesting that we go over and beyond neighbors who are struggling to live. what is morally required. We should volunWith millions in unfunded liabilities teer to pay property taxes out of empathy and a huge deficit problem, Providence’s and compassion for the children and famibudget crisis hasn’t gone away. The school lies of Providence that are struggling to stay district is struggling to make ends meet, alive. and vital social services that help struggling My opponent will no doubt argue that families have been Brown shouldn’t pay cut by both sequesbecause every dollar tration and city budwe give away is a dolget constraints. lar we lose to attract I urge you to con- Property taxes from Brown faculty or provide fisider for a moment nancial aid for stuwould help thousands of dents. I doubt that all the ways an additional $30 million in are the only desperately needy families these property taxes could options we have, but help Providence. In unfortunately this and children. a state where drug question can’t be setoverdose is the leadtled definitively uning cause of adult til the Corporation accidental deaths, decides to open its property taxes from books and make its Brown could provide much-needed fund- budgeting process more transparent. ing for overdose prevention programs and But with an endowment of $2.52 billion, drug education. In a state where more than surely we can sacrifice some luxuries to help 1,000 children remain homeless, $30 mil- those who need the money more than we lion could pay for lifesaving shelters and do. When one fathoms the amount of good family assistance services. In a state where a that could be done in the city with an exworker has to earn $22.12 an hour — three tra $30 million a year and compares that to times the minimum wage — and work 40 what Brown might lose, the better option, hours a week just to afford rent for the av- in moral terms, is clear. erage apartment, $30 million would allow Providence to invest in affordable housing and help end the vicious cycle of perpetual poverty. Jared Moffat ’13 thinks Brown could still But doesn’t the University already do live comfortably with a $2.49 billion enenough for Providence? Why should we dowment. He can be reached at sacrifice even more to provide these things jared_moffat@brown.edu.
Rhode Island and the world is immeasurALEX able.The University should continue to supDRECHSLER port Providence. In fact, it has agreed to pay $31.5 million in voluntary payments to the Opinions Columnist city over the next 11 years, an increase from the $2.5 million a year of voluntary payThe charter under which the Universi- ments it has made annually since 2003, and ty operates, the final version of which was in addition to over $3.5 million in other fees penned in 1764, established that the Univer- and taxes. The University contributes $600 sity should be “freed and exempted from all million to Rhode Island’s economic activity, taxes.” This charter demonstrates the long $90.1 million in scholarships and financial history the University has had with exemp- aid to Rhode Island students and 8,200 jobs tion from property taxes. to Rhode Island workers. Yet since Providence’s fiscal troubles The non-monetary benefits to the city were brought to light in 2009 — due in no should not be discredited, considering the small part to the state’s out-of-control pub- number of Brown students who participate lic pension system in local government, — the University has and While increasing taxes on organizations come under fire for community service. its exemption from for-profit business may do The bigger picture property taxes. Othincludes worldwide er institutions such nothing more than shrink recognition, touras Harvard, Yale, ism, human capital the wallet of its owner, Princeton and Penn and infrastructure. have all also come The differencincreasing taxes on the under the public eye es between College University will put a dent Hill and downtown because of their taxexempt statuses. Providence are stark, in its ability to provide Yet unlike forand the University profit businesses, the students its world-famous should play a part in University does not improving the coneducation. have spare money dition of these surthat will otherwise rounding areas. But be returned to shareholders or taken by paying high property taxes would mean the owners. Each dollar the University generates University’s much-needed funds could be is directly applied to benefitting students. spent any way politicians chose and would While increasing taxes on a for-profit likely be used to plug the hole in the city’s business may do nothing more than shrink runaway pension system. Rather, the Unithe wallet of its owner, increasing taxes on versity should work together with the city the University will put a dent in its ability to contribute in ways that actually benefit to provide students its world-famous ed- Providence families. Community service, ucation. This is true especially given that contributions to Providence’s education Brown’s endowment is far smaller than system and improving Providence’s human those of its peer institutions. capital are all ideal alternatives. As a provider of academic enrichment and a center of research and expertise, the University should be a city priority. The soAlex Drechsler ’15 can be reached at cial good the University provides the city, alex_drechsler@brown.edu.
Drechsler’s Rebuttal
Moffat’s Rebuttal
Jared Moffat ’13 and I agree in principle: The University should help its surrounding areas. But while Moffat makes an emotional plea urging you to consider the need for affordable housing, shelters and drug overdose prevention programs, these only distract from the issue at hand. The truth is that if the University paid more property taxes, the money would not go toward any of Moffat’s pet projects. The money would be in the hands of Providence’s politicians. With an unfunded pension liability estimated at $900 million dollars, that is where our annual $30 million would go. In fact, the unfunded pension system is the reason the city asked the University to pay property taxes in the first place. Paying property taxes has nothing to do with the “children and families of Providence” but instead has everything to do with retired Providence firemen living comfortably in Miami. The University is already struggling to live off of an endowment that is
significantly smaller than those of its peer institutions. Every dollar paid to the city means less money for academic programs, faculty hiring or financial aid. If the University is going to make this sacrifice, we must ensure it is spent on improving actual problems facing Providence families rather than wasted on a pension system. Out of sympathy and compassion, we should help the community in trying to accomplish the goals Moffat points out. But this cannot be done through high property taxes on nonprofits, because the University would lose any control whatsoever over how this money is spent. It can be done through volunteer payments to the city for specific projects, and it could be accomplished through engaging the surrounding areas in community service projects. If we actually cared about the children and families struggling in Rhode Island, we would focus on supporting them directly.
Alex Drechsler ’15 wants us to believe Providence deserves its budget crisis. Because if we believe Providence got itself into this mess, then we will feel less guilty about Brown not paying property taxes. It’s true: Providence’s budget woes are partly the result of an unfunded pension system. But that seems like an awfully callous way to explain to a nine-year-old why her school is closing down. The fact is that those who suffer from the city’s budget cutbacks are mostly children and families who did nothing to cause the city’s dire situation. Blaming Providence for its perilous fiscal condition overlooks the fact that the present budget crisis is the direct result of irresponsible financial speculation on Wall Street that struck a double blow to cities like Providence with the onset of the 2008 economic crisis. Prior to 2008, cities were advised to invest their pension funds into accounts that ended up being toxic and padded with subprime mortgage-backed securities. When the market tanked in 2008, so did the pension funds. And when the housing bub-
ble burst and home values plummeted, cities like Providence, which receive the majority of their revenue from property taxes, took another huge hit. Providence suffered a double whammy from the financial industry — an industry that has no shortage of Brown graduates. I’m not trying to suggest the University is greedy or evil. Quite the contrary, I agree with Drechsler that Brown already provides a number of great benefits to Providence. But that doesn’t undermine my position that property taxes from the University could dramatically improve our neighbors’ lives with little cost to us. The argument that Providence would hurt itself by collecting taxes from the University isn’t convincing either. The University is not going to lay off thousands of employees or cease to be one of the greatest universities in the world because it pays a bit in more municipal property taxes. With a $2.52 billion endowment, I think we could manage just fine. Our neighbors need the money more than we do. Let’s do the right thing and help them.
daily herald sports tuesday THE BROWN
TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013
SOFTBALL
Brown breaks up losing streak against Harvard Bears hope to carry momentum into their final five games after winning a close game By MEG SULLIVAN SPORTS STAFF WRITER
The Bears dropped three games to the Harvard in a four-game series at home over the weekend, but earned a big win after a seventh inning rally in the weekend’s final game. Harvard (21-18, 11-5 Ivy) beat out the Bears (8-25, 2-14) on the first day of the series, shutting out Bruno 4-0 in the first game. Harvard was led in the second game by Crimson pitcher Jamie Halula, who allowed only one run and three hits in Brown’s 3-1 loss. On the second day of the series, Bruno brought the heat. During the bottom of the third in the first game, the Bears took a 2-0 lead over the Crimson. A sacrifice bunt by Danielle Palms ’14 and a single by Janet Leung ’16 put Emma Blake ’15 in position to score on third base. Harvard pitcher Morgan Groom gave Bruno an easy first run of the afternoon, walking co-captain Stephanie Thompson ’13 to bring Blake home. Sarah Ropiak ’16 later hit a single up the middle that brought Thompson home for Brown’s sec-
ond run. The Crimson paid Bruno back in kind in the top of the fourth. Harvard’s first two base runners were brought home on a single by Katherine Appelbe. A two-run homer by Haley Davis put Harvard at a comfortable 4-2 lead, which it maintained until the seventh inning. After a triple and a single from the Crimson’s Zoe Galindo and Kasey Lange, respectively, Harvard took the game. Harvard kept up its momentum through the beginning of the afternoon’s second game. The Crimson scored three runs in the first two innings, but Brown rallied during the bottom of the fourth when Molly Ann Mecca ’16 brought Leung home on a walk to narrow the gap. In an action-packed final inning, Harvard increased its lead by a run, but Bruno made a comeback to take the game 5-4. In the top of the seventh, Shelbi Olson bumped Harvard’s score up to four with a bunt single. With Bruno trailing by three points in the bottom of the seventh, it seemed Harvard would finish the weekend with four more wins tacked on to its record. With a hit and an error by Harvard’s second baseman, Jamie Pospishil ’16 brought in the first run
KATIE LIEBOWITZ/HERALD
Though pitcher Sarah Ropiak ’16, pictured above, went winless on the mound, the team was able to pick up a much-needed win against Ivy-foe Harvard to break a double-digit losing streak. of the bottom of the seventh. Thompson and Trista Chavez ’15 tied up the score with consecutive walks with the bases loaded. Palms sealed the deal for Brown on a wild pitch, bringing in a final runner for Bruno. “Our whole team contributed to the win,” Leung said. “Our coach subbed in a lot of players to pinch hit or pinch run. It was a team effort and a team win.”
Despite the team’s shaky weekend, the win against Harvard is significant, especially for the team’s seniors. “As freshmen, we really didn’t know how big of a deal it is to beat Harvard,” Mecca said. “This was the second game (the seniors) won out of the last 16 we played against Harvard,” Leung added. “It was a big win for them, especially winning in the bottom of
the seventh.” Brown will close its season with a home game against Bryant Wednesday and a four-part series against Yale this weekend, starting in New Haven and then returning to Providence. “We just want to bring our momentum from our win this weekend to Yale,” Leung said. “Hopefully, we can finish the season off strong and get those four wins.”
TRACK & FIELD
Bears compete at Princeton, Baylor invitationals The squads split their athletes between the two meets last week in preparation for upcoming ‘Heps’ By LLOYD SY SPORTS STAFF WRITER
Members of the track and field teams competed in two separate meets last Saturday, with many of the team’s top athletes flying to Texas to compete in Baylor University’s Michael Johnson Classic and other members participating in the Larry Ellis Memorial Invitational at Princeton. The Bears went into their meets with an eye on the upcoming Heptagonal Championships, the Ivy League conference championships, said Holleigh Bergstrom ’14, a javelin thrower for the women’s team. “Heps is what we’ve been working for since September. This weekend we just tried to improve ... in preparation for that.” Bergstrom competed in the Princeton meet, finishing fourth in the javelin throw with a length of 41.75 meters, a personal best. “Since it was the best throw I’ve ever done, there was a feeling of everything finally coming together,” Bergstrom said. Other athletes also set personal records at Princeton. Phuong Truong ’16 turned out the best performance of his career in the men’s discus throw, coming in eighth place with a throw of 46.56 meters. Jeff Bush ’14 ran his best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, crossing the finish line in 9 minutes, 7.07 seconds to earn ninth place. The horizontal jumps went par-
ticularly well for the men. Co-captain Kenneth Thompson ’13 earned second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.05 meters, while Evan Weinstock ’14 finished sixth in the long jump, leaping 6.83 meters. Besides Bergstrom’s high finish, the women brought out many other strong performances at Princeton. Distance runners Lily Harrington ’16 and Leah Eickhoff ’15 finished sixth in the 1,500-meter run and the 3,000-meter run, respectively. “I’ve been taking some time off because I’d been injured,” Eickhoff said. “Considering that, I’m proud of how I did and I’m glad to be racing again, but I know that I can run a lot faster.” In the sprints, Emmaline Suchland ’16 placed well in her two events, finishing 13th in the 100-meter dash and 14th in the 200-meter dash. While most of the team competed at Princeton, a handful of star athletes competed at Baylor. Co-captain Lacey Craker ’13 followed up her two wins at last week’s home meet with a second-place performance in the hammer throw. Her mark of 58.13 meters was passed only by the home squad’s All-American Erin Atkinson, who threw 63.24. Hannah Wallace ’13 and Alexandra Stanton ’15 also finished as runners-up in their events. Wallace passed the bar at 3.65 meters in the pole vault, while Stanton ran the 400-meter hurdles in 59.86 seconds.
The men were led by co-captain John Spooney ’14, who ran the 100-meter dash in 10.68 seconds, coming in fourth. He followed it up with a time of 20.95 seconds in the 200-meter dash, landing him in sixth place. “There was a really high level of competition,” Spooney said. “When we go down south, we’re always going against teams that are contenders at nationals. I thought my performance was good in that context.” Courtland Clavette ’15, who has consistently placed high in his events this year, continued this trend by placing fifth in the discus with a throw of 53.25. He also finished twelfth in the shot put with a mark of 15.87 meters. “I was throwing well, but a lot of my best shots were fouls,” Clavette said. “I was in a good place, but I just had little issues staying in the circle.” As the team moves on, it looks forward to the Heptagonal Championships, which Eickhoff called the “peak of the season.” The team has recently shifted its practice routine to prepare. “At the beginning of the season we really tried to build strength and stamina,” Spooney said. “Now that most of that is already built up, we’re going to start more relaxed practices to make sure we’re at our best for Heps.” Thhe team will compete in several more meets before the conference championships. Bruno competes again on Sunday, when it hosts the Springtime Invitational.
KATIE LIEBOWITZ/HERALD
George Keefer ’13 placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles at the Michael Johnson Classic.