April 25, 2013

Daily

THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 59

INSIDE

Editor’s note This is The Herald’s last issue of the semester. Check browndailyherald.com over the summer for breaking news updates.

SILENT VIOLENCE

Victims navigate aftermath of sexual assault This story, the final in a four-part series, investigates the psychological, social and academic ramifications victims face in the wake of sexual assault

By RACHEL MARGOLIS AND MARK VALDEZ SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

post-

Warning: This article contains graphic material regarding sexual assault.

zoë and claire say farewell

Walking past the place where she was raped, Emily still suffers anxiety attacks.

SILENT VIOLENCE Emily, whose Part four of four name has been changed to maintain conf i d e n t i a l i t y, said that in the months after her assault, she battled depression, felt isolated from her friends and had trouble sleeping. After Emily overdosed on the sleeping medication Ambien, the

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University labeled the incident a suicide attempt and mandated she take a two- to three-semester medical leave.

Victims of sexual assault face psychosocial repercussions that reach into their personal and academic lives. Finding ways to cope with their experiences, some take leaves of absence and others remain at the University, taking advantage of available resources.

Out of mind Anna and Jacob, whose names have been changed to maintain confidentiality, were both sexually assaulted at the beginnings of their first years at Brown, but it took months for them to come to terms with what happened. / / Assault page 4 Anna said

ALAN SHAN / HERALD

Sexual assault victims are referred to Psychological Services, where all students can receive seven free counseling sessions per year.

Identity of R.I. Senate approves same-sex marriage legislation will likely body found The be signed into law within in river still the next few weeks and unknown would take effect Aug. 1 State medical examiners will begin the identification process today at the earliest

By ELIZABETH KOH FEATURES EDITOR

The identification of a body found Tuesday evening in the river by India Point Park will likely be delayed, the Providence Journal reported Wednesday.

Deputy Police Chief Thomas Oates III told the Journal that members of the state medical examiner’s office will be unable to examine the body until Thursday due to an unrelated case in Connecticut.

Members of the men’s crew team sighted what they believed to be a log in the Providence River near the end of their afternoon practice Tuesday. An assistant coach, who was following team members in a motorboat, stayed behind to investigate and immediately identified the object as a body, said Graham Willoughby, an assistant coach who was in the Hunter S. Marston Boathouse at the time.

The second coach called Willoughby as two police officers arrived at the scene, and Willoughby said he and his colleague “helped bring the body to shore.”

Willoughby said he and his colleague tried to minimize contact between rowers and the body and tried to avoid attracting attention.

“We did our best to handle this situation with the greatest amount of safety and respect,” he added.

Additional Providence Police officers and members of the state medical examiner’s office could not be reached for comment at press time. The Connecticut chief medical examiner also could not be reached for comment.

By MARIYA BASHKATOVA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Rhode Island Senate passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage yesterday by a vote of 26-12.

The vote marks the final major hurdle in the legislative process, virtually guaranteeing same-sex marriage will be signed into law in the coming weeks.

Since yesterday’s bill is different from the one the Rhode Island House passed in January, the House must approve the new version before it can go to the desk of Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, who has long supported same-sex marriage.

CITY & STATE

The House Committee on the Judiciary will vote on the measure Tuesday with a final full House vote expected Thursday.

At yesterday’s session, senators testified for and against the bill in front of a gallery audience of about 120 with an additional crowd of supporters and opponents watching the televised meeting in the lobby of the State House. In their testimonies — punctuated by singing and cheering coming from the State House lobby so loud Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Newport, said the noise was disrupting the proceedings — senators delved into final justifications of both sides of the issue.

Openly gay sponsor of the bill Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket, called the legislation historic and said “of all the bills I have sponsored and of all the bills I will ever sponsor in this chamber, this will be the bill that has the most personal meaning and the most impact on my life.”

“I even wore a dress,” she joked.

Nesselbush thanked previous legislators and supporters — including retired Providence Senator Rhoda Perry P’91, the same-sex marriage bill’s champion for more than ten years — for their dedication to the cause.

Analysts had previously predicted that the vote would be close, but many of the formerly undecided votes went in favor of same-sex marriage, widening the gap between the two sides. Several senators who spoke said they did not make up their minds about the issue until the days before the vote.

Many said they owed their change of heart to the quality and sheer number of testimonies they heard from their constituents, several times specifically mentioning gay couples who shared their stories.

Sen. Elizabeth Crowley, D-Central Falls, said she did not make up her mind / / Vote page 12 about how she

U. to erect new statue Poll: Undergrads

by Fitness Center apathetic on Paxson Brown will greet the 14-foot bronze Kodiak bear statue in October

By ALISON SILVER FEATURES EDITOR

Students walk past them more times than they probably care to notice.

T h e statues decorating Brown’s campus are landmarks of the University, mentioned on campus tours and representative as lasting symbols of some of the University’s core values.

Marcus Aurelius looks over the Ruth Simmons

FEATURE

Quadrangle, while Caesar Augustus stands guard on Wriston Quadrangle. The Brown Bear on the Main Green and the Little Bear Fountain next to the Faculty Club evoke the University’s mascot.

Next fall, a new member will be inducted into the Brown bear family. At 14 feet tall and over 8,000 pounds, the bronze Kodiak bear statue will stand on the green in front of the recently constructed Nelson Fitness Center, said Jo-Ann Conklin, director of the David Winton Bell Art Gallery and member of the Public Art Committee.

The installation of the bear, which artist Nick Bibby has / / Statue page 10

A higher percent of students than faculty expressed uncertainty

By MICHAEL DUBIN STAFF WRITER

Students expressed much higher levels of uncertainty and ignorance than did faculty members in their appraisals of President Christina Paxson’s job performance in The Herald’s undergraduate poll and faculty poll, both conducted this semester.

A plurality of students, just under 49 percent, reported having no opinion on Paxson’s handling of the

presidency, compared to roughly 30 percent of faculty members who said they either had no opinion or were not familiar enough to answer.

Two-thirds of faculty members polled either strongly or somewhat approve of Paxson’s performance — about 22 percentage points higher than total student approval, which is around 45 percent.

The poll recorded low rates of disapproval of Paxson’s leadership among both groups, with about 4 percent of faculty members and about 7 percent of students either strongly or somewhat disap/ / Paxson page 3

Six to receive honorary degrees Actor and director Ben Affleck and writer Junot Diaz will be honored at Commencement

By KATHERINE CUSUMANO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Artists, scientists and college presidents are among the six individuals selected to receive honorary doctorates at this year’s Commencement ceremony May 26.

The group comprises actor and director Benjamin Affleck, writer Junot Diaz, bacteriologist Stanley Falkow PhD’61, Tougaloo College President Beverly Wade Hogan, physician and health care nonprofit president Risa Lavizzo-Mourey and Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron, according to a University press release.

Hogan will give the annual Baccalaureate address May 25.

The honorary doctorate recipients are selected by the Corporation in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Honorary Degrees, a group composed of faculty members, a graduate student and an undergraduate student. The committee solicits submissions from the Brown community at large, whose nominations it may then pass on to the Corporation’s Board of Fellows for a final decision.

The Advisory Committee seeks recommendations for individuals who are revolutionaries in their fields, said Cade Howard ’14, the undergraduate member of the committee.

“The Uni/ / Degree page 7

2 university news C ALENDAR TODAY

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Maurice Scully Poetry Reading McCormack Family Theater 7 P.M.

Afro-Brazilian Percussion Workshop Lincoln Field 10 P.M.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

English department shifts requirements The department is replacing specific class requirements with classes in focus areas

By MOLLY SCHULSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Introductory courses English courses ENGL 0210, ENGL 0410 and ENGL 0610 — renamed ENGL 0300, ENGL 0500 and ENGL 0700, respectively — will no longer be required for English concentrators starting this fall, said Department Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of English Stephen Foley ’74 P’04 P’07.

Current English concentrators will also be excluded from the requirement.

Forcing concentrators to take specific classes “created a bottleneck in enrollment, so we were faced with an impossible task of students not being able to get into classes that were required,” Foley said.

The three limited-enrollment courses were established as requirements for the English concentration in 2011.

Students now have to take 10 courses at the level of 0300 or above, with at least two courses each in the three focus areas of “Medieval and Early Modern Literatures,” “Enlightenment and the Rise of National Literatures” and “Modern and Contemporary Literatures.” Previously, concentrators had to make one of each focus area course an introductory class, with 0210 matching the first focus area, 0410 matching the second and 0610 matching the third.

The change is meant to address structural problems rather than indicate a shift in curricular philosophy, Foley said.

This change allows juniors and seniors to take 1000-level courses to meet their focus area requirements, opening up gateway courses to freshmen and sophomores, said Thomas Doeppner, associ-

ALAN SHAN / HERALD

In an effort to increase accessibility, the English department has widened its concentration requirements, no longer requiring specific classes. ate research professor and vice chair of computer science and vice chair of the College Curriculum Council.

The revisions to the concentration are “in the spirit of the Open Curriculum,” said Anna Martin ’16. The change “opens up avenues for people who aren’t English concentrators and (are) trying to sample courses,” she added.

Emily Fu ’15, who is double concentrating in neuroscience and English, said she originally declared English because it would make it easier to get into classes closed to non-concentrators. Only after declaring did she realize she wanted to pursue the subject further.

“It has always bothered me that they close a lot of English courses to nonconcentrators, and I don’t think that’s very fair,” Fu said.

Increasing course enrollment was not an option, because there was not adequate teaching assistant support, Doeppner said.

The English department will still offer and encourage students to take ENGL 0300, ENGL 0500, and ENGL 0700, Gould wrote in an email that was sent to English concentrators on April 23.

“Those courses … still have the same function for being gateway courses and have a lot of depth within those three areas, but they’re no longer required to fulfill the concentration,” Foley said.

Both introductory and advanced level courses will be offered in each of the three areas.

“The current proposal seemed to be that (the department) would still like everybody to take these gateway courses but will also let people take 1000-level courses in place of the gateways,” Doeppner said.

Having more general requirements will “make certain that juniors and seniors who are concentrators ... aren’t going to be clogging things up for first and second years,” Doeppner said. “We’ll have to see how things work out.”

Assaulted student faces campus hearsay Little ’16 said the effects of the crime forced him to drop a course and change dorm rooms

By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Since he was beaten and robbed Jan. 27, Andrew Little ’16 has faced hospital tests, court proceedings and accusatory rumors.

That night, three men — playing a game called “Victim” — followed, assaulted and robbed Little behind the Gate around 4:30 a.m.

Hit and run Little was near the back door of the Gate when he was approached by two men with knives, he said. He was on his way home to Champlin Hall after falling asleep in a friend’s Wayland House room.

“They said, ‘Give us everything,’ so I pulled all my stuff out of my pockets and just threw it on the ground. I wasn’t going to fight back,” he said.

But the assailants were not satisfied, and a third man approached with a crowbar. He told Little to give up his wallet — but Little thought he already had, he said.

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“He punched me in the face and I fell down. They knew I didn’t have anything, but they didn’t want me to remember anything,” he said.

Little said he does not remember much from after the punch, but he remembers more than one person stomping on his head — breaking his jaw.

“Nobody is really sure what exactly happened because I had cuts on my back and on my sides that could have been a knife, could have been anything,” he said.

The suspects fled to a car driven by a fourth accomplice, Little said. They left with all of Little’s belongings, including his cell phone and coat. Without a means to call anyone or get into his dorm, Little said he remembers thinking, “‘What am I going to do? I don’t have my key to my room. I don’t have anything, and I’m freezing.’”

Filling in the blanks After stumbling around for a few minutes, Little saw his friend Prescott Smith ’16 through the window in the New Pembroke 4 kitchen, he said. Smith and Maya Code-Williams ’16 rushed out to him and quickly called the Department of Public Safety.

When an officer arrived with an Emergency Medical Services ambulance, Little gave a description of suspects and his cell phone number, he said. Minutes / / Crime page 5

university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

/ / Paxson page 1 proving.

Though in the minority, students dissatisfied with Paxson have been vocal in their dissent. Brown Divest Coal and the Student Labor Alliance fall into this contingency, having criticized her actions — or lack thereof — on their respective causes on the Main Green and in The Herald’s opinions pages as guest columnists.

Camila Bustos ’16, a member of Brown Divest Coal, attributed the high percentage of students who either approve of or have no opinion on Paxson’s performance to their “superficial interactions” with her. By contrast, Divest Coal’s advocacy on a “controversial” issue has led to more substantive dialogue with Paxson that has left members of the campaign aggravated, she said.

“We are frustrated, but we are hopeful,” Bustos said. “We definitely have a critical perspective. … But I think it’s a result of the type of interaction we’ve had with her.”

“We as an organization don’t really approve of her job so far because she’s been so dismissive of what we’ve been trying to do,” said Trevor Culhane ’15, a member of the SLA. “She is good at listening to faculty,” Culhane added. “But in terms of listening to student voices, both respecting student activism and respecting the social responsibilities that the University has … she has not been very receptive.”

Iris Bahar, vice chair of the Faculty Executive Committee and professor of engineering, said while Paxson has tried to reach out to both faculty members and students, “perhaps her emphasis has been a bit more on faculty” so far.

But others disagreed with the claim that Paxson has been unreceptive to students.

Undergraduate Council of Students President Anthony White ’13 said “her willingness to listen … and evaluate the entire situation” before making changes has impressed him.

“She spent a lot of time reaching out to many different groups around campus and getting a good lay of the land,” he said.

White ascribed the comparatively lower percentage of faculty members who expressed no opinion on Paxson’s leadership to faculty members’ more frequent interactions with her through the FEC and monthly faculty meetings.

Marguerite Joutz ’15, a member of Brown Conversation, also said she has found Paxson responsive to students.

“Paxson is a great listener, and I feel like that’s a sentiment shared by a lot of members in the community who have had a chance to interact with her,” she said.

When Paxson attended a recent dinner hosted by Brown Conversation, she was a “fantastic participant,” Joutz said.

Paxson “acted as an equal among us,” she said.

“She understood what Brown is, what Brown stands for … everything that makes Brown so unique,” Joutz added.

“She’s been doing a great job with the strategic planning committee process,” she said. “I think Paxson is really starting to come into her own.”

Paxson’s approval rating is lower than those recorded for former President Ruth Simmons. In fall 2011 — the last time student and faculty polls tracked opinion of her performance — about 68 percent of students and about 73 percent of faculty members approved of Simmons.

“There are no concrete changes or

concrete initiatives that students can tie to (Paxson) at the movement,” White said.

But all students associate the University’s implementation of need-blind admission with Simmons, he said. It is unlikely that Paxson’s approval rating will catch Simmons’ until she implements a signature initiative of her own, White said.

Emily Kirkland ’13, another member of Brown Divest Coal, wrote in an email to The Herald that the Divest Coal campaign never interacted directly with Simmons because the campaign only began in September. But she cited Simmons’ request for the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies to review the possibility of divestment from Sudan and Darfur as evidence of her responsiveness to student activism.

“We’d really like to see Paxson demonstrate the same level of openness and engagement by putting coal divestment before (the) Corporation for a vote in May,” Kirkland wrote.

Paxson has convened an ad hoc committee to review ACCRIP’s recommendation to divest from the coal companies targeted by Brown Divest Coal, The Herald previously reported.

Professor of Comparative Literature Arnold Weinstein said Paxson brings a different skill set, style and perspective to the job.

“She’s much more the kind of proven scholar profile in the presidency, and therefore has a different optic on the University’s current place and its ambitions,” he said.

“Ruth had a kind of in-your-face charisma that you couldn’t miss … and she was really remarkably eloquent,” Weinstein said. “Paxson is a less dramatic president than Simmons was … but Paxson has other trump cards and other virtues that are going to be very important.”

Weinstein said he was very impressed by a speech Paxson delivered last month to the National Humanities Alliance discussing the importance of the humanities.

“Here’s a woman whose credentials are definitely located in other areas of academic inquiry and research, and I thought that was remarkably impressive,” he said.

Students and faculty alike need to give Paxson more time and “a chance to make her mark,” Bahar said.

Methodologies: Questionnaires were sent to the email accounts of faculty members and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail April 9.

Only faculty members that teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students were invited to respond, and 120 responses were recorded out of a population of 713.

The poll has a 8.7 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence.

Written questionnaires were administered to 1,202 undergraduates March 13-14 in the lobby of J. Walter Wilson and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center during the day and the Sciences Library at night. The poll has a 2.55 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence.

The margin of error is 3.9 percent for the subset of males, 3.4 percent for females, 5.1 percent for first-years, 4.7 percent for sophomores, 5.4 percent for juniors, 5.2 percent for seniors, 3.8 percent for students receiving financial aid, 3.4 percent for students not receiving financial aid, 6.5 percent for varsity athletes and 2.8 percent for non-athletes.

Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.

Student arrested during Spring Weekend After the Boston bombings, DPS took extra precautions to keep concertgoers safe

By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Department of Public Safety brought the Providence Police Department’s canine bomb squad to Spring Weekend events in response to the recent bombings at the Boston Marathon, said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of police for DPS. The police dogs, which are trained to detect the scent of a variety of bomb-making materials, canvassed the Main Green and the surrounding area Friday and Saturday mornings before the concerts began, and they were stationed at the gate as students arrived to prevent dangerous materials from entering, Shanley said. None were found, he added.

DPS officers made one arrest over the weekend, and it was not connected to the concerts, Shanley said.

An intoxicated male student was apprehended after allegedly attempting to punch a DPS officer at the Sharpe Refrectory Saturday during “Fratty in the Ratty.” The student was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and assaulting an officer and will face trial in the coming months, Shanley said.

The crime is a misdemeanor and a conviction usually results in a fine or up to one year in prison, he added.

TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD

The student was arrested after attempting to punch a Department of Public Safety Officer during the “Fratty in the Ratty” event Saturday.

A man unaffiliated with the University reported to an officer Saturday that he had been punched in the crowd, but he chose not to pursue assault charges, Shanley said.

The collaboration between DPS, the Office of Student Life and the Office of Residential Life led to low incidence of crime over the weekend, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services.

Shanley said the events of Spring Weekend can lead to an increase in crime. But the numbers have been low the last few years, he said, with

no arrests over Spring Weekend last year. He attributed the low numbers to students adhering to safety rules and officers’ increased presence.

“When you mix alcohol and everything else, you are going to get a couple of minor issues,” Shanley said.

“But most of the students are fairly well behaved and … there was a lot of hard work that went on behind the scenes to make this event successful in light of what happened in Boston.”

— Additional reporting by Mathias Heller

4 silent violence / / Assault page 1 she did not think about the incident after it occurred, leaving mention of her assault out of the journal she kept that year. “If I write it down, it’s true, and I don’t want to deal with that,” she remembered thinking.

She did not realize she had been sexually assaulted until nearly a year later, she said, adding that she has still told only a few people a year and a half after the assault.

Jacob said he “buried everything that was going through (his) head.” He told his friends he “hooked up with someone,” but it took five months for him to label his experience as sexual assault.

American culture suggests people should “try not to think about” traumatic incidents when they occur, said M. Tracie Shea, professor of psychiatry and human behavior.

But the “time heals all wounds” philosophy “doesn’t work for serious trauma. It just doesn’t work,” she said.

Director of Psychological Services Belinda Johnson said the amount of

in the week after she was raped.

“Immediately after the assault, it’s not uncommon for people to be in shock,” Johnson said. “Other people will become numb … and not allow themselves to feel anything for a while.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder, a common consequence of sexual assault, is characterized by this “numbing” of emotions, and victims may avoid reminders of the trauma — particular people, places or smells — and suffer from “re-experiencing symptoms” like flashbacks, nightmares and recurring memories, Shea said.

Victims often resort to coping mechanisms that do more harm than good, Shea said. Avoidance, for example, can disrupt their daily routines.

About 46 percent of women and 64 percent of men who are assaulted “will meet criteria for PTSD,” Shea said.

Jacob said thinking about his perpetrator’s presence or seeing him around campus triggered anxiety attacks.

“I would suddenly just feel very nervous and on-edge and very tense,”

“If I write it down, it’s true, and I don’t want to deal with that.”

Anna Sexual assault victim

time it takes for victims to feel ready to talk about their experiences varies.

Once victims contact Psych Services, they can meet with Bita Shooshani, coordinator of sexual assault prevention and advocacy, or a campus psychotherapist, Johnson said.

Psych Services staff members provide “support and information” for victims of sexual assault but do not force them to take any particular action, she said.

Students are provided seven free sessions with a Psych Services psychotherapist per academic year, which can help victims move “beyond the immediate crisis situation,” Johnson said. Some students may want to meet with psychotherapists for additional sessions, which can be arranged caseby-case, Johnson said. After the victim is stabilized, a campus counselor can recommend off-campus therapists.

But Emily said it took too much effort to look for a therapist on her own.

Psych Services “kept on throwing me all these lists of therapists I could call, but … it took so much energy just to go to class and try to do my reading,” Emily said.

Johnson said Psych Services is willing to help victims with the groundwork when searching for therapists, but most clinicians only allow the patient to schedule appointments.

“I just did not relish the idea of picking up a phone and calling some random stranger,” Emily said.

Aftershocks Emily said she felt like “a zombie”

SILENT VIOLENCE

A four-part series

Jacob said. “I’d be afraid that he would sort of try to acknowledge me in some way or contact me or touch me.”

Victims can also experience dissociation, “where a survivor sort of mentally goes somewhere else,” said Rebecca Loya, postdoctoral research associate in public policy, who studies the economic implications of sexual violence. “It’s a defense mechanism in order to survive a really difficult experience,” she said. Dissociation can impair a victim’s ability to recount the event to the police in the immediate aftermath of the assault and can interfere with everyday life later on.

If a Psych Services psychotherapist thinks medication will help the student, the therapist will send him or her to a school psychiatrist, who can prescribe medication, Johnson said.

Emily, who said she has a family history of depression and anxiety, occasionally took Ambien, which her doctor had prescribed to her prior to the assault. She began taking it daily after she was raped, she said.

The school psychiatrist prescribed her the antidepressant Prozac, starting her on a 20 milligram dose before upping it to 100 milligrams — “a high dose very rapidly,” Emily said.

“It was kind of like every single thought I had was negative,” Emily said. “I felt like I didn’t want to die, but if I got run over by a bus, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

One night when Emily was having trouble falling asleep, she took too much Ambien, she said — three or

four pills. She said she felt “zonked out.” Realizing she might not wake up, she reached out to her friends.

Social interactions Victims’ responses to assault can disrupt their relationships with others, but those relationships are often crucial to moving forward.

After experiencing an assault, some victims try to appear androgenous by wearing many layers of clothing or losing weight, while others turn to promiscuity, said Francis Haines, a Psych Services psychiatrist.

This may be part of the process of “trying to understand what’s happened to them,” he said.

Anna entered one “destructive relationship” after another after she was assaulted, she said. “Sex became a really big thing in my life,” Anna said. “It was sort of me owning what had happened.”

“There may be a self-punitive aspect” to victims’ behaviors, Haines said, adding that they often blame themselves.

The responses of people close to the victim can aggravate feelings of guilt and uncertainty about whether they were actually assaulted, he said.

“People can end up victimizing the victim,” Haines said, by asking questions like, “What were you doing out at that hour? … Why didn’t you take more precautions? What were you wearing?”

Haines said sexual assault can instill a sense of “isolation and avoidance of others” in victims.

“It can be extremely difficult to be intimate in any kind of way with anyone,” he said.

Anna said she struggled to trust men in intimate settings following her experience. She recalled an incident in which she refused to sit next to a male friend on her bed, because she was “so freaked out by guys and so mistrustful.”

If the victim is surrounded by supportive relationships, it is easier to cope, Johnson said.

But even well-intentioned friends and family who try to help, either by pretending the assault did not happen or by trying to force victims to talk about their experiences, may act in ways not conducive to the victim’s healing, Shea said.

Catherine, whose name was changed to maintain confidentiality, was sexually assaulted during a University summer session. When she took a leave in the middle of the following fall semester, she chose not to return home due to her complicated relationship with her mother, she said.

“My mom kind of misinterpreted everything, and she didn’t know how to be supportive of me,” she said.

“The bulk of my support network was up here with my friends,” Catherine added. She stayed in Providence while on leave.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Academic consequences The psychological effects of sexual assault can pose challenges to students’ academic careers. Associate Dean of the College Carol Cohen, who serves as the student support liaison to the Office of Student Life, said she has seen “the whole gamut” of responses to assault. While some victims “might perform super well academically as a way of compensating,” others “might completely grind to a halt.”

Anna said she focused on succeeding in school, finding comfort in its familiarity. But sometimes flashbacks would make completing assignments difficult, she said. “I’d have to go do a lab, or I’d have to go write something … and I would be having a flashback, breakdown basically,” she said.

Emily also struggled with her course work after her assault. “It was really tough to keep up when I was going through this realization process,” she said. “I was staring at my work and just not processing it.”

Cohen helps victims review and adjust their academic obligations and notifies faculty members when students have experienced trauma, she said, though she does not reveal the nature of the incidents.

“We would look at the whole range of possible accommodations — extensions on assignments, delayed exams, incompletes and even the possibility of a reduced course load if that seems to be called for,” she said.

The semester after her assault, Catherine had trouble focusing on academics.

in charge of her case told her she would be unable to return for two to three semesters.

“Why am I getting kicked out for something that happened to me?” she said she asked Johnson.

Emily returned home and was diagnosed with PTSD. She said she felt unhappy leaving, but her anxiety attacks became less frequent.

Her request to return was denied when she reapplied before the University’s recommended time away had passed.

Though there were “a lot of positive indicators that I was pretty high functioning,” Emily said, University administrators told her she was not ready. She was allowed to re-enroll after she and her father appealed the decision.

Catherine decided she wanted to take a leave midway through the fall semester following her assault. She originally planned to return in the spring, but University administrators told her if she wanted to take time off, she would need to leave for two semesters, she said.

“The extra time for me has definitely helped,” Catherine said, noting that time away from the University has enabled her to focus on her needs without the stress of school. But, she added, “I don’t think people should be forced into that if they don’t want to.”

Coming to terms “I’m excited to get back into … academic mode” when back in classes next fall, Catherine said. “I have found

“I remember studying in the SciLi once and seeing (my perpetrator) come down the stairs and I just couldn’t do it. That was when I realized I couldn’t do school.”

Catherine Sexual assault victim

“I remember studying in the (Sciences Library) once and seeing (my perpetrator) come down the stairs and I just couldn’t do it,” she said.

“That was when I realized I couldn’t do school.”

Taking leave Victims of sexual assault “very occasionally” take medical leaves, Cohen said, adding that the University never forces students to leave for health reasons.

But Johnson said in rare cases, the OSL, sometimes with input from Psych Services, mandates a medical leave if a “student is in a psychological state where others are in danger or … they can’t be relied on to take care of themselves.”

Emily said she was forced to take a medical leave from the University after administrators labeled her Ambien overdose as a suicide attempt, but she said she did not perceive it that way.

Emily said Johnson and the dean

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.

that my legitimate love of learning has come back and my intellectual curiosity is still there,” she said.

Jacob said reporting his assault to the University gave him a sense of closure, despite the emotionally taxing hearing process.

Today, Jacob is involved in Sexual Assault Peer Education, which aims to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus.

“I felt like it was my responsibility to help end the culture of silence,” he said.

Emily said she felt judged by her friends upon returning from medical leave but has since formed new friendships. She is now in a relationship but said she still has “trouble sleeping next to anybody.”

The anniversary of her assault was difficult but not incapacitating, Emily said.

“For the most part, I’m happy now. … But it took me a good year and a half after it happened to feel content and normal and like myself,” Emily said.

For Anna, a big moment in her healing process came when she was able to tell her boyfriend about being sexually assaulted, she said.

“You’re recovered, but it’s not gone,” she said. “It’s just sort of like a scar, it’s just like a really deep gash … and then time passes and it starts healing and eventually it doesn’t hurt anymore — but it’s still there, and it can kind of hurt a little and it kind of looks bad.”

university news 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

India-related research receives initiative funding

Undergraduates, graduates and professors will conduct studies in India this summer

By ALEXANDER BLUM STAFF WRITER

The Brown-India Initiative awarded nearly $75,000 to fund summer projects for students and faculty members this spring, marking the first time the initiative has distributed funding for summer projects.

Eight undergraduates, seven graduate students and two faculty members received funding to pursue various research programs related to social, cultural and economic topics in India.

The Brown-India Initiative, which was founded in the fall, is based at the Watson Institute for International Studies and promotes research on India as well as forums and lectures at the University on issues related to India.

“We advertised quite a bit” for the research funding program, said the initiative’s Program Manager Stephanie Abbott-Pandey, adding that the selection of funding recipients was “a competitive process with two rounds.” Abbott-Pandey said the applications were due March 15 and decisions were announced by April 1.

/ / Crime page 2 later, another officer on patrol noticed a red Mustang near the intersection of Brook and Lloyd streets with men inside matching Little’s descriptions, said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of police for DPS. The patrolman pulled the car over just as the first officer called Little’s cell phone, which rang from the back seat of the Mustang, Shanley added.

DPS apprehended the suspects so quickly that Little was asked to identify the suspects before the ambulance took him to the hospital, he said. He said he was still dazed, so he could only confidently identify one attacker, who police officers later confirmed was Cranston resident Erik Pacheco.

Along with Pacheco, the police apprehended Manny Delgado, Alexander Mandeville and Chad Pelliccio, 18- and 19-year-old Cranston residents with no University affiliation, The Herald previously reported.

Little stayed at the hospital overnight and was treated for a concussion, broken jaw and multiple lacerations, Little said. The hospital’s many tests for internal injuries came back negative, he said, but he was placed on a six-week liquid diet while his jaw healed.

The next day, Little was transported to the Providence Police Department, where he gave his official statement and learned that Delgado had confessed to the crime and provided more details.

“Providence Police found the entire thing on camera. They had been following me for 20 minutes,” Little said, adding that the men had been playing a game called “Victim,” in which they picked someone to follow and assault.

“They weren’t quite doing it for money, but he said they needed money too.”

Since the assault, Little has appeared in court twice for bail hearings, accompanied by a DPS detective, he said. He may need to testify during the trial and sentencing, he added.

DPS has not needed to follow up on the case beyond accompanying Little to hearings, because the department has sufficient evidence to press forward, Shanley said.

The suspects face possible life sentences and minimums of 10 years in

Juniors and sophomores “with advanced standing” could request up to $5,000 of funding, while graduate students and faculty members could ask for budgets up to $7,500 and $10,000 respectively, according to the initiative’s website.

The eight undergraduates received a combined $26,288 of the total funding, the seven graduate students were awarded $29,677 and the two faculty members gained $18,805. “We funded what we could,” Abbott-Pandey said.

The recipients are “heavily socialscience based” but have a wide variety of concentrations and academic interests, Abbott-Pandey said. Economics, political science and anthropology were the three most common fields represented among the students and faculty members who received funding. Scholars in physics and philosophy, history and sociology were also among the recipients.

Students and faculty members who were selected for the funding expressed enthusiasm for the assistance with their upcoming projects. prison on the charge of first-degree robbery, which includes robberies involving “dangerous weapons” or resulting in victim injury, The Herald previously reported. The driver, Chad Pelliccio, is currently out on bail. The other three remain in custody awaiting sentencing, Shanley said.

Rumors and repercussions In the aftermath of the incident, Little has dealt with the psychological and academic implications of his injuries, as well as the opinion of the student body.

He said the incident motivated him to take SafeRide more often.

“I’m definitely not walking out at night. At first there was a little bit of paranoia, and now at night when I do walk it can be kind of disconcerting,” Little said. He added that DPS referred him to Psychological Services, but he decided not to seek help because he was feeling more comfortable.

Little avoids the scene of the crime and moved rooms because his overlooked the area, he said.

A dean in the Office of Student Life met with Little’s professors, who were “very understanding,” he said. The OSL allowed him to drop a class due to his concussion, though it meant he would only complete three classes two semesters in a row, which is against University policy, Little said.

Little said he is now physically and psychologically healed, but the rumors he has heard people spreading about the incident frustrate him.

“I’d say the worst part of the entire thing was the community reaction to it,” Little said. “I heard I got stabbed in the face after assaulting a homeless man. I heard I let a homeless man live in my room and that’s why I got stabbed.”

He said these false stories even spread to his former high school in Massachusetts after a friend heard one of them while on a campus visit. A tour guide used Little’s name in a description of a rumored incident, and Little soon received accusatory texts and calls from his former classmates.

“Everyone thought I taunted some homeless man,” Little said. “Now I am just trying to set the record straight.”

The initiative’s organizers “were very open,” said Anamta Farook ’14, an education studies concentrator. Farook said the application process was “very thorough” and gave her an opportunity to reflect on developing the specifics of her summer project. Farook will be in Delhi for five weeks and will study policy design and research in Indian colleges and universities, according to initiative organizers.

“I’m really interested in India,” said Sujaya Desai ’14, an anthropology and international relations concentrator. Desai said her project was an “ethnographic study” that examines the relationship between social and legal changes in India.

Desai said she hopes to specifically study cases of sexual violence and to potentially use her findings for a thesis.

Desai, who plans on conducting her study in Mumbai, said she is pleased to have “a great opportunity” to spend time in the city, adding that she thought the Brown-India Initiative did a good job achieving “diversity in research projects.”

David Glick GS, a PhD candidate in economics, said he will visit the Punjab region of India to study the health impacts of access to subsidized foods.

Glick said he will then go to the state

of Rajasthan to examine the market for water in villages without easy access to water sources.

“I hope to be able to take both of these projects and write chapters of my dissertation,” Glick said, adding that he is collaborating on his project with Assistant Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Sriniketh Nagavarapu. Nagavarapu’s research analyzes environmental and labor economies in developing countries, according to the economics department website.

Daniel Kushner GS, a PhD candidate studying political science, wrote in an email to The Herald that “the program is remarkably valuable and helpful in promoting a wide range of research on India.” Kushner wrote that he will spend both the summer and the upcoming academic year in India exploring “how politicians learn about their voters.”

Professor of History Jo Guldi said her research will span six weeks in India this summer and will help contribute to a book on the global developments in land reform since the mid-nineteenth century.

Funding recipients are required to update initiative organizers on their progress during the summer and will present

their findings at workshops organized by the initiative this fall. The two faculty members who received summer funding will be featured as part of the initiative’s Friday seminar series next semester.

“It has been a busy year and we’ve learned a lot as a program,” AbbottPandey said, adding that the initiative’s “biggest challenge is making the audience broader.” Though the majority of funding for the initiative does not come from the University, administrators have been very supportive of the program, Abbott-Pandey said. Initiative Director and Professor of International Studies Ashutosh Varshney actively fundraises for the initiative, Abbott-Pandey said.

The initiative’s organizers hopes to continue this funding program in future summers, though budgets are subject to annual fluctuations, Abbott-Pandey said.

Initiative organizers plan to organize a South Asia lecture series with Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall, Abbott-Pandey said, adding that administrators are planning to introduce two or three faculty positions for the 2014-15 academic year to establish “more formal interactions in courses.”

Boycotts incite Adidas to action Adidas’ decision to pay severance to workers is a ‘big, historic victory’ for Brown SLA

By KIERA PELTZ STAFF WRITER

The sportswear apparel company Adidas announced plans to compensate over 2,700 Indonesian workers who had not received their severance pay after a factory where they were employed by the company closed over two years ago, according a press release Wednesday from the Brown Take Adidas Down Coalition.

Adidas’ agreement to compensate the workers comes after a national campaign by student activists to pressure the company — which is under contract with the University for providing athletic apparel — to deliver the delayed severance pay.

Seventeen universities across the country a­ greed to either cut their con-

tracts with Adidas completely or not to renew their contracts in response to student outcry over the workers’ lack of compensation. The University had previously announced it would not renew its contract, which is not as strong as immediately cancelling the contract but is still significant, said Stoni Tomson ’15, a member of the Brown Take Adidas Down coalition.

The campaign, known as “Badidas,” created the largest collegiate boycott of one of the top three sportswear companies in history, according to the press release.

Tomson said she was “overjoyed, proud of this victory by students and workers and also prepared for what’s next” because universities still need to make progress to “make sure university apparel is made in factories that respect workers’ rights.”

The Student Labor Alliance, which helped coordinate the campaign, plans on strengthening the University’s Vendor Code of Conduct to ensure that the companies with which Brown does

business are held accountable for the treatment of their workers, said SLA member Mariela Martinez ’14 in the press release.

Martinez told The Herald that Adidas’ decision is a “big, historic victory” for the campaign and that being part of the effort to pressure the company to fairly compensate its workers “has been such an honor.”

“This victory is only a small stepping stone in ensuring that global garment brands create safe working environments for their workers,” said SLA member Liz Linfield ’16.

The University had planned on sending Adidas a public letter warning that Brown would begin looking for a new vendor unless the company compensated the workers within 60 days, said President Christina Paxson. If Adidas abides by its announcement to fairly compensate its workers, the University will consider renewing its contract with the company, with this decision based on other factors such as how students like the quality of clothing, Paxson said.

www.browndailyherald.com

6 university news

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Poll: Most faculty support School of Public Health Only 10 percent of faculty said they do not know enough about the school to form an opinion

By SARAH PERELMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

About 72 percent of faculty members approve of the creation of the School of Public Health, while only 13 percent disapprove, according to a recent Herald poll of the faculty.

The Faculty Executive Council voted unanimously to approve the school’s creation last November.

“As an advisor, I see so many of my students taking courses in public health,” especially those interested in medical careers, said Andrea Sobieraj, manager of physiology courses. Even for non-science concentrators, public health courses offer useful information, she said.

Peter Richardson, professor of engineering and a member of the FEC, said he thinks the new school “could be a good step.” Harvard’s School of Public Health brought the university fame and is responsible for breakthrough research projects, he said.

Research is the best way for people in the field stay up-to-date with medical advances, he added.

But a detailed understanding of current events and the history of the field is necessary to make an informed judgment on whether the University should have a School of Public Health, Richardson said.

The show of support is “wonderful,” said Terrie Wetle, associate dean of medicine for public health and

public policy and future dean of the School of Public Health. “A whole group of us from the president’s office on down have worked very hard to have this come into being, so (the widespread support for the school) is exciting news for me,” she said.

The new school’s leaders carefully crafted and publicized the original proposal for the school, keeping questions or concerns from arising when it came time to decide whether to approve the school, said Iris Bahar, professor of engineering and vice president of the FEC. Faculty members are relatively well-informed about the school’s creation, according to the poll results.

Only 10 percent of faculty responded that they did not know enough to determine whether or not they approve.

“I think most faculty knew it was going on,” Bahar said. “At the very least, they had a chance to know.

There wasn’t any lack of communication had they wished to learn about it.”

Wetle said she presented her ideas to many different departments and groups of faculty members — she spoke to the Academics Priorities Committee and the Biomedical Faculty Council and the faculty as a whole at a general meeting — as she worked on creating the proposal.

She discussed ways to continue collaborations for research projects with some faculty members outside of the school, she added.

Despite faculty awareness of the project, faculty members in other departments rarely discuss the school’s creation.

“There wasn’t a lot of discussion

Do you approve of the Corporation’s recent decision to create a School of Public Health?

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GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

Those associated with and advocating for the new School of Public Health said they were excited to see widespread support from professors. around it, and there wasn’t really a lot of controversy,” Bahar said.

“I’ve never had a conversation about it,” said Nathaniel Baum-Snow, associate professor of economics, adding that he does not have an opinion about the school since he has not researched it and has little information about it. Sobieraj also said she has not discussed it with other faculty members.

Concentrators in community health said they were not surprised faculty members approved of the new school.

“It’s exciting that other profes-

sors see it as a beneficial thing for the school,” said Sasha Land ’15, adding that she has not heard professors in other departments mention the school but would expect them to approve.

Most students said they were unaware of the faculty’s feelings about the school’s creation, but some said they were not surprised faculty members showed support.

“Most professors would approve of any new thing unless they have a reason not to,” said Kellie Roddy ’15, adding that she does not know much about the school’s creation but

is happy the faculty are supporting each other.

Methodology Questionnaires were sent to the email accounts of faculty members and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail April 9. Only faculty that teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students were invited to respond, and 120 responses were recorded out of a population of 713. The poll has a 8.7 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence.

Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.

Committee proposes data-based energy saving strategy The University’s 10-year strategic plan may include the report’s recommendations

By STEPHEN ARK STAFF WRITER

The Sustainability, Strategic Planning and Advisory Committee released its interim report earlier this month, with several recommendations it hopes will be incorporated into the University’s upcoming strategic plan, said Chris Powell, chair of the committee and director of sustainable energy and environmental initiatives at Facilities Management.

The report placed special emphasis on reducing the energy burden from transportation and analyzing new methods of energy efficiency, Powell said. These areas would be considered quantitatively and analytically, with new environmentally conscious approaches to the placement of bike racks and bus stops, for example.

The committee, which comprises 16 undergraduates, faculty members, staff members and graduate students, suggested the University consider its campus as a part of a larger eco-district. The report defined an eco-district as the framework that “considers water, transportation, air and energy in planning and design decisions at multiple levels.”

Powell said the data analysis portion of the report’s recommendations

was one of the areas committee members emphasized most.

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” he said.

Committee members are waiting to receive feedback on the report before issuing final recommendations.

Powell said the committee hopes the feedback will be incorporated into final recommendations from the strategic planning Committee on Reimagining the Brown Campus and Community and ultimately into the University’s larger long-term strategic plan.

The interim report’s other recommendations included integrating sustainability into the curriculum’s liberal learning goals, implementing better metrics for bringing local and sustainable food into dining halls, managing stormwater runoff so it does not flow into the Narragansett Bay and making measures of sustainability more transparent.

The committee has presented its interim report recommendations to the administration.

President Christina Paxson and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 received the initial ideas positively at a meeting Tuesday, Powell said.

Powell said he is satisfied with the University’s progress in some specific sustainability initiatives. like the University’s reduction of bottled water usage by nearly 90 percent from 2009 to 2012.

“I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many universities out there

HERALD FILE PHOTO

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said Chris Powell, chair of the Sustainability, Strategic Planning and Advisory Committee. The committee emphasized energy data analysis in its interim report. who have done a better job at reducing carbon emissions in buildings,” Powell said.

But he said he sees room to improve carbon-saving practices through broader campus-wide collaboration. “Right now we look at this at the building level,” he said.

“We want to start looking at a wider boundary.”

The sustainability committee was originally formed after a group of four “passionate students” presented a re-

port about Brown’s energy usage to the Brown University Community Council in March 2012, wrote Micah Swann ’14, one of the four students and a member of the committee, in an email to The Herald.

At the time, Swann, Matt Breuer ’14, Jessica Fields ’14 and Jenny Li ’14 released a study they had conducted that found Brown’s sustainability efforts were generally up to speed with its peer institutions, but that the University lacked methods of

data analysis like those at Princeton and Penn.

Powell said the committee is still in the process of gathering ideas and opinions from stakeholders through publicity and events on campus. Committee members will be available to discuss the report at public events in the coming weeks, including at a forum today from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in Petteruti Lounge.

“The goal is to get feedback from everyone,” Powell said.

university news 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Are you satisfied with childcare resources available to faculty?

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GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

Poll: Faculty desire more family resources More women than men are dissatisfied with spousal support or childcare options

By GABRIELLE DEE STAFF WRITER

About 33 percent of faculty members are somewhat or very dissatisfied with spouse support and about 30 percent are somewhat or very dissatisfied with childcare resources available to them from the University, according to the Herald faculty poll.

Respondents who indicated they were satisfied or dissatisfied with childcare were more likely to respond the same way to the question about spouse support and vice versa.

“Brown does not have a spousal hiring policy,” said Seth Rockman, associate professor of history. The University itself does not negotiate for the spouse’s job. Instead, a professor must personally deal with the department hiring him or her to create employment arrangements, Rockman said.

“At the end of the day, while there are many success stories of couples who solved the two-body problem, it’s owing to their own negotiation skills,” Rockman said, adding that “it should come out of University Hall” instead.

These obstacles get in the way of the University aggressively hiring the best professors, Rockman said. Other universities have funds allocated for hiring professors’ spouses, he added.

“Brown has been somewhat lagging behind its peers in dealing with spousal issues,” he said.

“People are concerned about this as an issue and I cannot say we’ve managed to satisfy everyone,” said Elizabeth Doherty, senior associate provost. “The frustration is that (spouses) believe, quite rightly, that they are all well-qualified for a faculty position.”

But as Brown is a smaller institution, the number of jobs available is limited, she said.

In a situation where a spouse is in need of a job, but the University is unable to employ him or her, the University attempts to create a short-term visiting position while the spouse finds a regular full-time job, Doherty said. Resources such as a search engine called the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, which lists all the available positions in the New England area, help spouses

find jobs, she said.

While 3 percent of polled faculty members reported they were very satisfied with spouse support, 2 percent said they were very satisfied with childcare resources at the University.

According to the Report of the Advisory Committee on Childcare presented to the Brown University Community Council in February, 26 percent of respondents to a survey reported they did not receive the childcare they needed in the past 12 months.

There is “little doubt that Brown currently under-supports the working parents among its students, staff and faculty, and is not competitive with our peers,” the report stated.

The report was created in response to the closure of the Taft Avenue Day Care Center, effective last August 31, Rockman said.

The report indicated that almost 2,000 people affiliated with the University signed a petition urging the administration to improve its childcare support system. It stated that an inefficient system negatively affects workplace productivity, leads to a drop in female faculty members and causes the University to lag behind other institutions with better systems.

“The system is really broken,” wrote an anonymous staff member in the report.

A real problem also exists because University faculty meetings are not scheduled to line up with day care closing times, Rockman said.

The report recommends that Brown dedicate more funding to childcare costs, for both staff members and graduate students, develop a website with accessible information on childcare, schedule work hours and affiliated daycare hours to accommodate family needs and make maternity leave gender-neutral.

President Christina Paxson, in her response to the report, said she agreed with the report’s points and put aside $250,000 per year to assist staff members with childcare costs. But certain steps such as increasing funding for graduate students are outside of the University’s budget, she wrote.

“Although Brown can — and will — increase the support provided for childcare, the growth in support over time must be informed by our financial circumstances,” Paxson wrote.

“My hope is that this marks the beginning of an ongoing conversation about how to make Brown University a more attractive place for parents to work and study.”

Methodology: Questionnaires were sent to the email accounts of faculty members and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail April 9. Only faculty members that teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students were invited to respond, and 120 responses were recorded out of a population of 713.

The poll has a 8.7 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence.

Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.

Are you satisfied with spouse support for faculty?

Very satisfied 2% Not familiar enough to answer 25%

Very dissatisfied 14%

Somewhat satisfied 18%

No opinion 22%

Somewhat dissatisfied 19% GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

/ / Degree page 1 versity looks for individuals who have, among other things, distinguished themselves in a particular field and embody the essential values of Brown,” wrote Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, in an email to The Herald.

“What’s outstanding about this group is … they’re all kind of diversified,” Howard said.

Affleck, best known as a film actor and director, is slated to receive a Doctor of Fine Arts. His 2012 film, “Argo,” was honored with the Academy Award for Best Picture. He has also worked as a writer and producer and shared the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with Matt Damon for their work on “Good Will Hunting.”

Affleck’s philanthropic work covers diverse areas, according to the release.

His Eastern Congo Initiative, founded in 2010, aims to increase the visibility of social, economic and health care issues in Congolese communities, according to its website. He is also active in Feeding America, a nonprofit aimed at supplying food banks, and the Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based cancer research charity.

Writer and professor Diaz will receive a Doctor of Letters. Born in the Dominican Republic, he immigrated to the United States at age six, according to the release. Diaz is a creative writing professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and fiction editor for the Boston Review.

His 2008 novel, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In a 2012 New York Times review of his short story collection, “This Is How You Lose Her,” he is described as “almost too good for his own good.”

Among the others honored is bacteriologist Falkow, who will accept a Doctor of Science. He studies the molecular foundations for disease, beginning when bacteria enter healthy cells. Falkow’s research has shed light on factors determining infections brought on by salmonella

and E. coli, among others. Having retired from the Stanford School of Medicine three years ago, at age 72, he received a flying license and is an avid fly fisherman.

Falkow will also deliver Saturday morning and afternoon’s Commencement forums, titled “The Impact of Infectious Diseases on History,” according to the release.

Tougaloo College President Hogan will be honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters. Hogan has been a life-long community welfare advocate, working on health care, mental health services and worker compensation, according to the release. She became president of Tougaloo in 2002, and her honorary doctorate coincides with the 50th anniversary of a partnership between her school and the University.

A Doctor of Medical Science will be given to Lavizzo-Mourey, a physician, president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Under her leadership, this health care nonprofit has worked to reduce childhood obesity and control rising health care costs and strived for universal access to health care.

Lavizzo-Mourey is also a member of the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

Padron, who currently serves as Miami Dade College president, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters.

Padron has been the college’s president since 1995. He emigrated from Cuba at age 15 and attended high school, college and graduate school in Florida.

In 2009, Time Magazine named him one of the ten best college presidents in the country for helping to “revolutionize the role of two-year community colleges in the U.S., raising their academic stature while preserving their mission to teach underserved populations.”

According to the Encyclopedia Brunoniana, honorary degrees have been a tradition since the first Commencement ceremony, at which 21 Masters of Arts degrees were awarded.

It was not until 1784 that doctorate degrees became customary.

8 university news

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Paxson, UCS talk Adidas, divestment Lecturer criticizes U.S. war Paxson said she plans to establish a committee that will hear workers’ rights issues

By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER

President Christina Paxson and the Undergraduate Council of Students gave each other feedback on their respective past and future projects at the council’s last general body meeting of the semester Wednesday.

The Student Labor Alliance’s call for the University to end its contract with Adidas emerged as a hot topic of discussion. UCS President Anthony White ’13 said the Adidas campaign raises the issue of making available avenues other than protests for students to voice their complaints.

Paxson and other administrators are working to establish a committee that “will hear issues related to workers’ rights,” Paxson said. The committee will ideally include Richard Locke, incoming director of the Watson Institute for International Studies, who has been “supportive” of the campaign against Adidas, in addition to SLA members, Paxson said.

The Corporation’s decision on whether to support the Divest Coal campaign, which is expected to be discussed at its meeting in May, emerged as another major topic of discussion between the president and council members.

Paxson said she did not think the Corporation would be ready by May to vote on whether the University should divest from the companies Brown Divest Coal has been protesting, echoing sentiments she voiced at the Brown University Community Council meeting Tuesday.

“The Corporation hasn’t been involved in the discussion that’s been going on on campus,” Paxson said. “After half an hour or an hour of conversation in May, that may not be enough.”

Paxson said she was interested in hearing council members’ opinions on Divest Coal, given the council’s formal endorsement of the Divest Coal campaign’s resolution earlier this year.

The council’s decision to endorse Divest Coal’s resolution was not quick or unanimous, said Holly Hunt ’13, UCS general body member. Many council members worried divestment was not an effective strategy because “it wouldn’t mean much financially,” Hunt said, citing the fact that the University’s investments in coal represent less than 0.1 percent of its endowment.

If the Corporation votes not to divest from coal because it shares council members’ concern that divestment is not an effective approach, Paxson said, administrators should still work with the Divest Coal campaign to accomplish its goal through a different strategy other than divestment.

Committee chairs also presented their committees’ recent accomplishments to Paxson and solicited suggestions from her on projects they can

tackle next year.

Paxson suggested the Academic and Administrative Services Committee focus on improving wireless devices’ connections to Brown wi-fi and said the Campus Life committee could provide input next year on the renovation of Andrews Dining Hall into an eatery.

The Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee has spearheaded initiatives like building the Swearer Engaged Scholars program, improving the advising handbook and implementing a means for students to give feedback on their advisors, said Maahika Srinivasan ’15, UCS Corporation liaison, who will serve as chair of the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee next year.

“Students may be concerned about being honest in their appraisal” of their advisors if they think advisors can trace their responses back to them, Paxson said.

In his president’s report, White said 2,600 students have voted so far in the ongoing run-off election between Afia Kwakwa ’14 and Todd Harris ’14.5, neither of whom received a majority of votes to be the next UCS president. The run-off election closes today at noon.

The council also heard from Alan Harlam, director of the Swearer Center for Public Service, about the University’s recent initiatives to integrate academics and community service.

Harlam highlighted TRI-Lab, Swearer Engaged Scholars and the SEED Conference as key projects the center has spearheaded this year.

efforts in Middle East Journalist David Rohde ’90 discussed civilian efforts and alternatives to military force

By SOPHIE YAN STAFF WRITER

Policymakers should focus on supporting economic development rather than participating in military action in the Middle East, said David Rohde ’90, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, at a lecture Wednesday.

Rohde addressed the United States’ evolving relationship with the Middle East at the lecture, which was held at the Watson Institute for International Studies and was attended by around 50 people.

The talk was part of the Watson Institute’s Global Security Seminar Series and was followed by a question and answer session. Rohde also signed copies of his new book, “Beyond War: Reimagining American Influence in a New Middle East,” after his talk.

Rohde discussed past U.S. actions in the Middle East and how policymakers can apply lessons learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to formulate current strategies in the region.

“Muslims have largely rejected Al Qaeda’s message,” Rohde said, adding that Islamic extremists’ use of terror has led to backlash from more moderate Muslims. Terrorists “have killed many more Muslims around the world than Americans,” but the media does not extensively cover violence against other Muslims, he said.

Rohde’s newest book focuses on civilian efforts in the Middle East and how governments and journalists often overlook the opinions of moderate Muslims.

The U.S. spent $1.2 trillion in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 95 percent of these funds went to military efforts, Rohde said. “Washington is broken in so many ways,” he said, calling the federal government an “atrophied, risk-averse institution.”

Rohde criticized the flow of money from government officials to private contractors in U.S. operations in the Middle East. Private contractors are less of a political risk and can conduct more dangerous activities because they are not federal employees, he said.

Rohde suggested the reliance on contractors is flawed, adding that the government should instead fund small start-ups and invest in Middle-

Eastern economies in various ways.

Rohde cited as an example a business plan competition in Tunisia in which young people pitched their ideas for start-ups to a delegation from the U.S. embassy and the Microsoft corporation.

When delegation members picked the competition’s winner, they discovered they had to provide a prize themselves because the U.S. government had not provided any prize for the winning idea, Rohde said, using the anecdote to argue that the U.S. does not devote enough attention to the region’s economic development.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proposed an idea called “economic statecraft” that would devote U.S. resources to helping create jobs in the Middle East to stabilize the region, but this approach was defeated by Congress, Rohde said.

He condemned military intervention in the Middle East, adding that “a more economic and less military approach to this region is the way to go,” but this shift is impeded by “ideological paralysis in Washington.”

“We’ve got the best tech industry in the world,” Rohde said. “We’ve got the best venture capitalist system in the world. … Economic growth is the best way to address challenges in the region.”

An investigative reporter for Reuters, Rohde won the Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for covering the Srebrenica massacre in the Bosnian War and in 2009 for covering Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rohde escaped from the Taliban after a seven-month period of captivity that lasted from late 2008 and early 2009 in Afghanistan.

Rohde said his interactions with civilians and reporting have led him to believe the U.S. should make a greater effort to work with the region’s populations.

The situation in the Middle East is “a high-stakes political struggle,” he said. “We should do more than just carry out ground strikes.”

Rahel Dette ’13, a political science and Middle East studies concentrator who attended the talk and said she has heard Rohde speak in the past, called the journalist “extremely approachable.”

“It’s incredibly inspiring that he is a Brown graduate,” Dette said, adding she found his talk to be a refreshing change from the usual academic angle of lectures at the University. “I like how he focuses on stories and anecdotes … (that’s) what I love about talks like this,” she said.

university news 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Admission Office to move to Jewelry District The office’s current space on Prospect Street will house the Department of Philosophy

By GADI COHEN

departments’ physical spaces will shift.

The Admission Office’s move to 200 Dyer Street in the Jewelry District comes at a time when the University has expanded its use of spaces in the neighborhood, including the new Warren Alpert Medical School building, which opened in 2011. Admission officers will work out of the new location, Miller said, adding that tours and information sessions for prospective students will continue to be based at the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center.

Miller’s personal office will be relocated to University Hall, Schlissel said.

“Originally, people were sort of leery of moving because we’ve been here (at Corliss-Brackett) for 40 years,” Miller said. “We wanted to be sure — and Provost Schlissel was very clear — that we didn’t want to move if it was going to influence our ability to do our jobs.”

The relocation of the Admission Office is a step in the ongoing process of moving academic departments closer to the center of campus, said Rob Beresford, head of the provost’s space committee, which advises the provost on decisions regarding the allocation and renovation of academic spaces on campus.

“We’re very short on academic space,” Beresford said. “The provost has been looking for administrative

STAFF WRITER

The Admission Office will relocate most of its staff and administrative functions to the second floor of the Office of Continuing Education’s current location in the Jewelry District next month in order to create more space on campus for academic departments, administrators said.

The Admission Office’s current location in the Corliss-Brackett House at 45 Prospect Street will become the new home of the Department of Philosophy and will also be used by the Department of Economics as office space for some of its graduate students. The philosophy department’s current location at 54 College Street will likely become the new home of the Department of East Asian Studies, said Provost Mark Schlissel P’15.

“There’s a real crunch on academic space at the core of the campus,” said Dean of Admissions Jim Miller ’73, adding that a whole “series of dominoes” will fall as part of this move and various

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The University is moving administrative buildings like the Admission Office to use the limited amount of space available on campus for academic buildings. functions that can be relocated out of the academic core that would free up space that could be made available for academic functions.”

The University will continue to look for buildings with administrative functions that could be moved to the

periphery of campus so that more academic departments can move closer to the center of campus, Beresford said.

“This relocation is in line with taking advantage of an opportunity more than anything else,” Schlissel said. “It’s trying to satisfy academic needs without

building (new buildings) by using space more efficiently.”

The Admission Office plans to start the moving process May 17, Schlissel said.

—With additional reporting by Maggie Livingstone

10 feature / / Statue page 1 named “Indomitable,” is set for October.

New bear on the block The commission of the new statue arose from efforts by the University’s Percent-for-Art program. Every time the University oversees a building construction or major renovation, the program allocates one percent of the construction budget to adding a piece of artwork to the campus grounds, Conklin said.

“We try to do something that’s relevant to the people who are in the building” that the artwork will commemorate, Conklin said. For the Nelson, a bear was the logical choice.

“We wanted something that is both authoritative and powerful,” said Dietrich Neumann, professor of history of art and architecture and member of the Public Art Committee. As a “symbol of our sportif prowess,” the new bear will not only be “welcoming to incoming teams” but will also “(induce) respect in the visitors,” he said.

Bears are often seen as “being ferocious and fighters, and that’s a good sports mascot,” Conklin said. But she said the bear also represents characteristics of the entire University, such as perseverance and strength.

Though the committee considered “fun bears, goofy bears (and) a lot of different kinds of things,” ultimately “there was interest in having it be a really realistic kind of bear,” she said.

The desire for realism led the committee to hire British artist Nick Bibby — one of the “accurate wildlife artists” the committee identified as candidates — to construct the new statue. “Indomitable”

will be a male Kodiak bear, a larger-thanaverage grizzly bear from the Kodiak Island of Alaska.

“That is the bear that represents Brown,” Conklin said.

Brother bears The new statue will not be the first of its kind, as a stuffed Kodiak bear already resides in the lobby of Meehan Auditorium.

The University received the stuffed bear in October 1948 after John Monk ’24 and Ronald Kimball ’18 acquired sufficient funds with the help of other alums to purchase the bear, according to Encyclopedia Brunoniana. As Kimball’s friend Jack Durrell, the hunter who shot the bear, said at the time, “This bear, a Big Brown … was a fighter in every sense of the word, and should be a credit to Brown University,” according to Encyclopedia Brunoniana.

Though Bibby is generally modeling the new statue after the bronze Bruno on the Main Green, Conklin said the artist told the committee the “Bruno bear is not anatomically female or male,” an observation based on the statue’s genitalia and size of the head. The bronze Bruno established its territory on the Main Green in 1923, as a gift from the class of 1907.

Herbert Keen, a member of that class, spearheaded efforts to procure donations from alums for the sculpture’s creation.

Keen praised the bear’s placement on campus for its “magnificent strength, those qualities of fearlessness, hardihood and resistance to attack which make him a powerful opponent,” according to Encyclopedia Brunoniana.

‘In Bruno speramus’

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Bibby’s “Indomitable” will embody these same characteristics but in a more accurate and realistic depiction.

“He’s very excited about it,” Conklin said. “It’s a large commission for him.”

Bibby will come to Brown to facilitate the statue’s installation and attend the dedication ceremony in the fall.

The statue, which Bibby is currently constructing in England, will arrive by boat and will be lifted with a crane onto the site where it will be “prominently displayed” at the entrance to the athletic complex, Conklin said.

“I like having a bear as a mascot because it can be terrifying and aggressive when you want it to be, but it can also be cute and cuddly,” said Ananya Anand ’13.

The origins of Brown’s mascot date back to 1907, when Theodore Francis Green 1887 displayed a stuffed brown bear head above the arch of a University trophy room, according to Encyclopedia Brunoniana.

In 1923, Keen encouraged students to “follow the example of the bear” because anyone who did so would become “better scholars than those who lack Bruno’s qualities.” Thousands of students have traversed the green since Keen’s time, and the bear is now a landmark for giving directions and a prime backdrop for photo ops. He even made an appearance on select Spring Weekend tanks.

From Rome, with love Bruno is not the only piece of artwork with a history. The Marcus Aurelius statue on Simmons Quad is modeled after the original by Michelangelo. “I love it because people say it’s the best copy of the Marcus Aurelius — the old Roman professional statue on the Campidoglio

COURTESY OF NICK BIBBY

The sculpture will depict a Kodiak bear, similar to the stuffed bear in Meehan. in Rome,” Neumann said.

Conklin said the classicist statue “sort of imbues the site with a history and formality.”

“The one in Rome faces West, and ours faces East, and they kind of look at each other across the Atlantic,” Neumann said. He added that this correspondence has additional meaning because Rome and Providence lie on the same line of latitude. “All these statues have an important story to tell,” he said.

Watching over Wriston Quad is the bronze replica of Caesar Augustus, donated to the University in 1906 by Moses Brown Ives Goddard 1854.

Before being moved from its original location in front of Rhode Island Hall, the statue suffered damage from a hurricane in 1938 and lost an arm, according to Encyclopedia Brunoniana.

The Little Bear fountain in front of the Faculty Club is inspired by a statue in the formerly German city of Breslau, Poland.

Neumann said it represents Brown’s connection to Germany and Poland because a professor who visited the city years ago “fell in love with the statue,” returning to the University with a cast of the bear as a present.

Sculpting the future Most recently, the Corporation received an anonymous donation of the stainless steel Circle Dance sculpture, modeled after Henri Matisse’s painting “La Danse.”

“They just look really happy,” said Ananya Bhatia-Lin ’16. “It looks like something I would build out of tin foil after I ate a burrito,” she added with a laugh.

The Public Art Committee has two current projects in the works. Vietnam Memorial architect Maya Linn is creating a large marble table to sit outside Hunter Laboratory once it is renovated, Conklin said. The table will feature a relief of Narragansett Bay carved into the surface with water flowing through it, she added.

A slavery memorial by pre-eminent sculptor Martin Puryear is also underway, Neumann said. The Public Art Committee looks for “sculptures that are not just works of art but carry a particular meaning,” Neumann said, citing the historical significance of slavery in Rhode Island as influencing the Puryear commission.

Installations of both sculptures are slated to occur in fall 2014.

feature 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Joslin Award recipients represent an array of leaders Twelve seniors were nominated for their efforts to improve Brown communities

By EMILY PASSARELLI STAFF WRITER

At the end of each year, the Joslin Awards recognize seniors who have not only enhanced their personal experience at Brown but also the quality of the community through their leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities.

All members of the Brown community, including peers and alums, can nominate a current senior for the award.

A selection committee then evaluates the nominees based not only on their commitment to and impact on the Brown community but also on personal character.

Aiming to grant around 10 awards, the committee selects recipients who represent different kinds of leadership that exist on campus.

“There is an interplay between the accomplishments of the individuals and the sense of the whole,” said Ricky Gresh, head of the nomination committee and senior director for student engagement.

This year, 12 nominees were selected — seniors Benjamin Marcus, Rahel Dette, Sarah Forman, Emily Gonzalez, Lindsay Nickel, Andrew Kim, Gopika Krishna, Alexandra Linn, Evan Schwartz, Ryan McDuff, Gladys Ndagire and Rebecca Rast.

Benjamin Marcus Marcus has worked to improve religious literacy of Brown students. He started the not-for-credit course “Brown Religious Literacy Project” and served as co-leader of the Religious Studies Department Undergraduate Group. He was a Meiklejohn and is a member of the Campus Access Advisory Committee.

In the competing roles of a student in the Religious Studies department and a worker in the Office of the Chaplains, Marcus experienced different approaches to religion and learned its pervasiveness in diverse issues. Just as his course expands students’ understanding of this pervasiveness, Marcus said his work in Religious Studies helped him “learn to be comfortable in liminality.”

“I came to Brown wanting a concrete identity,” he said. “This taught me to be comfortable standing on shaky ground.”

Sarah Forman, former Herald senior staff writer A Middle Eastern studies and chemistry double concentrator, Forman has been involved in the Women’s Peer Counselor program, now in the capacity as a Community Assistant. She is also involved with Brown RISD Hillel and the interfaith community. Listening to the experiences of first-years as a WPC exposed her to the many differences among her peers, she said.

“There isn’t just one right way to do something,” she said, adding that she has loved learning from the diverse people in each of the communities of which she is a member.

Forman nominated her peers for Joslin awards. She said standing among them as a recipient is “really humbling.”

Emily Gonzalez “My biggest challenge as a freshman was asking for help,” Gonzalez said.

Involved in the Third World Center, specifically with the Latino community, Gonzalez has worked to support underclassmen who were like her — confused about where they fit at Brown. Gonzalez was also a Minority Peer Counselor and participates in the Brown Arts Mentoring Program through the Swearer Center.

She said working with the TWC has helped shape her own identity as much as it did the identities of the people she advised. “It’s important to be a person of value rather than success,” she said, citing one of her favorite sayings.

Receiving the award “is kind of like a pat on the back that I’m doing okay,” she said, adding that her nomination held particular meaning because she had only just met the person who nominated her.

Lindsay Nickel A community health concentrator and member of the women’s basketball team, Nickel has been very involved in the student-athlete community on campus and abroad. A recipient of the Royce Fellowship, Nickel led an AIDS awareness curriculum in South Africa for students ages 11-17. There she combined her passions for sports and health as she engaged youth in basketball games while informing them about AIDS and life skills. She said she felt a stronger dedication to the Brown community after she returned from South Africa.

“I felt the need to not be defined by my sport and to take advantage of my opportunities here,” she said. Nickel has also completed an UTRA on studentathlete drinking behavior and is the co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Andrew Kim As a first-year, Kim said he knew he wanted to improve health access around the world. He is a cofounder of Students for Students: South Sudan, a medical student organization that helps develop medical education for aspiring doctors in South Sudan — the world’s youngest nation. He said the group has helped him learn the mechanics of fundraising and running an organization, but his involvement with faith at the University has allowed him the most personal growth. Becoming involved with the Brown Christian Fellowship “taught me a lot and was very surprising for me,” he said. He is now a core group leader of the Brown Christian Fellowship and cofounder of the Brown Cornerstone, a Christian literary arts magazine.

Gopika Krishna “I didn’t come to Brown thinking I could be a leader because I didn’t have those traditional leadership qualities,” Krishna said, reflecting on her freshman self. Her involvement with the TWC showed her that she could be a leader as an active listener. A Minority Peer Counselor as a sophomore and now a Minority Peer Counselor Friend who leads workshops and other TWC events, Krishna said she found a space where she could create change.

Krishna has also participated in Sexual Health Awareness Group and FemSex over her four years at Brown.

Through these experiences, she was

ALEXANDRA URBAN / HERALD

Peers and alums nominated the students, who were then selected by a special committee that weighed each nominee’s impact on Brown and his or her status as a community leader. able to become more in touch with other parts of her identity, she said. “(These activities) made me grapple with different aspects of myself and learn self-advocacy,” she said.

She said receiving the Joslin Award was both a complete surprise and an affirmation of the great relationships she has formed here. “It tells me I’ve become somewhat of a leader,” she added.

Alexandra Linn “It’s so cool to be honored for something that you do just because you love it,” Linn said about receiving the Joslin Award.

Linn has worked as a coordinator for the Women in Science and Engineering program, a Meiklejohn and a Teaching Assistant — only three of her many mentoring roles on campus. She said her desire to get a job with Teach for America in Chicago evolved from her advising roles at Brown.

Originally overwhelmed as a freshman, Linn participated in Brown Outdoor Leadership Training before her sophomore year. She said this trip improved her Brown experience because she was able to meet so many people.

Linn became a BOLT leader and has inspired many of her ‘BOLTees’ to become leaders themselves, she said.

Mentoring is enjoyable because “not only do I advise and mentor them, but they advise me,” she said.

Evan Schwartz Schwartz has worked to help Brown students study what they enjoy and

communicate about the structure of their education through the Brown Conversation, which he helped found.

He also works at the Curricular Resource Center as a coordinator of Independent Concentrations and Studies.

involvement in these communities as a way to make friends and learn from her peers, she said. Now as a senior, she said, “I’m very proud to be a mentor and be in a position where I can share my experiences.”

Ryan McDuff McDuff is a co-president of the men’s soccer team and uses his passion for sports to give back to the Brown community. He is currently co-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, helping to bridge the gap between athletes and non-athletes.

As a Business, Entrepreneurship and Organization concentrator, he helps younger students as a Meiklejohn and as Head Teaching Assistant of ENGN 0900: “Managerial Decision Making.”

“As a freshman, I thought I knew how to lead,” McDuff said. “I have learned a lot but overall have learned that I still have so much to learn.”

Rebecca Rast Rast entered Brown with a desire to pursue social justice after being involved in community organization around the wars in Iraq in high school.

She became involved with the Student Labor Alliance at the beginning of her freshman year. Now on the board of Rhode Island Jobs for Justice, a major participant in the Brown Divest Coal Campaign and a coordinator of emPower, she said she has “tried to push Brown in a positive direction with social justice and with Providence.” From her experience, she realized the extent of Brown’s impact on the city, she added.

Rast, who is concentrating in environmental studies, said it was an honor to be nominated for the Joslin Award by people who have given her so much.

Gladys Ndagire “You know when you do something and don’t expect any reward?” Ndagire asked. “And then your friends recognize you? It’s exciting.”

Growing up in Uganda, Ndagire said she was in an environment where someone was always in need. “For me, it feels like an instinct to be like, ‘Oh, can I help you?’” she said. On campus, Ndagire has helped the Brown community through her work as an Residential Peer Leader, as an academic advisor and as part of the African Students Association.

During her freshman year, she saw

The magic number twelve The Joslin Awards are very competitive, and “making the cut is a pretty hard decision,” Gresh said, adding that the committee tries to limit the number of winners to 10 to avoid diluting the impact of the award. Character aspect plays a large part in selection, Gresh said.

“You could tell that the person would say, ‘You’re choosing me? What about everyone else?’” he added.

12 city & state

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

/ / Vote page 1

/ / Debate page 16

was going to vote until Wednesday morning. But she said research, testimonies from couples and her 40 years of experience as a civil clerk dealing with marriage licenses ultimately convinced her to vote in favor of same-sex marriage.

Even after getting married in a church, a couple is not legally married until it obtains approval from the state in the form of a marriage license, Crowley said. “That is a civil issue. That is not a sacramental issue,” she added.

In the predominantly Catholic state, some senators were worried about possible conflict between legalized same-sex marriage and the traditional values of the church. Sen. William Conley Jr., D-East Providence — who had been considered a swing vote — said he supported the bill because exemptions, which permit religious leaders who oppose same-sex marriage to opt out of performing these marriages, ensured “government may not dictate the definition of marriage to any religion.”

But some said they could not compromise their religious beliefs to vote in favor of the bill. Sen. Harold Metts, D-Providence, gave a long speech espousing the merits of traditional marriage, quoting Bible passages to support his case.

One of the most surprising moments of the night came when Sen. James Doyle II, D-Providence, who many votewatchers were certain would oppose the bill, explained how he reconciled his religious beliefs with his support for the legislation.

“What would Jesus do,” Doyle asked, if he were asked to vote on same-sex

Gold said.

Though the bill’s opponents were disappointed with the result, Faith Alliance chairman David Rodriguez said the group remains strong in its convictions.

“We’re happy to be here standing up for truth,” he said. “They won on the legislative end, but we will keep teaching our people what God wants.”

“This is a great day for our state,” said Rhode Island native John Perilli ’15. “I’m really glad our state was able to come together and do this. I’m glad we were able to get such support on campus.”

On College Hill, reaction to the news was positive.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful and I couldn’t be happier,” said Noah Elbot ’14.

“It’s about damn time,” said Sara Erkal ’16.

Erkal said she believes heterosexual marriage and same-sex marriage are equally protected by the Constitution, and banning same-sex marriage “goes against … the ideals our country was founded on.”

“It’s obviously a huge step forward,” said Sawyer Thompson ’16. “I think it’s a sign that in the entire (United States) this kind of thing is becoming more common in society.”

Members of the Brown Democrats walked from the State House together to the Main Green to celebrate their victory and to hold one last phone bank — this time thanking senators for their support rather than asking them for it.

DAN ZHANG / HERALD

Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket — the legislation’s primary sponsor — audience members and other senators celebrated the passage of the same-sex marriage bill after seeing the vote total appear on the screen. marriage? If Jesus were in the meeting, he would choose love and vote in favor of same-sex marriage, he said. Regarding suggestions that voting for the bill was a sin, he joked that on Judgment Day, “if the first thing the Lord asks me is why I voted that way on same-sex marriage, I’d say I’m doing pretty good.”

Several senators, including Crowley, cited a Bible passage — “faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” — to explain their support for the same-sex marriage legislation.

Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, DProvidence, stressed her devotion to Catholicism and the difficulty of making a decision on the vote. But she said that in the previous few months, “the same-sex couples who came to (her) office and shared their beautiful stories”

contributed “heavily” to her decision.

Chafee surprised the crowd in the lobby by showing up in the middle of the meeting. “People just don’t want to be on the wrong side of history,” Chafee told The Herald after the vote. “And that was an overwhelmingly positive vote. You’ve got to be on the right side of history.”

After the vote, supporters celebrated in the lobby and meeting chamber, congratulating the senators and one another.

“I’m thrilled. And as a pastor of a church, I know how much this is going to mean to gay families in my church and people on my staff who can now legally marry in Rhode Island,” said Jennifer Pedrick, rector of the Church of the Epiphany in East Providence.

Edmund Harris — an Episcopalian priest who was at the State House with

his partner Michael — said he was happy that their relationship would be officially recognized by the state. He added that he was “grateful for the faith community that has turned out. I think a lot of the supporters were bolstered by the church and by faith.”

“It’s been a long time coming. It’s great that the Senate president got out of the way and let it happen,” said Bill Jesdale ’91 PhD’06.

Maryellen Butke, a same-sex marriage advocate, said she was “really moved” by the previously undecided senators who gave speeches before the vote. Many people’s “hearts and minds have been changed in the last few months from meeting real people like us and our family and knowing that love is love,” she added.

city & state 13

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

R.I. Foundation awards Panel encourages Latino leadership two innovation fellowships The speakers emphasized

The projects aim to eradicate Hepatitis C and bring design tools and programs to students

By MARIYA BASHKATOVA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Lynn Taylor, assistant professor of medicine at Alpert Medical School and attending physician at Miriam Hospital, and Adrienne Gagnon, executive director and co-founder of Downcity Design, were each awarded a three-year Rhode Island Innovation Fellowship to fund their efforts to devise a creative solution to a specific problem in the state.

The fellowship, awarded by the Rhode Island Foundation, provides each fellow with $100,000 per year for three years to work on their respective projects.

“The mission and the vision that started this was to encourage and to elicit ideas from Rhode Islanders who would come up with innovative ideas to meet Rhode Island challenges,” said Neil Steinberg, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.

The two recipients of the fellowship were selected from a pool of 180 applicants for “their passion and commitment,” Steinberg said. The project was started a year ago as the brainchild of philanthropists John and Letitia Carter.

There is no education requirement for the fellowship and students are encouraged to apply, Steinberg said.

Confronting Hepatitis C Gagnon’s project aims to bring design programs and tools to students, while Taylor’s project seeks to eradicate Hepatitis C infections in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is on the verge of an “enormous silent epidemic” of Hepatitis C because the disease is symptomless in its early stages, and people who were infected in the 1960s and 1970s will begin to experience severe health problems now, Taylor said. About one in 30 baby boomers have Hepatitis C, she added. With revolutionary drugs coming onto the market, it doesn’t make sense to ignore a solvable problem, she said.

Taylor’s project will take advantage of Rhode Island’s art community by raising awareness through an art campaign, which will include a poster competition judged by Shepard Fairey, a jewelry sale and a Hepatitis C WaterFire event in July 2014, she said. She said she would also like to stage a guerilla arts campaign like one in New York, where giant letter C sculptures were distributed throughout the city. Taylor

added that she hopes the campaign will help destigmatize the disease.

The project also aims to increase the reach of Hepatitis C testing in the state by taking it out of the doctor’s office and bringing it to at-risk individuals.

Because of new advances, a test can be performed with a simple finger prick and results determined in 20 minutes, she said.

Taylor said she hopes to achieve a “coordinated response” by engaging the state’s medical community. The state’s small size and collaborative healthcare community make Rhode Island a perfect test case for this project, she said.

Finally, Taylor will work with Brown analysts to evaluate the success and financial feasibility of the project, she said.

“I was so surprised and so grateful” to be awarded the fellowship, Taylor said. “Once it sunk in, I rolled up my sleeves and jumped right in to get to work.”

Dialogue by design Gagnon’s project is intended to involve children and teenagers in efforts to improve their communities by teaching them about “design thinking,” which Gagnon defines as a problemsolving approach that encourages “21st century skills.” The approach includes defining and researching a problem, brainstorming possible solutions and collaborating with other people, she said.

Gagnon’s project will implement free after-school design programs in disadvantaged schools across Rhode Island, focusing on Providence, Central Falls and Woonsocket, she said. Gagnon is also developing “mobile design labs” — oversized shipping containers outfitted with work tables, tool storage and supplies for design projects. These labs can be placed in any location and will serve as “hubs” for students working on projects, she added.

Gagnon said she anticipates that students will work on a combination of physical, graphic design and other projects, including building community gardens and bus shelters, creating awareness campaigns and crafting products.

After setting up the initial afterschool programs, Gagnon said she will build a website with tools for educators to help spread the design curriculum.

The project is ideal for Rhode Island because of the state’s history with manufacturing and textiles along with its large creative community, she said.

Upon hearing she had been awarded a fellowship, Gagnon said, “I was speechless, which is rare for me.”

the importance of Latino politicians representing diverse local populations

By KIERA PELTZ STAFF WRITER

Six of Rhode Island’s prominent Latino figures condemned the lack of Latino leaders in the state, where 38 percent of Providence residents and 60 percent of Central Falls residents are Latino, at a panel discussion Wednesday afternoon.

The speakers — who included politicians, community leaders and academics — shared stories about their careers, their struggles and their advice for future Latino leaders.

“I’m worried so many elected officials are worried about keeping their jobs instead of doing their jobs,” Providence Mayor Angel Taveras said.

Central Falls Mayor James Diossa said when he returned from college, he realized the city was falling apart because Latino residents were not

proportionately represented among the city’s elected officials.

Disossa said this discrepancy inspired him to get more involved in the community. After serving as a city councilman for almost three years, Disossa ran for mayor in 2012.

“When I ran for mayor, people thought I was only going to represent Latinos, but I was going to represent all people,” he said.

Both Professor-at-Large Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former president of Chile, and Taveras commented on Disossa’s problem, saying Latino politicians need to be very broad in their goals and appeal to everyone.

“I do not let people define me solely by my ethnic background,” Taveras said, adding that he found it difficult to break away from Latino stereotypes during his mayoral race.

The panelists also emphasized the importance of education for Latinos who want to succeed in electoral politics.

“The first thing I did here was educate myself,” said Cano, Latino Public Radio board member and the

COMICS Lonely Zoo | Rachel Himes and Daniel Moraff

Ling-a-Ling | Ling Zhou

first Latina elected to the Pawtucket School Committee.

After realizing there was a very large Latino population in Pawtucket who were not represented, Cano decided to run for a position on the school committee, she said. During her campaign, one of her biggest challenges was her accent, Cano said.

“Even though we’re very diverse (as a city), a lot of people don’t embrace diversity, so when I was knocking on doors and they would look at me, they would close the door and say, ‘You’re wasting your time’,” she added.

Pablo Rodriguez, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and one of the founders of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee, said Latino politicians must realize, “the way to improve the lot for Latinos is to improve the lot for the entire community.”

The proper “framework of mutual opportunity is one that lets you make friends out of enemies and allows you to create allies out of people that otherwise would not even listen to you,” Rodriguez said.

14 diamonds & coal DIAMONDS & COAL Coal to the Department of Public Safety security officer who said his job is not about “kicking ass and taking names.” Way to shatter our dreams. Do you at least get donuts?

Cubic zirconia to Deborah Brouse ’72, who said that conservative groups were “not very visible” during her time at Brown because “they realized they would not be very popular.” She wouldn’t recognize our campus today — the Brown Republicans has gained four more members since then.

A diamond to the students who are creating and distributing nutritional bars to people in Mumbai, India. Cady Heron’s mom would be so proud.

Cubic zirconia to the Keeney Quadrangle resident who had to stay in a different room in the residence hall after the Jameson fire, sleeping on a mattress covered in plastic. We recommend she follow the advice of Dr. Tobias Funke and purchase a new mattress during a fire … sale.

A diamond to the University for choosing to grant an honorary degree to actor and director Ben Affleck. We hope he and Jennifer Garner “Argo”ing to send plenty of “Good Will” our way.

Coal to the pre-frosh who said, “I’ve been at (A Day on College Hill) for an hour and a half and have already signed up for like 40 clubs.” Prepare yourself for four years of spam from groups you don’t care about but are too lazy to unsubscribe from.

A diamond to Bertram Malle, professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences, who suggested the University create an on-campus wine bar to facilitate the growth of faculty social networks. We didn’t realize you had to be intoxicated to tolerate your colleagues — but we’ll drink to your suggestion.

Coal to the student who said Brown students are perhaps “not as definitely hip” as they think they are. We’re pretty sure our peers on the steps of the Rockefeller Library beg to differ.

A diamond to the student whose ceiling fell on her when it collapsed in Slater Hall. Way to take “breaking down walls” literally — you deserve instant As in all your gender studies classes.

Coal to the student who said of Spring Weekend, “We don’t need a really flashy and expensive performer to come together and have fun.”

False. We want Bieber.

Finally, a diamond to you, dear readers. We’ll see you in September.

Follow us on Twitter! twitter.com/the_herald t h e b row n da i ly h e r a l d Editors-in-Chief Lucy Feldman Shefali Luthra

Managing Editors Elizabeth Carr Jordan Hendricks

EDITORIAL Greg Jordan-Detamore Strategic Director Sections Hannah Abelow Arts & Culture Editor Maddie Berg Arts & Culture Editor Sona Mkrttchian City & State Editor Adam Toobin City & State Editor Elizabeth Koh Features Editor Alison Silver Features Editor Sahil Luthra Science & Research Editor Kate Nussenbaum Science & Research Editor James Blum Sports Editor Connor Grealy Sports Editor Mathias Heller University News Editor Alexandra Macfarlane University News Editor Eli Okun University News Editor Dan Jeon Editorial Page Editor Matt Brundage Opinions Editor Lucas Husted Opinions Editor Maggie Tennis Opinions Editor Multimedia Emily Gilbert Head Photo Editor Sam Kase Photo Editor Sydney Mondry Photo Editor Tom Sullivan Photo Editor Danny Garfield Video Editor Angelia Wang Illustrations Editor Production Copy Desk Chief Sara Palasits Design Editor Brisa Bodell Design Editor Einat Brenner Design Editor Kyle McNamara Assistant Design Editor Sandra Yan Web Producer Joseph Stein Assistant Web Producer Neal Poole

Senior Editors Aparna Bansal Alexa Pugh

BUSINESS General Managers Office Manager Julia Kuwahara Shawn Reilly Samuel Plotner Directors Sales Eliza Coogan Finance Luka Ursic Emily Chu Alumni Relations Business Strategy Angel Lee Justin Lee Business Development Managers Jacqueline Chang Regional Sales Leslie Chen Regional Sales Anisa Holmes Regional Sales Wenli Shao Regional Sales Carolyn Stichnoth Regional Sales Chae Suh Regional Sales William Barkeley Collections Nicole Shimer Collections Josh Ezickson Operations Alison Pruzan Alumni Engagement Melody Cao Human Resources Owen Millard Research & Development POST- MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Zoë Hoffman Editor-in-Chief Claire Luchette BLOG DAILY HERALD Meredith Bilski Editor-in-Chief William Janover Managing Editor Connor McGuigan Deputy Managing Editor Cara Newlon Deputy Managing Editor Georgia Tollin Deputy Managing Editor Jason Hu Creative Director

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

LE T TERS TO THE EDITOR

U. must move to divest from coal companies To the Editor:

In response to the column written by Brown Divest Coal (“It’s time to vote yes on coal divestment,” April 18), the Socially Responsible Investment Fund would like to express its strong support for the cause in this crucial time, right before the Corporation makes a decisive vote in May. The student investment club would like to congratulate the dedicated members of the movement on their progress, which has included winning the backing of the university Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies and the support from billionaire investor and environmentalist Tom Steyer in his personal letter to the administration.

Many prominent investment management firms in the world have already placed heavier emphasis on the realm of conscious investing. In fact, many of them have dedicated

funds that shun the types of investments at the center of the movement. The concept of intentionally constraining the allocation of capital with specific guidelines is nothing new.

For example, funds subject to the principles of Islam are prohibited from charging interests on loans or participating in ventures that involve alcohol, gambling and other vices.

If people are willing to take the idea of conscious investing seriously based on religious reasons, then why not on environmental grounds?

As Brown Divest Coal’s purpose is one of importance and value, we hope that, in conjunction with the student conversations it has stirred, it will score a final victory in the impending Corporation meeting.

Mingshao Cheng ’14 President, Socially Responsible Investment Fund

Column unduly critiques English department To the Editor: I know David Romero ’14 is not fond of academic specificity, but he should not hinge his thesis on a single vague complaint (“The function of academica,” April 22). Claiming English classes bombard him with “theory and idiosyncratic interpretations of obscure books” only shows his inability to critically assess and understand the choices of his professors.

I assure you that each English class addresses his desired “big themes.” These themes are explicitly explained in the course catalog description and most professors acknowledges them repeatedly throughout the semester — for sure, at least the first day. Also, just because you have not heard of a book does not make it obscure.

Joseph DiZoglio, Jr. ’15

The term ‘victim’ contributes to stigmas To the Editor:

To protect my confidentiality due to my status as a female survivor of sexual assault, I wish to submit this anonymously.

I read the article “Under the surface: Sexual assault at Brown” (April 22) this morning. Though I am pleased The Herald is bringing light to the issue of sexual assault that is constantly swept under the rug of campus life, I take serious issue with using the term “victim” to refer to those

who have dealt with the stigmas and ordeals of sexual assault. Many people do not survive sexual assault, and if you really want to avoid the stigmas lining conversations regarding this, I, as a “victim” — no, a survivor — would appreciate more sensitivity outside of “standard journalistic (practices)” when discussing this issue among the undergraduate student body.

Anonymous

Criticism of UCS committee selection flawed To the Editor:

Daniel Moraff ’s ’14 accusation that the Undergraduate Council of Students appointed “people in the social circles of student government kids” is a gross mischaracterization (“The bogus strategic planning process,” April 24). The provost approached UCS and asked us to suggest students to appoint within five days. So we appointed members of the community that had been previously vetted in the democratic appointments process Moraff mentioned earlier in his piece. We considered people who had previously applied and served on University committees.

We did not simply pick our friends. We picked people who had knowledge relevant to the different strategic planning committees and had experience mobilizing student opinion (half with no student government experience). For example, we

appointed Brown for Financial Aid President Alex Mechanick ’15, who helped lead a successful petition-gathering campaign, to the Committee for Financial Aid. It was his effort that assured student opinion, which favors fully need-blind and reducing parental contributions, ended up in the final report.

Our appointees have represented their peers admirably, and that should not be belittled. If Moraff is concerned about the process, he should gather other students, including the strategic planning committee representatives. Challenging undesirable aspects and engaging with stakeholders is more effective than dismissing the process all together. What all need to remember is that actions speak louder than words, and united actions are more powerful than individual tirades.

Anthony White ’13 UCS President

CORREC TIONS An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“Senate to vote on same-sex marriage bill today,” April 23) incorrectly stated that the bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee was identical to the bill passed by the House of Representatives in January and will go straight to the desk of Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 if passed. In fact, the bill was amended to include additional protections for religious leaders morally opposed to same-sex marriages, and because it was amended, if it is passed, both the House Committee on the Judiciary and the full House of Representatives will have to approve it again before it goes to the governor. The Herald regrets the error.

An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Family, friends ‘Lend a Hand’ for Tripathi,” April 23) incorrectly identified Meghan Koushik ’13 as a Minority Peer Counselor and Sarah Dayon ’15 as a Minority Peer Counselor Friend. In fact, Koushik is an MPC Friend and Dayon is an MPC. The article also identified Sangeeta Tripathi ’04 as a former Residential Peer Leader.

In fact, she is a former MPC and MPC Friend. The Herald regrets the errors. facebook.com/browndailyherald

@the_herald

browndailyherald.com

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.

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taking sides 15

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Is the name “Brown” racist?

YES

NO

But I digress.

In 1804, the Brown hipster societies LUCAS HUSTED took the joke a bit too far. They renamed The College of Rhode Island to the racist Opinions Editor atrocity we have today: “Brown University.”

At the time of the name change, the Hipsters constitute a powerful and perva- United States was still a slave-holding sive contingency on College Hill. While country. Step into the shoes of the hipsters many see hipsters as a new phenome- at Brown in the ’90s — the 1790s, that is. non brought about by the changing of the What more ironic gesture could there be times, in reality some form of hipster cul- than changing the name of an all-white ture has always dominated the Brunonian school to “Brown University”? Absolutely way of life. And with hipsters come irony. none.

In fact, our school And so the hiphas long been at the sters struck again. mercy of massive It wasn’t until 1877 ironic inside jokes that Brown graduundertaken by amated its first black bitious hipster se- What more ironic gesture students. For 70 cret societies. years, countless hipcould there be than Allow me to exster youths could plain. changing the name of an snicker at the idea Who do you of going to an allthink thought up all-white school to “Brown white school called the big “Satur” University”? Absolutely “Brown. day Night FootI shouldn’t even ball Game” a few be saying this. But none. years ago that has I can’t live with it become a new traanymore.

Telling dition? Athletes? you this dangerPlease.

Getting ous truth is more thousands of nerdy important than the undergrads to preawful retribution I tend to care about our sports teams and will face from the powerful hipster elite. drink to excess while wearing “fratty” TI am sure you think I’m deluded anyshirts that say “Brown State”? That sick lie way. Brown is just a color after all! But ask could only have been massive trolling on yourself this question: How many schools the part of some nefarious hipsters. have you seen called White University?

Don’t believe me? Look at this past Or how about a less racially charged color Spring Weekend. Brown Concert Agen- like blue? Case closed. cy — long known as a hipster society — Do the right thing. Join with me in brought us Big Freedia, a “female empow- a petition to change the name of Brown erment” act that consisted of 50 minutes back to The College of Rhode Island, its of gratuitous pornographic female butt- rightful — race-neutral — name. shaking while “pussy” was yelled repeatedly. If you don’t see the joke that was played on you, then I can’t help you. How Lucas Husted ’13 is the leading scholar about Deerhunter? What is more ironic on racism in North American colleges. If than inviting a tone-deaf man to play duryou want to write about important ising the middle of a concert that thousands sues like this, please contact of people with ears anticipated for weeks? opinions@browndailyherald.com for Not much, actually. an application.

Now for my most legitimate point.

Brown University was named after a — John Brown, who gave a whole MAGGIE TENNIS person lot of money to win the privilege of havOpinions Editor ing a university named after him — not after a skin color. And wealth is more important than protecting peoples’ feelCalling our university “Brown” is not ings and fostering a safe environment racist. It is not racist for one very impor- for minorities, especially when the pertant reason. Race is a social construct. son with the money is a white male.

And therefore, racism is also a social But even if Brown were named after a construct. That’s kind of the transitive skin color, aren’t we all brown, anyway? property. But if you insist on socially Color is a spectrum. We are basically constructing racism, then there are oth- all just shades of brown. It’s “Brown” er reasons why the Un ive rs it y, University should not “Chestnut not be considered Brown,” or “Seracist for having the pia” or “Tawname “Brown.” ny” University.

First, I have two It’s every kind roommates who of brown. I myboth consider themself might fall But even if Brown selves to be “brown.” near the lighter They don’t think the University were named end of this specname of our Univertrum — near the sity is racist. That after a skin color, aren’t we translucent end, obviously means to be honest, and all brown, anyway? that it’s not. Our sometimes I’m previous Universimore red than ty president, Ruth anything else — Simmons, is black. but at the end of So there’s that. And the day we’re all Barack Obama is members of the black and president same gradient. If of the United States, you think of the so that means racism isn’t even a thing issue this way, Brown is actually an apat all anymore. Right? Of course! propriate name for the University, beI mean, come on. The United Parcel cause it represents every member of the Service used to run a commercial pur- student body, and all of us can relate to posefully featuring a black man with it in some way. the slogan “What can brown —err, we— So join me in defending the name of do for you?” If that’s not racist — and the school that we love, Brown Universino one seemed particularly concerned ty: its rightful — and definitely not racabout it — then the name of our Univer- ist — name. sity certainly isn’t.

Furthermore, if the name Brown University is racist, then don’t we also Maggie Tennis ’14 has black friends have a problem with the team names and is therefore knowledgeable on all of Cornell and Syracuse University — aspects of race relations. If you want the Big Red and Orange, respectively? to write about race and maybe mock These names could easily be offensive to BCA some more, email American Indians and anyone who has opinions@browndailyherald.com for carotenemia. an application.

Tennis’s Rebuttal

Husted’s Rebuttal

On second thought, I wholeheartedly agree with Husted. The name “Brown” has racist origins and must be changed immediately. It is ridiculously offensive.

There’s not even time for discussion. We must act now.

When I think about my exceptional training in the field of anthropology here at Brown, I cannot help but remember what I have learned about racialist anthropology, which was a legitimate — and absurdly racist — academic discipline in the 18th and 19th centuries.

This branch of anthropology was oddly obsessed with classifying groups of people by color. Of course, it is now discussed only as an example of egregiously inappropriate scholarship. But back when The College of Rhode Island was renamed Brown University, racialist anthropology was a thriving discipline.

So we can only assume that the students circa 1800 were aware of the racist connotations of the term “brown” when it became the name of their university. If they had objected to the name change, that would have been cool. I would re-

spect that. But they didn’t, so I have to assume that Husted is correct and that these students were trying to make some ironic statement about society at the time.

As Lucas has observed, hipsterism can go too far. I mean, look what it is doing to us, even today. Just this past weekend, the hipsters’ love of irony led many of us to participate in hours of offensive and downright mediocre entertainment. At least, I hope that Brown Concert Agency’s choice of Big Freedia and her team of butts was some kind of ironic statement. Big Freedia claims she empowers women. When did empowering women go from demanding equal pay to demanding nearly an hour of butt time?

The hipsters of today are making fools out of us all. But the hipsters of yesteryear had already made us all racists. In order to avoid the perpetuation of this racism, we must return to the name The College of Rhode Island without hesitation.

But, then again, who really cares? At the end of the day, racist or not, brown is just a color. The color of poop.

On second thought, I wholeheartedly agree with Tennis. “Brown University” is not a racist name for a school. Who would even think that? Those events I mentioned aren’t even ironic, they are just normal activities — except for the butt-shaking. I’m still trying to recover from that and decide whether to press charges against Brown Concert Agency for destroying my mental health.

What really matters is that color and race are just social constructs. If people just pretended that everyone was the same race, then we wouldn’t be different colors, or something like that. I have been taking social science courses for a while, and I’m pretty sure that if we just all collectively decided that racism wasn’t okay, then it would go away. And as Tennis stated quite noncircuitously, we can’t be living in a racist society if we elected a black president anyway. So I’ll just have to accept that now.

Even if racism did exist, though, Brown was just the last name of a rich white guy. How could I not have considered that? It’s one of the most com-

mon last names in the English speaking world. Coincidentally, it was even the last name of one of the first two black graduates of Brown. Silly me!

Either way, I liked what Tennis wrote about the colors and stuff. It really resonates with me, because as a half-Hispanic and half-white person, I have always felt a little brown myself. I am glad to know “brown” isn’t an oppressive term used to describe minorities but in fact one of empowerment, used to describe all people, even albinos like Tennis. America is a great big melting pot after all, and I am glad to be part of it.

When this school first started, it was a place for rich white people to stay rich and white. Now we accept lots of different people from all walks of life. As Tennis said, our name has something to do with that!

But, then again, who really cares?

Brown is an Ivy League school that has no requirements. I would go here if it were called “Phlegm State.” And at the end of the day, racist or not, brown is just a color. The color of poop.

daily herald city & state THE BROWN

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

As senators debate, activists protest, react The final vote in favor of same-sex marriage was met with both elation and disappointment

By SAM HEFT-LUTHY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

While state senators debated a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, supporters and opponents filled the State House lobby to make their opinions heard.

About 40 or 50 of the bill’s opponents stood in the rotunda carrying signs that said “Same Sex Marriage is Immoral and Unnecessary” and “Marriage is a Holy Institution Established

by God.” “Since I grew up, my parents taught me that marriage is by a man and a woman and not by two men and not by two women,” said Lilian Escobar, an opponent of the legislation. “That’s how God established it.”

The bill’s supporters huddled to watch the debate live on a television set up in the State House lobby. The contingent of about 150 included Brown students, members of the Rhode Islanders United for Marriage

campaign and members of various faith organizations. They wore stickers that bore slogans like “I Support Marriage Equality,” “Rhode Islanders United for Marriage” and “Townies United for Marriage.” “(Supporting the bill) puts us squarely, visibly on the side of justice and speaks to the overarching message of scripture,” said William Zelazny, district executive of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts.

The supporters watching the debate cheered raucously whenever a senator came out in support of the bill. The opponents, many of them from a predominantly-Latino group called Faith Alliance, gathered in the rotunda’s center and prayed loudly in Spanish.

As the debate continued, the mood among both crowds was tense yet optimistic.

“We’ve been working on this for so long that it’s very nerve-wracking,” said Sophia Fernandez Gold ’14, president of the Brown Democrats, a group that has held several phone banks to rally support for the bill. “But it’s hopeful.”

“I’m here for my daughter,” Escobar

DAN ZHANG / HERALD

Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket, who has been a major supporter of same-sex marriage since she arrived in the Senate, celebrated the measure’s passage after Wednesday’s floor vote. said. “I don’t want my daughter to go to school and have the teachers be teaching her that (being gay is) fine, that it’s normal — because it’s not.”

A battle came when Sen. Frank Ciccone, D-North Providence, proposed

DAN ZHANG / HERALD

Onlookers filled the Senate viewing galleries and the overflow viewing area designated for extra people.

Though a majority of visitors supported same-sex marriage, around 40 people came to oppose the bill.

an amendment to put the measure up for popular vote through a referendum rather than allow the Senate to decide. Though a majority of Rhode Island residents approve of same-sex marriage, such a measure would mean a costly public fight that the bill’s supporters said they wanted to avoid.

When Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Jamestown and Newport, announced the amendment had failed, she only got as far as “10 in the affirmative…” before the crowd erupted into cheers.

A few minutes later the bill’s opponents, circled around the seal on the rotunda floor, began to sing so loudly their voices could be heard within the Senate chamber. The hymn’s lyrics were in Spanish, but Escobar said they roughly translated to, “It is not with a sword and not with an army but with His Holy Spirit.”

“It’s the Holy Spirit who fights for us,” she said.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 — widely known to support same-sex marriage — made a surprise appearance in the lobby to watch the vote, and advocates of the legislation met his presence with a standing ovation.

“The first vote, to go to the referendum, was defeated, 28 to 10 — I think that’s always a good straw poll,” Chafee told The Herald before the Senate voted on the legislation. “That’s an overwhelming vote. I’m feeling good about it.”

When Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, DProvidence, who had not announced how she planned to vote, came out in favor of the bill, the supporters yelled again in celebration.

Soon the roll-call vote was taken and the camera panned slowly down from the ceiling, passing the array of red and green lights representing each Senator’s vote. It settled upon a digital LED display carrying the final tally: 26-12, with 26 in favor of same-sex marriage and 12 opposed.

For a few moments, the State House was quiet as everyone took in the results. Then the lobby full of supporters burst into cheers.

“I’ve been working on this issue with the (Brown Democrats) and with everyone at Brown for about three years, and it’s so important to so many of my friends and family members, and I think it’s just a wonderful thing,” / / Debate page 12 Fernandez

Providence looks to redevelop Kennedy Plaza Reduced bus traffic will open up space for an additional park area and marketplace

By EMILY BONEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Kennedy Plaza, the main square and transportation hub of Providence, will undergo renovations in the next few years as a part of Mayor Angel Taveras’ efforts to revitalize downtown.

The Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy is slated to start construction this year. The plans — designed by Union Studio Architects — entail filling space in the plaza made available by reducing bus traffic with a marketplace and more park space. The renovation plan took six years of collaboration with Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, local businesses, universities, residents and city departments.

The plans also call for integrating the skating rink into Burnside Park

to provide the area with an off-season function, raising roadways to increase pedestrian safety and developing a large open area described as a “front porch for City Hall,” according to a DPPC press release.

The reduced number of buses running through the plaza was meant to create a “pleasant” RIPTA rider experience through a “safe, accessible system,” according to the press release.

The initial phases of the project, including the changes to the bus station and construction of the “porch” in front of City Hall, could be completed as early as 2014.

Funding for architectural work by Union Studios came from a National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant. In addition, city and state funds will go into the first stages of renova-

tion.

RIPTA’s Director of Planning and Marketing Amy Pettine said the plan was still in a conceptual phase and would require additional planning.

“When the city gets into finalizing details, we’ll be at the table,” she said, adding that there will be public hearings on the vision for the plaza in May and June.

“We want to make customers a part of the progress and seek their feedback,” she said.

Some Brown students say that the plaza could use a major upgrade.

“I go there a lot,” said Elizabeth Adler ’15, “It’s awful there.” In its current state, little concern is given to pedestrians, she said. “Getting there, you have to cross some streets without lights.”

Yuki Davis ’15 said the bus station should be improved. As is, the station offers very little space for individuals

waiting for a bus.

“When it’s raining, there’s always a million people in there,” she said.

“It’s the main gateway to the city, and the civic center of the city,” said Professor of Sociology Hilary Silver, adding that it serves as a venue for information exchange between the city’s poorer citizens. “Nobody in the business community sees this function of Kennedy Plaza,” Silver said.

Silver said she believes the Kennedy Plaza renovation is foremost an effort to attract renters to the “Superman” building, recently vacated by Bank of America. “It represents the state of Rhode Island. It’s our signature building. We have to sell it. We can’t knock it down.”

Despite the removal of some buses, “the plaza will continue to be a major transportation hub,” Pettine said. Typically people are concerned there will not be as many buses, and therefore

RIPTA will become less convenient.

“We’re reducing our physical space, but not reducing our service,” Pettine said.

RIPTA recently conducted a Comprehensive Operation Analysis to evaluate the transit experience in and around Providence. RIPTA looked at market analyses and travel patterns, while taking into consideration about 10,000 rider surveys in order to assess which routes needed to be changed, Pettine said.

Kennedy Plaza today does not meet the needs of RIPTA riders or those looking for a downtown experience, Pettine said. “It is not optimal,” she said.

“In city planning, you want density.

You want that buzz, you want people on the street,” Professor Silver said.

“To create a beautiful aesthetic center of town that no one uses, I’m not sure that’s what is in the cities’ best interest.”