THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 4
since 1891
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
University of Michigan taps Schlissel as next president Search committee to find provost’s replacement to take shape over the next week, Paxson says By MICHAEL DUBIN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 was named the next president of the University of Michigan Friday morning, priming him to leave Brown after three years in the top administrative post. He will remain at Brown for the rest of the academic year, taking the helm at Michigan July 1. Schlissel, who came to Brown in 2011 after serving as dean of biological sciences at the University of California at Berkeley, played a leading role in the year-long process of crafting President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, which was approved by the Corporation in October. He has also served as the University’s second-in-command during a time of tremendous administrative change. Just seven members of the current 19-person senior staff predate his 2011 arrival. The Michigan Board of Regents unanimously approved and announced Schlissel’s selection at a special 10 a.m. meeting Friday, bringing an end to a seven-month search that began when current President Mary Sue Coleman announced her plans to retire last April. Schlissel’s ascension to the top job at Michigan continues his rapid rise through the academic ranks, climbing from dean at Berkeley to provost at Brown to president at Michigan in a span
Campus reacts to the announcement, page 2.
of just six years. His departure leaves the University with simultaneous openings for two top administrative posts, following Katherine Bergeron’s Jan. 1 exit as dean of the College to become the president of Connecticut College. Schlissel is chair of the 13-person search committee for the new dean, whom administrators hope to select this spring to assume the post in July, he told The Herald in October. The dean search is still in its “relatively early stages,” Paxson said, and Schlissel’s departure will prompt her to take a more active role early in the process. Schlissel said the original plan was to present a list of three finalists to Paxson, but she will now play a more hands-on role in making the list. Overlap between candidates for the two positions is “unlikely,” Paxson said. “People enter those jobs at different stages in their careers.” “There’s not going to be any overlap in the types of candidates, paltry little,” said Stephen Nelson, a higher education expert and senior scholar at the Leadership Alliance at Brown. Plans to search for Schlissel’s successor will take shape in the coming weeks, Paxson wrote in a community-wide email announcing his departure Friday. Paxson wrote to faculty members Saturday morning to solicit input on their visions for the next provost, including their opinions on the merits of considering only internal candidates or engaging in a nationwide search, she told The Herald. She said she intends to form a search committee within about a week and has already begun that process, adding that she aims to have a new provost in place by July 1, or Sept. 1 at the latest. There
Provost leaves mark on Brown By MICHAEL DUBIN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 will exit his post at the end of this academic year. President Christina Paxson aims to have a successor in place by July 1. will not be an interim provost. “Since his arrival, Mark has applied a rare combination of energy, thoughtfulness and discipline to strengthen every aspect of Brown,” Paxson wrote in the email, calling him a “valuable partner in the strategic planning process.” “I credit the University of Michigan’s presidential search committee for their exceptional wisdom and judgment in choosing Mark to lead one of our nation’s preeminent public research universities,” she wrote. Schlissel is “exceptionally well positioned for the Michigan job,” Paxson told The Herald, citing in particular his background in medicine as an appropriate fit
for Michigan’s “major medical research enterprise.” Schlissel is “recognized as a highly rated scholar and teacher,” said Michigan Regent Katherine White during Friday’s announcement, according to remarks posted on University of Michigan’s website. “He has experience as an academic administrator at virtually every level.” The firm leading Michigan’s search, Russell Reynolds Associates, first reached out to Schlissel in early October, around the same time a former Berkeley colleague told Schlissel he had recommended him for the position, Schlissel said. Schlissel received a tentative offer » See SCHLISSEL, page 3
When Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 departs for the University of Michigan presidency July 1, he will leave behind a legacy that includes leadership of an expansive strategic planning process, an accredited School of Public Health, tough financial decisions and enhanced environmental teaching and research. Upon the announcement of his selection as provost in April 2011, Schlissel lauded Brown’s “commitment not to rest on its laurels but to aspire to even greater impact on our society.” Schlissel pursued that social impact throughout his two and a half years at Brown, though his intentions have occasionally run up against the reality of an economic downturn, and the results have sometimes met criticism from a variety of factions at the University. A plan for the future Together with President Christina Paxson, Schlissel presided over last year’s strategic planning process, supervising the work of the six committees, helping to draft the plan and attending several events to solicit feedback after its release. » See LEGACY, page 2
An economics experiment: Bears split weekend against No. 10 Yale Flipping the lecture class After only 10 penalty M. ICE HOCKEY
minutes in first game, Bruno racks up 48 minutes in second game
Students in nontraditional microeconomics class show greater engagement, but comparable grades
By ANDREW FLAX SENIOR STAFF WRITER
INSIDE
Friday: Brown 3, Yale 1 In Friday’s game, Bruno (8-8-3, 5-61 ECAC) took down the Elis on the
By GADI COHEN STAFF WRITER
KATIE LIEBOWITZ / HERALD
Despite building confidence by toppling conference foe No. 10 Yale Friday, the Bears fell apart Saturday under the strain of several penalties. strength of their third and fourth lines. Matt Lorito ’15 started the scoring by giving the Bears a 1-0 lead in the second period, but Yale quickly responded to tie the score heading into the third period. Then the young Bears took over. Pryzbek and Kramer scored just 86 seconds apart in the third to put Brown up by two. Steel made 42 saves, locking down a Yale offense that was fourth in the
ECAC and averaging 3.29 goals per game. “I felt great tonight,” Steel said. Head Coach Brendan Whittet ’94 was satisfied with the way his young players stood up against tough competition. “Sometimes as a freshman it’s hard,” Whittet said. “I think as the season’s gone on we’ve seen more of what will make the freshmen successful.” » See HOCKEY, page 3
The first time Pedro Dal Bo taught microeconomics — as a teaching assistant 20 years ago to students in Argentina — it was with the traditional blackboard and chalk. But last semester, after years of teaching in a conventional manner, Dal Bo decided to conduct an experiment. Though Dal Bo, associate professor of economics, taught two sections of ECON 1110: “Intermediate Microeconomics” last semester, one of them was modeled after a new “flipped classroom” teaching style that is gaining traction in schools across the country.
Sports
Science & Research Hundreds of student programmers team with major tech companies at Hack@Brown
Researchers dive into question of ancient aquatic reptile pigmentation
McGonagill ’14 treys carry men’s basketball to first Ivy League win
Bears tie and lose to Yale in women’s hockey home-andhome weekend
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WEATHER
In a home-and-home against No. 10 Yale this weekend, the Bears picked up a win at Meehan Auditorium Friday supported by the efforts of three first-years but were blown out in New Haven the following day. Zack Pryzbek ’17 and Kyle Kramer ’17 each scored third-period goals Friday, while goalie Tyler Steel ’17 contributed a strong performance in the 3-1 win. Pryzbek and Massimo Lamacchia ’15 were both ejected in a 6-0 loss Saturday, as Yale scored four power-play goals. The Bears now sit in seventh place in the ECAC.
The other section served as a control group, taught in the traditional manner. In the flipped section, students attended lectures on Mondays and Fridays, went over questions in problemsolving sessions on Wednesdays and watched explanatory videos recorded by Dal Bo throughout the week. Problem-solving sessions consisted of both individual and group work, supervised by seven undergraduate TAs, culled from previous semesters of the course. There were no significant differences in final grades between the two sections, Dal Bo said, but he believes the flipped teaching style rewarded students with a deeper form of learning. “Students crammed less,” Dal Bo said. “It’s not clear that what you learn from the exam is going to stick 10 years out of the exam.” “The (flipped) class was much more » See MICRO, page 2 T O D AY
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
Faculty, students react to Schlissel’s departure Community members voice concern as one of the strategic plan’s main architects leaves By KIKI BARNES UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
News of Provost Mark Schlissel’s P’15 departure precipitated a range of reactions throughout the Brown community this weekend, including uncertainty about losing a top administrator, pride in a University leader rising to a highprofile position and hope for a new voice on College Hill. ‘A loss for Brown’ A number of faculty members said they were shocked to hear the announcement. Many said the provost is leaving in the middle of numerous important changes for Brown that Schlissel himself initiated. “It’s unfortunate to lose a provost that early,” said Professor of Computer Science Eli Upfal, adding that Schlissel’s three-year tenure “is not enough to have significant long-term change.”
» LEGACY, from page 1 In addition, he has been intricately involved in beginning to implement the plan’s initiatives, including the launch of a sophomore seminar program and Paxson’s recent pledge that the University will fund at least one summer internship or research opportunity for students receiving financial aid. While those measures have been praised, the plan’s perceived focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics has come under fire. “I do worry a little about the role of the liberal arts,” said Professor of Engineering Barrett Hazeltine GP’15 in November. Following the announcement of Schlissel’s departure, Professor of Economics Andrew Foster said he did not believe making advancements in the humanities and social sciences “came naturally” to Schlissel. But Schlissel found “ways to be supportive” by listening to others with more experience in those disciplines, like former Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, Foster said. The plan’s proposals to expand graduate and medical education and its heightened attention to research also raised concerns for some. They have “the potential to change the nature of (Brown’s) traditional undergraduate commitments,” Professor of History Howard Chudacoff said in November. But some defended Schlissel’s history with disciplines outside the sciences. “As a humanities scholar I can say that Provost Schlissel was a great supporter of faculty hiring in this area,” wrote Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 in an email to The Herald. “His work on the Watson Institute and on faculty recruitment in the social sciences will leave a positive impression on Brown for years to come in spite of his relatively short stay here.” Schlissel stands behind the plan in its entirety. “My biggest regret is that I won’t be here into the future to see ... the maturation of all these things that will be coming out of the strategic plan,” he said. A changing environment Schlissel said he was proud of the
“I was personally surprised by what appears to be Mark’s sudden departure,” wrote Harold Roth, professor of religious studies and East Asian studies, in an email to The Herald. The provost’s exit is particularly shocking due to his significant contributions to the strategic plan and the improvements he made to the Office of the Provost, Roth wrote. “It’s a loss for Brown that he’ll not be continuing,” said Catherine Kerr, assistant professor of family medicine, who served on the Brown University Community Council with Schlissel. “He has played a big role in helping to generate the strategic plan and the plan for Brown’s growth.” In contrast to many faculty members’ concerns, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper said the timing of Schlissel’s departure fits well with the current stage of the strategic plan. “We’re operationalizing now, so it’s a good time for someone to come in,” she said. “If it were a year from now or a year ago, it would have been harder.” Kerr said she still believes the provost’s changes and plans will “continue
uninterrupted,” though “there will be a transition period.” “It’s always inconvenient in some respects” to have an administrator leave, said Marc Redfield, professor of English and comparative literature. “The fact that we have a new president that represents a new and important era overshadows that.”
growth of environmental teaching and research during his time at Brown. “I felt strongly about that since the very beginning,” Schlissel said. “Sustaining Life on Earth” was chosen as one of the themes of integrative scholarship in the strategic plan, and the Environment and Society proposal became one of the University’s two Signature Academic Initiatives — focal points of future research and scholarship to be supported under the plan. Foster, one of the contributors to the Environment and Society proposal, said, “It became very clear to us … that he saw a real opportunity there, right from day one.” Environment and Society was chosen largely because it “addresses a set of issues of unarguable importance,” Schlissel said in October. Friday’s announcement of Schlissel’s departure came the same week the new Building for Environmental Research and Teaching opened to students.
a pretty clear vision of what direction things should go.”
A healthy tenure Schlissel, who served as dean of biological sciences at the University of California at Berkeley before coming to Brown, also cited the creation of the School of Public Health last February as a project he was excited to see completed on his watch. The public health program’s leaders first floated the idea of creating an accredited school about a decade ago, but an official proposal to turn the program into a school was not completed until September 2012. “It’s really become enormous over the last decade, and it represents an area where Brown faculty and students can collaborate on great scholarship that has tremendous impact and importance for society,” Schlissel said last February. Schlissel also said he was glad to have been able to recruit several senior staff members to the University, including Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Jack Elias, who took over in September. “It is clear that he took an interest in the public health school and the (Alpert) Medical School,” Foster said. “To some extent (it is) his expertise. … He had
A fond farewell Overall, many community members said they were happy for Schlissel’s achievement and that he will leave a legacy at Brown. “I will totally miss him, and I am really happy for him,” Huidekoper said. “It’s the kind of challenge that Mark will thrive in.” “Mark spoke a lot about Brown having an impact, and that message has resonated,” she continued, noting Schlissel’s role in separating the Alpert Medical School and the School of Public Health and his ability to unify academic department chairs around difficult issues. “He quickly mastered the intricacies of his position and successfully led planning for the next capital campaign,” wrote John Savage, professor of
Financial acumen In addition to developing and implementing new initiatives, Schlissel had to deal with the fallout of the financial crisis during his tenure as provost. In January 2009, then-President Ruth Simmons projected an $800 million drop in the value of the University’s endowment. Combined with last year’s federal sequester, which cut deeply into federal research funding, Schlissel — who chaired the University Resources Committee — was forced to oversee University belt-tightening amid budget deficits. “I’m trying to maximize the University’s mission within the confines of a budget,” he said at a November 2012 URC meeting. The University pays what it must to retain a “talented, motivated staff,” he said. “It isn’t a compassionate answer. It’s a real answer,” Schlissel said at the meeting. Again this past November, Schlissel said the University budget deficit presents a major obstacle in paying for new projects. But some, like Herald opinions columnist Daniel Moraff ’14, have suggested that a difficult financial situation has served as an excuse for the University to avoid spending on certain projects, like financial aid. Eli Upfal, professor of computer science and vice chair of the URC, described Schlissel as a “very efficient chair.” “He saw acutely the need to target resources in particular ways, not to spend them everywhere,” Foster said. “He was the sort of person who was willing to make decisions, who was willing to say no. In tight financial times, that’s the responsibility of the provost.” Foster said Schlissel’s time at Berkeley prepared him to make those difficult financial choices. “That was a strength of his that was honed by being at a public university where the financial resources were tight,” Foster said. -With additional reporting from Kiki Barnes and Joseph Zappa
computer science, in an email to The Herald. “I am sure that he will be very successful at Michigan.” Undergraduate Council of Students Vice President Sam Gilman ’15 said Schlissel will take on “one of the most important jobs” in American higher education as president of the University of Michigan. “I think he is a very deliberate and thoughtful leader who has brought a lot to Brown,” Gilman said. “I think that that will translate really well to (Michigan).” “He was always really receptive to us and to hearing our concerns,” said Todd Harris ’14.5, UCS president. “I think he’s going to do a great job.” But many undergraduates had little reaction to Schlissel’s departure. Roughly two dozen students interviewed expressed no opinion about the news. Many did not know who the provost was or what his position entailed. Looking forward Many community members have already set their sights on the search for a new provost. Roth wrote that the University should consider only internal candidates
» MICRO, from page 1 structured than the regular one,” Dal Bo said. “I knew what I wanted to teach on Monday, I knew what I wanted to teach on Friday, I knew what was going to happen in the problem-solving session.” Dal Bo said he thinks students in the flipped section enjoyed the course more. When they evaluated the course at the end of the semester, students praised the group problem-solving sessions and the videos, he said. Dal Bo planned the flipped experiment with Kathy Takayama, executive director of the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, which is charged with promoting and finding new styles of teaching. Takayama trained the undergraduate TAs to lead the problem-solving sessions and help students grasp the material. “The TAs have been an immensely important aspect of this experiment because they are instrumental in engaging students in the process of collaborative learning,” Takayama wrote in an email to The Herald. “The deep learning takes place when students are engaged in meaningful discourse and problem-solving during the faceto-face time, and these exercises must be scaffolded carefully to promote effective study habits.” Alex Drechsler ’15, who worked as one of the TAs in the flipped section, said many students appreciated the
for the position, citing Brown’s “excellent talent pool.” It is important for the new provost to have “long-term experience with the unique ethos that has made Brown such a stellar place to learn and teach,” he added. Savage wrote that the new provost should be a physical scientist to maintain academic balance among the top three members of the University’s administration, referring to Paxson, an economics scholar, and Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12, a former professor of English, who represent the social sciences and humanities, respectively. Harris and Gilman are focused on ensuring student involvement in the search process. “I reached out to the Office of the President, and we’ll definitely be in conversation with them about the search process and how students are going to be involved,” Harris said. “We do these searches in the Brown way, which is you get all of the stakeholders to conduct a very thorough search,” Gilman said. -With additional reporting by Caroline Kelly and Molly Schulson flipped classroom model. “I heard from a lot of students that they looked forward to the (problemsolving) sections,” Drechsler said. “One week we didn’t have section, and the students actually complained that they were having a tougher time with the material than normal.” Jenna Anders ’16, who was enrolled in the traditional section, said she felt at times that students from the other section were more prepared than she was. “There were some instances in which I felt that they had a better understanding of certain material when we would study together,” she said. “They occasionally cited the problems they had done in their problem-solving session, and they cited problems that were harder than what I’d done.” Takayama said the Sheridan Center will continue to work with professors to try out new teaching methods in their classes. This semester, courses in the chemistry, applied math and physics departments will also involve collaborative problem-solving sessions, though their professors will not replace lectures with videos, she said. Dal Bo said he wants to continue teaching the class in the flipped manner in future semesters. “For me, it was a very nice experience,” Dal Bo said. “I learned a lot. I hope to be teaching the class like this in the future.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
» HOCKEY, from page 1 The two first-years’ goals were even more notable given that Kramer and Pryzbek are on the second and third lines, respectively. Before Friday’s game, the first line’s attackers had scored 74 percent of the team’s goals by forwards. Pryzbek’s goal was the first of his career. “We had some secondary scoring,” Mark Naclerio ’16 said. Whittet added, “We’re gonna need it.” After the win, Whittet said the next game would be “very tough.” Yale proved him correct — to say the least. Saturday: Yale 6, Brown 0 In Saturday’s matchup, several untimely penalties halted any momentum for the Bears. Only a day after playing a big role in Brown’s win, Pryzbek was ejected for hitting a Yale player from behind, resulting in a five-minute major penalty. During the major, which does not expire after a goal is scored like minor penalties do, two Brown players were called for minors — leaving the Bears two men down for nearly three minutes. Yale scored three goals in those three minutes. Steel, another of the previous day’s stars, was pulled after 5:03, having
allowed three goals on seven shots. His replacement, Marco De Filippo ’14, gave up three goals on 30 more shots. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” Naclerio said. “It’s hard to come back from that deficit so early.” After the first-period storm passed, Bruno could not produce much offense, managing only 12 shots in the second period despite going on three power plays. Penalties continued to dog the team. Brown committed three more in the second but killed each off successfully. “In the second and third, we couldn’t generate anything to come back,” said captain Dennis Robertson ’14. Three more penalties in the third led to two more Yale goals, capping off a disappointing game for Brown. Though the Bears managed a win against a top10 team, players said the loss left them disappointed with the weekend. “We’re definitely not satisfied by any means,” Naclerio said. Robertson wanted to move past the loss and has already set his sights on the team’s next two games, when the Bears face conference rivals No. 12 Cornell and Colgate. He called the upcoming games part of “another huge weekend.” “We can’t sit and feel sorry for ourselves,” he said.
» SCHLISSEL, from page 1 from Michigan’s search committee just before the end of the fall semester, but his selection was not made official until Friday’s vote, he said. Schlissel said he had not actively been looking to leave the University and loves Brown, adding that he has rebuffed several inquiries from other universities gauging his interest in being considered for a presidential opening. But Michigan’s “breadth of excellence” and “public character” were tempting, Schlissel said. U.S. News and World Report ranks 99 of Michigan’s graduate programs in their disciplines’ top 10. “I have a great respect for the mission of the public research university, which is very clearly to educate the citizens of a
state,” Schlissel said. “Public universities tend to have large numbers of students who are … the first in their families to go to college, and they represent the breadth of society. It’s really education that many families use to climb the economic and social ladder.” Schlissel also expressed excitement about Michigan’s scale and volume of research. Its $1.3 billion of research spending in fiscal year 2012 placed it first among public universities, and the school trails only Johns Hopkins University in research expenditures among all American institutions of higher education. By comparison, Brown spent $178.9 million on research that year. Though Schlissel’s rise from faculty member to president was swift, universities today look more for “broadly defined
intellectual leadership” than for lengthy service in administration, Nelson said. Michigan faculty members will view Schlissel as a relatable colleague rather than someone “who has been cutting (his) teeth administratively for the last 20 years,” Nelson said. Paxson said she did not know Schlissel would be named Michigan’s president until about two weeks ago. But “he’s an exceptional leader, and people … with provost experience are in very high demand for university presidencies,” she said. “So while I didn’t know when it would happen, I’m not at all surprised that it did.” Nelson said Brown should be proud its provost was picked for such a prestigious presidency. “It speaks well of Schlissel and his credentials,” he said.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
Student programmers code through night at hackathon
Students from various universities compete in teams to design new programs By STEPHEN ARK STAFF WRITER
For 24 hours, the 225 students attending Hack@Brown had seemingly endless access to pizza, web tools and engineers from some of the top technology companies in the world. Student software creators from approximately 15 other universities made their way to College Hill Friday to join Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students, as well as professional developers, at what organizers called the University’s first student-run, day-long coding marathon. The conference, which started with a dinner at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Alumnae Hall, gave attendees the opportunity to form teams of four to six people based on ideas for new software projects, which they then designed and presented. Fiftysix projects were created over the 24hour period and were ultimately judged and given awards. A group of Brown first-years created the overall winning project, a
Snapchat-like application for voice messages, entitled “Squawk.” It had a “great user interface,” said Mackenzie Clark ’14, one of the event’s co-coordinators. Clark and Molly Long ’15 said 300 participants were randomly selected on a rolling basis from an applicant pool of more than 500 students due to size constraints. Emma Herold ’17 said though she has not yet taken advanced computer science classes, the high-level engineers provided support and “flipped (complex coding) from being daunting to being fun.” With Brown students in mind, one team in the hackathon designed a carpooling web application to allow students to post information about upcoming trips so others can join them. Sorin Vatasoiu ’17, a member of the group working on the app, said the team — which presented its final project Saturday night in MacMillan Hall — worked with an employee from Venmo, an online payment processing company, to include a payment mechanism in its app. Katie Hsia ’17 said her team drew inspiration from Wayland House’s many windows to design an outdoor “LED waterfall.” Their program activates a unique arrangement of colors on an LED light
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
Students collaborated with major technology companies as they designed, created and presented software projects at Hack@Brown this weekend. strip when a user scans his or her Banner ID sequence into a card reader. “Each digit corresponds to a color or gradient,” she explained. Clark and Long said they had the idea for the Hack@Brown event after a positive experience at the University Hacker Olympics in San Francisco last September. There, Long said engineers from major technology companies joined teams of undergraduate students, a unique arrangement for a hackathon. She added that while many similar events focus on prizes, the UHO emphasized collaboration and training less skilled hackers.
“It was a very empowering experience, and I felt like I could keep up with everyone,” Long said, adding that UHO participants were able to interact with students from other schools. Clark added that Hack@Brown included a major design component, building off existing relationships between the Department of Computer Science and RISD. Professional developers said they stayed with participants until the early hours of Saturday morning, before they left and returned for the final stretch Saturday afternoon. Bethany Holleran of GTECH, a
Providence-based information technology company, provided front-end web development for a group whose application lets Facebook and Twitter users coordinate automatic message posting on their behalf by causes and nonprofits. “It was very collaborative,” Holleran said of the experience. “It was like I was designing for a client.” Andrew Oates ’09 and Jimmy Kaplowitz ’07, both engineers at Google, helped a team of hackers create a program that finds books about the user’s current location on a map. For example, if the user opens the app in Providence, a list of books about Providence would be presented. Some previous hackathon-goers said they found the large, open character of Alumnae Hall with its 300 participants particularly conducive to collaboration. “This one is a lot bigger in scale,” Jared Moskowitz, a first-year at Tufts University, said of Hack@Brown, comparing it to other hackathons he has attended. “Here, we had a giant room and could hear other teams.” Moskowitz’s team worked throughout the 24-hour period, producing a Facebook game. “In total, our team probably slept about two hours,” he said.
Researchers determine coloring of ancient marine reptiles Pigment molecules extracted from fossils can be analyzed to reveal prehistoric skin colors By KIAN IVEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Researchers such as Ryan Carney GS can now determine the skin color of extinct reptiles — knowledge that can lead to insight about their behaviors. Carney and his colleagues performed a detailed chemical analysis of reptilian pigment molecules, with
the resulting study published in Nature Jan 8. “Our results provide the very first evidence of pigment molecules in fossilized skin, which therefore opens the door for reconstructing the colors of many more types of extinct creatures,” Carney said in a University press release. Previously, these pigments could only be isolated from feathers, he said. The team’s experiments used the latest technique available, which allowed them to “analyze molecules and molecular fragments,” said Johan Lindgren, co-author of the study and senior lecturer at Lund University in Sweden.
This technology is called Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and allows the researchers to detect and analyze pigment molecules. They then compare them to a collection of known molecular fingerprints to determine what color they would have been, Carney said. The major breakthrough that allowed for this sort of pigment study occurred in 2008 when University of Bristol Lecturer Jakob Vinther, a coauthor of the study, discovered that melanin granules — a type of pigment — can be isolated from squid and insect fossils.
This prompted a “giant leap forward in the technology,” Carney said. Scientists previously could only examine the dimensions and shapes of melanosomes, which are organelles that synthesize and transport melanin. Now scientists can closely analyze the pigment molecules themselves, he said. For their study, Carney said, the researchers chose two large, extinct marine reptiles — the ichthyosaur and the mosasaur — because their skin was well-preserved and dark, which indicated a presence of melanin. In their study, they compared the molecules from these fossils to a
modern leatherback turtle, Lindgren said. “The leatherback turtle is an interesting animal, and it’s also one of the only marine turtles that are actually left,” he added. Carney said the spectrum from the fossils matched modern eumelanin — an indicator of black or brown coloring — from squid, feathers and other fossils. Adult leatherback turtles are also very dark, which is believed “to allow them to absorb radiation and survive in colder environments,” Carney said. He and his team think this could be a reason fossilized animals “found in arctic, cold environments” each independently evolved this dark coloration, Carney added. All three of the marine creatures Carney studied were “secondarily aquatic, and all three were very dark, large and able to live in colder habitats,” Carney said. Carney said the presence of melanin in these distantly related organisms that inhabited a similar environment indicates convergent evolution, which suggests that melanin “had a role that was related or at least correlated with their marine habitat,” he added. For example, sea turtles and deep diving whales have very dark coloration, which “allows them to maintain camouflage in low-light environments,” he said. Lindgren said the potential for future research is significant. Because researchers can now visualize some of the coloration in ancient animals, they can infer certain behaviors, he said. Carney said one important lesson from this research is “the fact that compounds can be preserved molecularly for such a long time.” The ichthyosaur is 200 million years old, but researchers were still capable of finding sources of pigment because “melanin is robust,” he said. The advance in technology is an “awesome technique for pinpointing molecular signatures and things we never thought could have existed in the fossil records,” he added.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
MENU SHARPE REFECTORY
H A C K AT TA C K VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH Gnocchi with Kalamata Sauce, Green Beans with Roasted Tomato, Spinach and Feta Pie, Beef Strips Shish Kabob
Potato Vegetable Chowder, Vegan Minestrone Soup, Red Potato Fritatta, Italian Marinated Chicken
DINNER Ratatouille and Cheese, Macaroni and Cheese, Creamy Smashed Sweet Potatoes, Slow Roast Pork Loin
Chicken Pot Pie, Mashed Butternut Squash, Mediterranean Salmon Stir Fry, Mediterranean Vegetable Stir Fry
SUDOKU
CROSSWORD Repetitive and redundant
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EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
By Ian Everbach ’17
1
Student coders worked in teams with professional engineers and developers for 24 straight hours this past Friday and Saturday at Hack@Brown, Brown’s first-ever hackathon event.
COMIC Let’s Talk | Nava Winkler
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Solution to previous puzzle:
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“(McGonagill) is the best player in the league, and he played like it
�
CALENDAR TODAY
JANUARY 27
4:00  P.M.  WHAT YOUR PARENTS CAN’T TEACH YOU ABOUT FINDING A JOB
Joshua Waldman ’00 will show attendees how to use social media to find a job. There will also be a drawing to win a copy of Waldman’s book “Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies� for those registered. Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Martinos Auditorium 8:00  P.M.  BEAM INFORMATION SESSION
The Brown Elementary After-school Mentoring program allows students to design their own lesson plans in various subject areas for implementation at D’Abate Elementary School. Swearer Center for Public Service
TOMORROW
JANUARY 28
6:30  P.M.  “THE ABOLITIONISTS� SCREENING
today.
To honor the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, the documentary “The Abolitionists� will be presented by the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. Smith-Buonanno, Room 106
— Head Coach Mike Martin ‘04
See M. BASKETBALL on page 8.
9:00 Â P.M. Â LATE AS F@$& FEAT. DAVID BW
The PW will present a live talk show in the Upspace featuring music and student performances. TF Green Hall
6 commentary
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
EDITORIAL
We need greater student interest in UCS activity ≠The Undergraduate Council of Students’ leaders recently spoke to The Herald about the Council’s priorities for the spring semester, which echo last semester’s unfinished goals. Financial aid and advising remain at the top of the agenda, and last semester’s coal divestment decision — which left many students and faculty members disappointed with the Corporation’s leadership — has sparked the Council to call for greater Corporation transparency. While UCS can boast a handful of victories, including President Christina Paxson’s recent announcement that the University will fund unpaid internships on a need basis, perennial qualms persist. There exists a widespread “culture of apathy” whereby students are disconnected from the decisions made by the University. While UCS is theoretically the voice of the undergraduate body, the reality is that UCS offers a platform for only a small percentage of students to offer their voices. It is not enough for UCS to bear all the responsibility for prompting change; it is every student’s responsibility to participate in discussion and broadcast the issues he or she would like to see changed. UCS should act like a government, wherein the most capable and worthy people are elected to represent the diverse interests of all students. We fall short of meeting this standard since many student government positions are not even contested in the elections. Just last spring, for example, only one candidate ran for the position of vice president. Only increased participation — more attendance at UCS debates, more students seeking active UCS roles, increased interest in those running for office, greater involvement at the polls — will ensure a system in which diverse student priorities are brought to the public stage. In most cases aside from participation in student government, Brown students are far from apathetic. Last semester, many students were enraged by the Corporation’s decision not to divest from major coal companies, and they made their grievances known by forming student organizations and protests. That pent-up anger reached full throttle, erupting at the protests against New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly, just days after the coal divestment decision. Students clearly care about the decisions the University makes, so with its reputation for liberal progress and activism, why does the student body detach from UCS? By fighting for increased financial aid and greater University transparency, UCS is working to alleviate the issues that it knows are of significant importance to the overall population. It will take greater participation and interest in the Council’s agenda, however, before its influence can reach its full potential. There is little doubt that students’ voices hold weight, and UCS should be a mechanism that represents and amplifies them.
A N G E L IA WA N G
CORRECTIONS An article in Friday’s Herald (“John Banville: ‘The sentence is what makes us human,’” Jan. 24) misstated the book from which author John Banville read at a Jan. 22 event. It was “The Blue Guitar,” a novel in progress, not his upcoming “The Black-Eyed Blonde.” The Herald regrets the error. An article in Thursday’s Herald (“Mayoral, gubernatorial hopefuls talk local issues,” Jan. 23) misstated the party in which Ken Block is a gubernatorial candidate. He is running as a Republican, not a Moderate. The Herald regrets the error.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Matt Brundage ’15 and Rachel Occhiogrosso ’14, and its members, Hannah Loewentheil ’14 and Thomas Nath ’16. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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commentary 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
Bad rich people NICO ENRIQUEZ OPINIONS COLUMNIST
Being powerful makes you a worse person. Now the above is a generalization, but it is a claim made by a growing number of studies. Multiple publications have found that the more social power a person has, the less they pay attention to those under them. Certain studies have analyzed five-minute meet-andgreets between strangers of different social standings. Those with more power exhibited dramatically fewer signs that they were attending to the conversation, like nodding or laughing. They were also more likely to be openly disparaging. Those with more power exhibited negative facial expressions, interrupted the conversation and looked over their conversation partners’ shoulder more often than those with less power. A 2008 study published by researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Amsterdam buttresses the above findings. In the study, the researchers observed conversations about painful subjects, like divorce or the loss of a child, between two strangers. Following the same trend described above, they found that those with more power were less empathetic towards the trials and tribulations of those “beneath them.” These findings do not indicate that every member of the upper class is a monster or even that most are, but that in general those with more wealth openly display fewer
signs of empathy. David Keltner of UC Berkeley argues that the upper classes are so insulated from the stress and hardships experienced by people in the lower brackets that they never learn to empathize or even imagine what the lower income classes experience. While a poor person might rely on a neighbor to watch their house or children, a wealthier person can simply hire someone. This larger range of options means the wealthier person does not need to cultivate relations with their local environment, because they can use monetary contracts, instead of social ones, to achieve the same means. A common theme in cognitive neuroscience is that repeated exposure and practice are the basis of our conditioning to stimuli, and therefore our habits and reactions. Without practice, we do not develop the traits we may need in that area. The rich do not need to practice empathy every day — though most do anyway — so they fall behind in this category. In our economy, where convenience is often bought at a premium — the so-called “first class/coach class” model of airlines has prospered and grown massively. In theory, this model benefits everyone involved: the upper class pay a massive premium to purchase a better flying experience. The airlines can use the high profit margins from first class seats to reduce coach prices and compete with other airlines,
therefore benefiting consumers. Everybody wins. Except now the two classes are separated not only by their wealth but also physically. There is no space or forum to connect and learn from each other. This type of business model has also permeated almost every sector of our society, including vacation packages, nightclubs, telephone hotlines, concerts and, with the dizzying rise of lobbying, campaign financing — as super PACs and the various avenues for unlimited campaign donation expose even our own government to this two-tiered model. From 2000 to 2010, lobbying spending more than doubled, rising from $1.45 billion to $3.55 billion. And in the presidential field, the New York Times just reported that in “perhaps the earliest start to bigdollar (fundraising)” a super PAC has fully aligned itself with Hillary Clinton and opened the door for those who are “eager to ingratiate themselves with Mrs. Clinton and her inner circle.” It is extremely dangerous for our country that both the government and our economic system have aligned to separate the rich from the poor in terms of physical interactions, treatment and even the rights each group is afforded. The invisible hand of the economy is arguably the most powerful force in all human progress, and, therefore, in how nearly all goods, labor and liberties are allocated. Our informa-
Everyone knows that both our industry and our government are lying to us. It is the newest form of “separate but equal.”
tion-driven economy is highly biased toward those who can manipulate and use it: the wealthy, welleducated and well-connected. The only consistent counterweight to a market that promotes inequality is government. But now our government is systematically being bought by the same people who rose to the top of our staggered pile. Our government representatives and our companies are adamant that they treat everyone equally. Regardless of what your request is when contacting customer service the common refrain is “dear valued customer.” Our congressmen always claim to fight for the little man — even as they pour champagne and orange juice for the three-piece suit or as they tug the food stamps out of the hands of the single mother. The sad thing is everyone knows that both our industry and our government are lying to us. It is the newest form of “separate but equal.” So how do we stop the rise of “economic racism”? There is no one answer, but there are many actions that would be progress toward that end. Let’s close tax loopholes and institute the “Warren Buffett minimum tax” on the top earners. If we simplify the system and have an easy-to-interpret tiered tax structure, we could avoid the absurdity of Warren Buffett paying a lower tax rate than his secretary. Let’s actually have a progressive tax system in reality as well as in name. Lasting change starts with the youth. Stronger public schools and early education would help lift up poor individuals. A school community service requirement for all public and private school systems would teach students greater empathy, as
would a requirement of early and sustained social cognition classes in which empathy, listening, effective communication and other essential skills are taught. Aside from the fact that such classes would allow even the most diverse communities to be more cohesive, they would also improve post-graduation outcomes, as several New York City public schools have already demonstrated. As these schools have shown, there would be more empathy, better students and improved job performance. From there an even bolder move would be to require one or two years of public service from all persons who turn 18 after this year. We could institute a public service system similar to that of Israel or Finland, each of which require civic or armed forces involvement. Mandating young people serve their country and others, and appropriately compensating them for the work, would cause a universal integration of the rich and the poor. If people were forced to be involved with their government, they would definitely do more to make sure it was better. We would fight fewer wars if those with power had children in the armed services. The racial integration of schools shows us that biases can dissolve and empathy improve. It may be the case that integrating the workforce will have a similar effect.
Nico Enriquez ’16 can be reached at nenriquez3@gmail.com. Angry response emails can be sent to sarah_palin@gunsforbabies.com.
Golden threat MEGAN GRAPENGETERRUDNICK OPINIONS COLUMNIST
Everyone who had plans to attend the 2014 Winter Olympics most likely experienced a nervous pit in their stomachs when watching the news in December. Eyes plastered to the television screen, the world learned of violent obstacles that may interfere with the Olympics and make traveling there unsafe. People immediately began questioning the safety of the event, selling their tickets and cancelling flights. This was unnecessary, however, as the Russian authorities were simultaneously making the proper security changes to make it a perfectly safe event. As the most universally popular collection of sporting events of all time, the Olympic Games attract flocks of spectators from countries all over the world every two years. It is one of the international sphere’s finest displays of diplomacy, as representatives of all ethnicities and backgrounds observe and cheer in the same stands for the same event peacefully. According to the media, this year will be different. Terrorists will obstruct and overcome the peace experienced in all prior years. But will this year really be different from others? In late December, two attacks by suicide bombers occurred within 24 hours of each
other. These attacks targeted two forms of public transportation in Volgograd, Russia, a key transit hub for travel to Sochi. The deaths of 34 innocent citizens in this political manner immediately sent people into a frenzy, raising questions about whether Russia would proceed to hold the Games, if it would be safe to send the athletes there and who is responsible for their security. They were not considering that the bombings could actually serve as incentive to build an exceedingly thorough security system. The explosions — on a public bus and in a train station — were the acts of a terrorist group that has remained anonymous. People suspected the leader of a local extremist group who threatened in July to do everything in his power to prevent the Games from occurring. This week, that theory has been solidified with a new threat from the same group. This one warns of a “present” to be given to Sochi and every person there. Yet as the world grows increasingly nervous, there is something else the people can consider. What these doubtful individuals forget is that this is nothing novel to the security world. Terrorists have threatened countless Olympic
Games in past years — why should this year be any different? The fact is, many terrorist threats and attempts in the past were defeated, making the Olympic venue arguably the safest place in the world. Past Games proved mostly successful in fending off attacks, allowing officials to be comfortable enough to send their most crucial political figures to attend the Games, despite terrorist threats. If anything, the bombings in Volgograd are prompting an even more extensive security task force to prepare for the Olympics because Russia is currently determined to not lose any more souls to terrorist attacks. This year will include one of the most tightly and extensively monitored Games in history in order to ensure the worrying public’s safety. The question on all spectators’ minds: Is it worth the risk? Australia seems to think it is not worth it, as all Australian athletes have been mandated to arrive in Sochi by air, thus minimizing their exposure to possible terrorist attacks in Russia. But is their concern warranted? Some say it is, comparing this terrorist group to al-Qaida. Some claim that if such terrorists threatened to disrupt the Games, they would see to it
They were not considering that the bombings could actually serve as incentive to build an exceedingly thorough security system.
without fail. By this reasoning, some are led to believe that this group will not rest until it sees its desired result: the derailing or cancellation of the 2014 Winter Olympics. In response, authorities started by ramping up surveillance, examining thousands of buildings and searching just as many people. Police are detaining any and all who resist, actions that scream to the public, “No one will get by us.” Most recently, the Russians requested the usage of sophisticated American technologies that can detect and interfere with the radio signals that are necessary to detonate a bomb. If the Americans grant Russia permission to borrow the technology, Sochi will be fully equipped to handle any attack to protect the public. While it may be slightly more difficult for authorities to cover other parts of Russia, be sure that the Games will be monitored more closely than ever. There is little doubt that Russia will make up for the previous terrorist attacks by being thorough and secure. For those planning on attending the Olympics, you should be confident that Russian security has made the necessary changes to ensure everyone’s safety at the venue.
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick ’17 can be contacted at megan_grapengeter-rudnick@brown. edu.
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD M. BASKETBALL
sports monday
M. BASKETBALL
Breaking down Bears’ Bruno exacts revenge on Bulldogs ’14 sets career first Ivy League victory McGonagill high with seven threepointers, leading Bruno to first Ivy League victory By ALEX WAINGER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD
Co-captain Sean McGonagill ’14 sinks three of his game-high 29 points, which he scored in just 26 minutes while fighting foul trouble all game.
What McGonagill’s time on and off the court Saturday means for Bruno’s success By SAM RUBINROIT SPORTS STAFF WRITER
A packed house at the Pizzitola Center looked on to see the men’s basketball team capture its first conference win Saturday over Yale. Here is a breakdown of the Bears’ performance in the resounding 73-56 victory.
ANALYSIS
What’s strong Senior guard Sean McGonagill ’14, the Ivy League’s leading scorer, made easy work of the Bulldog defense, shooting a remarkably efficient 8-for-11 from the field, 7-for-9 from beyond the arc and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Even more impressively, McGonagill’s game-high 29 points came in just 26 minutes of play. The senior played only seven minutes in the opening half after picking up two early fouls. “I could say that we defended for 40 minutes and played tough defense, and that’s true,” said Head Coach Mike Martin ’04. “But the difference was that we had Sean McGonagill and they didn’t, and that’s why we won the game.” The Bears (9-7, 1-1 Ivy) also posted a strong showing on the boards, pulling down 40 rebounds to the Bulldogs’ 30, leading Bruno to a 13-6 advantage on second-chance points. Rafael Maia ’15, the Ivy League’s second-leading rebounder, had a game-high eight rebounds, while Cedric Kuakumensah ’16 and Steven Spieth ’17 corralled seven apiece. What’s wrong The Bears struggled with turnovers throughout the matchup, mishandlingseveral passes while trying to set up their half-court offense as the Bulldogs (7-9, 1-1) made an aggressive effort to deny lanes. Bruno handed Yale 15 points off 13 turnovers, including 10 fast-break points. These mistakes frequently made it difficult for the Bears to get into a rhythm on offense. “We just need to take what the
defense gives us more instead of trying to force the issue,” Martin said. “When we space the floor and move the ball offensively, I think we can be dangerous, and we can be hard to guard.” Four of the Bears’ turnovers came from first-year guard Tavon Blackmon ’17, who has assumed much of the ballhandling responsibility from McGonagill this season. Fellow first-year Spieth added three turnovers of his own. As Bruno’s young players gain experience in conference play and grow more comfortable with the offense, the squad will likely see these turnover numbers decline. What’s new Despite McGonagill’s impressive showing against the Bulldogs, perhaps the biggest storyline of the night was the Bears’ performance in the guard’s absence. The senior left the game due to foul trouble with 14:22 remaining in the first half, when the Bears held a 16-10 advantage. The McGonagill-less squad managed not only to preserve the lead, but also to extend it to 11 by the time McGonagill returned with just under three minutes remaining in the period. “I thought our guys played with great energy,” McGonagill said, referring to the team’s performance during his time on the bench. “Tavon was getting the ball up and down the court really well, and he found guys and made some nice plays in transition.” Several players stepped up for the Bears, including Dockery Walker ’15, who was the team’s second-leading scorer with 10 points on five-of-six shooting, and Leland King ’17, who added six points. “Leland King and Doc gave us great minutes in that stretch,” Martin said. “We believe in our depth, and we think everyone can contribute.” The squad’s performance is a good sign for a young Brown team. McGonagill has led the team in scoring in 13 of Bruno’s 16 games, and as the Bears continue Ivy League play, opponents are sure to focus their game plan on stopping the standout point guard. Furthermore, Bruno’s production without McGonagill provides a glimmer of hope for the program as it looks ahead to a time when McGonagill — one of only two seniors on the team — is no longer at the helm.
After losing their Ivy league opener to Yale last week, the Bears came back with a vengeance to beat the Bulldogs 73-56 in the Pizzitola Center Saturday. Bruno took hold of the lead three minutes into the game and never relinquished it. The Bears (9-7, 1-1 Ivy) opened their scoring with four treys, three of which came from co-captain Sean McGonagill ’14. Twenty-one of McGonagill’s gamehigh 29 points came from behind the arc. He managed to post his scoring total on just 11 shots from the field and set a career high with seven three-pointers. But after picking up a second quick foul just six minutes into the game, McGonagill was replaced by Norman Hobbie ’17 and did not return to action until three minutes before the end of the half. “The irony is, we built our lead in the first half with (McGonagill) on the bench,” said Head Coach Mike Martin ’04. “But without him in the second half, it’s a different game. He’s the best player in the league, and he played like
it today.” To build that first half lead without McGonagill, Martin relied on the depth of his bench. Leland King ’17 contributed six points and five boards, while Dockery Walker ’15 added 10 points and an assist. Walker shot five-of-six from the field in just 14 minutes. “(King) and (Walker) gave us great minutes,” Martin said. “We believe in our depth. We believe in the guys we have. We think everyone can contribute, and we got huge contributions up and down the lineup.” The Bears went into the half leading 38-25, with McGonagill having played just seven minutes. Yale (7-9, 1-1), led by Justin Sears — who netted 17 points — came out of the half playing aggressive defense and cut into the lead. The Bulldogs forced two turnovers from point guard Tavon Blackmon ’17 and managed to reduce the margin to seven with 14 minutes remaining. Rafael Maia ’15 brought the home crowd back into the game with an uncontested three-pointer, just his second trey of the season. McGonagill fired up the crowd even further with a three of his own just 30 seconds later, extending the lead to 13. The Bears then went cold, allowing Yale to climb back into the game once
again. Six free throws and a jump shot for Sears sliced Bruno’s lead to just five with eight minutes remaining. But McGonagill took back control of the game, leading the Bears on a 13-3 run. During the run, McGonagill sparked the crowd when he converted a four-point play — nailing a long three as he was hacked by a Yale defender and then hitting the free throw. He drained another three a minute later to solidify the double-digit lead. “We’re at our best when Sean’s at his best,” said co-captain Cedric Kuakumensah ’16. “Sean’s a really good player — I think the best in the Ivy League. When he’s playing well, it gives the team this extra kick, and everyone is more motivated to chip in and do their part.” “(McGonagill) is great to play with, because he’s a great shooter,” Maia said. “He makes the defense collapse and help on him. He also has good vision, so if he’s being double teamed, he always finds me when I’m open.” Maia displayed his own court vision, dishing out a career-high five assists against the Bulldogs. Kuakumensah added seven rebounds, two blocks and four points in 23 minutes of play. The squad will have a week to practice and rest before hosting Cornell (1-15, 0-2) and Columbia (13-6, 2-0) back-to-back next weekend.
W. ICE HOCKEY
Key weekend for Bears results in tie and loss Women’s hockey remains near ECAC cellar after disappointing one-point weekend vs. Yale By LAINIE ROWLAND SPORTS STAFF WRITER
The women’s ice hockey team recorded a 2-2 tie and a 3-1 loss in its home-and-home series against Yale this weekend. The Bulldogs (7-10-4, 5-5-4 ECAC) came in strong, having only lost two games in January compared to Brown’s four. Brown faced a formidable opponent in Yale freshman standout and ECAC Rookie of the Week Phoebe Staenz, who will soon join the Swiss Olympic team in Sochi, Russia. The Bulldogs snagged an early lead midway through the first period Friday when Staenz beat goalie Aubree Moore ’14. Bruno (2-14-5, 1-10-3) tied it up in the second period with a power-play goal by Catherine Leboeuf ’17, her second goal of the season. The game stayed close, tied 1-1 heading into the third period, but the Bulldogs broke the stalemate with 11 minutes to play, sneaking the puck in from behind Moore. The Bears nearly tied the game quickly after the Yale goal when Leboeuf just missed a power-play tally. With the clock running under three minutes to play, Sarah Robson ’15 led the Bruno rally. Taking control of the puck, Robson executed a clean pass to Kaitlyn Keon ’15, who took a shot from the circle that teammate Jessica Hoyle ’14 deflected in for the tying point.
Despite another close Bulldog scoring opportunity in the last two minutes, the game carried into overtime. Neither team was able to steal the victory during extra play, though Bruno had two scoring chances — one on a breakaway from Janice Yang ’15.5 and the other on a missed slap shot from Robson with only seconds remaining. “We played really hard. We had a ton of good chances. We probably had enough good chances to win the game,” said Head Coach Amy Bourbeau. Bruno took 31 shots on goal, compared to Yale’s 33, a good showing for a Bears squad that is often outshot by much more. Returning to the ice on Saturday, the Bears took an early lead that lasted much of the game. The first and only Bruno goal was scored by Brittany Moorehead ’15, her first goal of the season, on an assist from Monica Masucci ’16. Bruno was unable to push the lead, missing a couple close scoring opportunities in the first period. Entering the second period, Bruno successfully killed a five-on-three penalty. Moore and the defense survived some close calls but were able to clear the puck and end the power play with no damage done to the Bears’ lead. The Elis had three scoring opportunities with 30 seconds left in the second period, but great saves by Moore prevented goals, and the period ended with the Bears holding a one-goal lead. “We let Yale hang in the game even though we had the one goal lead. We continued to not be able to finish. So that in the third period, I knew they were going to come on strong,”
Bourbeau said. After Yale committed a penalty six minutes into the third period, Brown gave up the equalizing goal to the shorthanded Bulldogs. The tally initiated a wave of momentum for Yale. Four minutes later, the Bulldogs crowded the net, missing the first two but putting away the third. A third Eli goal with less than two minutes left cemented Yale’s victory. Bruno made costly mistakes in the third period, Bourbeau said. “We panicked a little bit,” she said. “We tried to do too much with the puck.” Friday night’s game in New Haven was Yale’s fourth annual “White Out for Mandi,” in honor of former Bulldog Mandi Schwartz, Yale class of 2010, which raised funds for the Mandi Schwartz Foundation. The organization assists youth hockey players with serious illnesses, according to the Yale Daily News. “Just being in the ‘Whiteout for Mandi’ was really exciting. It’s such a good cause,” Bourbeau said. The following night was just as ceremonial. Returning to Meehan Auditorium Saturday, the Bears donned throwback “Pembroke Pandas” uniforms to celebrate 50 years of Brown women’s ice hockey, making it the oldest women’s hockey program in the United States. Alumnae from all eras of the program attended the game and were honored between periods. The team’s first head coach, Steve Shea, who led Bruno to three Ivy League Championships, dropped a ceremonial puck before the game. The Bears take the ice again next weekend as they travel to upstate New York to take on Colgate (5-19-2, 2-120) and Cornell (14-3-4, 9-2-3).