Thursday, October 9, 2014

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THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 85

since 1891

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

CO M PA S S I O N , C A R E , C R E AT I V I T Y

Zoning revamp could spur development

Proposed land use rules would reduce Thayer Street building permits, parking requirements By SARAH NOVICOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A new Providence zoning ordinance could go into effect by the end of this year that would streamline commercial corridor guidelines, reform parking regulations, create new transit-oriented development zones and form a new landmarked historical district. The ordinance, which is currently in its fifth draft, has undergone 18 months of public comment and revisions by both an advisory committee and a city planning committee. The City Council held a hearing on the measure Wednesday afternoon. The new regulations are likely to be

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SAM KASE / HERALD

Kali Quinn, adjunct lecturer in theater arts and performance studies, discusses improving intergenerational health care at a talk Wednesday.

adopted in November and would go into effect 30 days later, said Robert Azar, director of current planning at the city’s Department of Planning and Development. The goal of this effort is to “evaluate the best of what we have” and to make laws that allow for new development to “replicate that traditional urban fabric,” Azar said, adding that the best urban designs prioritize mixed-used structures and public transportation while preserving the character of the city. The city’s current zoning code was last rewritten 20 years ago, and its core components remain from the 1950s. This marks the first time in the last 60 years that the entire ordinance will be redone, Azar said. Bonnie Nickerson, director of longrange planning for the city, cited the new Comprehensive Plan — a separate document to guide city development decisions finalized in August 2012 — as a major motivation behind

the zoning ordinance overhaul. The plan highlights sustainability, equity, creativity, collaboration and engagement as the guiding principles for the city’s development moving forward. This ordinance is just one aspect of intentions to implement the Comprehensive Plan, which will also increase low-income housing, artistic development and public awareness about the city’s initiatives. On College Hill, the ordinance would maintain west Thayer Street as an institutional zone that is heavily restricted to commercial development, while expanding the commercial zone on east Thayer Street to the western side of Brook Street. That commercial zone will be part of a new overlay district — an area in which two zoning categories, such as institutional and commercial designations, overlap — that will make the University’s development in the area easier. “Zoning is so important because it » See ZONING, page 8

NECAP draws criticism after drop in scores Tools for student groups R.I. education officials cite scoring error as possible cause of decline in scores on science section By EMILY WOOLDRIDGE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When national science competition winners from high-performing Rhode Island schools score poorly on the New England Common Assessment Program Science exam, it is apparent that “something is wrong here,” said Lawrence Filippelli, assistant superintendent of the Scituate School Department. After last spring’s NECAP scores

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became known on Sept. 19, the Rhode Island Department of Education decided to postpone the release of the scores to the public due to rising concern from school districts over sharp drops in science scores, said Elliot Krieger, public information officer for RIDE. In what Filippelli described as an “unheard-of ” occurrence, even some of Rhode Island’s best schools incurred double-digit percentagepoint decreases. The exam scores have ramifications for teachers, students and the communities they inhabit, said Timothy Ryan, executive director of the Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association. They hold a lot of weight in the public’s evaluation of teacher

and student performances, he added. “People are really sensitive right now,” Ryan said, referring to the aftermath of the scores’ release. Many superintendents allege that the exams were scored inaccurately, Filippelli said. In particular, questions on which high numbers of students scored a zero could have been scored wrongly. Several students received no score for specific questions, especially on the constructed response and inquiry tasks, he said, noting that more than 75 percent of eighth graders at a school he oversees received zeroes on one question. “I don’t want school committees or the public to think this is an » See NECAP, page 3

to undergo upgrades

Event registration to go paperless, student group budget request system to be streamlined By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The University will replace the online student group platform MyGroups with a more efficient software in January, said Timothy Shiner, director of student activities and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, at the Undergraduate Council of Students general body meeting Wednesday night.

Undergraduate Finance Board Chair Alex Sherry ’15 and Vice Chair Dakotah Rice ’16 also addressed the council about changes to student group categorization this semester. “This will help move a lot of the process into the modern era,” Shiner said of the software switch. “This (new) program has the potential to be really cool, because this software is really powerful.” In a second change aimed at helping student groups, event registration will now be done online rather than by submitting a paper form to the Student Activities Office, Shiner said. Student groups often struggle with » See UCS, page 2

House campaign draws student to political front lines By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

As prominent donors to Seth Moulton, the Democratic candidate to represent Massachusetts’ sixth district, strolled into the lobby of the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Massachusetts, they were greeted with a friendly handshake. “Hi, how are you? I’m Haley Scott.” Haley Scott ’15.5 took this semester off to work full-time for Moulton’s congressional campaign, an operation with multiple ties to the Brown community

inside

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and one that stunned the political world with an upset win in the Democratic primary Sept. 9. Moulton beat U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-M.A., for his party’s nomination, becoming the first Democrat to defeat an incumbent Massachusetts congressman in a primary in 22 years. Scott first heard of Moulton while working in the alum office of her alma mater, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, a prestigious private boarding school that Moulton also attended. As part of an initiative to recognize alums who had served in the military, Moulton wanted to organize a special edition of the school’s magazine for the fall of 2011, according to the academy’s website. Scott said she contributed to the magazine because she had some editorial and design experience. Though she never met Moulton during this time,

she decided to intern with his campaign because of “how amazing his story was,” she said. Moulton brings to his candidacy a background as a veteran, businessman and academic who has garnered attention at a young age. After graduating from Phillips Academy, Moulton attended Harvard. He joined the Marine Corps in 2001 and served four tours of duty in Iraq, after which he returned to Cambridge to attend Harvard Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Moulton then worked for Texas Central Railway as a managing director and started his own business back in Massachusetts. After interning with Moulton, Scott joined the campaign team full-time in August, working as a field coordinator until the primary. She organized canvases and phone banks in 10 of the 39 cities

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EMMA JERZYK / HERALD

Haley Scott ’15.5 joined Seth Moulton’s congressional campaign as a field organizer and became deputy finance director this fall. in Massachusetts. For the first week of classes, Scott juggled her full-time job and a full load of classes because she

Commentary

Rhode Island’s first farm brewery joins a growing number of craft beer producers in nation

Isman ’15: Career fair should offer opportunities in more diverse fields

Student Power Initiative: Students should have a voice on the Corporation

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Undergrad, alum assist in Mass. Democrat’s upset primary win over incumbent congressman

wanted to remain a full-time student in the event Moulton lost. After Moulton » See CAMPAIGN, page 4 t o d ay

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2 university news » UCS, from page 1 finding adequate spaces on campus to hold their events and activities, Shiner said. Dance groups in particular feel the pressure of finding larger, specialized spaces and often deal with scheduling issues such as extremely long waitlists for spaces, he added. UFB has also streamlined its application process, Rice said. After meeting with a UFB representative, applicants can now fill out a budget template outline and then present at the UFB general body meeting. “You’ll get a decision that night, and have those funds transferred to you that night” if the group is approved, Rice said. “We wanted to increase that transparency.” Sherry cautioned the council against categorizing too many “capital-intensive” groups, as this could jeopardize the amount of funding each group receives. “It is something that you need to look at holistically,” he said. “Things don’t exist independently of each other — they are working together on Brown’s campus.” “Every year a few groups go defunct, and then there are new groups,” Shiner said. “So in an ideal world, the number of groups would stay the same. Therefore, if groups don’t go defunct, recognizing new groups can be problematic.” Shiner said he recognizes a trend at Brown of students feeling inclined to lead new groups rather than collaborating with groups already in place. “There’s definitely this desire to be the founder of something with a lot of students,” he said. “But I think there’s just as much value in taking on and improving something that already exists.” In discussing building space and size constraints for student organizations, Shiner also said the University is entertaining potential plans to build a new performing arts center on campus in the next five to six years. Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 and an external specialist in performing arts have been working for several months to outline a recommendation to the University, Shiner said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

This Week in Higher Ed BY MAXINE JOSELOW, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Princeton ditches grade deflation policy

RHEA STARK / HERALD

Timothy Shiner, director of student activities and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, and UFB leaders address UCS members Wednesday. “It’s not just a student group issue; it’s for the University,” he said. “That’s the long-term solution, and the short-term solution is to do the best we can” with existing spaces, he added. The BrownConnect internship initiative team also appeared at the meeting to discuss its website with UCS members and ask for feedback. The group asked to remain off the record but revealed that the internship connection site is set to launch next month. UCS Admissions and Student Services Chair Ryan Lessing ’17 and pending committee member Luke Camery ’17 proposed a resolution to create a new UCS committee called Brown Developer Exchange. The committee would aim to support students looking to create new technological platforms, such as websites or apps, for the Brown community. “We’re going to get a group together — some UCS people, some (computer science) people and maybe others — working on some new projects,” Camery said. “There are some CS students who are just rabid to work on some of these websites.” Lessing said he has discussed the subcommittee with Ravi Pendse P’17, chief information officer and vice president of Computing and Information Services. The subcommittee “ties in nicely” with Pendse’s goals, and the council “would be able to get the support that we need” from CIS, Lessing

said, adding that one of the subcommittee’s potential projects could be reformulating the Banner website. The council concluded its meeting by discussing the categorization of five student groups. Hansori, a traditional Korean drumming group that has been dormant for several years on MyGroups, was approved to return as a Category 1 group, meaning it will not receive funding but can participate in the student group online platform, reserve campus spaces and make Morning Mail announcements. Stand Up!, a sexual assault discussion group that emerged last spring, and Brown University NAACP, which has not been active at Brown since the 1980s, were also approved as Category 1 groups. Vagabond Magazine, a multicultural online magazine that was previously Category 1, was approved as a Category 2 group. In addition to the privileges of Category 1, it will now receive baseline funding of $200, which group members expressed the desire to use for a photography exhibit, team-building activities and a potential print edition. Artbeat, a group aiming to make a safe, noncompetitive space for students to create and appreciate art, applied for Category 1 group status. But the council did not approve the group’s request due to a perceived lack of uniqueness in light of existing art groups.

Princeton’s faculty voted to repeal the university’s controversial grade deflation policy after sustained criticism of its effectiveness, the Daily Princetonian reported Monday. Administrators implemented the policy 10 years ago to combat what they saw as a worrisome trend toward an increase in the number of high grades distributed to students. The policy mandated that A’s should account for no more than 35 percent of total grades in each academic department. The faculty vote came after an ad hoc committee convened in October 2013 by Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton, called the policy unproductive and urged its repeal. The committee’s report revealed that only 5 percent of undergraduates and 6 percent of faculty members found the policy “effective in maintaining fair and consistent grading standards,” the Daily Princetonian reported. Faculty members will now be encouraged to follow substantive, well-constructed grading standards, according to a draft of a new policy obtained by the Daily Princetonian. The Faculty Committee on Examination and Standing will conduct periodic reviews of these standards and provide faculty members with grade distribution information each fall. When Princeton introduced the grade deflation policy a decade ago, none of its peer institutions had taken formal steps to curb grade inflation. While Princeton administrators expressed confidence at the time that more Ivy League institutions would adopt such a policy, none have done so. But Ivy League administrators are considering the possibility of institutionalizing measures against grade inflation, The Herald reported last spring. Yale formed an ad hoc committee on grading in April 2013 that recommended adopting a 100-point grading scale and a rubric of grade distributions, prompting a student protest, the Yale Daily News reported at the time. Harvard faculty members expressed concern last December that the most frequently awarded grade in undergraduate courses was an A and median grade an A-, the Harvard Crimson reported at the time.

Cornell looks to bolster community engagement

Cornell announced Monday the launch of a $150 million, decade-long initiative to promote greater community outreach and service. The initiative, called Engaged Cornell, aims to “establish community engagement and real-world learning experiences as the hallmark of the Cornell undergraduate experience,” the Cornell Chronicle reported Monday. Engaged Cornell will provide departmental grants to undergraduates, establish a leadership program open to the entire student body and create new introductory and advanced courses, the Cornell Chronicle reported. By the time the program is fully established in 2025, all graduating seniors will ideally have taken at least one of these new courses “in which they play a direct role supporting, enhancing, contributing to solving problems and contributing to the greater good,” Laura Brown, senior vice provost for undergraduate education at Cornell, told the New York Times Monday. The Einhorn Family Charitable Trust — led by Cornell alums David Einhorn and Cheryl Strauss Einhorn — provided a $50 million gift to the initiative, the Cornell Chronicle reported. Further philanthropy is slated to raise an additional $100 million over the next decade. Several peer institutions have developed similar programs centered on community engagement, the Times reported. Cornell administrators spoke with representatives from Princeton, Stanford University, Tulane University and Penn when developing the initiative.

College Board tests new announcement system

For the first time in its reporting history, the College Board released a simultaneous announcement Tuesday revealing the average performances on its three main exams, the PSAT/NMSQT, the Advanced Placement tests and the SAT, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The organization’s leaders linked the change to efforts to maximize the tests’ respective efficacies in helping students figure out their approach to standardized testing in the college application process. The College Board usually discloses the three test results separately, with the Advanced Placement announcement falling in February. The move sought to highlight that the three tests work in conjunction to prepare students for applying to college, David Coleman, president and chief executive of the College Board, told the Chronicle. “If we are to together move the numbers and make a difference … it will take these programs acting at their most powerful, and together,” Coleman said. The move could encourage students who show promise on the PSAT to take AP exams, he added. The AP announcement’s earlier timing could help high school teachers preparing students to take AP exams in the spring, the Chronicle reported. “It’s giving states and policy makers information much more quickly,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president for AP and instruction for the College Board, told the Chronicle. But Robert Schaeffer, public education director of the testing watchdog group FairTest, told the Times he sees the move as a “selfserving self-promotion” on the part of the College Board.


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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

Hops farm transforms into R.I.’s first farm brewery

Seeking to build a reputation, Tilted Barn Brewery to release first batch of hand-crafted beer this month By ALEKSANDRA LIFSHITS STAFF WRITER

Maple, pumpkins and Christmas trees are all products that Matt and Kara Richardson, the husband-and-wife team that co-founded Rhode Island’s first farm brewery, use as ingredients in their new handcrafted beers. Located in Exeter, the Tilted Barn Brewery is part of a class of breweries distinguished by their ties to operational farms and local ingredients. “The hand-crafted beer will be brewed with ingredients grown right here on the farm,” Matt Richardson wrote on Tilted Barn Brewery’s fundraising page on the digital crowdfunding site Indiegogo. The first batch of beer for sale will come out in October, he announced on the brewery’s Facebook page. Matt Richardson originally cofounded a hops farm called Ocean State Hops alongside Joel Littlefield in 2007, according to the fundraising page. Ocean State Hops supplied hops for craft breweries, such as Craft Brews Supplies and Newport Storm, but has since stopped selling hops to

» NECAP, from page 1 instructional or student issue,” Filippelli said. “I think it’s a scoring issue.” On Friday, superintendents and RIDE officials met with Measured Progress — the testing company that grades the NECAP — to discuss their concerns. At the meeting, Measured Progress shared the NECAP answer key, called the anchor paper, and

the public, according to its website. The hops, as well as some of the 400 other plants grown at the Tilted Barn Brewery’s farm, are now being used to make Littlefield and Richardson’s beer. Richardson and his wife decided to start the brewery to increase their revenue and preserve open space by consolidating farm and brewery operations, Richardson wrote on their fundraising page. They also sought to “keep the farming tradition alive,” he wrote. Fundraising for the brewery began in September 2013, and the Richardsons raised $6,365 from 94 donors on Indiegogo when their online funding campaign concluded in November last year. Tilted Farm Brewery is tapping into the growing craft beer market, which represents approximately 8 percent of the total American beer market. There has been a roughly 17 percent increase in craft beer sales in 2013, according to the Brewers Association website. Ken Ayars, chief of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of

Agriculture, said that while interest in local farms is growing on a national level, Rhode Island in particular has a “changing face of agriculture,” as local foods and farm markets are seeing increasing popularity. The state’s number of farms has been growing at a “rapid rate,” with a 40 percent increase from 2002 to 2012, he said. Rhode Islanders are interested in not only consuming locally grown foods, but also visiting and interacting with the places where these foods are grown, Ayars said. “Agritourism is a significant part of income for many farms,” he said. Town residents are usually supportive of this type of enterprise, since it brings more visitors to the rest of the town as well, he added. Tilted Barn Brewery will have an important agritourism aspect, as visitors can get a tour of the farm while trying free samples of the beer, Matt Richardson told Rhode Island Monthly last month. Visitors will “be able to walk through the fields to see, touch and smell the ingredients that will go into their beer, and relax in a century-old barn while enjoying the fruits of our labor,” Richardson wrote on the fundraising page.

Tilted Barn Brewery should see an increase in visitors compared to Ocean State Hops, as “people would rather see how craft beer is made than see how hops grow,” Ayars said. In the most recent legislative session, a farm brewery bill that would allow brewers to sell more than 72 ounces of beer — a six-pack — was held back. Rep. Jared Nunes, D-Coventry, the sponsor of the brewery legislation, said all beer currently goes from a distributor to a liquor store or restaurant before being purchased by a consumer. It is difficult for smaller businesses, like the Tilted Barn Brewery, to get a distributor and shelf space, Nunes said. By lifting the restriction for the quantity sold at a farm, the farm brewery bill would give small businesses more options and higher likelihoods for success, Nunes said. “It is common sense to help the start-up breweries that cannot get a large enough audience with distributors,” he added. Ayars compared transitioning from hops sales to handcrafted beer to transitioning from selling apples to apple pies, as farm breweries consolidate various parts of the production process into a streamlined model.

Farmers need this diversity in production and sales, he added. In 2013, New York and Massachusetts implemented farm brewery laws, Ayars said, adding that though they have been successful, this type of legislation often receives some pushback. Rhode Island’s bill has strong opposition from the liquor lobby, since vendors see the bill as hurting industry profits, said Sen. Dawson Hodgson, R-East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown and Narragansett, in an interview with Rhode Island Public Radio. The approximately 300 liquor stores in Rhode Island that sell handcrafted beer would suffer from a decrease in sales if this bill were passed, Tom Saccoccia, the owner of a small liquor store, told RIPR. But Nunes said he anticipates moving the farm brewery bill forward in the upcoming legislative session, especially given that Rhode Island has seen a trend of pro-small-business measures enacted. In the meantime, Tilted Barn Brewery can only sell its handcrafted beer with a traditional brewery manufacturer’s license, which has restrictions on where and how much beer can be sold.

student exam responses. After comparing the documents, many educational officials raised concerns that students received lower scores than they deserved, Filippelli said. Measured Progress representatives said that the company’s scoring progress is rigorous, Filippelli said. Exams are scored without names or schools attached by people who hold bachelor’s degrees and often have science

backgrounds. Representatives from Measured Progress could not be reached for comment on the issue. Rhode Island is not the only state whose NECAP science scores decreased. New Hampshire and Vermont experienced parallel patterns, according to their Department of Education websites. School districts in Vermont and

New Hampshire have also raised concerns about scoring, Filipelli said. Measured Progress is also in charge of scoring the NECAP exams in Vermont and New Hampshire. Decreased science test scores may relate to the fact that science scores are not evaluated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act and thus not held accountable to national standards, Ryan said. Teachers may also lack the

time or resources to focus enough on the tested science subjects, he added. Looking ahead, RIDE has not yet decided its course of action for releasing test scores to the public, Krieger said. Measured Progress is currently conducting an internal investigation, he said, adding that the company’s reputation and multi-million-dollar contract with RIDE are in jeopardy in light of these concerns.


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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

» CAMPAIGN, from page 1 won, Scott decided to take the semester off, which she called an easy decision because school had been stressful before the primary. Scott then became the campaign’s deputy finance director. “This is a very fluid team we work on,” Scott said of the campaign, adding it has a “very startup atmosphere.” Having young staffers is an asset to the campaign because it engages young people in the political process, said Aaron Bartnick ’11, deputy campaign manager. “I think that young people, first-time candidates … and first-time campaign staffers all bring a fresh perspective to a process that a lot of people are pretty disenchanted with right now.” Scott is the youngest member of the campaign staff, excluding Moulton’s personal assistant Cole Guyre, who is taking a gap year between high school and college. In addition to the young staff members, the campaign also has an army of experienced consultants. Joe Trippi, former Vermont governor Howard Dean’s presidential campaign manager from 2004, runs Moulton’s ad operation, and Scott Ferson, a former press secretary for the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-M.A., handles communications, Bartnick added. This combination of young energy and expertise makes for a “rockstar team,” Scott said. Brown students and alums are wellrepresented in the campaign. In addition to Scott and Bartnick, both of Moulton’s parents Lynn ’70 and Thomas Moulton ’69 are alums.

Scott transitioned from field work to finance partly to bolster fundraising in response to the fundraising advantage of Moulton’s Republican opponent Richard Tiesi, a former Massachusetts state senator. Tiesi ran unopposed in the primary, which gave him more time to fundraise and allowed him to save money by not having to campaign against a challenger. Moulton’s campaign has raised almost $700,000 in the last three months, Scott said. The latest numbers released by the Tisei campaign showed he raised $1.35 million as of Aug. 20. The Moulton campaign raised approximately $2.18 million by latest estimates, including $1.6 million by Aug. 20 and an additional $530,000 since then, the Boston Globe reported. The Moulton campaign raised nearly 60 percent of its donations from out-of-state supporters, compared to the Tisei campaign’s 24 percent out-of-state fundraising, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. The campaign’s need to boost fundraising is “why the work that Haley’s doing is so important,” Bartnick said. “In a close race like this, every little bit makes a difference.” Scott organized a fundraiser Tuesday, which consisted of a host committee reception for donors who gave at least $500, and a general reception for people who donated at least $25. Most of her night was spent standing outside the door of the ballroom where the general reception was held swapping checks for nametags. Different colored stars decorated nametags depending on the level of giving: host committee members had gold stars, “patriots” who gave $150 had silver and staff members had

blue stars. Scott said an important component of her job is “donor relations” so they continue to support the campaign. Scott also has to wear many hats, simultaneously serving as a welcoming host and a keen political operative. At one point, a staffer walked briskly toward Scott, stood very close to her, and spoke discretely, motioning toward a man sitting near them with a laptop and a bag with video equipment. Scott retrieved Bartnick from the host committee reception to speak with the man while she continued to greet donors. The campaign thought the man with the laptop might have been a tracker, Scott said, referring to someone working for the opposition who records candidates’ every word in case they slip up. Trackers can make a substantial impact, such as when a person recorded Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser in 2012 when he remarked that 47 percent of the American population does not pay income taxes. But a couple minutes later, Bartnick came back over saying it was a false alarm, and that the man on the couch was doing a video contest for the movie “Paranormal Activity Four.” Moulton’s stump speech at the event was polished and comprehensive. He knew exactly where to stop for applause and where to pause for laughter. On the surface, Moulton is a polished speaker with an accomplished background. But beneath, there is a team of staff, volunteers and patrons putting stickers on nametags and ensuring the political operation runs smoothly. These, Scott said, are the kinds of things unknown except to those who have worked on a campaign.


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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

S AY N O M O R E

menu SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Hummus Plate BLUE ROOM Mediterranean Pocket Soups: Chicken Artichoke Florentine, Fire Roasted Vegetable, Turkey Chili ANDREWS COMMONS Pizzas: Nacho, Okie Dokie Artichokie, Pepperoni and Sausage

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Fire-Braised Chicken Thigh Sandwich, Rosemary Portobello Sandwich, Herb Rice

Quiche Lorraine, Jambalaya, Macaroni and Cheese, Broiled Stuffed Tomatoes

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

BBQ Beef Sandwich, Cheese Tortellini with Sage Cream Sauce, Summer Squash

Cajun Pasta with Chicken, Tofu Parmesan, Red Flannel Hash, BBQ Navy Beans

sudoku

ZEIN KHLEIF / HERALD

Nick Anthony ’18, Shierly Mondianti ’15.5 and Eleni Zervos ’15 staff a table on the Main Green publicizing No Speaking Day, organized by Brown’s chapter of Amnesty International to raise awareness of human rights issues.

comics P-Branes and Bosons | Ricky Oliver ’17 RELEASE DATE– Thursday, October 9, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c r o s s w o r d Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Kid-lit classic “__, Plain and Tall” 6 Dust Bowl refugees 11 Part of many a texting request 14 Unborn, after “in” 15 “It’s a Wonderful Life” director 16 Pitcher rim 17 *Tricky puzzle 19 Tenn. neighbor 20 Commuter’s woe 21 Astronomy : Urania :: poetry : __ 22 Basic chord 24 City between Paris and Marseille 25 “Just this time ...” 27 Mensa membership consideration, perhaps 30 Most plucky 31 Myanmar, formerly 32 SeaWorld attraction 33 Stonestreet of “Modern Family” 36 Actress Wasikowska 37 *“Let me give it a shot?” 40 __ Today 41 Essentially fatfree 43 Credit report blot 44 Film with dusty streets, typically 46 Seconds flat 48 Eight dry gallons 49 “Hiya!” 51 Genesis creator 52 Pasture measures 53 User’s shortcut 55 Meditation beginning? 58 Marine pronoun 59 *Historic route west 62 Noir hero 63 Large jazz combo 64 Tourist __ 65 Origin of an eggshaped spaceship 66 Locations 67 Praise DOWN 1 Alg. or geog.

2 Razor brand 3 20 quires 4 First name in shipping 5 Bee’s nectar reservoir 6 Vast expanse 7 Longtime pitcher Jim with the nickname “Kitty” 8 By its very nature, in law 9 Afore 10 “Being and Nothingness” philosopher 11 *Unvarnished facts 12 Fragrant bloom 13 Fictional falcon seeker 18 Relaxed pace 23 Left the runway 24 Apollo lander, briefly 26 General Bradley 27 AT and PS/2 computers 28 Nestlé __ 29 Calamity, and what’s literally hidden in the answers to starred clues 30 Complain 32 “Be right with you”

34 “Ah! Say no more” 35 Poet Sandburg 38 Like New Mexico’s climate, largely 39 “Darned if I know!” 42 Style 45 Cool-cucumber link 47 Poultry magnate John et al. 48 Alpine capital

49 Must 50 Yellowish pigment 51 Highland Games participants 54 “A Death in the Family” author 55 Agreement 56 Wealthy, in Juárez 57 Ben Gurion airline 60 King at Versailles 61 King in old Rome

Comic Sans | Neille-Ann Tan ’18

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

calendar

10/09/14

TODAY 12 P.M. ELECTRIC CARS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Al Dahlberg, director of state and community relations, will draw on his experience working for the EPA at a lunchtime seminar hosted by the Environmental Studies program. Urban Environmental Lab 106

TOMORROW 12 P.M. BROWN-INDIA INITIATIVE STUDENT FELLOW PRESENTATIONS, PART TWO

Members of the India Initiative Fellows program will share their findings and experiences this summer in India. A question-and-answer session will follow. Watson Institute, McKinney Conference Room

5:30 P.M. THE 89TH STEPHEN A. OGDEN JR. ’60 MEMORIAL LECTURE ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Kenneth Roth ’77 P’12 will deliver a speech entitled “Making Sense of Today’s Tumultous World” as part of the annual lecture series. Metcalf Auditorium

1:30 P.M. PIZZA PAPO

Portuguese speakers on campus can gather for pizza, music and conversation at the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies. Meiklejohn House 102 8 P.M. BROWN UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA CONCERT

6 P.M. EBOLA TEACH-IN By Robert E. Lee Morris ©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

10/09/14

Brown faculty members will discuss the social, political and economic factors surrounding the recent Ebola outbreak and ways to help victims. Wilson 102

Tickets will be available online until Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and at the door an hour before this preview of the Brown University Orchestra’s Oct. 13 performance at Carnegie Hall. Sayles Hall Auditorium


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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

EDITORIAL

A much-improved West End Despite a rather tumultuous arc of development, the city of Providence appears to have established stable footing. A recent Herald article regarding changes in the West End neighborhood (“Development aims to revitalize West End,” Oct. 2) points to a far more positive outlook for the city as a whole, particularly within historically crime-ridden spaces. While we acknowledge and remain aware that gentrification often holds rather negative ramifications — specifically with regard to heightened rents and a shift in resulting demographics — the degree of improvement within the neighborhood greatly overshadows these presently unrealized implications. The general improvement of the West End should serve as a paradigm of success within the context of urban renewal. The present form of the West End is a dramatic departure from its historically unsafe and crime-laden streets. As reported by The Herald, the neighborhood — vertically bookended by Westminster Street and Huntington Avenue — contributed more crime reports than any other neighborhood in Providence and held a recorded median income that was about 14 percent lower than the rest of the city. Despite these underlying obstacles, new residents and small businesses continue to emerge in the area, significantly altering the broader aura and habitability of the West End. At the current juncture, new residents seek to occupy vacant apartments and residences and have in no way altered the character of the built environment, though development projects may occur in the future with more constrained supply. The overwhelming, albeit unfounded, criticism of the recent West End development stems from the negative impact of gentrification. Though home prices in the neighborhood have indeed risen 11 percent in the past year — undoubtedly a pressing issue in the context of affordable housing — from an economic standpoint, the net transformation in the area eclipses the possible detrimental implications. While pervasive crime has long crippled the neighborhood, the new residents and businesses signal a newfound optimism and contribute to the area’s overall safety and social vitality, a trend most poignantly underscored by the opening of the new West Broadway Middle School. The recent development within the West End should serve as a model for future improvement in Providence and beyond. While the impact of gentrification must be measured and operate as a point of constant awareness, the current state of the neighborhood represents a success in the realm of urban renewal and a distinct departure from its past crimeridden identity. We are very much cognizant of the negative implications of gentrification and strongly urge the city to remain aware of the ultimate degree of change, particularly with regard to prevailing market rents. Providence must actively work to support and maintain developments of this nature, and the ongoing mayoral race provides an opportunity to prioritize this very goal.

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

“Something is wrong here.” — Lawrence Filippelli, Scituate School Dept. assistant superintendent

See necap page 1. CORRECTION Due to incorrect information from a source, an article in last Thursday’s Herald (“Development aims to revitalize West End,” Oct. 2) misstated the average median household income in Providence. It is $38,243 — about 14 percent higher than that of the West End neighborhood — not $49,571. The Herald regrets the error.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: Natasha Bluth ’15, Alexander Kaplan ’15, Katherine Pollock ’16 and James Rattner ’15. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

Unfair recruiting SAMANTHA ISMAN opinions columnist

Three weeks ago, I went to my first career fair. I walked around a bit, and though I talked to some representatives, I left mostly disappointed. Out of the over 90 companies that came to the fair, I had three successful and helpful interactions. At first, I thought that maybe I wasn’t looking closely enough at who was there. But I soon realized that only about six or seven companies present worked in an area that interests me — communications. While CareerLAB has made efforts to bring more people from communications industries to Brown, it seems they are still lacking. Any students interested in media, advertising or public relations would benefit from knowing who they can work for, whether large organizations or small. Instead, we continue attending job fairs that focus on technology, consulting and finance jobs and leave empty-handed. For students not interested in finance or technology, the unfair focus on these industries leads to frustration and wasted energy. Ideally, career fairs should be a great way to learn about the different options for work in each field. They can reduce the amount of time we have to put in as individuals in coming up with a list of possible employers and allow us to focus on researching specific companies to know ex-

actly what interests us. The lack of representation of communicationsbased industries means that I have to spend a lot more time researching who I want to work for, while students going into finance or technology seem to have the answers right in front of them and a path clearly laid out.

these fields lack the information that is handed to students in the technology and finance industries. While I understand that often participation in the career fairs is a choice by the employer rather than CareerLAB, there does not seem to have been a large effort made to represent a wider variety of employ-

isn’t helping in opening our minds to new possibilities. These firms are looking for the best and the brightest in every field and advertise their jobs as two-year stints that one can easily leave, so they are appealing to wayward graduates. But this has a tendency to lead to unhappy and uninspired bankers

The lack of representation of communications-based industries means that I have to spend a lot more time researching who I want to work for.

Additionally, as Trisha Anderson wrote in a piece for Examiner.com in 2010, career fairs are important “for everyone to attend because they are a great way to network with local professionals.” As someone interested in working for a publishing house, I haven’t had the opportunity to get my name out there and talk to professionals in the field. This makes me feel as if I am behind on my search for a job. So many students would benefit from career fairs geared toward media and communications because we would be able to learn not only who these companies are, but also their qualifications for entry-level positions. Students interested in entering

ers. As Hannah Begley ’15 told The Herald last month, “CareerLAB and (the) career fair really try to herd students toward finance and consulting” (“CareerLAB hosts two career fairs,” Sept. 16). Moreover, when CareerLAB mostly brings in finance companies, it perpetuates a vicious cycle. As Kevin Roose ’09 said in a Vox interview this year regarding the prevalence of Ivy Leaguers going into finance, “In a lot of schools it’s these scared organization kids going to Wall Street,” rather than people who actually want to be there. In the end, it tends to be the students with few other ideas who gravitate toward these companies, and CareerLAB

rather than people who love their jobs. Although I don’t think CareerLAB is trying to herd everyone into three limited fields, it does so inadvertently when the options we are seeing for employment as seniors have no variety. This is a very solvable problem. A wider variety of employers could mean that everyone leaving this school has chosen their job based on an informed — rather than limited — decision. Most of the networking and talking to people in my industry of choice that I have done has come solely from my own efforts. I have acquired contacts through internships and friends, but I worry that I

don’t know how to connect to other companies. Without the aid of a career fair geared toward my interests, I have to rely much more on my own limited network of people. Old bosses and people in the publishing industry have all told me that the best networking they did wasn’t in their undergraduate years, but by participating in summer programs in publishing. It astonished me that more and more, those of us interested in careers other than technology and finance cannot rely on the resources — such as CareerLAB — created to help us navigate the confusing world of finding a job. CareerLAB offers many resources that will facilitate our search for a job. But this sometimes still feels insufficient when I walk through a career fair and realize that my interests aren’t represented. I feel like I’m missing key companies and firms that could be a great fit for me, and I don’t know where to find them. CareerLAB needs to reach out more to companies in media and communications, but also to museums and galleries, to government employment not related to the military and even NGOs functioning outside the United States. Not all Brown students are interested in consulting, financial or technology careers, and I would like to see the diversity of interests better represented in career fairs.

Sami Isman ’15 wishes the New Yorker were as interested in coming to Brown as she is in working for them.

Student trustees on the Brown Corporation STUDENT POWER INITIATIVE guest columnists

Two years ago, President Christina Paxson asked the Brown community to consider her characterization of the University as “constructively irreverent.” History corroborates her claim — many a Brown student has eschewed social norms while working within an established framework to change our school for the better. This framework comprises many offices charged with administering to the demands of university life. Chief among them is the Corporation. The Corporation has often served as the final arbiter in reconciling the concerns of the student population — the body for which Brown arguably exists — with the constant pressure and demands placed upon it for maintaining the institution. But absent in that process has been the valued voice of the student — the ultimate subject and beneficiary of this process of reconciliation. In the same speech in which Paxson heralded the fruits of the constructively irreverent process that characterizes Brown’s progress, she reminded us that it behooves every member of the community — not just the students who constitute its majority — to appreciate and embrace that disposition. In imbuing an entire community with this value, Paxson reminded us that Brown represents a complementary relationship between respect and dissent. Given the composition of the Corporation,

which is devoid of active student representation, it is no surprise that history demonstrates that the Corporation is not steadfastly appreciative of the irreverent. Instead, this is traditionally the prerogative of the student. Such a result is the logical ramification of excluding student input from Corporation deliberations. Members of the Brown community should have an input in the Corporation’s decisions about the practices and processes of University governance. Including student trustees on the Corporation would enable its members to delib-

Magaziner ’69 P’06 P’07 P’10, the very architect of the open curriculum, said in a Brown Political Review interview in May, “Having a couple of student representatives on the Corporation would help students better understand issues of the University and would help the Corporation relate to students.” Brown will function as a more responsible and cohesive community if students are involved in the decision-making processes of its governance. The inclusion of students on the Corporation would ensure that members re-

The inclusion of students on the Corporation would ensure that members remain engaged and familiar with the daily lives and experiences of undergraduate students. erate with the confidence of having considered the opinion of the student body. The significance of student leadership in the creation and implementation of the New Curriculum, as well as the historical and presentday representation of students on a number of University committees, proves that student voices are a valuable aspect of Brown’s history and practice. We believe student representation is essential to producing policies that are responsive, inclusive and generative of the long-term health and success of the University. In fact, Ira

main engaged and familiar with the daily lives and experiences of undergraduate students, which, in the process, would ultimately leave the student body feeling empowered and respected. The Corporation only stands to benefit from the inclusion of student voices. Student input would surely aid the Corporation’s discussion and consideration of important issues — for example, the selection of faculty members and administrators and the establishment of tuition and fees. Expanding Corporation participation to students would ensure that this process were

a holistic one fostering cohesion among a diversity of community interests. Recently, we have witnessed students struggling with feeling underrepresented in Corporation decision-making to the point of feeling excluded from University governance. As a result, students are less likely to engage with important decisions that affect their lives. And the spirit of unity on campus suffers. A primary solution to this sense of alienation is the creation of a student trustee position. Ultimately, the existence of such a position would signal to students that their experiences are considered, their views are heard and their role in the current and future trajectory of the University is respected. Students have an opportunity to have their voices heard this week, at least in a small way. The Undergraduate Council of Students fall poll, which closes tomorrow, asks a specific question about the importance of student representation on the Corporation. The poll allows you, current Brown students, to express to the Corporation your desire to be included in their decisions in a meaningful and impactful way. We urge you to exercise the power of participation given to you by this poll to advocate for further participation, so that you might become a true agent in the future of the University.

Kevin Carty ’15, Alex Drechsler ’15, Noah Fitzgerel ’17, Justice Gaines ’16, Tammy Jiang ’16, Miriam Rollock ’15 and Maggie Tennis ’14.5, a Herald opinions editor, are the founding members of the Student Power Initiative.


THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD » ZONING, from page 1 guides growth across the city,” said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations. “Our focus has been encouraging the city to think about the value that institutions play in terms of the character and culture and economy of the city.” Construction projects in the overlay district will still be required to follow the base commercial guidelines of the area, such as height and parking restrictions, but the University will no longer have to apply for a special-use permit to build in the area. Requiring the permit had made University development unpredictable and made outside groups more reluctant to partner with the University on construction plans since they were contingent on city approval, Quinn said. Another goal of the change is to help businesses develop by making regulations clearer and increasing flexibility in parking and height regulations, Nickerson said.

When crafting parking guidelines, Nickerson said, the city has tried to “reflect the many options” Providence residents have, such as biking and using public transportation. Businesses would not have to spend as much on development because they would be required to provide fewer parking spaces than before, according to the shift in parking regulations. In the proposed ordinance, small lots and lots in transit-oriented development districts — areas in which public transportation is widely accessible — would have further exemptions than other commercial developments. The ordinance has also accounted for sustainability: New regulations regarding storm water runoff, heating and parking aim to make the city a greener place, Azar said. The ordinance proposes a new landmarked historical district that would restrict construction in areas with historical value. Nickerson said the city is in the process of officially designating this district.

metro

SADIE HOPE-GUND / HERALD

Proposed changes in Providence’s zoning ordinance would allow the University to build in an expanded commercial zone near Thayer Street without a currently required special-use permit.

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