Wednesday, November 5, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 103

since 1891

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

DUNCAN GALLAGHER / HERALD

DUNCAN GALLAGHER / HERALD

Democrat Jorge Elorza won the mayoral election with 53.3 percent of the vote Tuesday, defeating former mayor and Independent Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, who drew criticism during his campaign for his history of corruption.

Throughout her gubernatorial campaign, Gina Raimondo presented herself as a candidate well poised to handle the state’s financial challenges.

Democrats sweep in Providence, state races Elorza edges out Cianci for mayorship Raimondo elected first thanked voters and local and state representatives for their support and endorsements. Elorza said he had spoken with Cianci and Harrop before going on stage, adding that he would work for the people of Providence no matter whom they had voted for.

“I have enjoyed sharing my vision for one Providence — a city where we rise and succeed together — and my firm belief that we can only get there with honest leadership and a culture of ethics and transparency at City Hall,” he said.

Elorza also thanked the members of his campaign team and volunteers for helping pave his path to election, noting that despite the victory, there was “lots of work to do” in the future.

“It was a great ride,” Cianci said during his concession speech. “I was able to reconnect with the city I love very much. ... It’s a great, great love affair that I have with the city of Providence that will never end, that will continue until the day I die.”

By ALEXANDER BLUM SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The votes are in, the polls are closed and the city will be under the leadership of Mayor-elect Jorge Elorza beginning in January. After garnering 53.3 percent of the vote, Elorza, the Democratic nominee and a former housing court judge, will succeed Mayor Angel Taveras, a Democrat who has been mayor since January 2011. The mayoral race became especially prominent when former mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci declared his candidacy as an Independent candidate in June, capturing national attention, attracting input from former federal prosecutors and even pushing Republican mayoral candidate Daniel Harrop ’76 MD’79 to vote for Elorza.

Cianci won 43.8 percent of the vote, and Harrop came in last with 2.6 percent.

In his victory speech at the Rhode Island Democratic Party’s event at the Providence Biltmore Hotel, Elorza

Cianci’s candidacy quickly became a polarizing factor due largely to his history of corruption as Providence mayor, an office he previously occupied for a total of 20 years. Cianci’s first stint as mayor from 1975 to 1984 ended in his resignation when he plead guilty to felony charges of assault. His second tenure as mayor from 1991 to 2002 ended in “Operation Plunderdome,” an investigation into the ethics of his administration that found him guilty of racketeering — running the city as a criminal enterprise — and sentenced him to five years in federal prison.

Throughout the fall, the mayoral debates consistently featured Cianci’s past as an important concern for voters, who were divided by his presence on the ballot.

“He’s a polarizing figure. Very few people are lukewarm about Buddy Cianci,” Scott MacKay, a political analyst for Rhode Island Public Radio, told » See ELORZA, page 3

woman governor of R.I.

By MARIYA BASHKATOVA METRO EDITOR

In a tight race, Democrat Gina Raimondo beat out Republican Allan Fung and Moderate Robert Healey in Rhode Island’s gubernatorial race, making her the state’s first woman elected governor and the first Democrat elected to the seat since 1992.

Raimondo, the state’s general treasurer, squeaked by Cranston Mayor Fung with a narrow margin, capturing 40 percent of the vote to his 36 percent.

Healey came in third with 22 percent of the vote, winning more votes than was predicted by previous polls. Raimondo will replace outgoing Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17, who chose not to seek reelection to a second term.

Throughout her campaign, Raimondo emphasized her experience as Rhode

Island general treasurer, painting herself as the candidate poised to bring jobs to the state and fix its ailing finances. To create more jobs, she proposed an “Innovation Institute” that would partner universities with private businesses to incubate and fund novel business ideas, especially in medical, environmental and marine technology fields, according to an informational video released by her campaign. She said she would also raise the state’s minimum wage, work to improve the climate for small businesses and create a “Green Bank” to offer loans for environmental projects.

Alice Bossaltman, a Rhode Island resident who voted at the Boys and Girls Club on Wickenden Street, said she was voting for Raimondo because “she has the experience to have a more global outlook on re-energizing » See RAIMONDO, page 4

Paxson aims to double underrepresented minorities on faculty minority faculty members and the percent of women faculty members in the physical sciences and engineering are the two areas most in need of greater diversity, Paxson said.

A diverse faculty is important for two reasons, Paxson said. About three quarters of Americans identify as only white, she said, citing national census data. Yet children, Brown’s “future customers,” are only 53 percent white, she added. “The demography of the (United States) is changing dramatically … we need to change, too.”

The second reason is the “idea that diversity is a requirement for academic excellence,” Paxson said, adding that diversity in experience brings diversity in

By EMMA HARRIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

inside

President Christina Paxson announced at a faculty meeting Tuesday that she aims to double the percentage of underrepresented minority faculty members within the next decade.

Faculty members and administrators discussed faculty diversity at length during the meeting while also touching briefly upon employee benefits and honorary degrees. Last month’s discussion of freedom of speech on campus and this month’s focus on diversity involve two large issues that Brown faces this year, Paxson said.

The percent of underrepresented

scholarship.

The University’s current progress on racial diversity is a mixed issue: In the past decade, there have been more underrepresented minority hiring, but there has also been an increase in total faculty hiring. The effect has resulted in “a modest increase despite a really strong effort,” Paxson said.

Compared to other Ivy League institutions, Brown’s 8.5 percent of faculty who are underrepresented minorities stands close to the top of the pack, second to Dartmouth’s 9 percent. But due to the low percentages within Brown’s peer group, this is “not much comfort,” Paxson said.

Provost Vicki Colvin presented data on the faculty and goals for the University to boost diversity in the coming years.

The gender distribution of the

Metro

faculty is “holding steady,” with women accounting for 30 percent of all faculty and 15 percent of physical science and engineering faculty, Colvin said. The national average for physical sciences and engineering faculty is around 20 percent, she said, though the definition of minority demographics and departmental breakdowns varies between institutions.

The percent of underrepresented minority faculty members has essentially remained the same over the past few years, Colvin said, and with the University’s effort to hire more junior faculty members, there have been more diverse hires brought to campus earlier on in their careers. With less than 10 percent of senior faculty members identifying as underrepresented minorities, “it is harder to mentor the younger scholars and bring them through the ranks,” she added.

Commentary

In the peak of midterm season, students step off College Hill to support political candidates

Democrats win attorney general, secretary of state, general treasurer positions

Hillestad ’15: The U.’s writing requirement is a failed experiment

Shin ’17: The flexibility of the open curriculum causes anxiety and frustration for many students

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weather

Faculty discusses efforts to boost proportion of underrepresented minorities above current 8.5 percent

But the goal of doubling the percent of underrepresented minorities within the faculty will be hard to achieve because of “fewer opportunities to diversify,” Paxson said. In the last decade, the faculty increased by over 100 members, an expansion that will not occur again in the next decade, though the faculty will grow somewhat. In her strategic plan, Paxson outlined a goal to increase the faculty and student populations by roughly 1 percent each year for the next decade.

Another hardship the University faces in achieving its goal are the “challenging pipelines” in certain fields, Paxson said.

“Not that many underrepresented minorities are getting PhDs in fields we want to hire,” Paxson said. But Brown is an “attractive” place to work — hiring and retaining these faculty members » See FACULTY, page 5 t o d ay

tomorrow

64 / 48

55 / 50

2 elections

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Students venture off College Hill, onto campaign trail Undergraduates reflect on experiences in grassroots political organizing during 2014 election season

By DREW WILLIAMS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Get to the “turf,” whether through a walk to Wickenden, an Uber downtown or a trek to Bristol. Find the first target and walk up the drive. Knock.

Probably no response — not home or not interested. Next target. Knock.

This one establishes contact — immediately bringing the pointblank question, “Can we count on your support for (Candidate X) in the general election?” Record the response, noting if the homeowner is a supporter, leaning, undecided or opposed. For the leaning or undecided voters, engage with the 5 to 10 percent who want to talk politics with a random stranger, allowing them to ask questions, peruse materials, or, in the most zealous of cases, go inside the home to partake in an enthusiastic discussion.

On a typical outing, the goal is to cover 30 to 60 houses. But for the community of Brown students for whom campaigning marks not just a building experience but a civic duty, the goal is much more ambitious — enlist in an army conquering Rhode Island.

“Election season always brings the political kids to be a lot more active and engaged in most aspects of what they do,” said Joe Van Wye ’15, youth vote director for U.S. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., and a Brown

Democrats executive board member.

The motivations vary — idealism comes into play, just as it does for other forms of student activism on campus. Despite not being able to vote in Rhode Island, “I think it’s really important to do what you can to make sure good people are in office everywhere,” Van Wye said.

For many, the adrenaline that comes with watching statistics fluctuate, threatening to make or break a political career, adds a natural push to get out the vote.

“When the race is tight, it’s exciting because your contributions to the campaign are worth a lot,” said Justin Braga ’16, president of the Brown Republicans.

Some students simply see campaigning as a seasonal salaried work opportunity.

And partisanship creates a solid community with near-predetermined campaign objectives to rally around.

The Brown Democrats and Brown Republicans coordinate much of the campaigning on campus, and their events serve as a lightning rod for politically inclined students.

Throughout the general election season, both groups held events frequently and regularly.

Brown Democrats conducted phone banking on Thursdays and canvassing expeditions Saturdays, totaling roughly a dozen outings before the hectic “get-out-the-vote”

weekend during which canvassing was scheduled from Saturday through Election Day Tuesday, with the final push starting at 5 a.m., said Jeff Salvadore ’17, a Brown Democrats executive board member.

The Brown Republicans similarly used Saturdays to canvas and phone bank for their party’s gubernatorial nominee, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, leading additional on-campus outreach around the election itself.

The volunteering opportunities — primarily for mayoral candidates Daniel Harrop ’76 MD’79, the Republican nominee, and Jorge Elorza, the Democrat, and gubernatorial candidates Fung and General Treasurer Gina Raimondo — yielded results, group leaders said.

The Brown Republicans drew three to 10 people in most individual canvassing outings, with 10 to 30 people attending opportunities to listen to candidates speak at meetings, said Christopher Meyers ’16, a Brown Republicans executive board member.

The Brown Democrats drew between 20 and 30 total volunteers and had a contingent of 10 to 15 individuals present at almost all events, including 15 volunteers on a trip to New Hampshire to canvas for U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said Meghan Holloway ’16, president of the Brown Democrats.

But student efforts on the campaign trail are not limited to official campus organizations. Spencer RothRose ’17 worked over the summer

as a deputy field organizer for Raimondo, spending days canvassing for six hours or phone banking for four, he said. This work lasted up until the September primary, for which the campaign provided paid canvassing jobs to about 30 Brown students, many of whom were politically active and had done similar work before, Roth-Rose said.

Salvadore and Van Wye, both executive board members for the Brown Democrats, began campaigning far before the end of primary season, when the Brown Democrats and Brown Republicans officially get into the races — both clubs have policies against institutionally supporting candidates in the primaries in order to present a unified front during the general elections.

Salvadore individually campaigned for Raimondo three times before the primary. And while the Brown Democrats focused on supporting Raimondo and Elorza due to proximity and political alignment, Van Wye independently worked on Cicilline’s campaign through outreach to local colleges, specifically targeting their Young Democrats chapters.

Democrat or Republican, club member or independent, each student can agree on one thing: Campaigning is hard. “Most people, truth be told, do not want to discuss politics with you, a random stranger knocking on their door,” Salvadore said. “We all have our fun horror stories.”

While face-to-face contact yields nicer and more receptive interaction than phone banking, few people are willing to open their doors, RothRose said.

“We laugh about calls that have gone really well or not gone well together,” Holloway said.

Schoolwork — or lack of time to do it — is another central consideration in the process, blind to policy implications or party ties. The Brown Democrats worked at an event with President Obama last Friday, conflicting with a scheduled exam for Van Wye, whose professor moved it to Tuesday — right during the “getout-the-vote” push.

Academic “midterms are coming up, so you always have less and less people at meetings during the midterm season,” making showing up a legitimate sacrifice for students interested, Meyers said.

“You want to be out there as much as possible, but academics clearly come first,” Braga said.

Within Brown’s activist community, political divides still form the strongest communities — along party lines or club lines. Around the specific campaigning events, “you see a community form, at least within the Dems,” Holloway said.

“When (the Brown Republicans and Brown Democrats) are both fighting for the candidate we think will do the best job, those communities become increasingly clear as the election comes near,” Braga said. » See CAMPAIGN, page 3

elections 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Democratic incumbents retain seats All R.I. congressional representatives up for reelection beat challengers by double digits

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Incumbents in the three seats in Rhode Island’s congressional delegation that were up for election Tuesday all handily won reelection.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., U.S. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., and U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., three of the four members of the state’s delegation, all won their seats after being favored to win throughout the campaign.

Cicilline won the congressional race against Cormick Lynch, his Republican challenger, garnering 59.4 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precints reporting. Cicilline will represent the 1st District for his third consecutive term in Congress after serving eight years in the General Assembly and two terms as mayor of Providence.

While Lynch, who is a Marine veteran from the Iraq War, criticized Cicilline for not doing enough to support the state’s economy while in office, Cicilline has publicly blamed the “‘do-nothing’ Republican Congress.”

Cicilline sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, including the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. Lynch heavily criticized Cicilline for focusing more attention on his campaign than on legislating a travel ban to keep Americans from contracting Ebola.

According to a poll conducted by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions in October 2013, 26.6 percent of people rated the job Cicilline was doing as a U.S. representative as excellent or good.

This was the lowest approval rating

» CAMPAIGN, from page 2 But this political opposition belies perhaps the most telling aspect of student campaigning, for Democrats and Republicans alike — respect for activism.

The two groups met up for an election-season meeting last week at which both Holloway and Braga delivered addresses.

“We’re both pushing for the same stuff that moves our government, and we realize that though we may disagree, we’re both very politically involved,” Meyers said. “We definitely have a political community.”

While preferences may differ, it’s an overarching group of “people who want to change their community for the better,” Holloway said.

Even when the workload bears down on student activists, “it’s worth it because you can make such a big impact in terms of shaping policy in that state that if you fall a little behind you can catch up after the election,” Salvadore said.

“I think people appreciate seeing college students out there knowing the workload we have academically,” Braga said.

“With the extra time we have, we’re out there … supporting issues we’re passionate about.”

of any of the statewide office holders, according to the poll results.

But Cicilline won by about 20 percentage points Tuesday after focusing his campaign on the larger goal of regaining Democratic control in the U.S. House of Representatives — though Tuesday’s national elections in fact resulted in Republican gains in the House.

“I look forward to continuing my work to rebuild the middle class, revitalize American manufacturing, bring good-paying jobs back home, ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, raise the minimum wage, fix our broken immigration system and make college more affordable,” Cicilline said in his victory speech, according to an email sent to The Herald by his campaign.

A political heavyweight, Langevin won about 62 percent of the vote, securing his eighth term representing Rhode Island’s 2nd District against Republican challenger Rhue Reis. Before representing southern and western Rhode Island, Langevin served as the state’s youngest secretary of state and was in the Rhode Island House of Representatives for six years.

Langevin was polling at 40.1 percent in a Taubman Center poll prior to the election.

He sits on the House Committee on Armed Services and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

“It has been a challenging time in Congress, the most frustrating in my tenure, in fact,” Langevin said in a victory speech, which was sent in an email to The Herald.

Reis’s platform focused on portraying Langevin as an entrenched “do-nothing” politician and representing himself as a member of the community and small businessman.

“Mr. Reis ran a clean, fair race, and he was a complete gentleman on the campaign trail,” Langevin said. “It was a pleasure to campaign alongside

him.”

Reed also maintained his Senate seat against Republican Mark Zaccaria.

“That can’t be considered unexpected,” Zaccaria said at an event in Warwick for the Rhode Island Republican Party. Zaccaria lost the race for Rhode Island’s 2nd District twice before while going up against Reed, the most popular member of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation. A Taubman poll in April showed Reed’s approval rating at 55.3 percent.

“I’m interested to see what the final numbers are because I think that it will at least be a close race,” Zaccaria said.

Reed won with over 70 percent of the vote.

“The single biggest complaint that I found about Mr. Reed was that he was inaccessible to his constituents,” Zaccaria added. “He didn’t show up for the clam bakes, he didn’t come to the Greek festivals.”

“We know that change does not come quickly,” Reed said after winning his fourth term in the Senate. “I am honored by your support, humbled by your confidence in me, and more driven than ever to work harder and harder for you the people of Rhode Island, and for all Americans.”

Reed currently serves on the Appropriations Committee, Armed Services Committee and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and has served on the Aging Committee, Ethics Committee, Joint Economic Committee and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan ’80 P’15 won reelection to a second term against Republican Walt Havenstein. U.S. Rep. Daniel Maffei ’90, D-N.Y., who ran for another term representing New York’s 24th district, lost to Republican John Katko.

-With additional reporting by Andrew Flax and Duncan Gallagher

» ELORZA, from page 1 The Herald in June. Cianci’s entry into the race sent shockwaves through the city’s political scene, catalyzing alliances between other candidates and prompting Independent candidate Lorne Adrain to drop out of the race in July. Elorza and Harrop were united in their opposition to Cianci’s candidacy, prompting Harrop to donate $1,000 to Elorza’s campaign in mid-October and to cast his vote Tuesday for Elorza.

Elorza has promised to implement a fair and clean administration, casting himself as an antidote to Cianci’s corruption. Throughout the fall, incidents including Cianci’s acceptance of $18,000 in donations from city employees — after promising in September that he had not “taken a dime from any city worker” — and suspicions of ballot fraud involving residents of a homeless shelter raised questions for some about whether Cianci changed his habits.

“One of the main reasons I’m here is that I don’t want to see Buddy Cianci elected,” said Amy Glidden, a Rhode Island resident, after voting at the Boys and Girls Club on Wickenden Street. “I just really don’t trust him.”

“There was a huge contingency that was trying to keep him out of the office,” said Providence resident Marilyn McLaughlin at Cianci’s results watch party at the Hilton Providence.

But despite his controversial record, many residents of Providence fondly remember Cianci’s time as mayor and supported his campaign in the hopes that he would be able to reinvigorate the city.

“Cianci is not using this job to pad his resume, and that seems to be what everyone else is doing it for. He just loves Providence and wants to be its mayor,” said Scott Waldinger, who voted in Salomon Center on Brown’s campus.

Another Cianci supporter who voted in Salomon, Bob Troiano, from the East Side of Providence, said he voted for Cianci in part because “I’m very dissatisfied with the level of corruption of city politicians.”

Cianci thanked his supporters and his family extensively during his

concession speech.

Among voters who spoke to Herald reporters, most suggested they had voted for Elorza — or even Harrop — to prevent Cianci from holding the office for a third time. “Honestly, there weren’t great other choices,” said Twee Sim, who voted for Harrop. “A little bit of freshness in Rhode Island is necessary at this point.”

“I’ve had enough of Cianci,” said Keefer Don, a longtime Providence resident.

“I registered to vote in Rhode Island because I think it’s really important that Buddy Cianci doesn’t get elected,” said Erika Pearson, who recently moved to Providence from Minnesota.

But while some may have felt it was important to vote to prevent Cianci from being elected, others expressed genuine support for Elorza and his campaign promises.

“I think he’s a fresh new face with some good ideas about reforming the city,” said Beth Marootin, a Rhode Island resident.

“I see Jorge Elorza as kind of carrying on the tradition of Angel” Taveras, Glidden said.

Providence’s newly elected mayor is a Rhode Island native, raised in Providence’s West End by Guatemalan immigrants.

Elorza ultimately graduated from Harvard Law School in 2003, after initially being turned away by every college he applied to in high school. He has noted that his humble origins have influenced him greatly, and continue to inspire him to focus on improving public education to ensure that children have the opportunity to succeed. He has also cited the importance of taking advantage of graduates of Providence’s institutions of higher education.

Elorza has also said he would like to take advantage of the city’s port and deep water channels, which he said could be used to create local, middle-class jobs for the city.

-With additional reporting by Camilla Brandfield-Harvey, Duncan Gallagher, Lindsay Gantz, Matthew Jarrell and Maxine Joselow

4 university news

Davida RossCoulibaly dies Office of Financial Aid staffer displayed ‘tireless energy’ and ‘welcoming presence,’ Paxson writes

By JOSEPH ZAPPA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Davida Ross-Coulibaly, information and services specialist for the Office of Financial Aid, died Thursday, President Christina Paxson wrote in a community-wide email Tuesday.

Ross-Coulibaly offered “guidance and common sense advice with warmth, humor and wisdom,” Paxson wrote, adding that her colleagues respected her “tireless energy” in explaining the financial aid process for students throughout the nearly five years she worked at the University.

Paxson also noted Ross Coulibaly’s “welcoming presence in the Office of Financial Aid.” Ross-Coulibaly lived in Providence her whole life and attended Hope High School, Paxson wrote in her email.

The email did not provide information on the cause of Ross-Coulibaly’s death.

No one in the Office of Financial Aid could be reached for contact by press time Tuesday night.

Funeral services will be held this Friday at 10:00 a.m. at Assumption Church on Potters Avenue, followed by a burial at Swan Point Cemetery, Paxson wrote.

@the_herald

» RAIMONDO, from page 1 Providence.” She added, “I think we can bring in businesses if regulations begin to change.”

Raimondo also said she plans to expand scholarships for college students and start a loan forgiveness program in the state, The Herald previously reported.

For his part, Fung leaned on his experience as mayor of Cranston, highlighting his successful overhaul of the city’s pension system and his positive approval rating. Fung’s platform sought to make the state more amenable to small businesses by instating state regulation reform. Fung also stirred controversy by saying he supports rightto-work laws, which inhibit a union’s ability to require workers to join unions and pay dues. Jerry Missel, voting delegate for the Rhode Island Republican State Central Committee, told The Herald he admires Fung’s “executive competence and accomplishment,” adding that “he’s not a polarizing person, he’s very tolerant and very accepting, and he has a great temperament.”

Born in Smithfield, R.I., Raimondo attended Harvard as an undergraduate, Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar and Yale Law School before co-founding Rhode Island’s first venture capital firm, Point Judith, in 2000. In 2010, Raimondo beat out Republican candidate Kernan King for the state’s general treasurer position.

As treasurer, she spearheaded a major pension overhaul in 2011 to reduce the state’s unfunded pension liability, a controversial move that gained national attention. At the time she was lauded by national media outlets and organizations for making the state’s pension system more sustainable. But the reform also sparked the ire of state union members whose benefits were reduced and who argued that Raimondo did not negotiate the changes with them.

Continued tense relations with unions, including the Rhode Island AFL-CIO’s refusal to endorse her, threatened to impede Raimondo’s bid for governor, in a race in which Democrats usually carry most of the union support.

“She made some tough choices when she was treasurer, but I understand why she made them,” said Amy Glidden, a Rhode Island resident voting at the Boys and Girls Club on Wickenden Street. Glidden added that “she’s someone that a progressive can get behind.”

President Obama, First Lady

Michelle Obama and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all made appearances in Rhode Island in October to endorse Raimondo, who also received support from former president Bill Clinton and the entire Rhode Island congressional delegation. Raimondo also received endorsements from more than 10 unions, mostly from those not involved in her statewide pension cuts.

During her campaign, Raimondo, a Roman Catholic, caused a stir among the state’s conservative Catholics for accepting an endorsement from Planned Parenthood and supporting women’s reproductive rights, including abortion.

At the time, Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence criticized Raimondo, arguing that she was making a political move and ignoring her religion’s stance on abortion, the Providence Journal reported.

Raimondo’s victory was met with both jubilation and disappointment throughout the divided state.

The mood was elated and triumphant at the Democratic watch party at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, where candidates celebrated wins in all the statewide races and the Providence mayoral race.

Raimondo’s acceptance speech, punctuated by loud chants of “Go Gina, Go!” from the cheering crowd, focused on her path to the win and her plans to increase the number of jobs in the state.

“Rhode Island said it’s time for new people, a new direction, a culture that includes everyone and not a culture that favors insiders,” she said. “So I accept, I am filled with humility and I am ready to work. I will work for the people of Rhode Island to rebuild Rhode Island and get all of you back to work,” she added.

At the Brown Democrats’ watch party on campus, attended by about 50 people throughout the night, “the whole room … just burst into tears when the results were called,” said Meghan Holloway ’16, president of the Brown Democrats. “We were biting our nails nervously. … We worked so hard, we just couldn’t imagine her losing.”

“Having a woman who comes from an economic-oriented background will really help to put a focus on not only creating jobs and strengthening the state’s economy, but also doing so” with an approach that helps women and is “equitable and accountable to people of all genders,” said Isabella Levy ’16, Brown Democrats political director.

Fung teared up as he adressed the

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Gubernatorial election results Democratic candidate Gina Raimondo won 40.1 percent of the state’s votes, compared to Republican challenger Allan Fung’s 36.2 percent.

Raimondo Fung Healey

Source: The Office of the Rhode Island Secretary of State EMMA JERZYK / HERALD

crowd at the R.I. Republican watch party at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

“It’s a tough one,” he said of the race, keeping his remarks brief as emotion colored his voice. “I will be back,” he added, thanking his family, wife and supporters to a chorus of cheers.

“It’s definitely disappointing, because it was a really close race, but I think Mayor Fung did a really good job up there,” said Allie Schaefer ’17, vice president of the Brown Republicans, who also attended the watch party.

“Like he said, he’s going to be back, so we’re really hoping that he’s going to run again in the next four years.”

Schaefer said.

A Taubman Center poll released Oct. 28 showed Raimondo and Fung neck-and-neck with 39.6 percent and 39 percent of the vote, respectively.

These poll results came on the tail of another Taubman Center poll released Oct. 23, which showed Raimondo with a significant lead — 41.6 percent of the vote to Fung’s 30.5 percent.

Candidates in both the gubernatorial primary and general elections have spent a total of $15 million in the entire campaign, making this the most expensive race in the history of Rhode Island.

Fung outspent Raimondo leading up to the election, WPRO reported. In the week before the election, Fung had about $272,300 on hand, significantly more than Raimondo, who had about $32,500. Fung had previously spent

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about $780,400 during the month of October, while Raimondo spent about $770,700, WPRO reported.

In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat candidate and Cumberland Mayor Dan McKee beat out Republican Catherine Taylor, former director of the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs, by over 20 percentage points.

The two candidates had similar visions for the position, which has no official constitutional powers beyond taking the role of governor if the sitting governor is unable to perform his or her duties. Outgoing term-limited Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts ’78 made health care her priority during her tenure.

Both candidates said they would keep Healthsource R.I., the state’s healthcare exchange, under state control instead of outsourcing it to the federal government.

In an unsual turn, Republican Taylor captured endorsements from teachers unions, which shunned the Democrat due to his pro-charter school views. The R.I. AFL-CIO backed Taylor, the first time it has backed a Republican candidate since 1986, WPRI reported. She has support from organized labor and said she disagrees with Fung’s right-towork stance.

-With additional reporting by Andrew Flax, Duncan Gallagher, Lindsay Gantz and Molly Schulson

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elections 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Newport rejects measure to add casino table games State voters approve funds for academic, cultural, environmental and transportation pursuits

By SARAH NOVICOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Newport voters once again rejected the addition of table games to the Newport Grand casino by voting 57 percent to 43 percent to reject Question 1 on the ballot Tuesday, though statewide voters approved the measure by nearly the same margin.

The measure could only pass if it was supported by a majority of voters statewide and in Newport. If Question 1 had passed, former Providence mayor and real estate developer Joseph Paolino Jr. P’06 P’17 had planned to invest $40 million into the casino.

Nearly 57 percent of overall Rhode Island voters approved the addition, with over 43 percent voting against it.

Advocates had argued that the move would increase state revenue and create 200 new jobs as well as stabilize current jobs vulnerable due to declining gambling revenues.

But the group Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling posited that the $40 million could be better spent elsewhere and not in a “declining” industry.

“I think it’s a resounding victory of the local community and business owners over big money and political interests,” said Elizabeth Taver, CCACG campaign coordinator, on Tuesday night.

» FACULTY, from page 1 “shouldn’t be as hard” as what peer institutions face, she added.

Brown currently runs the Target of Opportunity program, which maintains funding for 25 fluid faculty positions — the funding is lent to departments when they come across exceptional minority candidates whom the department does not have the money to hire at the time.

Paxson said she hopes to see the addition of more Target of Opportunity positions and increased funding for the program, as well as a “multi-pronged” effort from top administrators and faculty members to establish an “institutional commitment” to diversification.

Paxson also spoke of a possible expansion of diversity programs for postdoctoral associates — the President’s Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

Currently, resources are available to fund six of these postdoctoral positions for minority candidates next year.

Colvin presented new ideas for additional efforts: a possible one-year visiting scholars program that could lead to hiring opportunities, young scholar mentoring conferences that would “allow departments to get to know candidates earlier in their academic careers” and continued investments in postdoctoral fellowships and programs that will “expand the pipeline” for minority doctoral candidates.

Robert Self, professor of history, cited punishment, incentives and “moral suasions” as the most influential methods to promote diversity, with incentives being the least limited method. “Put money on the table,” he said, noting the signal of importance doing so would send to departments to increase diversity in their hires.

William Simmons ’60 PhD’67, professor of anthropology, also questioned the culture at Brown. “There’s something within the institution that needs to be

“I’m disappointed that the 175 families that depend on the income they receive from there could be jeopardized and they could be out of a job in the future,” Paolino said. Newport voters “were sold a package that said (table games) would destroy Newport. I still don’t think it would, but I respect the political process. In two or four years, we’ll look at it again.”

Adding table games to Newport Grand was on statewide and Newport ballots in 2012 and faced much the same fate, passing statewide but being rejected by Newport voters by about 600 votes, the Providence Journal reported. That year, some Newport residents cited concerns about the casino’s movement to any site other than its current location near Pell Bridge in rejecting the measure. Question 2 — a constitutional amendment to prohibit gambling location changes — was added to this year’s ballot to address those issues.

Question 2 was approved by a measure of 67 percent to 33 percent. Paolino said CCACG and Paolino Properties lawyers cooperated on advocating for the passage of the question.

But Taver said an unclear, lastminute change to the wording of the measure fundamentally changed its impact to “strip the power of local referendum ballot voting.”

Elsewhere on the ballot, Rhode understood,” which may point to why it has been hard to retain underrepresented minority faculty members, he said.

Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 said, “Providence is not a great ally” in retaining faculty who are underrepresented minorities, adding that he has heard from a few previous faculty members who said they had felt isolated in the city.

Diane Lipscombe, professor of neuroscience, brought up the idea of compromise. To increase diversity, departments may have to let go of some of their expectations for the wide breadth of scholarship potential hires have pursued when evaluating candidates, she said.

Paxson said she wants to have “very concrete goals,” deparmental dedication and faculty input before eventually composing a formal “Diversity Action Plan.”

At the meeting, Director of Benefits Drew Murphy also gave a brief presentation on employee benefits. Faculty members must enroll online to receive their 2015 benefits, Murphy said. This is the first year that faculty members will have to actively enroll in benefits, as as opposed to having them renewed automatically. Health benefits for 2015 will also expand from three to four levels of health care coverage for faculty members and their beneficiaries, he added.

The Committee on Honorary Degrees has decided its recommendations for honorary degree recipients at this year’s Commencement, Paxson said. Eight final candidates were presented to the Corporation’s Board of Fellows at their October meeting, though their identities will remain confidential until the spring, she added.

Memorial minutes were also read for Associate Dean of Biology Marjorie Thompson ’74 PhD’79 P’02 P’07 P’09 P’12 P’14 P’16 and Associate Professor Emerita of English Dorothy Denniston at the meeting.

Island voters rejected Question 3, voting against holding a state constitutional convention by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent. The proposition is required by state law to be on the ballot once every 10 years but has not passed since 1984.

“When it goes through the regular checks and balances of the General Assembly, I believe (the people) have a fairer shot,” said Jennifer Norris, campaign manager for Citizens for Responsible Government, which opposed the measure. “It slows the process down, but I think, in some cases, that’s for good. It’s our constitution and it shouldn’t be something that’s rushed.”

Rhode Islanders approved four ballot questions allowing the state to issue bonds to pay for a variety of funding priorities.

Question 4, which would approve $125 million worth of bonds for a new College of Engineering building at the University of Rhode Island, passed 63percent to 37percent. Opponents to the question, as well as questions 5, 6 and 7, argued that the measures would cost the state too much money.

By a margin of 60.5 percent to 39.5 percent, voters approved Question 5, a $35 million bond to fund artistic, historic and cultural centers statewide. The money would go to nine different arts organizations, including WaterFire — which would use it to develop its headquarters into a more permanent space with a visitors’ center — and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.

“The money will be dispersed across the state for a lot of very worthy projects, from Westerly to Woonsocket to Providence,” said Laurie White, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce president, on Tuesday night. “It will keep the fires burning at WaterFire and the lights on at Trinity” Repertory Company.

Question 6, to issue $35 million in bonds to fund improved mass transit hub infrastructure, was also approved by voters by a margin of 60 percent to 40percent. The funds would address Kennedy Plaza congestion and go toward renovations at the downtown Amtrak station.

Rhode Islanders also voted 71 percent to 29 percent to issue $53 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes, with the money going to the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Clean Water Finance Agency, among others.

“Those funds will go a long way,” said William Sequino, executive director of the CWFA, which will receive $20 million.

“We’re able to turn it over to much more than $20 million” through a direct loan program that turns every dollar into four over time, he added.

Many new projects, listed in a queue of projects costing $1.8 billion by the Department of Environmental Management, are awaiting funding, including Warwick sewer expansions and an upgrade to wastewater treatment in Warren.

» LOCAL, from page 8 the seat for 22 years before resigning because of a federal investigation, Democratic candidate for State Representative Aaron Regunberg ’12 led the way with 65.7 points over Independent candidate and political newcomer Ethan Gyles.

Regunberg campaigned on reforming tax policies, encouraging small business growth and reestablishing public trust in the government. He touted his experience as a co-founder of the Providence Student Union for providing leadership and organizational skills that he would bring to the General Assembly, according to his website.

Following the raid on Fox’s home last spring by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and state police, Gyles advocated for greater government transparency. A former environmental engineering consultant, Gyles championed stabilizing Rhode Island’s economy, reexamining the state’s public education system and protecting natural resources.

Upon his victory in District 4, which includes the Blackstone, Mount Hope, and Summit neighborhoods, Regunberg wrote on his Facebook page, “I am so humbled and grateful for all of your support. And most of all, I’m excited to get to work!” “(Regunberg) ran a really strong campaign,” Gyles told The Herald. “I’m proud that we were both able to stay positive and run really clean campaigns.

I wish him the best.”

-With additional reporting by Duncan Gallagher

6 today

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

menu

c l a s s y c o n v e r s at i o n s

SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Steamed Dumplings with Dipping Sauces BLUE ROOM BBQ Special Soups: Hearty Country Vegetable, Tomato Florentine, Baked Potato ANDREWS COMMONS Po Boy Sandwiches

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Vegan Chow Mein with Tofu, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta, Sweet Potato Fries

Marinated Beef with Au Jus, Orange Teriyaki Haddock, Tofu Lo-Mein Stir Fry

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Vegan Great Northern Bean Casserole, Corn Mexicane, Tacos, Vegan Burrito

Parmesan Baked Chicken, Vegan Paella, Wild Rice Risotto, Garlic Bread Sticks

sudoku

ZEIN KHLEIF / HERALD

Social Classmates coordinators Emily Westgate ’16, Gwendolyn Rogers ’14 MAT’15 and Tinotenda Gwisai ’16 lead an event, “History of Social Class at Brown,” exploring the socioeconomic history of Brown students.

comics Mind Grapes | Willa Tracy ’17 RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, November 5, 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 Desert partly in northern China 5 Allergic reaction 9 Make overly dry 14 Air or Mini 15 Capital on a fjord 16 Union Pacific Railroad headquarters 17 Acidic 18 Laser __ 19 Up to this point 20 *“The Sound of Music” heroine 23 Ho Chi Minh City, once 25 Tribute in verse 26 Part of ETA: Abbr.

27 Fresno-to-L.A. direction 29 Altar oath 30 Conk on the head 33 *Common Italian restaurant fixture 36 Construction site sight 38 “__ Nagila” 39 ’50s vice president 41 Snow Queen in “Frozen” 42 Unsuitable 44 *Completely in vain 46 Remains in a tray 47 Row-making tool 49 Photo lab blowup: Abbr.

50 Had a meal 51 According to 52 Appeared 54 Breakfast serving, and a hint to this puzzle’s circled letters 60 Soap vamp __ Kane 61 Novelist Turgenev 62 Laryngitis sound 65 Handled bags 66 Insect eggs 67 Hockey great Phil, familiarly 68 Stimulate 69 Swiss abstractionist 70 Former Russian autocrat

31 Like some 53 Blue heron kin DOWN 1 “Amscray!” training 54 Tennis divisions 2 __-Locka, Florida 32 Rang out 55 Field goal?

3 Coming-of-age 34 Ray gun sound 56 Grammy winner event Coolidge 35 Outer: Pref.

4 Luggage tie-on 57 Sausage 37 Get ready to 5 “Miniver Cheevy” drag serving poet Edwin 40 Drivel 58 Like some movie Arlington __ 43 1994 Jim Carrey twins 6 Sailing, say movie 59 Historian’s tidbit 7 Moravian or 45 “Break __!”

63 Fancy tub Czech 48 Planet, poetically 64 ESP neighbor, to 8 __ sapiens 51 Hoosier hoopster the IOC 9 Like some ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: specialized research, for short 10 Luigi’s love 11 Nadal of tennis, familiarly 12 Become overly dry 13 Angelic strings 21 Activist Parks 22 Show assent 23 Old Kia model 24 Koreans, e.g.

28 Party-planning site 29 All-__ printer 30 One of two talking animals in the Old 11/05/14 xwordeditor@aol.com Testament

Class Notes | Philip Trammell ’15

calendar TODAY 6 P.M. GERI BRAMAN HILL LECTURE

3:30 P.M. CRV LECTURE: BLINDED BY THE MAGIC

Poet Daniel Tiffany delivers a talk entitled “The Lost Legacy of Baudelaire’s Muddy Halo.” Tiffany has nine published volumes as a poet and literary critic. McCormack Family Theater

Anthony Barnhart, a professor at Northern Arizona University, will explain magicians’ techniques in a talk entitled “Understanding Attention and Perception Through the Methods of Magicians.” Sidney Frank Hall Auditorium

7:30 P.M. BROWN’S SYSTEMS FOR PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO SEXUAL ASSULT

Representatives from different campus departments will talk about confidential support and medical care options for students in this panel discussion. Metcalf Research Laboratory Auditorium

11/05/14

7 P.M. LGBTQ INTERRACIAL DATING FORUM

Listen to and participate in discussions of interracial dating in LGBTQ communities as part of the Brown Center for Students of Color’s Multiracial Heritage Series. Brown Center for Students of Color, Formal Lounge 1

8 P.M. BDU DEBATE: SHOULD BROWN BAN

8 P.M. CIRCUIT BENDING AND HARDWARE HACKING

EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS?

AS MUSICAL AND ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

PETA joins the Brown Debate Union to discuss the use of animal experimentation in scientific research. SmithBy Gareth Bain (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

TOMORROW

Buonanno 106

Students in this advanced music class will demonstrate the use of analogue mixing desks to enhance their handmade musical instruments. Grand Recital Hall

commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Down with the writing requirement SAM HILLESTAD opinions columnist

I’m a writer, so naturally, I believe that an adequate command of the English language is an essential prerequisite for success. The ability to communicate effectively can make or break your career ambitions. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, what phenomenal code you can write, or how much work you’re willing to do — if you can’t put together a proper sentence, you aren’t going to go very far in life.

But even I think Brown’s writing requirement has to go.

It started off as an experiment. Its intentions were good. But even the best scientist admits when an experiment goes wrong. And there is widespread agreement that the University’s foray into requirements has gone unequivocally wrong.

Unbeknown to most Brown students, the writing requirement has actually been around since the inception of the New Curriculum back in 1969. But it went unenforced for decades, and it wasn’t until very recently that the University began to take the requirement seriously again.

In 2007, the lax enforcement of the writing requirement first came under scrutiny. The push for greater enforcement was led by then-Dean

of the College Katherine Bergeron.

Ironically, she conceded that Brown students’ writing proficiency needed no improvement. She said, “I’ve taught at a lot of places, and I’ve really enjoyed reading the papers of my Brown students more than at other places.” But if Brown students were such good writers, why would Bergeron suddenly put a spotlight on the writing requirement? It seems like enforcement for the sake of enforcement. But at some point, we have to stop blindly accepting the writing requirement as a given.

Back then, The Herald reported that more students thought all undergraduates had satisfied the writing requirement than those who didn’t.

In other words, students generally thought that “competence in reading and writing” had been achieved without an enforced writing requirement.

But what about now? I would venture to guess that the enforcement of the writing requirement has hardly affected the competency of our writing at all. Will taking two measly courses that may or may not place a special emphasis on writing really teach you how to write?

Students view the writing requirement as a box to check off. If you care about learning to write, you’ll go out of your way to take a course with papers. And if you don’t care, then you’re probably not going to get a lot out of a writing course. It would be

a wasted class. You could have taken something you were actually interested in, but instead, the University stepped in and told you what to take.

That’s about as anti-Brown as you can get.

Moreover, courses are designated as WRIT seemingly at random.

Should PHIL 0500: “Moral Philosophy” really count as a WRIT course and not PHIL 0990: “Moral Psychology,” even though they’re both taught by the same professor in the same department? Many writing-intensive courses mysteriously don’t count as WRIT courses, while some students take WRIT courses without ever knowing it. In my experience, the WRIT designation is slapped on arbitrarily.

And speaking of arbitrary, why should we single out writing as the only skill worthy of a requirement? Is writing somehow a more fundamental skill than math? If Brown were to institute a math requirement, the humanists would be up in arms.

While writing is undeniably integral to learning, strikingly similar arguments can be made about math.

And about logic. And research skills and public speaking and so on and so forth.

All these skills are important. But not all Brown students want to learn them, and certainly not all Brown students need to. To force them into preconceived notions of what is and

what is not important is at odds with the Brown ethos. At Brown, you can handcraft your own education. If you don’t think writing is an important skill, I may disagree with you, but I won’t force you to take a writing course. And the University shouldn’t either.

But to stop there would be unfair to Brown. The University still has requirements through concentrations.

Students here don’t get to customize their education with no regard for boundaries. That would be utter chaos. So no, we don’t always know what’s best for us. Sometimes, we need a little help. Through concentration requirements, departments can determine what skills — including writing — should be learned.

In place of the writing requirement, departments should have the autonomy to decide whether or not writing is important enough to their respective discipline to justify a requirement. Concentrations like English or philosophy or history are inherently writing-intensive, and thus would naturally have mandated writing courses.

But the hard sciences may also see writing as an important skill. After all, if a scientist can’t communicate his or her findings without resorting to senseless jargon and messy phrasing, then the significance of the experiment may be lost. So perhaps the hard sciences should consider having

a writing requirement within concentrations.

On the other hand, it’s possible that a student can get a perfectly adequate education in computer science without ever taking a writing class.

They can learn to write masterful code, but if the department doesn’t think writing essays is also important, so be it. And if computer science students disagree, then they should have the freedom to take a writing course.

So while the writing requirement as it stands should be abolished, that doesn’t mean we should go back to the previous laissez-faire model. Rather, we still have to carefully consider what place a writing requirement should have at Brown. The University-wide writing requirement has to go. But in its place, the departments should be able to decide whether to have writing as a concentration requirement. This is a compromise that would eliminate the arbitrariness of the current model and replace it with a system that puts power back in the hands of the professors and students.

Especially at Brown, that’s the only place power should ever reside.

Sam Hillestad ’15 won’t make you learn writing if you won’t make him learn linear algebra.

He can be reached at samuel_hillestad@brown.edu.

Escape from freedom JULIE HYEBIN SHIN opinions columnist

In this brisk autumn weather, with just the right amount of sunlight, I often recall Diogenes the Cynic, who loved leisurely sun-basking. When Alexander the Great, undeniably the most powerful figure of the time, approached this bohemian lying under the sun and asked if he wanted anything, he simply replied, “Yes, please. Stand out of my sunlight.”

A cosmopolitan who knew how to fully enjoy and bask in the privileges of a free man, Diogenes defied all authorities, institutions and conventions that tried to shackle him down.

“My good Diogenes, if you knew how to pay court to kings, you wouldn’t have to wash those vegetables,” lamented Plato.

“And,” replied Diogenes, knee-deep in the river, “if you knew how to wash vegetables, you wouldn’t have to enslave yourself to kings.”

It was around this time of my freshman year in one classics course that I came across this anecdote. At that time, I was footloose, wandering undecidedly from the world of Plato to the world of neurons and atoms. And I was accompanied by a number of fellow troubadours and romantics harboring the same fantasy of freedom and exploring the boundless possibilities of the open curriculum. As for me, I was prepared, having desperately escaped from the prisons of Korean education, to indulge in the newfound freedom at Brown, a stronghold of liberal education.

With freedom, however, ensued an overwhelming uncertainty and anxiety. While some continued to enjoy the perks of the open curriculum, the Diogeneses of Brown slowly vanished, one by one, and retreated to the mundane world of stability and certainty where things move in a more defined orbit. Now, we appreciate freedom in a narrower sense: We feel “free” and liberated from work when the professor unexpectedly cancels a class or gives a week off of homework. Those intermittent surprises and “free time” granted to us are about all the freedom we can truly take pleasure in. When the professor burdens us with the freedom to write an essay on the topic of our choice, we get anxious. When we are bestowed the

verse, alone.

In the minds of these naturally threat-sensitive animals, individualism was equated with the progressive crumbling of unity, severance of ties and eventual isolation as separate entities, rather than an opportunity for constructive self-realization and shaping of individual identities. The fear of psychological isolation inevitably triggered anxiety and compelled people to seek new sources of social bondage and interpersonal dependencies, including fascist ideologies and dictators. To those in power, such “abdicants” of freedom were easy to control and manipulate, as opposed to strongminded and independent Diogeneses.

All this talk of fascism and mass hysteria is not

Even if Brown is dubbed the “happiest” college, its “happiest” students cannot be immune to depression, anxiety and other mental instabilities. right to become the architects of our own “liberal” education, we become overwhelmed.

Erich Fromm, a renowned social and political psychologist of the 19th century, analyzes a similar phenomenon in his seminal work, “Escape from Freedom.” He watched as millions of German citizens grew as “eager to surrender their freedom as their fathers were to fight for it.” Before their liberation, individuals identified themselves with respect to their position in and relationship with the world around them. But then came “real” freedom, cutting off their roots and leaving them face to face with the bare self, stranded in the vast uni-

far-fetched. In Brunonia, the land of freedom and the forefront of liberal education, the Diogeneses adapt to the open curriculum and internalize the liberal philosophy of Brown, but those bewildered herds of lost sheep have trouble coping with the overwhelming and unprecedented privilege granted to them and agonize over what to do. Of course, there are also those racehorses who choose to ignore the issue altogether — to whom it does not matter that they are at Brown. Many undecided newcomers fidget with the curriculum in their first semesters but soon thereafter grow anxious, returning to their “decided” lives and reassuring

themselves that they are on the right track. Still others, claiming to be true bohemians, pretend to be enjoying the freedom but still feel anxious internally.

Even if Brown is dubbed the “happiest” college, its “happiest” students cannot be immune to depression, anxiety and other mental instabilities.

As a matter of fact, about 16 to 17 percent of students visit Counseling and Psychological Services annually. Twenty percent of the 50 to 65 people who took a medical leave last semester were suffering from anxiety. Many causes underlie these symptoms, but uncertainty and insecurity about academic and career paths are certainly primary factors.

It is apparent that aside from merely giving students liberty, the University should help them better understand the meaning of that freedom and what to make of the open curriculum. In order for students to grow into independent individuals, a strong sense of individual identity and maturity must be achieved, for knowing oneself is the fastest way to inner freedom. The fact that many Brown students postpone their graduation in fear of venturing into the unknown — hence the lowest four-year graduation rate in the Ivy League, at 84 percent — leads me to suspect the effectiveness of Brown’s liberal education in nurturing truly liberal and autonomous individuals.

We are just too young to be frustrated with life now.

Julie HyeBin Shin ’17 can be reached at hye_bin_shin@brown.edu.

CORRECTION An article that appeared in Tuesday’s Herald (“In costume, thousands trek to Rhode Island Comic Con,” Nov. 4) incorrectly stated that Colin Baker plays Doctor Who. In fact, he played the Doctor in the 1980s. The Herald regrets the error.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD

elections

R.I. voters choose Democrats for major state office positions Election sees new and old Democratic faces for attorney general, general treasurer and secretary of state

By ELAINA WANG STAFF WRITER

Attorney General Democratic incumbent Attorney General Peter Kilmartin won his reelection bid by more than 13 percentage points against his Republican challenger, two-term state Sen. Dawson Hodgson, R-R-East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown and Narragansett.

Kilmartin, a former Pawtucket police officer who was elected attorney general in 2010, campaigned on his experience and accomplishments in the office. He touted his establishment of a Child Abuse Unit — an internal unit that solely focuses on prosecuting child abuse cases — as his greatest accomplishment and focused on keeping communities safe from “guns, gangs and drugs,” WPRI reported.

Hodgson, who formerly served as criminal prosecutor in the attorney

general’s office from 2005 to 2011, focused on strengthening the economy and reestablishing trust between the public and the government. He has criticized Kilmartin — who served as a state representative for 20 years — for being cozy with elected officials in the General Assembly, WPRI reported.

The ongoing 38 Studios investigation was a major point of debate between the two candidates. Hodgson criticized Kilmartin for voting to approve a $75 million loan to 38 Studios, a video game company founded by former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, which went bankrupt two years after accepting the loan.

General Treasurer Democratic candidate for General Treasurer Seth Magaziner ’06 defeated Independent Ernest Almonte, a former public accountant and state auditor general, with 57.1 percent of the vote.

“We celebrate tonight but we have to

remember that across this state there are a lot of people who are hurting,” Magaziner said during his victory speech at the Providence Biltmore Hotel.

During his campaign, Magaziner focused on revitalizing Rhode Island’s economy, improving the retirement system, increasing funding for education and securing financial stability for Rhode Island residents.

“My focus is finding ways the treasurer’s office can jumpstart the state’s economy,” Magaziner told The Herald.

Almonte said his priorities were to manage the state’s pension crisis, establish a municipal financial team to assess government deficit, improve government accountability and bring financial literacy to classrooms.

Both Magaziner and Almonte agreed that pension overhaul was necessary and called for changes in investing the state’s pension money in hedge funds.

Almonte is currently an adjunct lecturer of public policy at the University.

Magaziner is the son of Ira Magaziner ’69 P’06 P’07 P’10, a former adviser to

Bill Clinton and founder of the University’s open curriculum.

“We were feeling confident going into today, but of course you never know until the last vote is counted,” Magaziner told The Herald. “We’ve got a lot of work to get the state back on track, and I’m very excited to get started.”

Secretary of State Former Deputy Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, the democratic nominee, will become Rhode Island’s new secretary of state, winning with 60.4 percent of the vote, 21.1 percentage points over Republican opponent John Carlevale, a former social caseworker and former assistant professor of human services at the Community College of Rhode Island. Gorbea, born in Puerto Rico, is the first Hispanic to hold statewide office in New England.

Gorbea stressed repealing Rhode Island’s voter ID law and did not support Question 3 — whether to hold a constitutional convention or not — which appears on the general election ballot every

10 years. Gorbea, the former executive director of HousingWorks Rhode Island, has said she aims to increase government transparency, encourage growth of small businesses and improve voter turnout.

Carlevale supported the voter ID law and constitutional convention ballot measure. This was his third bid for secretary of state.

“I am honored to have earned the support and confidence of my fellow Rhode Islanders and look forward to serving them as secretary of state,” Gorbea said in an official statement released after her victory. “Starting on day one, my work will focus on ensuring fair, fast and accurate elections, making it easy for businesses to start and thrive, and ensuring that our government is transparent and accountable to the Rhode Islanders.”

House Rep. District 4 In the race to fill the seat vacated by former Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence, who held » See LOCAL, page 5