daily herald

the Brown
vol. cxxii, no. 80
Thursday, OcTOber 4, 2012

INsIde

post

Patricia Watson named VP for advancement

By Kate NusseNbaum
Senior Staff Writer

since 1891

Post-

talks to strangers, sells its virginity, defends its gen.

Page 8

TEDx factor
Student speakers selected for upcoming conference Page 8

Damage control
Report suggests reforms for state commerce policy
today tomorrow

55 / 66

58 / 75

Patricia watson, Cornells senior associate vice president for alumni affairs and development, will serve as the Universitys senior vice president for advancement beginning Dec. 1, President Christina Paxson announced in an email yesterday morning. watson will replace Steven King 91, who resigned from the position in July. Since then, richard Spies, who served as executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president under ruth Simmons, has been temporarily filling the post. watsons primary role will be to oversee the fundraising efforts that will ultimately bring the goals set by Paxsons administration to life, Spies said. Its a big loss for Cornell, but shes ready to be the top person, said Charles Phlegar, vice president for alumni affairs and development at Cornell. She is very thoughtful and

decisive as a leader. She understands and sees the big picture. She understands all aspects of higher education, he said. watson said the chance to join Paxsons administration at the beginning of her tenure attracted her to the position. this is a really exciting time for all of us at Brown in terms of the presidents work on developing a strategic plan for us that builds on the Plan for Academic enrichment and identifies new directions and new goals, Spies said. watson, who graduated from Cornell in 1983, joined its administration in 2004 as the director for college and unit alumni affairs and development. Prior to her time working at Cornell, she served as Syracuse Universitys director of development and as assistant dean for advancement in the L.C. Smith College of engineering and Computer Science, according to a Brown press release. At Cornell, / / watson page 4

Courtesy oF BroWn unIVersIty

Patricia watson will leave her position in Cornells development office to lead fundraising efforts at brown.

u. threatens fees after weekend vandalism in Keeney r.I. launches

By steveN browNstoNe
contributing Writer

Fifty-seven exit signs were destroyed, and a bathroom stalls dividers were ripped out in Keeney Quadrangle during a weekend at the end of September. The incident was the peak of an upward trend in campus vandalism in the past two years, according to the office of residential Life. Furniture theft has also been an issue in Keeney. we are currently searching for four bean bags, and we suggest whoever has those bags to return them before I come and find them, richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life and dining services, told The herald. to repair and clean damages to facilities, the University spends more than $125,000 per year on average, Bova said, adding that about $30,000 is spent each year on exit signs alone. Attempts at stealing larger furniture

have also been an issue. I saw a group of six upperclassmen carrying a couch down the stairs from one of the fifth floor lounges and called DPS, said Zach Minster 14, a residential counselor in Jameson hall. Though vandalism occurs in other dorms, the amount that takes place in Keeney is disproportionate to the number of residents the dorm houses. over the past two years, while Keeney is 14 percent of our residents, it is 50 percent of the dorm damage, said Marylou McMillan, senior director for planning and projects. resLife hopes recent and upcoming renovations in Keeney will reduce vandalism by fostering a greater sense of community, McMillan and Bova said. Keeney will be divided into three 200-student sections that will be separated by armed emergency doors. Students will no longer be able to run laps around Keeney, hitting / / Keeney page 3

new system for teacher evaluations

By adam toobiN
Senior Staff Writer

GreG jordan-detamore / herald

resLife emailed the university community last week to notify them of the high cost of replacing broken exit signs and stolen furniture in Keeney.

romney, Obama square off on economy

By adam toobiN
Senior Staff Writer

sam kase / herald

students convened in smith-buonanno 106 last night to watch last nights u.s. presidential debate on the big screen.

President Barack obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt romney covered domestic topics in last nights presidential debate, including job creation, tax policy, deficit reduction, social welfare programs and healthcare policy. Social issues were not addressed. During the debate, obama positioned himself as the heir to the Democratic policies of President Bill Clinton, who oversaw the economic boom of the 1990s, and aligned romney with the failed Bush administration. romney criticized obamas administration for failing to create jobs, while instead focusing on a healthcare reform bill that raised taxes, cut Medicare and cost jobs. The debate was moderated by former PBS newshour anchor Jim Lehrer at the University of Denver. A

screening was of the debate was held in Smith-Buonanno 106. each candidate let forth a barrage of facts and statistics during the debate, which the other candidate often disputed. Job creation obama touted his administrations creation of five million jobs over the past 30 months despite inheriting an economy mired in a deep recession. he promised to take the money that was previously expended on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to cut middle class tax rates and increase investment in energy and education, including the hiring of 100,000 new math and science teachers. obama proceeded to criticize romney for his perspective that says if we cut taxes skewed toward the wealthy and roll back regulations that well be better off. romney criticized obama for rais/ / debate page 5 ing taxes on

city & state

By the time President Barack obama and U.S. Secretary of education Arne Duncan announced in 2009 that the federal government would distribute $4.35 billion to states purposed for developing more intensive teacher evaluation systems, among other elements, rhode Island already had begun to overhaul its decades-old evaluation process in favor of one that uses student learning as its central barometer of teacher effectiveness. The rhode Island Board of regents had already mandated that every district in the state develop a teacher evaluation system similar to the one desired by obama. The states jump on the federal government put it in a prime position to win money from the race to the top fund, obamas signature education initiative, and in 2010 the president announced that rhode Island was one of 12 states to win federal funding to implement a teacher evaluation system, encourage charter school innovation, develop datadriven assessment standards and manage several other initiatives. The rhode Island Department of elementary and Secondary education is implementing the new system, developed with approximately $18 million of the $125 million total it has received in federal funds $75 million in 2010, and $50 million in 2011 for the first time this year.

city & state

new evaluation As students walked into their classes on the first day of school in September, it probably felt like any other year. But / / education page 2 for rhode

2 campus news
c alendar
TODaY 11 a.m. Rare Book Petting Zoo John Carter Brown Library 7p .m. Screening: AI WEIWEI List Art 120 8p .m. Concert of Contemporary Music Granoff Center OCT. 4 TOmORROW 6p .m. Susan Kushner Resnick Reading Brown Bookstore OCT. 5

the Brown DAILy herALD thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

/ / education page 1
Island teachers, the implementation of a new evaluation system means this school year will be markedly different. In the final days of summer, teachers worked with their schools principals to establish personal student learning objectives quantitative measurements tracking student progress over the year that the state will use to determine their effectiveness as educators. These objectives represent the most significant innovation in this years new system. The race to the top grant stipulates that rhode Island must develop a standardized method for judging teacher effectiveness based on performance. Though student learning is often measured through standardized testing, no standardized test exists for the 70 to 75 percent of teachers who work outside of third through eighth grade math and science education. As a result, rhode Island is mandating that all teachers set between two and four personal student learning objectives to be used in their own performance evaluations. For example, a gym teacher might administer a physical test of pushups, sit-ups and a run to his students in September, then commit to a 25 percent improvement more pushups, more sit-ups and a faster run over the course of the year. Critics of the objectives contend that teachers who create their own evaluation standards might succumb to the temptation to set easy goals, sacrificing student learning for a better evaluation, said John tyler, professor of education, economics and public policy at Brown. But officials have expressed hope that principals, who will be rated based on their teachers abilities to meet their student learning objectives starting this year, will prevent teachers from setting lax standards. David Upegui, a state-commended science teacher at Central Falls high School, said he is worried that teachers who set high standards for themselves will be at a disadvantage against those who fudge the numbers. Upegui, who found a state biology test used in Maryland and is administering it to his students at the beginning and end of the year to measure growth,said he was disappointed he was not able to risk a more difficult objective. I want lower absenteeism rates, but thats too risky, because over 50 percent of my rating is riding on that goal, Upegui said. every teacher will also have to establish at least three professional growth goals every year. These assessments are a lot like student learning objectives, but focus on how the teacher can improve his or her technical development. Though an important component of the final effectiveness rating, the professional growth goals are weighted significantly

less than student learning objectives. targeting effectiveness reformers hope that providing principals and administrators with a mechanism, however imperfect, to understand how teachers affect student learning will play a valuable role in fixing rhode Islands underperforming schools, tyler said. The student learning objectives are part of a broader effectiveness rating, which will be used to determine which teachers need additional training and to a limited extent which teachers can keep their jobs. In addition to the required student learning objectives, evaluators usually the teachers principal, assistant principal or department head will visit each classroom in the state at least three times for at least 20 minutes over the course of the year. The evaluator will provide the teacher with feedback after every meeting, which will also be used as a factor in the teachers final effectiveness rating. every evaluator undergoes training in order to limit the amount of variability in an assessment and to guarantee that a rating will never be dependent on which evaluator the teacher has that day, tyler said. The assessments are based on an open standard that measures a teachers ability to make a difference for his or her students, he said. Lynn Cristino, a coordinator in the rhode Island Innovation evaluation and Support System, defended the standardized criteria during an episode of LaborVision, the rhode Island Federation of teachers online talk show about issues pertaining to teachers. were looking at evidence. This is more objective because weve trained all of our evaluators to look for the same things and make objective decisions based on that evidence, Cristino said. The most controversial element of the evaluation system tying the effectiveness rating to standardized tests will not be part of this years evaluations, because the state needs two years of data to establish a baseline reading on student performance, said elliot Krieger, the executive assistant for communications in the office of the Commissioner of the Department of elementary and Secondary education. A portion of the effectiveness ratings for math and science teachers between third and eighth grades will then be connected to their ability to improve their students scores on state standardized tests. Contrary to popular belief, tyler said, teachers are not judged based on their students total test scores, but rather on how much the students improve in a year, relative to others who began at the same level. A teacher who brings a students score up from 70 to 75 will receive less credit than one who raises a students performance from 30 to 50. But

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unlike some of the nations other evaluation systems, the ratings do not take the students race, socioeconomic status or home environment into account. Maribeth Calabro, the vice president of the Providence teachers Union, said she is worried that evaluating teachers based on test results might be unfair since examinations are just a snapshot of total learning. And the rating is not encompassing enough of all the factors that go into a testing environment, she said. For example, we have children with disabilities who are taking the eighth grade neCAP when they are on a first-or second-grade level. Calabro also criticized the inequity of using tests to evaluate some but not all teachers. Using standardized tests to evaluate teachers remains controversial around the country, and rhode Islands implementation stands out for its congeniality, tyler said. The recent teachers strike in Chicago hinged largely on teachers opposition to Mayor rahm emanuels proposal to tie effectiveness ratings to test scores. The final effectiveness rating will be determined by combining elements of the student learning objectives, professional growth goals, feedback from evaluators and, when applicable, standardized test results. The evaluator will then assign each teacher a rating of highly effective, effective, developing or ineffective. rating teachers tyler identified two ways in which states and counties use teacher evaluation information as tools for professional development and as a sorting mechanism. Sorting methods use information about student achievement to reward good teachers and fire bad ones, he said. In rhode Island, the part thats talked about more is evaluation as a way to make teachers better, he added. The teacher effectiveness ratings have no bearing on teacher salary, tenure decisions or bonuses. State Senator Donna nesselbush, D-Pawtucket, introduced a bill in the General Assembly earlier this year that would have required teachers to receive three years of effective ratings before receiving tenure, but the bill did not gain any traction. teachers rated highly effective or effective have more leeway in pursuing new pathways of professional development, while those considered developing or ineffective are placed in peer assistance and review programs. These teachers receive observations and counseling from more experienced and successful teachers in an effort to raise their effectiveness ratings and improve student learning, Calabro said. If teachers receive an ineffective rating five years in a row, they will automatically lose their certification and will no longer be permitted to teach in rhode Island. This policy was not included in the original evaluation plan, but the Board of regents added it last november. The evaluation system gives rhode Island a more comprehensive method for administering professional development, which can be valuable to student learning on its own without changing compensation or dismissal policies, tyler said. tylers research over the past several years has studied whether teachers conforming to standards laid out in evaluation systems like the one in rhode Island can positively affect student learning. he will publish a paper in the journal education next in December arguing that improved evaluations corre- / / education page 3

RELEASE DATE Thursday, October 4, 2012

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 1 They sit at stands 5 Check out with nefarious intent 9 Gyneco-s opposite 14 Really cruel guy 15 ABA member 16 Man-trap 17 Grievously wound 18 Approach 19 Thirteenth Amendment beneficiary 20 Game with a windmill, usually 23 __ takers? 24 Big shots 25 Requiring an adult escort 28 Big London attraction? 29 Handy set 30 Former despot Amin 31 Uncle Remus rogue 36 Big butte 37 Bootcut Skinny brand 38 PC interconnection 39 Like proofed dough 40 Duelers choice 41 Insect honored on a 1999 U.S. postage stamp 43 Make a booboo 44 __ Lingus 45 Article in Der Spiegel 46 Not at all out of the question 48 Shucks! 50 Friend of Franois 53 Literally meaning driving enjoyment, slogan once used by the maker of the ends of 20-, 31- and 41Across 56 Popular household fish 58 Princess with an earmuff-like hair style 59 Lose color 60 If __ Would Leave You 61 Sea decimated by Soviet irrigation projects

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

62 Done 63 Removal of govt. restrictions 64 Lucies dad 65 Boarding pass datum 31 Run, as colors 32 Copy, for short 33 Eternally 34 Get fuzzy 35 Prohibition 36 Appearance 39 Run the country 41 Antelope playmate 42 Language of South Asia 44 Secretary of state after Ed Muskie

croSSWord

DOWN 1 I, Claudius feature 2 Piano teachers command 3 Like pickle juice 4 Big rig 5 Ensenada bar 6 Devoured 7 Headlines 8 Rochesters love 9 Categorize 10 Nabisco cookie brand 11 Most in need of insulation 12 Gun 13 Individual 21 Declares 22 Spunk 26 Four-wheeled flop 27 Title name in Mellencamps little ditty 28 Runny fromage 29 Powerful pair of checkers

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

47 Support for practicing plis 48 Farmers John 49 Diva specialties 50 Sonoran succulent 51 Jasons jilted wife 52 Like helium 54 Impaler of Romanian history 55 Sci-fi staples 56 Rocker Nugent 57 Night before

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10/04/12

daily herald
the Brown
www.browndailyherald.com 195 angell st., Providence, r.I.
Claire Peracchio, President rebecca Ballhaus, Vice President Danielle Marshak, treasurer Siena DeLisser, Secretary The Brown Daily herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during orientation by The Brown Daily herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. PoStMASter please send corrections to P.o. Box 2538, Providence, rI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, r.I. Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily. Copyright 2011 by The Brown Daily herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
By Donna S. Levin (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

10/04/12

(401) 351-3372 herald@browndailyherald.com

edITOrIal

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the Brown DAILy herALD thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

campus news 3
/ / Keeney page 1
down 15 exit signs in one lap, said Isabella Giancarlo 14, a womens peer counselor in Archibald hall. I want to be able to come home Friday night and sleep, instead of filling out damage reports, she added. Giancarlo speculated on the causes of first-years destroying exit signs. Besides drunkenness, people hit exit signs as a perverse statement of their newfound independence in college, she said. But students who said they have hit exit signs offered a variety of reasons for their behavior. It was the third day of school. one of my older friends came over and asked, how are the exit signs in Keeney still up? So he broke one, and I broke one, a Keeney resident, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid disciplinary action, told The herald. other Keeney residents accounted for the temporary removal of bean bags from common rooms in several ways, including using the bags as a bed for visiting friends or for themselves when they had been sexiled by their roommates. Minster, who saw juniors carrying away a couch, said he though that older students jealous of the renovated facilities are more inclined to steal from and damage them. The fact that upperclassmen and nonKeeney residents have been involved in the dorms vandalism prompted resLife to email the entire on-campus community Sept. 28. The email, which warned that continued damage to exit signs and other vandalism of University facilities and property will result in assessing a damage fee, sparked a shift in Keeney residents expressed attitudes. Bova confirmed to The herald that if we continue to have wholesale destruction, I will seek to look at the entire community and seek to hold them responsible. Following the email, incidents of exit sign vandalism have decreased markedly, and jokes about exit sign violence have become jokes about defending exit signs. Punching exit signs is rude and immature, said Dylan Felt 16. Charles Snider 16, who found his hallway littered with broken exit signs one Sunday night, said he was filled with an insatiable desire for justice. Bova said the University is considering replacing the current exit signs with the more resilient triangular models already found on the fourth floor of Archibald when the rest of the dorm is renovated. But Bova added that sensitizing the community to what is going on around them, not architecture or threats, is the most important strategy for reducing vandalism. Punching exit signs, I think, is indicative of unrealized privilege thats pervasive at Brown and probably most of our peer institutions, said Sophie McKibben 16. I dont think people realize that the money spent repairing unnecessary vandalism could be spent on scholarships, programs and research.

/ / education page 2
late with improved student learning. were never going to have an evaluation system thats perfect, tyler said. But if we wait for the perfect evaluation system, were going to still be waiting in 10 years. new for all The new evaluation system represents a fundamental change in how teachers are evaluated in the state. In previous years, only non-tenured teachers received annual evaluations, while those with tenure were observed every five years. There was little state guidance or standardization for how teachers were evaluated and little recourse to deal with ineffective teachers. not every district implemented the exact state model. The race to the top guidelines permit districts to either agree to the states model or design their own. Providence and a few other districts around the state have signed onto the rhode Island Federation of teachers Innovation Consortiums model for evaluations. Providence educators developed the model alongside the states teachers union, but its core elements remain similar to the rhode Island model. Though teacher evaluations are new to the state this year, elements of the program were introduced last year to iron out kinks in the system before it went statewide. After last years gradual implementation, the state decided to require teachers to develop fewer student learning objectives, but no other substantial changes were made, Krieger said.

4 campus news
/ / tedx page 8
sumptions (that) you live, Vazquez said that it was through a liberal arts education that he was able to think about these questions. only at an institution like Brown could he be a PLMe student, an anthropology concentrator and also study French, Vazquez said. the virtues of a liberal education were also echoed by Mirchandani, a herald contributing writer, who called herself an intellectual refugee ... seeking asylum and finding solace in Browns open curriculum. In addition to talking about the ways in which a liberal arts college has helped her explore her diverse interests, Mirchandani pointed to a case study from her native city of Bombay to illustrate the necessity of having a broad perspective and the connections between science and humanities. Both students said they were surprised to learn they had been selected as winners of the challenge but were excited to represent the student body at the conference. the format of the actual conference will be slightly different, with students allowed to speak up to eight minutes. ryan said the team will be working with the winners to strengthen their talks and help them develop their original speeches and ideas. As the conference is scheduled for Family weekend, ryan said she hopes the presence of a student perspective will especially resonate with parents, who often play a key role in students education and curriculum decisions. the fact that there was such a positive response to the challenge reflects the way liberal education is at the core of student experience at Brown, she said.

the Brown DAILy herALD thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

/ / rappleye page 8
responded, Its true, I found John more likeable. Moses was more scolding. I mean, who would you like to get together with for a couple of beers after work? Probably John. Questions touched on topics including John Browns penchant for illicit trade and the permanence of family bonds in colonial America, but much of the discussion focused on John and Moses relationship with slavery. representatives from the Universitys Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice handed out copies of the report to audience members outside of the auditorium, inviting everyone to an open discussion of the report in coming weeks. I see value in recognition of what happened. I dont see much point in assigning blame or fixing guilt, rappleye said. I dont think that debt has been answered. I dont think Brown University per se is obliged to take on

www.browndailyherald.com

a role especially in that regard, but America as a whole has to deal with it. reading Sons of Providence taught me a lot about what it means to be self-powerful, in the sense that each brother went after their own dream, whether it was slavery or abolition, said Jason Ginsberg 16, who attended the event. They each had immense passion for what they were doing, even if it didnt follow social norms. Ginsberg, along with Bergeron and several other first-years, discussed the Brown brothers legacy, among other topics, with rappleye after the lecture and left with an autograph. wander the streets, see the names of major families: Bowen, Angell. I myself live in elmgrove (the name of Moses Browns country estate), but I never made the connection until tonight, Bergeron said. Its important to know about the place that you have just come to ultimately, youll discover more meaning as you spend four years here.

/ / watson page 1
watson hired and mentored many key staff members, Phlegar said. Beginning in 2008, watson led a complete reorganization of the college and unit fundraising division to increase the number of people managing donors and to spread them around Cornells multiple colleges. the job required courage to take some bold actions in order to allow our organization to grow, watson said. During four out of the five years that she held the position, Cornell had its best fundraising levels in history, Phlegar said, citing her leadership as being a major contributor to this success. Since 2010, watson has held the number two position in Cornells advancement office. Phlegar called her one of the best professionals in our business. Beppie huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration and the Universitys chief financial officer, said she is thrilled about watsons appointment because of the insight and experience she will bring to the job. Cornell is one of the better fundraising operations, she said. She seems to have enormous energy and enthusiasm for Brown, huidekoper said. huidekoper said she anticipates watsons transition into her new role will be smooth. After Simmons departure, the University established interim funding goals that the development staff has been pursuing. these goals will prevent a fundraising lag between the two administrations, huidekoper said. At Brown, watson said she hopes to drive the private support the University needs to meet its goals. her first priorities will be getting to know the current administration and ensuring that the right people are hired to fill vacancies. one of her strengths as a leader is her ability to bring out the best in people by identifying their natural skills and matching them with the right responsibilities, watson said. watson added that she wants to meet students and faculty and understand what programs are important to Brown. the Universitys emphasis on the intersection of the arts and other disciplines, like science and business, resonates with her, she said. having spent a portion of her adult life as a dancer and choreographer, watson said studying the arts formed the basis for who she is today. I dont think you can have a contemporary society without the arts, and I dont think you can have a forward-thinking society without science and business, she said. She said Browns smaller size, urban setting and emphasis on holistic study make it distinct from Cornell, adding that she is looking forward to applying her skills to a new environment. I like to try things and do things and experience things, watson said. I bought a kayak this summer because I wanted to have a kayak. I had to learn to use it in a way that didnt send me flailing down the lake. Calling watson a lot of fun and a good-natured person, Phlegar added that she is a professional fly fisher and is involved with the organization Casting for recovery, which helps women recover from breast cancer surgery through fly fishing.

the Brown DAILy herALD thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

debate 5
also reiterated his promise to cut taxes for individuals and corporations, closing tax loopholes to recoup the lost revenue. Third, he criticized the president for not supporting domestic energy sources like natural gas and coal. Developing energy independence could create 4 million jobs in the country, romney said. Finally, he guaranteed that no tax reform bill passed under his administration would increase the federal deficit. taxation romney lambasted the president for his insistence on raising taxes on the wealthy. he argued that small businesses are often taxed at the individual rate and that an increase on the top earners would raise taxes on businesses that employ a majority of American workers. romney promised to cut taxes for high- and middle-income Americans, as well as for corporations, without adding to the national deficit. obama directed his criticism at romneys claim that he could cut $5 trillion in taxes and provide an additional $2 trillion to the military over ten years in a deficit-neutral way. The average middle-class family with children would pay about $2,000 more, obama said. The president said he instead wanted to increase revenues by taxing the top earners, himself included, to pay for social welfare programs and vital investments without increasing the deficit. romney debated obamas assertion that his tax cut plan would add $5 trillion to the deficit, saying he would not vote for his own plan if that was the case. romney claimed that he would prevent the deficit from expanding by closing tax loopholes and exemptions that do not affect middle-class Americans. obama refuted the notion that it was possible to find $5 trillion in savings by closing loopholes and said any attempt would raise taxes on the middle class. See browndailyherald.com for more coverage of the debate.

/ / debate page 1
the middle class and also blamed the president for high gasoline prices and the national debt. romney also laid out several areas on which he would focus to bolster job creation. he said he would cut overhead in the Department of education and get those dollars back to the states and go to the workers so they can create their own pathways to get in the training they need for jobs that will really help them. he

comicS
Fly by Night | adam kopp

Join the Club | simon henriques

6 editorial & letter

editorial A cut below the rest
Say youre having a conversation with someone at a party, and he or she asks where you go to school. oh, in rhode Island, you say airily, revealing that you attend an Ivy League school without actually admitting that you attend one. you know the person will assume you go to Brown. After all, isnt Brown the only university in rhode Island? obviously, the answer is no. In fact, rhode Island boasts an impressive total of 12 colleges and universities, of which four are public institutions. while a majority of rhode Islands private institutions are financially sound, we worry about the fate and credibility of the states public institutions due to funding concerns. According to a recent study by the national Science Board, the state government has cut funding to the University of rhode Island by 47 percent since 2002, adjusted for inflation. This sharp reduction has been occurring steadily over the past decade despite strong opposition from many UrI administrators and faculty members. As the future of rhode Island is contingent on the success of its educational institutions, the state has to reconfigure its priorities to take into account the importance of higher education, particularly public research universities. The sheer magnitude of the cuts to UrI funding suggests the state government is not deeply committed to all of the principles of higher education. Public research universities like UrI were established to broaden the reach of higher education, especially for high-achieving students seeking a more affordable alternative to an expensive private school. Cuts to funding imply that this purpose is not worth much to the state government. These cuts do a significant amount of damage to the academic experiences of students at public universities, both by limiting their resources and by conveying the message that their education is not a priority for the state. earlier this year, UrI students and faculty were given the opportunity to voice their concerns about the cuts at a public forum for the Special house Commission to Study Public higher education Affordability and Accessibility in rhode Island. Major grievances that were aired included the negative effect the cuts would have on financial aid and classroom resources, but another point raised was the potential decrease in the universitys contributions to the state. As UrI faculty member Joan Peckham said, The best investment the state can make is to support partnerships among the educational institutions and industry. The state government is actually doing itself a disservice by cutting funding to those who may resuscitate it in the long run, and we therefore find these cuts not only inexcusable, but illogical. The idea of facilitating research at UrI has been viewed favorably by certain rhode Island state officials in the past. Governor Lincoln Chafee 75 P14 P16 believes that developing research and development capabilities at UrI would be helpful in attracting federal research funds to rhode Island as well as in providing an additional stimulus for economic development in our state, his spokesman told Providence Business news last year. But this statement appears to be directly at odds with the states recent economic policy. Gov. Chafee, please listen to your own wisdom how can you hope to get this state out of its economic rut if you do not foster a knowledge economy from the ground up? taking a look at the bigger picture, we wonder about the future of state-funded schools if the economy keeps underperforming. will cuts continue to be made across the country as funding is dedicated to more immediate concerns than educational programs? not necessarily. But for such programs to continue to grow and flourish, state officials need to recognize higher educations real contribution to economic development and make it a priority. otherwise, schools like UrI will continue to suffer.

the Brown DAILy herALD thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

editorial cartoon b y a n g e l i a wa n g

correc tion
An article in last wednesdays herald (rotC looks to increase campus involvement, Sept. 26) incorrectly stated that veterans make up 0.75 percent of the United States population. In fact, 0.75 percent of the population is currently serving in the military, according to the 2010 census. The article also did not distinguish between Army, navy and Air Force reserve officers training Corps. navy and Air Force rotC were banned from campus during the Vietnam war, but Army rotC never existed on Browns campus. The herald regrets the errors.

Editorials are written by The Heralds editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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over the past two years, while keeney is 14 percent of our residents, it is 50 percent of the dorm damage.
marylou mcmillan, senior director for planning and projects See keeney on page 1.
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the Brown DAILy herALD thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

opinions 7
quo. we know that Americans must stand up to the fossil fuel industry before its too late. And we can start right here at Brown by divesting our endowment from the 15 coal companies with the worst environmental and social records, what we call the Filthy Fifteen. These companies are truly the worst of the worst. Dominion, a coal-burning utility, operated a coal ash pond in Kingston, tenn. that flooded in 2008, engulfing the town in more than a billion gallons of toxic ash. long as we remain invested in the coal industry, Brown will continue to profit from one of the most destructive industries in the world. Divesting from the coal industry allows Brown students, faculty and staff to know that were at an institution that lives up its values. equally important, public divestment at Brown could have a real and immediate impact across the country. There are more than a dozen campuses right now where students are working on similar divestment campaigns, includsuade banks and other big investors to stop providing the financial backing that coal companies need. whats more, a public divestment at Brown would garner media attention across the country. By showing the depth of support for action against coal companies, this could encourage legislators to regulate the industry more strictly. Politicians have ignored the health and environmental consequences of coal mining and have refused to nurture alternative economic possibilities in Appalachian communities. Divestment serves as a wake-up call. Thats why members of these communities have asked for support in their struggle against Big Coal. Such campaigns have worked in the past, as in the 1980s when divestment campaigns on college campuses helped turn the tide against apartheid. These campaigns made it morally unacceptable to own stock in companies that did business with the South African government, and they ultimately played a large role in bringing down the regime. In our classes, were informed of injustices and equipped with the skills necessary to tackle them. But writing papers and completing lab reports only go so far. The Brown Divest Coal Campaign is a movement of students taking our voice beyond the seminar room and the lecture hall, asking our school to lead the way towards a cleaner and more equitable future. the Brown divest Coal Campaign is just a bunch of crazy weirdos who really think Brown students can make a difference.

lets get the coal industry out of the brown endowment

By BroWn dIVest Coal
Guest Columnist
The facts are grim and too familiar. our planet is warming as a result of human activity. Fossil fuels like oil, gas and, above all, coal are to blame. Species are going extinct, coral reefs are disappearing and hundreds of millions of people are being driven into poverty by increasing occurrences of droughts, floods, storms and heat waves. Faced with these difficult realities and the immense political power of the fossil fuel industry, most politicians have given up. Theyve turned a blind eye to the consequences of burning fossil fuels, especially coal, which is the single largest source of global carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to contributing to climate change, coal-fired power plants also spew pollution that exacerbates asthma and heart disease, causing 13,000 preventable deaths each year. Coal mining has devastating local impacts. People living near mountaintop removal coal mines are 50 percent more likely to die of cancer and 42 percent more likely to be born with birth defects than other people in Appalachia. But political leaders have dug in their heels to defend coal. In fact, the U.S. house of representatives passed a bill just last week that deregulated significant portions of the coal industry. Brown Divest Coal is a brand-new student group that refuses to accept this status

the Brown divest Coal Campaign is a movement of students taking our voice beyond the seminar room and the lecture hall, asking our school to lead the way towards a cleaner and more equitable future.
Massey energy prioritized profits over peoples health and safety at its Upper Big Branch Mine, leading to a disaster in April 2010 that killed 29 miners. The list goes on and on. Divesting from these companies would send a strong signal to the companies, legislators and the general public that our university wants nothing to do with this industrys record of wanton destruction. The Brown administration has already made impressive commitments to sustainability. weve worked hard to reduce our carbon footprint and meet the goals set out in the Brown is Green initiative. This is vital work, and we applaud Browns progress thus far. But we also know that it isnt enough. As ing peer institutions like yale, harvard and Swarthmore College. But given Browns incredibly active and progressive student body, we think Brown could be the first to publicly divest. In just the first three weeks of our campaign, weve already seen an awe-inspiring amount of student support, with more than 1,200 petitions signed and more than 60 active volunteers. A public statement from Brown could set off a whole series of divestments all across the United States. Divestment shows the coal industry that profiting from the planets destruction is not a sound business strategy. By making it clear that coal is a risky investment, we can per-

The truth about pre-professionalism at brown

By olIVer rosenBloom
opinions Columnist
ly recruit students, offering further evidence that graduates receive amazing professional opportunities. regardless of the Universitys commitment or lack thereof to pre-professionalism, our students still enjoy a high level of professional success immediately after graduation. The belief that Brown students could be better prepared for professional success fits into a broader belief about the relationship between college course selection and professional success. According to this mindset, students cannot simultaneously pursue impractical academic passions and still position themselves for a successful career. ship experience and project management skills that we gain in our extracurricular activities also translate into employable attributes. My belief in the value of a Brown degree, without its pre-professional emphasis, is not merely wishful thinking. It is validated by our students success in the professional world. As established above, some of the worlds most elite companies actively recruit on campus. These companies do not confine their outreach to students who took pre-professional courses. As one of many possible examples, many humanities majors with little to no pre-professional coursework riculum. For most jobs, successful applicants distinguish themselves by having impressive work, internship and volunteer experience, not by having taken an impressive list of practical or pre-professional courses. The format of a resume confirms this observation. For most jobs, the majority of space on a resume is devoted to information about previous employment, internships, extracurriculars and volunteer experience, not to pre-professional coursework. Those who get the most from their college experience are those who pursue genuine intellectual interests while being active members of the college community and taking on meaningful summer experiences. This approach ensures that the fouryear college experience is as enjoyable and intellectually enriching as can be, while also ensuring a successful transition to the labor force. I also hope this observation will remind upperclassmen to appreciate the rest of their undergraduate experience. Upon graduation, it will be much more difficult to pursue learning for its own sake. It is incumbent upon us to take full advantage of this fouryear period where our primary responsibility is to cultivate our mind. As adulthood approaches, we will start having to make real choices. Fortunately, as undergraduates at Brown, we do not have to choose between intellectual exploration and professional development. In this regard at least, we can have it all. oliver rosenbloom `13 is a history and Public Policy concentrator from mill Valley, California. he can be reached at oliver_rosenbloom@brown.edu.

on Sept. 14, two opinions columnists debated the question, Should Brown embrace pre-professionalism? one assumption behind this debate was that Browns relative lack of pre-professionalism puts our graduates at a competitive disadvantage in the job market. But a quick scan of the high-profile employers who recruit on campus proves that Brown graduates enjoy plenty of success in their professional pursuits, despite the Universitys relatively weak commitment to pre-professionalism. There is no need to choose between purely intellectual pursuits and professional success. Brown students can have them both. elizabeth Fuerbacher 14 wrote in her column, Given todays competitive workplace and Browns own interest in its graduates becoming leaders in their chosen fields, the University should behave more like our pre-professional Ivy League peers. The implication behind this statement is that University policies deny Brown students certain professional opportunities available to other Ivy League students. I strongly disagree with this notion. one need only look at the employers at the Sept. 19 Career Fair to see how well Brown prepares students for the professional world. This fair featured a wide range of elite companies, including Capital one, Bain and Company, Boston Consulting Group and Barclays Capital. Goldman Sachs and McKinsey Consulting also active-

there is no need to choose between purely intellectual pursuits and professional success. Brown students can have them both.

This mindset sets up a false choice between intellectual passion and professional success. Both of these goals are important components of college, but they are not mutually exclusive. while Brown students should plan to work hard both in the classroom and in the arena of professional development, they should never think that such professional development comes at the expense of intellectual exploration. The University need not tailor its curriculum to the specifications of employers if it wants students to succeed in the professional arena. The research, writing and problemsolving skills that we acquire in our classes make us desirable employees. The leader-

at Brown secure jobs with consulting firms and investment banks. employers value a Brown degree, regardless of the concentration attached to that degree. These employers know that the skills we have acquired in the classroom and in the college community will be assets to their companies. Brown students who do not pursue preprofessional coursework also find success in industries outside of finance and consulting. The autonomy provided by the new Curriculum helps students form their own companies or join start-ups. nonprofits and law firms also seek out Brown students because of their appreciation of the rigor of our cur-

daily herald campus news

the Brown
By morgaN JoHNsoN
Senior Staff Writer

thUrSDAy, oCtoBer 4, 2012

Tedxbrownuniversity 38 studios prompts commerce overhaul selects student speakers

By sHeza atiq
contributing Writer

eduardo Diaz-Santana Vazquez 14 and ria Mirchandani 15 were the winners of the teDxBrownUniversity Student Challenge held tuesday evening in Metcalf Auditorium. As a lead-up to the teDxBrownUniversity conference oct. 20, the Student Challenge was designed to select a student to join the lineup of speakers. though 14 students signed up for the challenge, 11 took to the floor to deliver a five-minute talk relating to the conferences theme of life, learning and liberal education. Participants touched on a variety of topics, including environmental crisis and blast fishing, a fishing practice that employs dynamite, to convey what a liberal education meant to them. the roughly 60-person audience included a panel of faculty members and students that had been organized to select the winners of the challenge. Vanessa ryan, assistant professor of english and faculty coordinator of the teDxBrownUniversity organizing team, said the student challenge was held because it was essential to get a student perspective as part of the conversation on liberal education. She said she was excited by students enthusiasm, adding that the support and energy was really felt in the room.

the panel had originally planned to select one student speaker, but given the success of the challenge and the strength of the participants, it decided to expand the level of student representation, ryan said. In addition to the two winners, there were also two runner-ups herald Science & research editor Sahil Luthra 14 and Faiyad Ahmad 14 who will be invited to have their speeches featured on the conference website. Assistant Professor of education tracy Steffes, who was a member of the selection panel, said she was looking for enthusiasm and dynamism from the students. She said she found the speeches to be really inspiring and was struck by the range of perspectives the participants offered through their presentations. Vazquez, who learned about the student challenge through an event advertised on Facebook, said he has been a teD fan for a long time. In his speech, Vazquez talked about how his Mexican and American but not Mexican-American background taught him to appreciate the value of a liberal education. Like several of his peers, Diaz used a PowerPoint presentation, and he spoke about how a summer experience in nepal caused him to question the ways in which his identity influenced his interactions with people. Asking the audience to recon/ / tedx page 4 sider the as-

A Sept. 25 report commissioned by Gov. Lincoln Chafee 75 P14 P16 suggests rhode Islands business climate is in critical condition and recommends a major overhaul to current state organizations relating to commerce and economic development. The report was conducted by the rhode Island Public expenditure Council, an independent, nonprofit think tank and is the latest of a succession of attempts in past decades to reform rhode Islands government support for commerce. The Greenhouse Compact referendum developed in 1984 by consultant Ira Magaziner 69 addressed the same problems by suggesting the state invest $250 million in research, job creation and business development. The referendum was widely endorsed by public officials and industry professionals, but voters rejected the ballot initiative by a wide margin. this most recent assessment of rhode Island commerce began three months ago in the wake of the collapse of video game development company 38 Studios, Chafee said in a press conference the day the rIPeC report was released. Chafee appointed rIPeC to research and recommend changes primarily to the rhode Island economic Development Corporation, a quasi-public organization that serves as the states authority on industrial growth. The corporation approved publicly-funded loans to 38

city & state

Studios to enable the companys relocation from Massachusetts to rhode Island in 2009. The companys subsequent bankruptcy is now projected to cost taxpayers $102 million, according to the rIPeC report. rIPeCs research which included hundreds of interviews with public officials, industry professionals and private organizations revealed the eDCs reputation to be so tarnished and toxic after the losses from 38 Studios that recommendations from the final report include changing its name to the rhode Island Commerce Corporation, rIPeC executive director John Simmons said on wPrI-12s executive Suite the day after the reports release. Apart from the 38 Studios bankruptcy, rIPeC found that the eDC suffers from lack of staff and funding to efficiently manage its wide directive umbrella. The organizations reach spans to include business development for tourism, marketing, international trade and policy research. rIPeC also recommended the creation of a new cabinet position, the state Secretary of Commerce, who would oversee the Department of Labor and training, Department of Business relations and Department of environmental Management. The secretary would also chair a new commerce board monitoring and reporting on rICC activities. we found that nothing in state government is really promoting commerce, Simmons said at the press conference, adding that rhode Island has no overall plan for economic development. This lack of specialized government interest in

commerce puts rhode Island at a major economic disadvantage compared to other states. were 50th in some of the rankings, he said. Im not nave about the challenges we have, Chafee said after rIPeC released the report. he added that he would not comment on the report until he has had time to digest it all. rIPeC recommends legislators produce a packet by January detailing what proposals in the report will be implemented and form a committee composed of a broad number of stakeholders to develop a state economic development plan. Former rIPeC and eDC directors have promoted private sector institutions and universities as resources for assessing and improving the states economic conditions. University researchers can provide competent analysis of the states economic conditions (and) market-based reality checks for public policy and investments, said Marcel Valois, former executive director of the eDC and current vice president of the economic Development Foundation for rhode Island. he added that universities all over the country provide these services and can advise state governments to better integrate into the broader regional economy. Simmons has also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the state and private sector allies in ensuring rhode Islands future economic success. If rIPeCs plan is enacted, he said, the government will serve as a partner, not a barrier, to businesses and will promote long-term, sustainable growth.

ucs talks strategic planning, Keeney damage sons of Providence author speaks on u.s past
By KatHeriNe CusumaNo
Senior Staff Writer

By sabriNa imbLer
contributing Writer

Biographer Charles rappleye proposed looking at the past as a continuum rather than a serious of isolated events in a lecture inspired by his novel Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, the Slave trade and the American revolution, the assigned summer reading for the class of 2016. reflecting upon the novel that marked his first foray into history for a modest audience of professors and a handful of first-years in Salomon 101, rappleye explored John and Moses Browns evolving legacy at the college that would later come to bear their name. history is never dead. In fact, its not even past, rappleye said in a nod to author william Faulkner. history is not a bunch of old stories that sit on a shelf that you pull down once in a while. history is a sense of us as still in formation what it is we are and how we are going to go about doing, stumbling sometimes and still taking form. Sons of Providence is as much a story of brotherhood as it is a historical account of 18th-century rhode Island. The biography details the lives of two fifth-generation rhode Island citizens pacifist Quaker Moses and his brother John, a slave trader for whom blood was thicker than almost anything else, rappleye said. The class of 2016 discussed these themes of family, morality and conversion in seminars during orientation.

we felt that in a year where Brown was welcoming a new president, it was important to reflect as a community on our common history, said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron. As an investigative reporter, rappleye said he was drawn to the extraordinary lives of John and Moses and their involvement with American slavery. when you know the bigger picture and the longer history behind it, you realize slavery was there at the very beginning. The moral question of slavery was raised when they were talking about liberty and freedom and the underpinnings of what this country was going to be about, rappleye said. Slavery emerged as the most prominent lens through which the author examined the continuum of history, focusing on Moses abolitionism in the 18th century. Part of what America is about is high ideals and high hypocrisy, he said. It was there from the very beginning. But the most insightful moments of his speech arose in the questionand-answer session after rappleye read two passages aloud one about John and one about Moses from his novel. Though Sons of Providence dealt with history in a scholastic tone, many of rappleyes frank views about the characters came to light in response to audience questions. when Bergeron said that she found the passages regarding John to be more compelling, / / rappleye page 4 rappleye

Provost Mark Schlissel P15 spoke about the Universitys strategic planning initiatives at wednesday nights general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students. Smart people realize that plans are meant to continuously evolve, he said. The planning stage should take the academic year to complete. The University announced this week the establishment of six planning committees to assess upcoming goals. Current questions under consideration by the ad hoc committees will include online education, continuing renovations, expanding the endowment and universal financial aid, he said. Its not a no-brainer, he said of need-blind admission for international students. The University already spends around $90 million or upwards of 10 percent of its budget on financial aid. Still, the planning committees will consider the logistics of expanding their need-blind acceptance policy to international, transfer and resumed undergraduate education students. The goal of planning is to make what we do more valuable to the world, he said. Schlissel also spoke about the recent damage to furniture and exit signs in Keeney Quadrangle. This is a problem that Im embarrassed by, he said, adding that there seems to be a cultural acceptance of property destruction in certain dorms.

Corinne szczesny / herald Provost mark schlissel P15 discussed strategic planning and financial aid at wednesdays uCs meeting. Theyre expected to be trashed, he said of the Keeney lounges. Several students were also appointed to faculty-student committees during the meeting. Meric ozgen 14 will serve on the Campus Planning Advisory Board, efe Cudjoe 15 and rachel Leiken 16 were selected as representatives to the Diversity Advisory Board, and Ian trupin 13.5 was elected to the Advisory Committee on Corporate responsibility in Investment Practices. Abigail Braiman 15, chair of the Committee for Admissions and Student Services, said her committee met with the CareerLAB about holding a panel for international students focusing on the logistics of working in the US job market. Afia Kwakwa 14, chair of the Campus Life committee, said the committee is working on a guide to sophomore and junior housing, as well as changes to food and utilities in the dining halls.