The Brown Daily Herald T hursday, J anuar y 31, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 6
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
U. to comply with Senate request for endowment data By Michael Skocpol News Editor
Brown plans to comply with a request from leaders of the Senate Finance Committee for detailed information on its endowment, tuition and financial aid policies, a University spokesman said Tuesday. The request came in a letter mailed Jan. 24 from Senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to the
nation’s 136 wealthiest colleges and universities. Brown ranks 26th on that list. The non-binding request seeks information ranging from basic enrollment and tuition figures to more complex data on endowment restrictions, payouts and investment strategies. Schools were given 30 days to respond. “We will be responding in the time period,” said Tim Leshan, director of government relations and community affairs. But at this early stage the details of the Uni-
versity’s response are difficult to predict, and some data may not be readily available to officials, he added. The request reflects the committee’s concern that the cost of college education is outpacing inflation, especially in a period of “explosive college endowment growth,” according to a press release accompanying the letter. Brown’s endowment stood at nearly $2.8 billion in 2007. That figure was up more than 20 percent
from 2006, due to the strength of investment returns and the ongoing $1.4-billion Campaign for Academic Enrichment. “We need to engage America’s colleges and universities to come together to address the fact that college tuition for young Americans and their families is increasing at a faster rate than inflation,” said Baucus, the committee’s chairman, in its press release. continued on page 4
Frosh factor finances in decisions By Allison Wentz Staff Writer
Although 81 percent of students were accepted by their first-choice colleges, only 64 percent went on to attend that dream school, an annual survey on college freshmen conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles showed. The survey, “The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2007,” reports that 39 percent of students, up five percentage points from last year, cited the provision of financial assistance as a major factor in selecting the college they attend. Thirtyseven percent also cited the cost of attending as important aspects of their decisions. “Rising college costs are going up faster than financial aid is being made available to people who need it most. So it is not surprising that students are taking costs and the availability of aid into account when choosing a school, and that may become more important as costs continue to rise,” said Lauren Asher, associate director of the Project on Student Debt, an initiative that seeks to increase public understanding of the current trends in borrowing money to finance higher education. On how such concerns about the costs of colleges will affect Brown, one of the few Ivies that has yet to revamp its financial aid program, Asher said,
Katie Delaney / Herald
A survey of American students entering college last fall showed 64 percent were attending their dream school. “Brown should look at what other schools are doing — not only Yale and Harvard, but also schools that have made more modest commitments, because they want to attract students across the income spectrum.” Although college costs are rising, the percentage of currently enrolled students with major concerns about paying for college is falling. The survey reported that more than half of students had some concerns about financing college, but that only 10 percent had major concerns that they might not have enough funds to complete college. In the 1995-96 survey, however, 19 percent of students reported major concerns about financing college. John Pryor, manag-
ing director of the study, said a possible explanation for the decrease in concern is the expanded focus by colleges on providing financial aid. He added that the survey has shown an increase in “the median income of families who are sending children to college.” The number one factor in college selection, noted as “very important” by 63 percent of students interviewed, was that the school have “a very good academic reputation.” Fifty-two percent said they chose their school because its “graduates get good jobs,” making this the second-most common response. The students surveyed were optimistic about their chances for success after graduation, with 79
percent saying they believed that “through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society.” Sixty-six percent of college freshmen nationwide said they believed the main benefit of a college degree is increased earn potential in the future, the survey showed. Many Brown firstyears, however, disagree. Jordan Worthington ’11 said she thinks most Brown students “are here more to just learn and to enrich their learning experience, rather than ... to earn more money in life.” A college education “provides a good background not just academically but for life,” Ipsita Krishnan ’11 continued on page 4
Colombian union leader calls for fairer labor practices George Miller Senior Staff Writer
Colombian union leader Orlando Acosta spoke last night to a packed Joukowsky Forum in the Watson Institute for International Studies, criticizing both the Colombian and American governments for failing to end human rights violations and unfair labor practices in the Colombian mining industry. Acosta, who spoke in Spanish through an interpreter, told the audience of more than 60 how mining practices in Colombia displace communities and harm the environment. “The so-called third-world countries,”
he said, make a mistake in misusing natural resources in the pursuit of development. Acosta is a leader of the mine workers’ union at Drummond Mining Company in Colombia. He described how companies intimidate union leaders and their families to try to quell protests. “A message is sent to the families and union leaders themselves telling them that if they do not stop their denunciation of the policies of the mining companies they’re going to lose what they cherish most,” Acosta said. He said he had been sent a leaflet printed with a skull — to him, the message was clear. U.S. aid to the Colombian gov-
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CAMPUS NEWS
ernment doesn’t help the situation, Acosta said. The money that comes from this support keeps guerrillas and paramilitary groups — many of which fight against union interests — alive, he said. Americans should be aware of the impact of U.S. trade in South America, he added. “The coal that is being extracted in Colombia and elsewhere really ends up here, and it’s what allows or pays for these commodities that you enjoy here,” he said. Avi Chomsky, history professor at Salem State College and a member of the North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee, spoke after Acosta and echoed his concerns. “We all partici-
Making the mpc TWC begins the application process for new MPCs
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OPINIONS
Search begins for dean of medicine Unorthodox search questioned by some By Chaz Firestone Features Editor
The new dean of medicine and biological sciences will have a familiar face, President Ruth Simmons announced over winter break, and the faculty advisory group charged with narrowing down the list of candidates will be smaller and swifter than usual. The University is seeking to replace current Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Eli Adashi, who surprised much of the Brown community when he announced his resignation in December under the pretense of a need for “fresh leadership” in the Warren Alpert Medical School. The newly formed advisory committee marks a sharp break with University tradition in both composition and direction, drawing criticism from a number of faculty members and administrators. Instead of a large and inclusive committee conducting an expansive search, all of the faculty advisory group’s nine members are affiliated with the Division of Biology and Medicine and will consider candidates only from within the division. Simmons also stated that she hopes to move “as swiftly as possible” to have a new, fully empowered dean in place by the time Adashi formally steps down at the end of June. “I am confident that this will allow us to have a rapid and smooth transition in the leadership of the Division,” Simmons wrote in a Dec. 21 e-mail to Brown faculty members. “This work is of the highest importance to all of us.” Changing gears The haste of this approach contrasts starkly with the way the University — and particularly the Med School — has traditionally selected high-ranking administrators. Following the resignation of former Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Donald Marsh in 2002, the University appointed Professor of Medicine Richard Besdine as interim dean and launched a three-year search that considered a vast pool of candidates from around the world. That search continued on page 6
pate in unfair trade all the time,” she said. “We have no choice of where we get our electricity and we can’t live without electricity.” Acosta addressed at length the proposed free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia. He said Colombian union leaders have formally proposed putting the agreement up for referendum. That treaty was signed in 2006 but has not been ratified by Congress due, among other factors, to Democratic leaders’ concerns over the Colombian government’s failure to curb anti-union violence.
continued on page 4
Mankind’s demise Schuman ’08 warns of mankind’s doom since the return of “American Gladiator”
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Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Eli Adashi tomorrow’s weather Depressing, like carbon monoxide poisoning. Just another day in RI
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