Monday, February 25, 2008

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The Brown Daily Herald M onday, F ebr uar y 25, 2008

Volume CXLIII, No. 22

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

Corporation boosts financial aid Tuition will increase at slower rate

2008-’09 Annual Loan Amounts $5000

By Michael Bechek and Michael Skocpol News Editors

Faced with the competing pressures of a slumping economy and the need to keep pace with peer schools that have strengthened financial aid programs, the Corporation approved a plan at its winter meeting Saturday that will decrease the financial burden on low- and middle-income students and draw more heavily on the University’s $2.8 billion endowment than ever before. The $752.7 million budget for fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1, will include $68.5 million for financial aid — an increase of 20 percent from the previous fiscal year. Most of that increase will go toward reducing student loans across the board, and eliminating them entirely for students whose families earn less than $100,000 a year. For families with incomes below $60,000, the required family contribution will also be wiped out. “There are ver y few schools in the country that are going to have more competitive of fers than Brown,” said Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98. He added that the University felt it was

$4000 $3000

No loans for many students

by George Miller Senior Staff Writer

Annual family income “necessary to do something quite substantial this year to improve financial aid.” With the overall budget set to increase by 6.7 percent from the current year, the Corporation approved a 3.9 percent hike in tuition and fees to $47,740, a smaller increase than has been typical of the last several years, in which it has raised those costs by about 5 percent annually. Nationwide inflation was about 2.2 percent in 2007, according to the Treasury Department. Tuition and student fees are expected to make up about 50 percent of the University’s total income in fiscal 2009, down from 58 percent six years ago, before Brown introduced a need-blind admission policy and began gradually increasing its commitment

An $11.5 million increase to the financial aid budget will mean fewer loans and less debt for financial aid recipients, starting next fall. All students from families making under $100,000 a year will have loans eliminated from their aid packages. That includes about 62 percent of financial aid recipients, said Director of Financial Aid James Tilton. For the rest — those from families making more than $100,000 a year — loans will be cut significantly. Loans will be reduced to $3,000 a year for students from families making between $100,000 and $125,000, to $4,000 a year for those from families making $125,000 to $150,000 and to $5,000 a year for those from families making more than $150,000. In addition, students’ loans will not increase from year to year. For most families with incomes under $60,000, the parental contribution will also be eliminated. Families with incomes under that mark but with assets greater than $100,000 will still be required to make a pa-

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$0

Sophomores may be able to squat in dorms ResLife could decide on proposal this week

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ARTS & CULTURE

Tisch ’76: The man on top By Michael Skocpol News Editor

Last Saturday, the Corporation concluded business in one of its more eventful meetings in recent memory, announcing increased fi-

Q&A nancial aid, raising endowment draw and endorsing a fresh assessment of the Plan for Academic Enrichment. Following the meeting, Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76, the University’s highest officer and the Corporation’s leader, took a walk with The Herald around the Main Green to discuss the meeting and issues facing the University.

“I’m asking you to consider hiring me for the hardest job in the world,” Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told nearly 4,100 people at a rally at the Rhode Island College Recreation Center Sunday afternoon.

METRO

Courtesy of brown.edu

Sophomore-only housing like Caswell Hall, above, will not hold squatters. Rooms picked through a first-pick competition are also not eligible for squatting.

tery would be a “better thing for students.” The new policy would stipulate that any student whose room was obtained via the lottery could keep their room as long as they comply with certain criteria. Rooms received off the waiting list or through the first-pick competition are not eli-

lights, camera... A student film gets some action in the Oscars preshow

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CAMPUS NEWS

gible, and those received through Disability Support Services would be reviewed for squatting on a caseby-case basis. Students would not be able to squat sophomore-only housing. Though Morgenstern said this continued on page 4

the “silver tsunami” Alpert Medical School leads the field in the study of aging

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OPINIONS

The Herald: There were two major concerns the University Resources Committee highlighted in its report: the competitive and political climates right now, and also concerns about a slowing economy. Were those concerns that the Corporation shared? Thomas Tisch: There’s certainly an awareness of the economy in general and financial markets specifically, but importantly, there was a very clear sense that it’s important to build upon and to move forward and to some degree accelerate some of the initiatives that have begun continued on page 6

Clinton makes campaign stop at Rhode Island College By Nandini Jayakrishna Senior Staff Writer

By Emmy Liss Senior Staff Writer

Rising second-semester sophomores and all rising juniors may be able to avoid the housing lottery this year. The Office of Residential Life could approve a Residential Council proposal early this week that would change the current dorm-room squatting policy and allow more students to keep their rooms for a second year. Squatting was designed to allow students to live in their rooms for an additional year — as long as they were obtained through the housing lottery. Currently, only rising seniors may live in their rooms for a second year. If the proposal is passed, students will be permitted to squat in lieu of participating in the lottery a second or third time. The policy would be extended to rising juniors and those entering their fourth semester so students who have taken leave will not be penalized, said Michael Morgenstern ’08, chair of the lottery committee. Morgenstern said expanding the system to younger students would make the housing experience better all-around. Many feel “the lottery experience is hellish,” he said, and alleviating the pressures of the lot-

Michael Skocpol / Herald

Chancellor Tom Tisch ’76 sees himself as the Corporation’s moderator.

Clinton’s visit follows in the footsteps of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Michelle Obama, who have both visited Rhode Island in the last few weeks. Rhode Island’s March 4 primary is especially important for Clinton, who has lost 11 straight primary contests to rival Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Obama also has more committed delegates nationwide. But a Feb. 9-10 poll conducted by Professor of Political Science Darrell West found Clinton leading Obama in Rhode Island, 36 to 28 percent. In her address, Clinton emphasized that she has the “strength and experience” to lead the country forward. “There is no contradiction between change and experience,” she said. Without naming him, Clinton attacked Obama for having a naive vision of how to solve the country’s and the world’s problems. “I could stand up here and say,

in november, WWjd? Max Chaiken ‘09 notes Obama’s potential appeal among evangelicals

‘Let’s just get everybody together. Let’s get unified,’ ” Clinton said. “The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing, and the world will be perfect.” “Maybe I’ve just lived a little long,” she said, prompting laughter and cheers from the crowd. Clinton said the biggest difference between her and Obama is on the issue of universal health care. Though Obama speaks about supporting universal health care, his plan does not require everyone to be covered by health insurance, Clinton said. Clinton also criticized President Bush’s handling of both foreign and domestic issues during his tenure in office. She said though the job of any president is challenging to begin with, it will be “especially tough following George Bush and Dick Cheney.” “There’s so much we have to undo as well as do,” she said. Clinton also said she would call for a gradual troop-withdrawal from Iraq within 60 days of taking office. “I think we can begin the process of telling the Iraqis they have to take responsibility for their own country,” she said. One supporter held a sign readcontinued on page 4

tomorrow’s weather A downpour rivaled only by this year’s flood of Meiklejohn applications

rain, 43 / 36 www.browndailyherald.com

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Monday, February 25, 2008 by The Brown Daily Herald - Issuu