The Brown Daily Herald T uesday, A pril 8, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 47
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
Med advising change may limit access for undergrads
“ C h aos is a f ri e n d o f mi n e ”
Continuity of advising experience undermined, PLMEs worry By Sophia Li Senior Staff Writer
“I think it would be difficult to bring someone in from the outside right now,” she said. Kertzer acknowledged that Kennedy would be busy “wearing two hats,” but added that he thought Kennedy would be able to do the two jobs successfully by relying more heavily on his staff. Vasuki Nesiah, who was named director of international affairs in February to work alongside Kennedy, would play a critical role in helping him balance his responsibilities. Kennedy said being asked to serve as the Watson Institute director came as a complete surprise, though he was confident his new responsibilities would fit well with his main job at the University. “Certainly, it was not on my
Some undergraduates in the Program in Liberal Medical Education have voiced concern that recent changes in the medical advising structure will negatively affect a system that has given students the opportunity to form relationships with their advisers that begin in college and stretch until the third year of medical school. Last fall, Alpert Medical School made its advising system for medical students more specialized. Previously, four deans were responsible for advising all PLME and medical students. Now, med students receive advising in three more specialized branches — personal counseling, career counseling and academic advising. But the change also affects undergraduate PLMEs. Because the four advising deans became responsible for only undergrad PLMEs, two of the four deans began, in February, devoting fewer overall hours to advising. The other two deans’ hours did not change. Because they no longer advise medical students, the two deans whose hours were cut — Assistant Dean of Medicine Anne CushingBrescia and Assistant Dean of Medicine Timothy Empkie — can still devote the same number of hours for each advisee, said Associate Dean of Medicine Philip Gruppuso. He added that while the nature of med student advising has changed, the nature of undergraduate PLME advising has not.
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Min Wu / Herald
Students gathered in MacMillan 117 for the start of 2008’s housing lottery. Those anticipating no-shows didn’t have to wait long — a student with second pick skipped out on the lottery, much to attendees’ delight.
Love and lit go Kennedy ’76 to lead Watson for now hand-in-hand, profs. find By Michael Bechek News Editor
By Dana Teppert Staf f Writer
Professor of Comparative Literature Arnold Weinstein recently told his students in COLT 1420T: “The Fiction of Relationship,” that they could end up marr ying the person sitting next to them. Most students turned their heads and let out a skeptical laugh. But though Weinstein’s students found the idea of marr ying their classmates humorous, what they
FEATURE may not know is that for their professor and others like him, lifelong relationships began — and remain — on college campuses. Senior Lecturer in Economics Rachel Friedberg met her husband, Professor of Economics David Weil, while the two were in graduate school working at the same economic think tank. The two sat at adjacent computers while they conducted their research, Weil said, smiling. Professor of Ar t Wendy Edwards and Rhode Island School of Design instructor Jerry Mischak had “the epitome of a courtship” when they met at the University of Wisconsin, Mischak said. He first noticed Edwards when he attended a lecture she gave, and loved her work, which is abstract painting. Assistant Professors of Economics Anna Aizer and Pedro Dal Bo occupy offices right next door to continued on page 6
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METRO
not so lil’ rhody Overwight Rhode Islanders cost taxpayers an extra $185 per person
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Vice President for International Affairs David Kennedy ’76, who joined the University administration three months ago with the task of raising Brown’s global profile, will serve as the interim director of the Watson Institute for International Studies for two years starting this summer. The move comes after the current director, Barbara Stallings, announced she will step down from that position to focus on her research. Kennedy, who was a visiting scholar at the Watson Institute last spring and has worked out of Watson’s building since arriving as a University vice president in January, will have to balance two
demanding jobs. Between the two posts he will provide leadership for Watson’s many programs and oversee a slew of University initiatives designed to strengthen Brown’s involvement in the global community. Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 said Stallings’ decision to step down on June 30 did not leave enough time for an exhaustive national search process that would be necessary to find a permanent replacement. He said asking Kennedy to fill the position for two years, and beginning a national search for a director about a year from now, “seemed to make a certain kind of logical sense.” Stallings said Kennedy was a logical choice to fill the position, and said he had knowledge of “the major issues” at Watson.
It’s official: Robinson will leave Brown Coach introduced at Oregon State By Stu Woo Senior Editor
Peter Strong / Daily Barometer
Craig Robinson was introduced as head coach at Oregon State.
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CAMPUS NEWS
Michael Goldberger knew this day would come. The director of athletics just thought, and hoped, it would come later. But the inevitable finally happened yesterday, as Craig Robinson, the men’s basketball head coach whom Goldberger hired two years ago to turn the struggling team around, finally outgrew the tiny confines of Brown and Ivy League basketball and will head West for a big-time and big-money program.
DOC’S TRIUMPH Alpert Medical School professor discovers gene that may link to Parkinson’s
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OPINIONS
Robinson was introduced as the head coach of the Oregon State University Beavers yesterday, confirming several reports on Sunday that he had been offered the job. He has resigned from his position at Brown and will assume his
SPORTS new job at the Pac-10 Conference school immediately. “We’re really grateful for the work he’s done here,” Goldberger said. “We certainly understand that this might be a great opportunity.” He added that Brown is beginning a national search for his successor. At the Cor vallis, Ore., institu-
OLYMPIC STRUGGLE Dan Davidson ’11 endorses a partial U.S. boycott of the Olympics. Amanda Bauer ’10 thinks it’s not enough.
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tion yesterday, Robinson, who did not return calls for comment, opened his introduction speech by thanking the audience and saying, “Go Beavs!” He then thanked the Oregon State officials who hired him before turning his attention to Brown. “I’d also like to thank the place I’m leaving, too — Brown University,” he said. “Dr. Ruth Simmons, the president, Michael Goldberger, the athletics director, and especially my staff and team, because I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for those guys.” But he added: “While I’ll miss those guys, I got new guys.” Robinson also took questions continued on page 6
tomorrow’s weather Unless we get lucky, Spring Weekend won’t share tomorrow’s sunny weather
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