The Brown Daily Herald T uesday, O ctober 28, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 100
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
Delays in growth likely, URC says
Two Thayer vintage stores robbed within four days By Colin Chazen Senior Staff Writer
The Providence Police Department is investigating two armed robberies of vintage stores that took place on Thayer Street last week. The first robber y occurred around 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19 at New and Vintage Apparel at 281 Thayer St., also known as NAVA. A female clerk told police that a man entered, walked around and then asked if anyone else was in the store. After she responded “no,” the suspect approached her while she was next to the cash register. The man then placed an object wrapped in fabric against her back, according to a police report. He told the clerk to “Give me the money.” The suspect took about $500 from the register. The clerk then went with the subject to the rear door and opened it, at which point the suspect fled. The clerk described the suspect as a black male around 6’1’’ with a heavy build and short hair. He was
America wakes to Simmons talking gender By Emmy Liss Senior Staf f Writer
President Ruth Simmons appeared on “The Today Show” Friday for “Brunch with Power Women.” Hosted by Meredith Vieira, four women, including Simmons, discussed gender and equality in the workplace. Vieira asked the guests — Simmons; Hannah Seligson ’04, author of “New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches;” Sharon Allen, chairwoman of the board at Deloitte and Marissa Mayer, a vice president at Google — why they thought women earn less than men. Simmons said pay disparities are “some of our own making.” “Women ask for less,” Simmons said. “We have to encourage women to learn the negotiating skills.” Given Simmons’ role in teaching women, Vieira questioned why lessons in workplace negotiation are lacking in the university experience. Seligson defended her Brown experience and said the “culture of achievement” in academia does not translate to the workplace. She said the office is not a meritocracy like the academic arena is. However, she cited TSDA 0220: “Persuasive Communication” as an incredible course that she took during her senior year at Brown. She said universities need to “take that model and implement it, and have a class called ‘You need more than a black suit to succeed in the workplace.’”
wearing a brown leather coat with “ROCA” on the back. The second robbery occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Foreign Affair, another vintage clothing store, at 219 Thayer St. Police responded at 4:34 p.m. to a report of a suspicious person leaving the building and “a female with a bloody face pursuing” the person, according to a police report. The victim told police that the suspect entered the store in a friendly manner. She asked what he was looking for and he said he wanted to get something for his mother. While walking through the store, the suspect’s demeanor changed, and he abruptly pushed the victim on his way to the cash register. The suspect threatened the clerk with his hand wrapped in a T-shirt, as if concealing a weapon, and demanded the money in the register. The clerk refused to cooperate and the suspect pushed her to the floor. He then hit and repeatedly
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Hannah Moser / Herald
GISP studies traditional Eastern medicine By Sarah Husk Contributing Writer
On a campus bustling with pre-med students toting cumbersome chemistry textbooks and complaining about single-digit medical school acceptance rates, a number of students are trying to infuse their studies with an alternative — alternative medicine, that is. Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine is one of the largest Group Independent Study Projects
Brown has ever approved, according to the GISP’s student organizer, Kevin Liou ’10. The group numbers 17 registered students and several non-registered students, each of
FEATURE whom represents a different background and set of interests. The course tackles issues related to traditional Chinese medicine from scientific, cultural and public health angles, bringing in speakers
‘Surprising’ endorsements affect election, study shows
UPLIFTING
By Matthew Scult Contributing Writer
Min Wu / Herald
Students congregated to raise money for breast cancer research by bench pressing.
FLip-FLopping The Providence Journal endorses a Democrat for president for the first time in four decades
www.browndailyherald.com
from various fields to lecture students on their areas of expertise. “It’s a lot of reading,” Liou said, adding that it’s been difficult to acclimate to the Eastern way of thinking about medicine and the human body. The group meets regularly to discuss readings and hear from guest speakers and practitioners, such as acupuncturists and herbalists.
Two top University administrators told a concerned audience at Monday’s open forum of the University Resources Committee that Brown could delay capital projects, slow the addition of new faculty positions and increase payout from the endowment in response to the dour economy. The URC, comprised of faculty, students and staff, advises the president and the Corporation on the budget. The hour-long forum, led by Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, was held in Salomon 001 and attracted about 90 people. Usually fewer than 40 people attend the meetings. Questions also focused on the continuing implementation of the Plan for Academic Enrichment and funding for the Graduate School. Kertzer opened the forum by discussing the impact of the financial crisis on the University. He noted that Brown’s finances may suffer in the short-term but said administrators are optimistic about the future. “Our attitude has been, first of all, let’s not get rattled,” he said, adding that he hopes the market will “bounce back.” Fundraising is continuing despite the downturn, he said. “We’re still hearing good things about annual giving and giving to our capital campaign, but we have to keep an eye on those things as well,” he said. Elizabeth Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and
Thayer Street vintage stores, Foreign Affair (top) and New and Vintage Apparel, were both robbed last week.
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METRO
By Chaz Kelsh Senior Staff Writer
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CAMPUS NEWS
A HEATED MATTER Most heat is good to go, but there are still a few bugs to worked out
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OPINIONS
Could a shift in newspaper endorsements have changed the outcome of the 2000 or 2004 election? What could it do this year? A study released this month by Brian Knight, associate professor of economics, and Chun-Fang Chiang AM’04 PhD’08, a former graduate student in the economics department, may be able to shed light on these questions with their study on how endorsements from different newspapers can affect voter decisions. Their analysis indicates that endorsements for a Democratic candidate coming from a more right-leaning or neutral newspaper will convince more voters than the same endorsement coming from a left-leaning newspaper, according to Knight. The reverse is also true: Endorsements from left-leaning
Say Anything According to Jeremy Feigenbaum ’11, the GOP is out of new ideas
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
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newspapers are more likely to convince voters if they endorse a Republican candidate, he said. These types of crossover endorsements are also referred to as “surprising” endorsements and are considered more credible than a newspaper endorsing a candidate with the same ideological leanings as the paper, according to the survey. The study found that “unsurprising” endorsements lead to a change of less than 1 percent of voter preference whereas surprising endorsements saw up to a 3 percent change in voter response. “These results suggest that voters are sophisticated and attempt to filter out any bias in media coverage of politics,” the researchers wrote in the conclusion of their study. For the study, Knight and Chiang analyzed data collected by the National Annenberg Election Surveys continued on page 4
OUT OF THE RUNNING WIth this weekend’s loss, women’s soccer is no longer eligible for the Ivy champs
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