Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 12 | Thursday, February 5, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Shaky economy casts doubt on giving Curricular reviews in progress
By Brigitta Greene Senior Staff Writer
Every weekday night in the cinderblock basement of the Maddock Alumni Center, students sit — headsets over their ears, scripts on their desks — in tiny cubicle arrangements. Their job, talking to donors about giving to the Brown Annual Fund, has grown more difficult in the current economic climate. Posted in the basement, known as the student call center, is a sign with the heading “Fundraising in an Uncertain Economic Climate.” “Many alumni, parents and friends have expressed concern about how the current global financial crisis is affecting Brown,” the sign warns, before giving more detailed advice to callers. With less than five months remaining in the 2009 fiscal year, only $12.8 million of a $36 million goal has been raised for the fund, said Tammie Ruda, executive director of annual giving. Though the fund was only 4 percent behind the previous year’s pace as of Dec. 31, according to a Jan. 27 e-mail to the community from President Ruth Simmons, an economy in recession may make it difficult to reach an ambitious, $36 million goal that would seek to beat last year’s haul by almost $1 million. The Campaign for Academic En-
By Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor
reach this goal,” Ruda said. The Annual Fund is an unrestricted pool of money that goes directly toward the operating budget. An expected 10 percent decline in the amount raised through the Fund and other “annual fund-raising efforts” would reduce operating revenues by $4 million, according to Simmons’ e-mail.
The College Curriculum Council may finish reviewing up to 13 undergraduate concentrations — more than it originally planned — by the end of the academic year, said Karen Krahulik, the chair of the council’s concentrations subcommittee. The council began comprehensive reviews of Brown’s 95 undergraduate concentrations last semester, as recommended by the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, which released its report in September. The process requires departments to clarify the goals of concentrations they offer and to explain how they fulfill Brown’s broader academic aims, said Krahulik, who is also the associate dean of the College for upper class studies. Departments are also asked to review advising and senior capstone opportunities, she said. Nine concentrations had originally been slated for review this year. But some concentrations wishing to make significant changes to their programs have been added to the schedule, potentially allowing the
continued on page 4
continued on page 4
Eunice Hong / Herald
Student callers, seen here soliciting donations for the Brown Annual Fund, now face an unfavorable economy.
richment has identified the progress of the Annual Fund as its main focus, said Ronald Vanden Dorpel MA’71, senior vice president for University advancement. Simmons wrote in her e-mail that “any reduction in the Fund total by fiscal year end will mean a dollar-for-dollar reduction in our operating budget.” The Annual Fund, if it reaches its goal, would supply 7percent of the University’s operating budget,
according to Ruda. Despite the current pace, Ruda said she is “pretty pleased” with Annual Fund giving so far. Gifts to the fund are heaviest in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, with considerable donations coming in during May and June, she said. Over $9.5 million was raised for the Annual Fund during the month of June alone last year, according to the fund’s Web site. “We’re still pushing very hard to
Married, with homework
No increase in number of UTRAs offered this summer
By Kelly Mallahan Staff Writer
By Chaz Kelsh News Editor
As the new semester kicks into high gear, many students have trouble balancing classes, sports, extracurriculars and that weekly shift at the Gate they work to finance their coffee habits. But for a few Brown undergraduates, there’s an additional element to add to this balancing act: their marriages.
The number of Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards offered for this summer will remain steady at about 200, despite previous plans to expand the number each year, said Christina Furtado, assistant dean for upper class studies. Though the Task Force on Undergraduate Education recommended expanding the UTRA program in its final report released in September, the University’s financial troubles have precluded the small increase planned for this year, said Furtado, who oversees the program for the Office of the Dean of the College. Fur tado did not know how large this year’s increase would have been. “We got hit before we got to that point,” she said, adding that the size of the program in any given year also depends on the quality of the applications received.
FEATURE
inside
The University doesn’t keep statistics on the number of married undergraduate students, nor does it provide any specific services for them — the only mention of married students on the University’s Web site is their exemption from on-campus living requirements. Brown students who choose to get married before getting their degrees are largely on their own. According to Alicia Adams ’11, who married her high school boyfriend Brian in July, the hardest part of getting married was figuring out her liv-
News.....1-4 Metro........5-6 Spor ts...7-8 Editorial..10 Opinion...11 Today........12
www.browndailyherald.com
Courtesy of Alicia Adams
Alicia Adams ’11, seen here with her husband Brian, said maintaining her social life on campus is a challenge since she got married, but Brian helps her maintain a healthy balance.
ing arrangement. Since her husband is not a Brown student, they were forced to rent an off-campus apartment. “It’s really expensive,” she said, adding that her rent was almost $1,100 a month. “My loans have definitely gone up,” she added. Lanna Leite, who enrolled as a member of the class of 2010 but is currently taking a year off, got married over winter break of her freshman year. She works odd jobs and waits tables to support herself and her husband Cassius. Leite’s husband is from Brazil, and
post-
they had to wait six months after they got married before he could join her in the U.S. She continued to live in Keeney Quandrangle the spring following their marriage, but she has since moved off campus. She also cited housing as the largest obstacle facing married students. Leite said it was difficult to find an apartment near campus, because “no one that was close by would rent to us.” Even many landlords listed on Brown’s auxiliary housing Web site continued on page 2
In its report, the task force recommended that the University “increase funding for independent learning experiences,” like research opportunities and internships. There is currently no plan for future increases, Furtado said. But “if you want to be optimistic,” she added, “then yes — we hope to be able to turn things around next year.” “We’re hoping to do the best we can for our students,” Furtado said, adding that administrators are “quite committed” to the task force’s recommendations. In an e-mail to The Herald, Marjorie Thompson, assistant dean of biological sciences, wrote that she has seen demand for UTRAs increasing. As the number of scholarships remains steady, students will have to be more creative in finding funding for summer research, she wrote. continued on page 4
Inside
Metro, 5
Opinions, 11
hops to with strapping young medicine folk and tosses tea to the high life
NEW EATS ON THAYER A new burger restaurant will open on Thayer Street this spring
SCIENTIFIC THEATER Alyssa Ratledge ’11 wants more science classes aimed at non-scientists
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
herald@browndailyherald.com