Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxlv, no. 85 | Wednesday, October 6, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891

TED founder encourages exploration

S u staina b l e I n d ia

By Ashley Aydin Senior Staff Writer

By Rebecca Ballhaus Senior Staff Writer

“Most of the things I’m going to tell you are going to be the opposite of your preconceptions.”

So began Richard Saul Wurman, the self-proclaimed “information architect” and founder of Technology/ Entertainment/Design — or TED — conferences, in his talk at the Rhode Island School of Design Auditorium Tuesday night. Wurman emphasized the importance of defying expectations and finding personal interests.

Wurman, 75, alternately sat in a small armchair on an otherwise empty stage and paced across it.

Dressed eccentrically — in a leather jacket with a red interior, an elaborate scarf, with untouched gold spectacles dangling from his neck — Wurman spoke without notes to a mesmerized audience.

He conducted the speech informally, chatting with the audience and frequently interacting with students who asked questions. He also allowed the audience two moments at which they could leave if they had “heard enough.” He explained, “I told (RISD President John Maeda) that I would stay however long people would want to listen.”

Wurman criticized a system of education in which students are taught to “memorize things (they are) not interested in, bulimically put them continued on page 4

Tenure debates reach impasse in faculty meeting

Courtesy of WaterWalla

Brown undergrads in WaterWalla worked in Indian communities to provide cleaner water.

The faculty withdrew a motion to review tenure and faculty development policies at its meeting Tuesday night, stalling progress to reform the tenure process. Faculty members brought the motion to discussion again after it had been withdrawn.

Before debate, President Ruth Simmons reminded faculty about the conduct for debate, including that faculty should stand and be recognized, with the chair facilitating, before speaking. Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 introduced the background for the motion being discussed, which stemmed from the New England Association of College and Schools report on Brown’s tenure rate. The motion discusses deleting existing language of the Faculty Rules and Regulations concerning tenure review and tenure procedures

In Tim Blake Nelson’s ’86 recent film, “Leaves of Grass,” a Brown professor is tricked into returning to his hometown in Oklahoma, where his identical twin brother involves him in a world of drug commerce and redneck criminals. Nelson wrote, directed, helped produce and has a supporting role in “Leaves of Grass,” which premiered in limited release on Sept. 17.

FEATURE

inside

‘The learning curve’ As a high school senior, Nelson only applied to Brown and two other schools. “When I visited, I just had a gut reaction, and there was no other place that interested me nearly as much,” he said. Once at Brown, he

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Another shutout for No. 13 Bears Flu shots available today

By Zack Bahr Sports Editor

The Tuesday night men’s soccer matchup against St. John’s University had the feeling of a national championship game.

With many near misses, thrilling fast breaks and seemingly impossible saves by goalies, the No. 13 Bears (7-0-2, 1-0-0 Ivy) defeated the No. 22 Red Storm (6-4-0), 1-0.

Bruno came out firing with te-

nacity on the cool, misty evening.

Just two minutes in, midfielder Evan Coleman ’12 fired a blazing shot from 20 yards out after a missed header by midfielder Jon Okafor ’11 to earn the only goal

SPORTS of the night.

“They are one of the most formidable opponents that we face,” Coleman said of St. John’s.

“We exploited their sides, we ex-

ploited their wings and we were able to open it up.”

Paul Grandstrand ’11 came up big for the Bears with seven saves. With just 11:30 left in the game, Grandstrand deflected a ball that came screaming at him from a Red Storm strike from inside the penalty box.

“It was a pure adrenaline rush,” Grandstrand said. “To make a save like that feels good.” continued on page 9

For Nelson ’86, the ‘Grass’ is greener after Brown

By Miriam Furst Staff Writer

and replacing it with new language.

The motion considered how “outside expert opinion is brought into the tenure process,” Kertzer said.

Sheila Blumstein, professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences and member of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Tenure and Faculty Development Policies, presented the major changes in the language and explained that the motions were all “motivated to ensure our tenure process is rigorous and fair.”

“We, the faculty, must make sure this process is run with integrity and rigor,” she said.

The heated debate on the presented motion began with Steve Rabson, professor emeritus of East Asian studies, who suggested dividing the motion according to the categories Blumstein mentioned.

said he valued the free-spirited energy on campus. “Wherever I went, students were incredibly happy and wildly diverse.”

Though he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the humanities or the arts, Nelson chose to concentrate in classics. “I thought that the wide horizon of the New Curriculum and all the opportunities that it would afford me would be best grounded in a more traditional concentration,” he said.

Outside of the classroom, Nelson was heavily involved in theater.

He said the intensity of auditions at Brown reflects the way it is in the real world.

“Brown attracts top kids from around the country, and I know a lot of them are talented — you’re going to get bruised,” he added. continued on page 4

Oliver Douliery / Abaca Press

Tim Blake Nelson’s ’86 film “Leaves of Grass” premiered in limited release last month.

By Michael Danielewicz Contributing Writer

As flu season approaches, Health Services is gearing up for its yearly vaccination program. From Oct. 6 to 22, all students with Brown IDs will be able to receive the flu vaccine — which protects against both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 influenza — free of charge at Josiah’s.

The clinics will run on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a break for the holiday Oct. 11.

No appointment is necessar y. The Health Ser vices website recommends that all students, except those allergic to eggs or past flu shots, those who are sick or those who have previously developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, get the flu shot.

According to Edward Wheeler, director of health ser vices, students should expect promotional material in the form of table slips and posters in the coming weeks.

“I’d imagine I’ll consider [getting the vaccination] if another swine flu kind of thing comes up” said John Kotheimer ’14. “Right now I hadn’t really planned on it.”

Jayson Marwaha ’14, a Program in Liberal Medical Education student, said that he will not be vaccontinued on page 2

Windfall

Gold & Green

Rhody reborn

Stimulus contributes to research funding jump from last year

R.I. Hall awarded gold certification for green standards

Kurt Walters ’11 commends R.I.’s progressive politics

campus news, 3

Campus news, 6

Opinions, 11

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

“We’ve really worked as a team. It’s not me alone.”

— Al Dahlberg, on filling Tim Leshan’s vacancy

Search underway for new public affairs director

By Chip Lebovitz Contributing Writing

Courtesy of WaterWalla

Brown and RISD students in the WaterWalla project went to India in August to test water conditions.

Undergrads aim to bring clean water to India

By Katrina Phillips Contributing Writer

This August, four Brown undergraduates and a RISD student travelled to Dharavi, India for about three weeks to complete the pilot phase of their WaterWalla project.

According to project member Anshu Vaish ’12, WaterWalla is Hindu for water provider, which is exactly what the project aims to do.

During their visit to Dharavi, Vaish, Neil Parikh ’11, Nehal Doshi ’12, Darin Kurti ’12 and RISD senior Soaib Grewal took water samples

from about 50 different locations and gained support from Equinox Labs, a testing laboratory in India that agreed to partner with WaterWalla and do all the testing pro bono, Vaish said. In future stages of the project, members will return to Dharavi to test potential solutions for purifying the water. Some solutions already exist in the city, but members might also consider bringing in solutions from abroad, they said.

The eventual goal is for the project to “self-eliminate,” said new project member Angad Kochar ’12.

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Their plan for sustainability is that entrepreneurs in Dharavi “will take these things and sell them to the people in the slums,” Parikh said. He said Dharavi was chosen as the project’s pilot location for its vast industry and “businessminded” people.

If the project works in Dharavi, Kurti said, he hopes the project can spread to “India, Asia and the world.”

Grewal said members realized before the project started that many residents of urban slums were not receiving benefits of government infrastructure in India.

Though the government sends clean water from the source, the water must past through “pipelines about 150 years old” to reach the slums and gets contaminated on the way, Grewal said.

The members of the project “all come from different fields,” Vaish said, and wanted to bring their various skills together to solve the problem of hygiene and sanitation in India. The project grew from the members’ desire to see what Vaish called “a practical application” from their studies.

Members of the group said the biggest concern now is funding.

Kurti and Doshi both said that everything so far has been “out of our pockets.” They plan to return to India in December for the next phase of testing for the project. But until then, they said they will be seeking funds, grants and in-kind donations such as advice from professionals.

It’s all about “connecting us to the right people who really share our vision,” Parikh said. “We would love people who are experts in the field,” Grewal added.

But more than anything, the team is ready to return to Dharavi, members said. Despite countless NGOs working in the area, “the people in the slum never see anything,” Vaish said. The WaterWalla team is trying to change that, he said.

Director of Government Relations and Community Affairs Tim Leshan has left Brown to become Vice President for Government Relations at Northeastern University this academic year.

Leshan’s main motivations for leaving were “the opportunity to become a vice president at an institution of higher education,” and the ability to work “closer to home,” said Vice President of Public Affairs and University Relations Marisa Quinn.

“I am thrilled to join an outstanding external affairs team at Northeastern University. I look forward to elevating the university’s national profile on matters of public policy and advancing a multiyear strategy to increase federal research funding,” Leshan said in an August Lexington Minuteman article.

Leshan did not respond to The Herald’s requests for comment.

In the Lexington Minuteman article, Northeastern President Joseph Aoun said he was happy to have Leshan aboard. “Tim Leshan brings the expertise and energy we need to take our government relations program to the next level,” he said.

The director of government relations and community affairs is the University’s main advocate for advancing Brown’s agenda on the federal level, Quinn said. The director has a “wide portfolio of work specific to Brown,” Quinn said, with potential areas of interest including tax, labor and health care policy, and funding and policy issues related to research and student aid.

In order to manage Leshan’s responsibilities, the position will be temporarily manned by a group of University staffers, according to Quinn. The temporar y effort includes Quinn, who was originally hired as the director in 1999, and Director of State and Community Relations Al Dahlberg.

Filling the vacancy has been a team effort, Dahlberg said. “Since Tim’s absence, we’ve all been pitching in to fill Tim’s responsibilities,” he said. “We’ve really worked as a team. It’s not me alone.”

The University has formed a search committee to find Leshan’s replacement. The committee — which includes members from the

Courtesy of Al Dahlberg

Director of State and Community Relations Al Dahlberg is helping to fill government relations responsibilities.

Taubman Center for Public Policy, Office of Financial Aid, Department of Community Health, Alpert Medical School and the Office of the Vice President for Research — posted the job opening online and have already narrowed down a list of 40 candidates to 10 finalists, who are currently going through a final round of interviews, Quinn said.

Key attributes the University is looking for in potential candidates are “federal experience,” “knowledge and understanding of higher education” and “managing and promoting positive relations with the government at all levels of the community,” Quinn said.

Though she would like to have a director “as soon as possible,” there is no set deadline for hiring to find the “most qualified candidate,” Quinn said.

Given that politicians are currently focusing on the midterm elections, the workload for the director for government relations and community affairs is slightly less then usual, according to Quinn.

Leshan had been working at the University since 2006. He was hired

by Northeastern on July 29, according to a July Politico article.

Prior to his work at Brown, Leshan received his master of public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, according to the Lexington Minuteman article. He had worked both in the private and educational sectors with stints at Duke University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and was a branch chief and senior policy analyst at the National Human Genome Research Institute, where he earned the National Institute of Health’s Director’s Award in 2006.

Flu vaccine now available, ‘will not run out’ continued from page 1 cinated this year as he does not entirely trust the vaccine.

According to Wheeler, it will be possible to schedule an appointment with Health Ser vices to receive the vaccine even after the clinics have ended. “We will not run out,” said Wheeler.

Last year, Brown had the highest vaccination rate of colleges in the state, Wheeler said. In the

2009–10 flu season, Brown dispensed 2,568 seasonal flu vaccines and 2,671 H1N1 vaccines.

Though Wheeler guessed that fewer students would turn up this year for the flu vaccine after last year’s H1N1 outbreak, he said he hopes that “everyone takes advantage of the open hours.” He added that being vaccinated is important for students because “not only does it protect them, but it protects the community.”

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

“Where are you gonna buy your Starbucks?”

— Edward Wing, dean of medicine and biological sciences

Research funding sees 37 percent increase

By Kat Thornton Contributing Writer

This fiscal year, Brown has received 37 percent more funding for research awards than it did the previous year, according to a press release.

Brown was granted $180 million this year, with $27 million coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, making up roughly 15 percent of the awards. The stimulus has primarily been sponsoring infrastructureoriented projects, though stimulus grants are funding research-based projects at Brown as well.

The Department of Physics, for example, has received ample funding this year. Professor of Physics David Cutts said that the Office of Science, inside of the U.S. Department of Energy, is funding physics faculty in both research- and theory-based projects.

Cutts said that this jump in funding was a one-time increase be-

cause of the federal stimulus. “The main idea is for the government to put money into the economy to help people go back to work,” Cutts said.

The physics department’s newly acquired infrastructure includes electronics for developing a logic analyzer and a number of computing systems to create a high-power cluster, Cutts said.

This new infrastructure, Cutts said, “will definitely make a difference in what we’re able to do.”

Other departments have also seen increased funding as a result of the stimulus. Professor of Medical Science Edward Hawrot said that the Bio Medical department won two major awards this year.

The first award came from a division of the National Science Foundation, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The five-year award is geared toward setting up resources in the department, therefore “building the base for all our fac-

ulty,” Hawrot said.

To win the competitive award, Brown partnered with the University of Rhode Island and several other universities, Hawrot said.

Brown’s portion of these funds will be used to buy computational hardware and infrastructure to support marine-life sciences, Hawrot said.

Part of Brown’s proposal for this funding outlined what Hawrot called “intellectual merit,” meaning that there has to be a focus on exactly how faculty would benefit from new infrastructure.

Because computational capability is needed for faculty to carry out their research, Hawrot said, the infrastructure is beneficial.

Brown has used part of the $575,000 allocated for computational hardware to buy an Illumina genome analyzer.

The second grant awarded to the Bio Medical Department was continued on page 5

Simmons: motion withdrawal ‘most unexpected’ continued from page 1 Rabson said these four parts would pertain to the deadline of submission of material for tenure, the dean’s ability to add references to a candidate’s evaluation, a change in the number of references from five to eight and the appointment of a representative from the academic unit to serve as the reference’s contact.

Some faculty members expressed concerns with this suggestion and Peter Richardson, parliamentarian and professor of engineering, following Robert’s Rules, said in order to divide the text, it must be clear and not dependent on other parts.

In order to divide the motion, all the original text “must be present,” he said.

There was also a friendly amendment by another faculty member to consider the suggested changes one paragraph at a time.

The faculty meeting then moved towards voting with clickers on dividing the motion to vote on each paragraph. The vote resulted in 53 percent — 113 faculty members — for, 46 percent — 97 members — against, and 1 percent — 3 members — abstaining.

“Many of the paragraphs are interrelated,” Kertzer said. “I don’t know how we will go through with this.”

Kertzer suggested that the faculty withdraw the motion to vote by paragraph.

This suggestion was countered

by Jerome Sanes, chair of the Tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee and professor of neuroscience.

There is a “split vote on all of the pieces,” Sanes said.

“We need to know the exact language on what is being voted on,” Kertzer said of the problem with division of the paragraphs.

Blumstein added that the divisions would innumerate multiple points and paragraphs and would not “make a coherent whole,” she said.

Gregory Elliott, professor of sociology, suggested the reconsideration of the vote by paragraph with reassurance that the committee would be able to sort it in “distinguishable ways,” he said.

“Some of us are in favor of some pieces, and some of us are not,” he said.

A faculty member motioned to withdraw the entire motion by the ad hoc committee.

The motion to withdraw the motion was passed with 53 percent — 110 members — for, 45 percent — 92 members — against and 2 percent — 4 members — abstention.

“This is most unexpected,” Simmons said.

Simmons thanked the committee and the provost for their proposals.

“The will of faculty is an important part of the University,” she said.

She said that the faculty must think further about this.

“The fact that we have not moved to this is something we need to think about,” she said.

Kertzer said he does not believe that the government system and will of the faculty is allowing the University to move forward with this matter.

James Morone, chair of the political science department, made a motion for the reinstatement of the withdrawn motion, which would send the motion back to the ad hoc committee.

Ann Dill, associate professor of sociology, suggested referring the withdrawn motion back to the Faculty Executive Committee.

The vote to refer the withdrawn motion to the FEC resulted in 67 percent — 90 members — in favor, 33 percent — 44 members — not in

Page 3

favor and 1 percent — 1 member — abstaining.

The vote to refer the withdrawn motion to the FEC in consultation with the ad hoc committee resulted in 76 percent — 100 members — in favor, 21 percent — 28 members — not in favor and 2 percent — 3 members — abstaining.

During the meeting, Simmons also discussed the humanities initiative approved at last weekend’s meeting of the Corporation, the University’s highest governing body.

This initiative will provide funds of $500,000 a year for projects in the humanities.

“We are grateful for a gift that will provide funds that will support faculty in the humanities,” said Rajiv Vohra P’07, dean of the faculty and professor of economics.

This was the first faculty meeting where the faculty used clickers to vote. In presenting the report by the FEC, Cynthia Garcia Coll, professor of education and the committee’s chair, said the spring 2010 meeting’s votes “took many minutes to collect and count.” She mentioned that for formal motions, there will be “paper backups” in addition to the voting by clickers. She said that if a vote were to come close, they would recount it through paper ballots.

Garcia Coll also said that the FEC had a “quite extraordinary, wonderful meeting with the Corporation,” and that she recommended Corporation members sit in on some Brown classes.

Garcia Coll said that she will try to do some very short faculty polls, particularly electronic surveys, with about five questions on a topic to get “a sense of how the faculty is thinking.”

Concerning the level of debate and withdrawal of the motion, Garcia Coll said she is sympathetic to the body at this time but is also sympathetic that something must be done.

Restoration of Med School begins downtown

By Caitlin Trujillo Senior Staff Writer

Construction crews have begun restoration on the exterior of the Alpert Medical School at 222 Richmond St. in the Jewelry District. The $45 million project remains on track for completion this August.

Demolition work on the building, built in 1928, is complete, said Paul Dietel, director of project management.

The Suffolk Construction team is now focusing on the potentially “risky” process of removing concrete columns from the building and replacing them with structural steel, said Edward Wing, dean of medicine and biological sciences.

The steel will allow for construction of two-story lecture halls on the first floor, holding up to 150 students each, Wing said.

The building as it currently stands does not have large enough rooms to accommodate student needs, Dietel said. The construction team is also installing the electrical and plumbing systems, he said.

In addition to the lecture halls, new windows will allow for increased natural lighting, which was lacking in the old building, Wing said.

The project hit a minor bump when oil tanks were discovered in the basement. But such surprises were expected, and contingency funds were used to clean up the oil and the soil around the tanks, Wing said.

Administrators are working closely with Jennifer Braga, the University’s government relations and community affairs liaison, to ensure that construction does not disrupt

neighboring residents and business owners in the district, Dietel said.

Though businesses have been supportive, “nobody likes construction,” Wing said.

Parrish Olsen, controller at Ship Street’s Narragansett Brewing Company, said the blockading of streets has made it difficult for her employees to get into parking lots.

Delivery trucks also have a hard time pulling into the area.

“There’s no heads-up,” she said, adding that the problem varies from day to day.

Noise, on the other hand, has not been a problem, and traffic has not impeded business because customers do not come to company headquarters.

The project has created around 300 construction-related jobs, Wing said. About 30 additional job openings will need to be filled inside the building once it is completed. Many of the subcontractors are Rhode Island-based companies.

Expansion of Brown’s medical school is expected to bring economic revitalization to the Jewelry District. University administrators continue to work with local hospitals, non-profits and city and state government to promote private investment in the area.

Around 1,000 new people are expected to move in near the Med School as it develops, Wing said.

Administrators hope an increased University presence will attract more retail to the area.

Throw a bunch of medical students, professors and entrepreneurs together in one neighborhood, Wing said, and a key question arises — “Where are you gonna buy your Starbucks?”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

“The learning curve for me was extraordinary.”

— Tim Blake Nelson ’86, on his time at Brown

Brown-Haiti collaboration progresses

By Christina Sun Contributing Writer

Max Monn / Herald

Richard Saul Wurman, founder of Technology/Education/Design spoke to RISD students Tuesday night.

Wurman, founder of TED: ‘I know how stupid I am’ continued from page 1 on the test and then forget them. … That’s not enough for me,” he said. “Learning is remembering what you’re interested in — and I know how glib that sounds.”

“If I have any message to give you tonight, it’s that if there’s something that interests you, do it. Don’t wait for Papa to tell you to do it,” he said. “I’ve done 82 books, and no one has ever asked me to do one of them.”

Wurman also stressed the importance of acknowledging the things we do not understand. “I am more powerful than anyone in this room for one reason: I know how stupid I am,” he said. “You all try to impress each other with your expertise — we’re all trying to ‘uh-huh’ each other … It’s only by knowing what it’s like not to understand that we can really do something about it.”

Wurman discussed an upcoming project of his called Five By Five By Five, which will discuss different forms of health care by analyzing five countries, five ailments and five different income levels. For example, in Japan, Wurman said, Extra Strength Tylenol is outlawed because it lessens pain too much. “I don’t understand that,” he said. “And that is really a wonderful moment, when you understand that you don’t understand something.”

Harrison Telyan, a freshman at RISD and the founder of the group

that presented Wurman’s lecture, said the event came about after he spoke with Maeda, who knows Wurman personally, at an alumni dinner over the summer about his idea for the group, called STEAM. STEAM — which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math — is an initiative aimed to emphasize the role of art within other fields.

“Without creative minds, we can’t move forward because we don’t have different perspectives,” Telyan said. “Scientists and artists in the same room — that’s a potent mix.”

Telyan hopes to make these lectures a monthly event for the group.

Alex Cohen, a senior at RISD, said it was clear that Wurman was “really speaking from his heart, which really made it more engaging.” Cohen added that the speech was “at times hard to relate to,” but said the “crux of what he was saying — to do what you’re interested in” is “so valuable to students.”

Dustin Sohn, a junior at RISD, said he agreed with Wurman’s ideas. “His philosophies are the answers to fighting depression and (how) to keep your life interesting,” he said. “It’s about doing things to give meaning and purpose to your life.”

Telyan said the speech was nothing like he expected. “But,” he added, “that’s what I was expecting.”

Brown has pledged to develop existing educational programs and collaborations with Haiti, announced President Ruth Simmons in a Sept.

23 press release following the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, which is currently dedicated to Haiti’s long-term recovery and development following the earthquake in January.

“Eight months ago, the Brown community responded effectively with fundraising and addressing immediate needs in the wake of the disaster,” Simmons said in the release. “Now we have an obligation to leverage and expand the strength and depth of Brown’s Haiti programs as part of the reconstruction effort.”

The initiative will focus on the rich history and culture of Haiti through the Haitian Studies Initiative at Brown and the “Remember Haiti” Initiative at the John Carter

Brown Library, as well as improve current medical education in Haiti through the efforts of the BrownHaiti Medical Exchange.

“Haiti and Haitian language studies have an important place at Brown,” wrote Matthew Gutmann, vice president for international affairs, and Barrymore Bogues, professor of Africana studies and political science, in a letter to the Brown community earlier this year. Brown is the only American university offering two years of study in Haitian Creole, according to the press release.

The Haitian Studies Initiative will develop the current curriculum further to add new courses discussing the cultural and political history of Haiti, the release said. The language program will also be expanded to include advanced instruction in Haitian Creole.

Brown students also have the opportunity to mentor Haitian students at Hope High School through a program organized by Patrick Sylvain,

visiting lecturer in Latin American studies, and Brown is slated to host the annual Haitian Studies Association meetings in November, wrote Gutmann and Bogues.

The John Carter Brown Library’s “Remember Haiti” Initiative similarly intends to make Haitian history and culture more accessible to both the Brown community and the general public, the press release said. As the home of one of the world’s largest collections of maps, books, newspapers and other rare documents about Haiti from colony to republic, the John Carter Brown Library is working with newly-named Visiting Fellow Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation to digitize these materials.

Ted Widmer, director of the John Carter Brown Library, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that the idea to make the library’s collection of Haitian materials more widely available followed his attendance at a recent continued on page 9

Nelson ’86 goes from Brown to the silver screen continued from page 1 Throughout his freshman year, he auditioned for several productions, but was never cast or even called back for auditions until his sophomore year.

“What I most remember about my time at Brown in theater was that coming from Oklahoma, I didn’t have much of an understanding of what acting was or what an avant-garde play was … I wasn’t exposed to any of that in Tulsa.”

Nelson said he was working with kids who grew up in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, “who really understood theater and had been exposed to really extraordinary playwrights and directors.”

“The learning curve for me was extraordinary,” he said, adding that he learned “what was possible in how a story could be told on stage and what real acting was.”

According to Nelson, the professor in “Leaves of Grass” is loosely based on Professor Martha Nussbaum, who he had in mind when writing the role. An American philosopher, Nussbaum is now a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago Law School, and she still keeps in touch with Nelson.

In an e-mail to The Herald, Nussbaum wrote that Nelson was “an outstanding classics student,” adding that she was aware of Nelson’s talent even before he attended Julliard after Brown.

Starting the story Nelson came up with the idea for “Leaves of Grass” when a movie he was working on fell through during its pre-production phase. From this experience, he came up with the idea to write a story about someone who “just got completely side-swept in life,” Nelson said. The story spun from the idea of a “rationalist, classics professor who thinks he’s got it all figured out but just gets pummeled by theories of experiences

and challenges,” he added.

Nussbaum wrote that “the figure in the film is not much like me, because he represents only one side of what I discussed as a tension in Plato’s Symposium … so I would say the academic twin represents only half of my thinking about Plato.”

“I saw an early cut of the film, and I admire it. I think the acting is terrific,” she wrote.

“Leaves of Grass” is set in Nelson’s home state, Oklahoma.

Nelson said he chose this setting because he wrote the screenplay while dealing with personal and professional issues. For Nelson, there was no better way to “attack personal demons than to go right into the heart of your personal biography.”

Edward Norton — who was also a producer on the film — plays the main character, taking on a dual role as both the professor and the twin. Nelson said he and Norton were “already pals” but he “first and foremost” appreciates Norton’s “ability to address the technical challenges of the role — when you’re playing the identical twin.”

Susan Sarandon P’07 P’14 plays the twins’ mother, and Norton said she is “a very bright, serious, soulful actress who brings a gravity to any role she plays.” This is a quality “that was very important in the family drama storyline,” he added.

Taking risks Throughout his career, Nelson has acted in and directed many movies. In the Coen brothers’ 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Nelson had a feature role alongside George Clooney and John Turturro.

He said this experience marked a turning point in his career. Working with the Coens allowed Nelson to take risks because he “trusted them so much,” he said. “Because the Coens’ movies generally succeed, I had the blessing of getting to know that everything was going

to change while making the movie, so I really relished the experience,” he added.

For Nelson, past risky film projects were not as enjoyable as his work with the Coen brothers. He said these experiences left him “plagued all day with self-doubt because you don’t know the director very well, or it’s a fire time director and you can be trepidatious.”

“But with the Coens, there’s never any doubt,” he added.

During his career, Nelson has also had the opportunity to play many exciting supporting roles, such as Officer Le Flore in “Meet the Fockers.” He said working with Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro was “great,” adding that “those upper echelon stars with whom I’ve gotten to work have all been really nice, extremely supportive and fun to be around.”

Nelson is about to go to Alaska to shoot “Everybody Loves Whales” starring John Krasinski ’01 and Drew Barrymore, which will premiere next year. Nelson will be playing a local fish and wildlife official.

Six movies that he has acted in are set to come out within the next year.

Nelson said he credits Brown with playing an immense role in getting him to where he is today.

“So few in the entertainment field are educated and continue to educate themselves. If you assay that field with the sort of education that Brown can provide it will make all the difference for you particularly in terms of longevity.”

He said he made many of his closest friends in college, including actress Laura Linney ’86.

The best advice Nelson said he can give to students at Brown who want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry is to “control your own destiny.”

“You can act and direct, act and write, direct and write … what’s most important is not to confine yourself to a single focus, but to pursue all avenues of creativity.”

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Estate tax repeal not likely to affect gifts to U.

By Nicole Boucher Senior Staff Writer

A wealthy American with an estate valued in the millions could not pick a better year to shuffle off this mortal coil. A one-year repeal of the estate tax — a tax applied when an estate passes to an heir — means that estates can be directly transferred from the deceased to the recipient without losing any assets.

The repeal loophole, dating back to a clause in the tax cut laws signed

by President George W. Bush in 2001, likely saved former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s heirs over $500 million of his $1.1 billion estate after he passed away this year, according to the New York Times.

But while the wealthy stand to benefit, a University such as Brown could actually stand to lose donations in the absence of the tax, according to a 2004 Congressional Budget Office study.

Short-term shortfall?

The estate tax may incentivize estate owners to increase tax-exempt charitable donations since the donations reduce the amount of the estate that can be taxed, according to the

CBO study. In the absence of a tax for only one year, would the motivation to donate drop?

Executive Director of Planned Giving David Coon doesn’t think so.

He said the effects of a short-term repeal would be virtually non-existent, partly because people plan their estate division and charitable bequests far in advance. Pundits always expected the Democratic Congress to reinstate the tax, said Professor of Economics David Weil, so this repeal — the first since the estate tax was enacted in 1916 — was not foreseen.

Weil also said “people take care of their families first,” so planned charitable donations would be decided only after estate owners already made sure they left enough to their families.

“I don’t see them cutting their bequest to Brown because now ‘I can leave even more to little Johnny,’ ” he added.

Moreover, both Weil and Coon said it is not conclusive that estate owners actually donate more with the estate tax in place.

“There are two ways in which the estate tax affects charitable donacontinued on page 9

New budget will boost research at Brown continued from page 3 only available to states that had won the first grant, and only one proposal was taken from each eligible state, making the process very competitive.

Brown’s proposal was to enhance cyber connectivity in University buildings in Providence’s Jewelry District. Buildings in the Jewelry District have only one-gigabit connectivity, while main campus buildings run at 10 gigabits per second, Hawrot said.

Brown requested $1 million to buy the network hardware necessary to complete this task. The improved connectivity will help faculty finish their research faster, Hawrot said.

“Infrastructure will go a long way to raise Brown’s status as a research university,” Hawrot said.

The Department of Community Health has also received federal funding.

Ira Wilson, professor of community health, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that he received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health for $1.25 million this year, and will use the money to conduct research with three colleagues at different institutions over the next three years.

Wilson also wrote that investigators in the health services, policy and practice section of the community health department have “had a very good year and received over $6 million in grant funding in 2010.”

Clyde Briant, vice president for research, said that Brown’s recent infrastructure funding will “offer more opportunities to undergraduates and graduates because it allows more research to go on.”

“My own view is that research and teaching are complementary, and that as Brown’s research funding increases, the quality of its undergraduate education will improve, as will the variety of opportunities available to undergraduates,” Wilson wrote.

Briant also added that the increase in funding is a great tribute to the faculty.

“There is a lot of competition for these awards. If your university is getting 30 percent success, that is good,” Briant said.

Richard Lewis, science media specialist, said, “it’s important to understand that competition for funding from deferral agencies is intense.”

More stimulus-funded research is occurring on campus right now.

The Department of Sociology received $432,000, and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology was awarded $446,000.

These projects, respectively, are investigating the social discovery of flame retardant chemicals and identifying “the environmental factors that promote anaerobic ammonium oxidation,” Lewis wrote.

In a press release, Briant said, “Although federal stimulus funds are coming to an end, I expect this momentum to continue.”

Page 5

“Yoga encompasses more than just the postures.”

— Riyad Seervai ’13 news in brief

Sophomore’s class teaches yoga ‘basics’ Riyad Seervai ’13, a sophomore from India, is teaching a weekly yoga class this semester called “Back to the Basics: Yoga. Made in India.”

About 20 students attended his first class Sept. 25 in the chapel room at Brown/RISD Hillel.

Seervai’s class, held Saturdays at 5 p.m., is being run through the Yoga and Mindfulness club, a campus group that leads several yoga classes independent of the physical education department. Seervai said he was inspired to begin teaching his class because he and his friends attended a class held in T.F. Green Hall at the beginning of September, but it was so crowded that students were being turned away. He said he realized that there is a very large interest in yoga on campus and wanted to help create more opportunities for yoga lovers and practitioners.

Seervai said his class is based around the concept of taking yoga back to its roots, as it is practiced in India.

Seervai grew up and went to high school in Mumbai, India,

and practiced yoga from a young age, beginning when his mother would take him with her to her yoga class when his sister first began school.

He later began studying yoga independently. He also studied yoga as part of his physical education curriculum in school in Mumbai.

Seervai said the concept of being certified to teach doesn’t exist in India in quite the same way as in the United States.

Though he is not certified, neither were his many very talented and highly respected instructors in India, he said.

“Yoga encompasses more than just the postures — it encompasses concepts like meditation, breathing and awareness,” Seervai said.

To Seervai, taking yoga back to its roots means a focus on awareness of the breath, called the life force, and inner awareness instead of external thoughts. He said he believes it is important to know the “origin and stories” behind the poses and why they are done, not simply how.

He said he hopes over the course of the semester to build up a sequence of poses in

Stephanie London / Herald

Riyad Seervai ’13 teaches yoga based on traditional practices.

his class that students will be able to practice eventually by themselves.

— Leigh Carroll

Page 6

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

“I give full marks to Brown and the architects...”

— Nick Winton, head designer for Anmahian Winton Architects

R.I. Hall awarded Gold LEED certification for sustainability

By Alexandra Macfarlane Contributing Writer

The Main Green has gotten a little greener, according to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The LEED program recently awarded Rhode Island Hall, the fourth oldest building on campus, a gold certification.

The LEED certification program is a way to mark the level of sustainability of any project, such as the renovation of Rhode Island Hall, according to Nick Winton ’85, principle in charge of design for Anmahian Winton Architects, which designed the $12 million renovation. As part of the program, a project can receive a simple, silver, gold or platinum certification.

To reach the benchmark of gold certification, the construction and renovations received an overall 42 points out of a possible 69, according to the Department of Facilities Management website. The building was awarded the maximum amount of points in the category for innovation and design.

Gold certification was not the explicit goal for the renovation project, Winton said. The University’s first commitment for this and any new project is to establish 20-25 percent

more efficiency than code standards.

The Rhode Island Hall renovation aimed to achieve this and a silver certification from the LEED program. Its gold certification is the first such award given to Brown.

Though the newly renovated hall sets a high standard, the building’s sustainability is not always visible.

“The architecture really comes first, and the sustainable design came alongside it … LEED gold is just part of that equation,” Winton said.

The designers aimed to create a space with low consumption of easily replenishable materials and good use of natural light. “The deployment of daylight is an important feature of sustainability,” Winton said.

Winton said when he was working on the hall, he wanted to “extend its life indefinitely.” By doing this with already existing buildings that are integral to the look of the campus, the University “says we know that we can transform and reinvent our building stock,” Winton said.

Following the renovation, the Hall was rededicated last fall and now houses the Joukowsky Institute for Archeology and the Ancient World. Members of the Joukowsky Institute say they are happy with the new home for their program.

Throughout the renovation, the architects held weekly meetings with the Institute to involve them

Nick Sinnott-Armstrong / Herald

Rhode Island Hall recently received a gold certification by the LEED program.

in planning, said Susan Alcock, director of the Joukowsky Institute and professor of classics. “I give full marks to Brown and the architects for involving the people in the space,” she said.

The Hall is the first gold-certified building on campus, but the University has other plans for LEED certification in the works. Metcalf

Hall is targeted to receive a silver certification, according to Ginger Gritzo, energy and environmental programs coordinator for Facilities Management. This goal will make Metcalf 28 percent more efficient than code standards, Gritzo wrote in an e-mail to the Herald.

While the points given to the Rhode Island Hall project by the

LEED program are not always visually apparent, it “does pay off in the long run to have greener buildings,” said emPower Steering Committee member Ben Howard ’11. Like Winton, Howard said that working with the buildings and systems already in place was the best method. Mainly, the University should “keep it green as possible,” he said.

SportsWednesday The Brown Daily Herald

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 | Page 8

Cross country

COLUMN

Bears gain experience at Paul Short Invite

By Lewis Pollis

By James Blum Contributing Writer

Though both the men’s and women’s cross countr y teams started strong at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University last Saturday, the runners missed opportunities to take advantage of their early success as the race progressed. The men finished 23rd out of 42 teams while the women captured 12th place out of 41 squads.

Co-captain Matt Duffy ’12 led the men’s squad, finishing the 8 kilometer course in 25 minutes, 2 seconds, placing him 67th out of 387 runners. Brian Schilder ’11 and Austin Snyder ’13 backed up Duffy’s strong performance, finishing in 25:08 and 25:17 seconds, respectively.

“The team positioned themselves ver y well, and then failed to execute the race plan over the majority of the race,” Duffy said.

Despite this, the team is ver y motivated and willing to work towards a stronger performance at upcoming meets, according to Duffy.

Men’s Head Coach T im Springfield agreed. “I saw some things that were ver y encouraging,” he said.

On the women’s team, Margaret Connelly ’14 led with a time of 21:21 seconds on the 6 kilometer course, finishing 36th among the 366 runners.

“I improved my time, but I think that I can do more,” Connelly said. “We definitely went out strong, kind of fell asleep in the middle, and came back.”

Heidi Caldwell ’14 finished next for Brown in 21:41.

When asked where the women can improve, Women’s Cross Country Coach Jill Miller focused on “being tough throughout the entire race.”

Duffy also looked for ward to future races, where the team will look to better capitalize on its opportunities.

“Ever yone wants to make the team better,” he said.

Bruno will face its next challenge at the New England Championships on Saturday. The race will be held in Franklin Park in Boston.

Play ball: MLB playoffs begin today Sports Columnist

The calendar has now turned to October, which means only one thing for baseball fans: it’s playoff time. Major League Baseball’s postseason kicks off this afternoon.

The first round of the playoffs is the Divisional Series, where the three division winners and the best second-place team from each league play best-of-five matchups. The two remaining teams in each league will meet in the best-of-seven Championship Series. The American League and National League pennant winners then face off in the World Series.

Here is a preview of what we’ll see in the first round. If my predictions for the winners end up to be wrong, remember that five games isn’t nearly long enough to judge which team is truly superior.

Texas Rangers (90-72) vs.

Tampa Bay Rays (96-66) While the AL East champion Rays did not clinch their division until the final day, both they and the AL Westwinning Rangers were clear favorites to make the playoffs by the end of August.

The Rangers’ advantage is their pitching. Texas ace Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.18 ERA) posted a 10.3 strikeout-

to-walk ratio this season, the secondbest in baseball history. He will be followed in games two and three by C.J. Wilson (15-8, 3.35), a converted reliever, and Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72), who has revived his MLB career after two years in the Japanese Nippon Pacific Baseball League. If presumptive AL Most Valuable Player Josh Hamilton (.359 batting average, 1.044 on-base plus slugging percentage), recovering from a bruised ribcage, proves healthy, he could make the difference for Texas on the offensive side.

Meanwhile, the Rays have constructed a well-balanced team with an emphasis on speed and defense.

Left fielder Carl Crawford (.307, .851) and third baseman Evan Longoria (.294, .879) both enjoyed MVP-caliber seasons, and 2008 postseason hero David Price is the anchor of an immensely talented young pitching staff.

The Rays get all the love from baseball analysts, but I think the Rangers are the team to beat. Texas’ projected starting pitchers all match up favorably with their Tampa Bay counterparts, and the Rays do not have an answer to a lineup featuring a healthy Hamilton.

Lee and Price will square off in a battle of aces in game one, Wednesday at 1:37 p.m.

Cincinnati Reds (91-71) vs.

Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) The Phillies have won the NL pennant two years in a row, so they were preseason favorites to win the NL East. Not so for the Reds, who shocked the baseball world by dethroning the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.

The Reds’ surprising offense helped them overcome mediocre pitching and secure a playoff spot.

First baseman and likely NL MVP Joey Votto (.324, 1.024), has been backed by former top prospect Jay Bruce (.281, .846), who is finally starting to make good on his potential in right field. Third baseman Scott Rolen (.285, .854) has also provided veteran leadership to the highest-scoring offense in the National League while enjoying a resurgent season at age 35.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s biggest strength is pitching. While most teams have only one or two sure-thing starters, the Phillies’ combination of Roy Halladay (21-10, 2.44), Roy Oswalt (13-13, 2.76) and Cole Hamels (12-11, 3.06) gives them three bona fide aces to choose from in the playoffs.

With superior hitting and a higher-rated defense than the Phillies’, the Reds are better positioned to win than most people think. Still, it’s hard to imagine Cincinnati stringing together multiple victories against three of the best pitchers in baseball.

Reds starter Edinson Volquez (43, 4.31) will take the mound against Halladay at 5:07 p.m. Wednesday.

New York Yankees (95-67) vs.

Minnesota Twins (94-68) The Yankees, this year’s AL Wild Card, won the 2009 World Series, and the first step towards defending their

title will be a rematch with the AL Central champion Twins, who they defeated in the first round last year.

With an Opening Day payroll of over $213 million, New York is the richest team in the game. Their lineup, featuring second baseman Robinson Cano (.319, .914) and third baseman Alex Rodriguez (.270, .847), is perhaps the best in baseball. But the rotation has been plagued by injuries, inexperience, and plain-old poor pitching.

The Twins, still reeling from the news that star first baseman Justin Morneau (.345, 1.055) will miss the entire postseason as he recovers from a concussion, are led by left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano (14-10, 3.62) and last year’s AL MVP, catcher Joe Mauer (.327, .871). They do not have a star-studded depth chart, but have no clear weaknesses on their roster.

Call me crazy, but I don’t see New York getting past the first round. The Yankees’ volatility makes them much more likely to collapse than the solid Twins, who will show the baseball world that having a strong supporting cast is more important than a few lead actors in the postseason.

Yankees ace CC Sabathia (21-7, 3.18) goes up against Liriano Wednesday at 8:37 p.m.

Atlanta Braves (91-71) vs. San Francisco Giants (92-70) Both the Braves, the NL Wild Card team, and the Giants, the NL West champions, were contenders all year, but neither was assured of a playoff spot until the last day of the regular season.

Atlanta succeeded this year thanks to arguably the deepest pitching staff in the game, led by young phenom Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.33) and returning veteran Tim Hudson (17-9, 2.83). Longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox is planning to retire after the season, and much has been made of the team’s desire to win the World Series in his honor.

Meanwhile, San Francisco is perfectly poised to make a run at the game’s top honor. In “Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game is Wrong,” statisticians Nate Silver and Dayn Perry showed that there are only three aspects of the game that correlate with postseason success: good defense, a lights-out closer and a pitching staff that records strikeouts.

When using advanced “sabermetric” statistics — FanGraphs.com’s Ultimate Zone Rating to measure fielding and BaseballProspectus.com’s Win Expectation above Replacement to gauge teams’ closers — the Giants are No. 1 among playoff teams in all three categories.

Of course, it’s not that easy; these factors account for about 11 percent of postseason success, meaning a whopping 89 percent is about luck.

Still, great as it would be to watch Cox ride off into the sunset as a champion, the Giants’ mathematical advantage is too big to ignore.

Braves’ starter Derek Lowe (1612, 4.00) will face off with Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43) Thursday at 9:37 p.m.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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Springfield debuts as head men’s cross country coach The Bears introduced Tim Springfield as the new head coach for men’s cross country last week. Springfield brings valuable coaching experience to the program — he guided the runners of the University of St. Thomas to 53 conference team titles over a 13-year span, and was named the Division III National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009. Earlier in his career, Springfield was part of the coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin for five years, helping lead national championship squads in 1985 and 1988.

When asked about his coaching philosophy, Springfield said he emphasizes “the process of having each individual develop themselves to a maximum.”

“Then the team will come together,” he added.

Springfield said he will be at Brown for the long haul. “I want to work with high academic achieving kids who are going to be engaged in the great environment.”

His arrival is welcomed by the men’s team, who lost their former head coach, Kevin Myles, earlier in the year. Myles was hired at Providence College as head men’s track coach.

“It is nice to have someone who is willing to work as hard as us,” co-captain Matt Duffy ’12 said. “I know he is going to bring a lot of his success.”

— James Blum

U. pledges to help Haiti bloom in education continued from page 4 Clinton Global Initiative. Library Board Member David Rumsey covered the project’s expenses, Widmer wrote.

“The work was already important before the earthquake because it signaled the most ambitious attempt to scan Haitian books ever and the conviction of a U.S. educational institution that Haiti’s history is vitally important,” Widmer wrote. “But it became even more important after Jan. 12, when any expression of solidarity with Haiti meant a great deal. We raised money to help save Haiti’s oldest library, we (welcomed) Haitian scholars here who needed a home, and on May 7 we launched the site with a visit from Haiti’s former prime minister, Michele PierreLouis.”

The project is still undergoing improvements. Widmer said he would like to work with authorities in Haiti in order to distribute avail-

able information to both teachers and students. Brown alumni ambassadors who speak Haitian Creole will go to Haiti to introduce the website to Haitian schools. Other proposals will focus on introducing Haitian history into U.S. schools and increasing internet access throughout Haiti. “But these concerns will of course have to wait until the urgent ones of finding homes and supplies for people are addressed,” he wrote.

Alpert Medical School has exchange programs with the Universite Notre Dame d’Haiti, the Universite d’Etat d’Haiti and Quisqueya Medical School as part of the Brown-Haiti Medical Exchange program, according to the Med School website. A number of Brown faculty will work with St. Damien Hospital, Haiti’s only pediatric hospital, said Tim Flanigan, director of the division of infectious diseases at the Med School.

“The clinical rotations in Haiti for bedside teaching are not as wellestablished as they are in the United

States,” said Flanigan. He said the problem is often exacerbated when many Haitian physicians go overseas to Francophone countries like Belgium or France. “That, inadvertently, encourages brain drain, and it costs a lot of money for students who are less wealthy,” Flanigan said.

Flanigan said he hopes this exchange will help “strengthen the medical education program and help promote better medical care in the country,” as well as “develop a sense of academic excellence, which would encourage Haitian physicians to stay within the country.”

“As a university with a scholarly commitment to the history, culture and languages of Haiti, and as a university engaged in developing solutions to social challenges around the globe, Brown is already deeply involved in education about Haiti and, with these expanded programs, ready to help rebuild Haiti’s educational system,” Simmons said in the release.

Experts weigh estate tax law effect on donors continued from page 5 tions,” Weil said. “The tax may induce me to give more to a charitable cause because it is tax-exempt, or I may give less to charity because there is less money left over. A priori, it’s not clear which way that affects you.”

Jonathan Bateman / Herald

Evan Coleman ’12 scored the lone goal in the Bears’ victory against St. John’s University Tuesday night.

Men’s soccer ekes out victory against No. 22 team continued from page 1 Grandstrand currently leads the nation in goals against average and save percentage while helping his team top all others in shutout percentage.

“I try not to dwell too much on stats,” Grandstrand said. “The only stat that matters is wins and losses.

And, you know, keeping the ball out of the net helps us do that.”

Head Coach Pat Laughlin also noted Grandstrand’s abilities.

“I don’t know of many goalkeepers who can make the saves that Paul does,” he said.

Grandstrand had solid support from his defense with a standout game from defender Dylan Remick ’13. Remick had numerous crucial clears and several promising breaks downfield.

Okafor earned more minutes than he has in any game this season with just under 75 minutes of play.

He had several close shots and kept the St. John’s defenders guessing.

“John was giving them a lot of problems,” Laughlin said. “We thought, hey, let’s let him keep giving them problems and maybe he will get a second shot on the goal.”

That second shot would never come, as the Red Storm picked up the pace and controlled the ball throughout the second half. Keeping the ball on their opponent’s end of the field, St. John’s had a couple close shots, threatening to become the first opponent to score against Bruno in four games.

“It was a hard-fought game and conditions weren’t the greatest,” said St. John’s Head Coach Dave Masur. “Brown was very organized.

They have a great program. They always have been and they will continue to be.”

Brown and St. John’s have met six times in the 84-year history of Brown soccer. This is the first win that the Bears have been able to capture. Several of the losses came in the national tournament, after the squads also faced each other in regular season play the same year.

Bruno will travel to Princeton on Saturday for a 4 p.m. game against the Tigers (5-3-1). Princeton is currently on a four-game win streak, after Ivy League Player of the Week Josh Walburn scored on an overtime penalty kick to lift his team to a 3-2 victory over Seton Hall Tuesday evening.

Seeing into the future Uncertainties about the future applicability of the tax have made big gift donors to the University cautious about establishing their long-term plans, Coon said. “They want to see how the estate tax is going forward.”

The tax is scheduled to return to pre-Bush era rates next year. In 2011, 55 percent of an individual estate worth more than $1 million will be taxed, up from 45 percent on estates over $3.5 million in 2009, according to the Times.

Other changes in tax policy can trigger concerns for big-gift donors.

For example, proposed increases to the income tax affect donation plans, Coon said, although the real effect of these changes — either

increasing or decreasing donation trends — is also unclear.

The University is more affected by broader economic conditions than by specific changes in tax laws, Weil said. “From Brown’s point of view, the far more salient fact is the financial chaos,” he said. “Donors legitimately feel less secure about their financial futures.”

An impossible repeal It’s also unclear what would happen to charitable donations if the estate tax repeal were permanent, giving donors time to factor the repeal into their planned estate division. The 2004 CBO study predicted a 6 to 12 percent drop in charitable donations if Congress permanently repealed the estate tax “because repealing the estate tax reduces the incentive to contribute.”

But both Weil and Coon said they do not believe the situation is that cut-and-dry.

“There’s a lot of fear that people would donate less because there is no tax benefit,” Coon said, but he believes charitable donations could trend either way. While the financial

incentive of charity would be lifted, there would also be more funds left over, meaning there would be more in total to give.

Coon added that “people are tremendously giving” so a donor’s motivation does not only derive from a potential tax break, but from a desire to give back to the University.

It is the distinction between these motivations that could drive charitable donations either up or down if an estate tax were repealed permanently.

Not that such a repeal is even in the realm of possibility at this point. “No one believes that the estate tax repeal is permanent,” Weil said. Most experts even thought there would be a retroactive tax established for this year, but now “no one has a clue if you even can.”

It remains unclear if a retroactive tax for 2010 would be legal, and estate inheritors would likely challenge the constitutionality of such a tax in court, according to the Times.

Should such a need to retain legal counsel arise, these heirs would just so happen to have a little extra money on their hands.

Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com

ale x yuly

e d i to r i a l

Not just beauty sleep t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief

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Last week, The Herald reported on a study that found that delaying school start times could improve students’ academic performance. Associate Professor of Pediatrics Judith Owens ’77 MD’80 conducted an experiment at St. George’s School in Newport, R.I., that observed the impact of a later start time on student performance, according to the article.

The study then tracked tardiness, academics, and visits to health services before and after the start of the school day was delayed. Results indicated that starting school just 30 minutes later improved students’ academic performance and motivation.

Students also reported improved physical and psychological health. At the conclusion of the study, school administrators were sold on keeping the later start time, according to The Herald.

We were delighted to see results that supported something many students have known for years — nobody likes to get up early. But the results don’t simply reflect students’ desire to sleep in. Rather, they are firmly grounded in biological science. Adolescents and young adults need to get a solid night of sleep.

The Herald reported that administrators from other schools, including Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, have already implemented a similar change.

We hope other schools throughout Rhode Island will take St. George’s as an example and consider shifting their school days as well.

We recognize that changing the school day will be more difficult in large public school districts than in independent schools like St. George’s. Many school districts must arrange bus routes for primary, middle

and high school students, which often means staggering start times so the same fleet of buses can be used for each cohort. But we hope the evidence is compelling enough that districts at least consider this type of change as a long-term goal.

Despite the logistical challenges involved, the collateral impact of such a shift would likely be small.

Owens’ study only changed morning start time by a half hour, from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Many schools finish relatively early compared to a standard workday, often ending by 2 or 3 p.m. If planned carefully, shifting the day by 30 minutes shouldn’t have too serious of an impact on teachers or parents.

Of course, as the earliest classes at Brown start at 8:30 a.m. anyway, we are fortunate compared to many high schoolers. Though we sometimes like to think that we’ve outgrown pediatric recommendations geared to teenagers, Owens’ study offers a lesson we can all learn from. Most high school and college students need eight to nine hours of sleep every night, Owens told The Herald. But how many of us can remember the last time we slept that much?

Between classes, extracurricular activities and social lives, our sleep schedules tend to take a hit. We hope you take advantage of the long weekend coming up to escape the library and get some much-needed sleep. Your grades may thank you for it; your body definitely will.

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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 | Page 11

The social consequences of an economic shift

BY CHRIS NORRIS-Leblanc Opinions Columnist In the past several weeks, there have been myriad opinions columns in The Herald discussing the idea of “Brown, Inc.” The discourse so far has largely been centered around the economic consequences of this shift in University policy, showing how it is affecting and will affect the lives of students, faculty and other members of the Brown community. Detailing the economic consequences of University corporatization (namely, layoffs, hiring freezes and a blank check for Building Brown) is extremely important in understanding how this phenomenon is affecting the lives of those in the Brown community and Providence at large.

However, I think the social consequences are equally important and deserving of analysis.

The corporatization of the University necessitates a cultural shift towards Darwinian competition. This is fairly self-evident to the nature of corporate structures. Starting from the top, where the University is now subject to the trends of free market forces, the effect trickles down from Corporation (wealthy men and women with little to no connection to the Brown community), to administration (a president who served on the compensation board at Goldman Sachs), to faculty (increased competition for tenure, coupled with

less job security) and finally, to students.

From conversations I have had with friends and from personal experience, it is clear that the sort of liberal, free-thinking philosophy Brown purports to have is quickly being replaced by the model we see at most other schools; stiff competition between students, resulting in a hierarchical classroom structure, which is not conducive to learning.

This trend of increased competition plays out in many ways for the student body, none of them being beneficial to our mental health

This sort of hierarchical classroom structure can only be attributed to competition, and is directly antithetical to our mission statement: “The mission of Brown University is to serve the community, the nation, and the world by discovering, communicating, and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry.” Furthermore, I think this shift in academic competitiveness can be directly attributed to the advent of Brown, Inc. As our administration desperately tries to push us into the accepted lin-

The corporatization of the University necessitates a cultural shift towards Darwinian competition.

or education. Since coming to Brown, I have been consistently surprised by the shame that seems to come with an academic struggle. As a disclaimer to this argument, I need to consider the possibility that my intellectual abilities are simply not up to par with the average Brown student. That being said, I think that the work here is often quite hard.

Many times I have found myself confused or lost in a class, but simultaneously struck with an unfamiliar sense of insecurity. Again, although it is possible that I am alone here, after a number of conversations with friends, it seems that a number of us are in the same boat.

ear progression of corporatization, we move further away from the values that make our school so unique and towards the archetypal, depersonalized education of a big research university.

In 1969, a group composed of students and faculty decided that a liberal arts education should be predicated upon one’s ability to study what one wants, when one wanted.

Moreover, they decided to made Satisfactory/No Credit a grade option for every class because they wanted students to be able to take academic risks. The New Curriculum was enacted then for the express purpose of institutionalizing a belief in educational

purity and creating an environment where one studies only to learn about one’s field of choice and its relation to the world around it.

There are some who would argue for this sort of academic competitiveness, stating that it sets standards higher and forces us to work harder. It is true that some enjoy and even thrive in this environment, but we must remember that in any competitive system, it is necessary for some to lose in order for others to win. If at the end of the day the goal is to impress employers and grad schools, then it makes sense to try and beat others out in any way possible. However, that’s not what education here has ever been about. With no intentional grade deflation, “A” work at Brown is rewarded with its fair compensation, an “A,” and I am afraid this is slowly and subversively slipping away from us under our noses.

I, for one, refuse to accept this shift as a natural progression. It seems screamingly obvious that in an age where college rankings reign supreme, Brown is not only accepting but encouraging this environment.

However, it’s not too late just yet. We can still refute this competition culture by fostering a new one (or in this case, an old one revived) where academic risks are encouraged, and failure doesn’t signify a lack of intelligence but a willingness to challenge oneself.

Chris Norris-LeBlanc ‘13 is from Rhode Island, and can be contacted at chris.norris.leblanc@gmail.com.

Reason for hope: Rhode Island’s progressive renaissance

BY Kurt Walters Opinions Columnist Tuesday, Nov. 2 — midterm election day.

If you’re someone like me, you’re probably looking forward to this day with some mixture of dread, revulsion and dark humor (at the prospect of Christine O’Donnell getting elected and lecturing America on the evils of masturbation from the Senate floor).

The narrative the mainstream media has concocted gives liberals like me plenty of reason for concern. They paint a picture of out-of-touch Democrats about to receive a royal beatdown the likes of which haven’t been seen this side of 1994 at the hands of a fired up Tea Party-infused electorate.

Headlines have been along the lines of “Delusional liberal elites are still in denial over Obama’s crumbling presidency,” and “Dems face day of reckoning.”

And yet, virtually ignored has been the story of a concurrent renaissance of progressive candidates right here in the Ocean State. On Sept. 14, amid the media hubbub over Tea Party-backed radical Christine O’Donnell knocking out Mike Castle in the Delaware Republican Senate primary — the Tea Party’s biggest coup yet — Rhode Island also held a primary, the results of which political blog RI Future summarized simply as “Progressives win big in Rhode Island.”

And indeed they did. Progressive favorite Angel Taveras became poised to be Providence’s first Latino mayor in stunning fashion, winning 49 percent of the vote in a

crowded four-way field of candidates. Not only that, but he did it by expanding beyond the traditional liberal strongholds of the East and South Sides and winning 11 of the city’s 15 wards.

This Providence victory was added to by other progressives’ successes throughout the state (“Tanzi brings new vision to progressive policy”, Sept. 29; “I support Chris Blazejewski,” Oct. 1). Many of these political newcomers defeated long-time, entrenched, conservative Democrats who have long stood in the way of progressive policy. Tanzi, a Brown Resumed Undergraduate Educa-

gives us a real chance of having a strong progressive bloc in the legislature that can actually become a force pushing the legislature toward good policy.

That’s all great, but the question is, how will we manage to counter the rightward trend in the rest of the country? To answer this question, I think the national Democratic party could learn a thing or two from our experiences in Rhode Island.

Lesson one: it’s the candidates, stupid.

Especially in this anti-incumbent atmosphere, it doesn’t pay anymore to just show up with the backing of the political establish-

The national Democratic party could learn a thing or two from our experiences in Rhode Island.

tion student, blasted David Caprio (D-34), an 11-year incumbent and member of a Rhode Island political dynasty, by a stunning 16 percent margin. David Bennett beat Al Gemma (D-20) by nearly two to one. Other Democrats-in-name-only, like Doug Gablinske and Mary Ann Shallcross-Smith, were also booted out.

All told, 10 incumbents out of the 110-member General Assembly were defeated, mostly by challengers from the left.

Moreover, many open seats were filled with members of this progressive vanguard. This

ment and a D next to your name. The socalled “enthusiasm gap” only exists when unexciting corporate Democrats are on the ballot. When candidates step forward who can truly inspire confidence and hope, we see them attract volunteers — the lifeblood of a campaign — and motivate their supporters to turn out to the polls rather than sit at home.

Lesson two: you have to build power to get power. We shouldn’t view this progressive victory in a vacuum. Progressives in Rhode Island have spent the last few years

building a strong community that then was able to mobilize for these candidates. Rhode Island’s premier political blog, RIFuture.org, has been a digital meeting place for progressives since 2005, uniting environmentalists, labor activists, ethics reformers and more.

Together these groups have built power to the point where the three most viable candidates for governor individually showed up to two-hour-long progressive town hall meetings, where they were grilled on their progressive credentials in hopes of winning the progressive community’s vote. By uniting through the RI Future community, these groups hold much more power than they do individually.

Similarly, the Progressive Leadership Fund has been a significant force in turning out the vote for this new generation of progressive candidates. Chris Blazejewski’s popular “Drinking Liberally” events have also become a hub of Rhode Island progressivism and a new constituency that candidates must satisfy to get a realistic shot at winning an election.

The lessons shown by Rhode Island’s primaries can and should be adopted nation wide. It’s up to us as progressives to start the long process of building the infrastructure that will eventually lead us to victory. Then parties will know that putting forward candidates that run on conviction and strong values are a better choice than party stalwarts.

Maybe there’s a good reason that Rhode Island’s motto is “hope.”

Kurt Walters ’11 likes to think of himself as a Renaissance man. He can be contacted at kurt_walters@brown.edu.

Today The Brown Daily Herald

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College Hill studies India’s water

8

5 October 6

7 p.m.

ToMORROW

2 comics

October 7

Bat & Gaz | Sofia Ortiz

4:30 p.m.

Palestine/Israel: Peace or Just More

Lecture on Environmentalism by

“Process”?, Salomon 003

William Powers, 135 Angell Street

Bluffin’ With Your Muffin, King

WORD! presents: The Gringo Choir — A

8 p.m.

8 p.m.

House

Taste of the Atlantic!, Salomon 101

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH

Savory Chicken Stew, Vegan White Bean Casserole, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman

Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Tomato Quiche, Glazed Carrots, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

DINNER Castle Hill Inn Pork Spare Ribs, Vegan Ratatouille, Vegetarian Mori Soba Noodles, Fudge Bars

62 / 51

67 / 49

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

c a l e n da r Today

to m o r r o w

Cross country teams run at Short meet

t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s

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to day

Rotisserie Style Chicken, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Mediterranean Shrimp Stir Fry, Fudge Bars

crossword Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline

Frutoipa | Andy Kim

The Adventures of Team Vag | Wendy Kwartin

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