Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 97 | Monday, October 25, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
New stats show campus crime dropped in 2009
Zero arrests for drugs or alcohol By Chip Lebovitz Contributing Writer
There were zero arrests on campus for drug or alcohol crimes in 2009, according to the most recent Department of Public Safety annual report. Campus crime totals dropped across the board in the past year — but the online news site Daily Beast still labeled Brown the third-most dangerous Ivy League institution based on crime statistics.
HIGHER ED DPS releases these numbers as a part of its yearly campus crime report, a document released under the Clery Act, a federal law that requires colleges and universities to tally the amount of crime
on their campuses and record the preventative steps that their public safety departments are taking. But experts debate the usefulness of the data and how on-campus safety is compared. Statistical findings The key highlights of the report included drops in nearly every major crime statistic during the last year. The school saw a 19 percent reduction in burglaries and a drop in violent crimes like robbery and aggravated assault, a year after a 56 percent rise in burglaries. Reported forcible sex offenses rose back to 2007 levels, increasing from four to 10. The most troublesome statistic for Chief of Public Safety Mark Porter was the prevalence of larcenies and other forms of theft at Brown last year, a phenomenon that reflects a nationwide trend, he said. Though the rates decreased from last year, Porter cited the poor economy as the reason the numbers did not drop even more. Larceny, continued on page 2
Emily Gilbert / Herald
Wide receiver Alex Tounkara ’11 had a big day in Brown’s victory over Cornell this weekend, scoring two of the team’s three TDs.
Sexual assault potentially underreported due to stigma
By Ana Alvarez Senior Staff Writer
A recent University report suggests extensive underreporting of sex crimes on campus, students and administrators said. The annual Campus Crime Report, released last month by the Department of Public Safety, indicated that there had been 10 claims of “forcible sex offenses” made in 2009. Statistics from a 2000 report by the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics predict that about one in 36 female university students is the victim of rape or attempted rape each academic year — suggesting that just over 100 female Brown students would have been victims last year. At other Ivy League universities, the number of reported forcible sex offenses ranges from eight to 17. Director of Health Education Frances Mantak said that since sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, the large gap between the crime report number and the actual number of cases is “normal and expected.” Catherine McCarthy ’11, president of the Sexual Assault Task Force, said that though she would not be able to estimate the number of actual cases of sexual assault, 10 “is not even in the ballpark.” Mantak said one reason for the low number is the shame associated with being a victim of sexual assault. The practice of victims denying assault in order to protect themselves is common in other traumatic experiences, especially
in a culture of victim-blaming attitudes, she said. “Claiming identity as a victim is difficult,” said Anna Quinn ’13, a Women Peer Counselor. She said that even the differing definitions of sexual assault makes reporting sexual assault difficult. “A lot of people have regrettable sexual encounters,” Quinn said, but defining an assault is sometimes tricky. “We have to listen but be careful never to label someone else’s experience as assault,” Quinn said. Yet those interviewed agreed that the decision to report an assault — and, if reported, to involve the police in the investigation — should be completely up to the victim. Mantak said the best approach to handling any situation of sexual assault is “victim empowerment and victim choice.” “Repor ting should be 100 percent up to the survivor. The University has no right to tell the police if a survivor doesn’t want to,” McCarthy said, since a legal investigation has more severe repercussions, takes more time and takes a larger toll on the victim. “It is up to the victim how much they want to go through,” McCarthy said. “There should be no obligation for them to do anything.” The University should help victims learn their options, including choosing whether to report, Mantak said. Quinn said this is what WPCs aim for when dealing with victims of sexual assault — to “let them continued on page 2
Alex Bell / Herald
President Ruth Simmons addressed students and families during the Hour with the President.
Simmons addresses families By Abby Kerson Contributing Writer
Students, parents and alums gathered under a tent on the Main Green Saturday for the annual Hour with the President event to hear President Ruth Simmons give an update on the University. There were no spare seats to be found as Simmons made her way to the podium, greeting those sitting in the aisles along the way. Over 600 parents from 41 states and 15 countries were preregistered for the event, according to Simmons. As she listed the countries, those who were present cheered with pride. Before speaking about campus life and the academic opportunities available to students, Simmons paid tribute to the recent suicides of gay youth and reiterated the University’s harassment policy. Simmons began by mentioning the importance of getting exposure continued on page 2
Football belittles Big U. serves it up family-style to 2,400 Red, now 3-0 in Ivies By Ethan McCoy Sports Staff Writer
inside
Two touchdown passes from Joe Springer ’11 to Alex Tounkara ’11 propelled the football team (4-2, 3-0 Ivy League) to a 27-14 conference victory over Cornell (1-5, 0-3) on Saturday. The win ties Bruno for first place atop the Ivy standings with No. 20 Penn, whom Brown will battle next week in Philadelphia for the conference’s outright lead. “I thought that offensively, we played a lot better,” said Head Coach Phil Estes. “We ran the ball fairly successfully when we had to, and Joe, I thought, was spectacular,
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just directing the offense, and he threw the ball extremely well.” Springer, who threw for 287 yards, spread the ball around to seven different receivers and found success in a short and efficient passing game — running back Zach Tronti ’11 had six receptions for 71 yards — to deal with the strong winds on a crisp October afternoon. “Whenever you play with the wind, you have to make sure you throw the ball with a tight spiral,” Springer said. “I kind of got in a rhythm and figured out what the continued on page 5
By Fei Cai Senior Staff Writer
Brown invited parents and siblings to experience life on College Hill this Family Weekend. About 50 percent of attendees were related to first-years, 20 percent to sophomores and 15 percent each to juniors and seniors, wrote Director of the Event and Conference Center Julie Haworth in an e-mail to The Herald. “Brown welcomed and hosted over 2,400 students and family members, representing more than 700 families from 41 states and 15 countries,” she wrote. Last year’s Family Weekend
drew approximately 3,000 people to Brown, Haworth wrote. This weekend, the University hosted events including Cider on the Green Friday afternoon; Faculty Forums, where Brown faculty members talked about their research; and the Hour with the President, a speech from President Ruth Simmons followed by a questionand-answer session. Families also attended the football game against Cornell, the Brown University Wind Symphony Concert and special performances by a cappella groups. Attendees paid $40 for the first registration and $25 for each additional guest over twelve years of age to hear lectures by prominent fac-
ulty members, tour historical sites in the area and attend a variety of student group performances. They registered online or at the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. “Everything is great,” said Jeff Berman P’14, father of Laura Berman ’14. “We went to see Improvidence, hear the president speak, see King Lear, and I went to the football game.” “The diversity of opportunity here is incredible,” he said, adding that he would have liked to go to more of the events, but the weekend schedule was too packed to allow it. Family members of Brendan continued on page 3
Oct. for arts
Bruno prevails
Off meal plan
Month of candy and costumes now for arts and humanities
Men’s soccer kicks over the Big Red, dropping Cornell 2-0
Lucia Seda ’12 wants her kitchen back
ARTS, 4
SPORTS, 5
Opinions, 7
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