Daily
Herald
THE BROWN
vol. cxlvi, no. 46
Monday, April 11, 2011
Since 1891
Slavery’s past Two female students struck in hit-and-run confronted sidewalk, and a car accelerated onto the sidewalk and hit both of them. at Brown, The driver was a woman, and once Amanda Chew ’14 and Juliana Un- she hit both Amanda and Juliana, anue Banuchi ’14 were hit on the she reversed and left, leaving them Harvard corner of Hope and Charlesfield injured on the sidewalk,” wrote Sofia By KYLE MCNAMARA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
By LEAH BROMBERG CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Ignoring the convention of separating personal stories from academic discourse, President Ruth Simmons shared her connection to slavery as the great-granddaughter of slaves in an emotional keynote address that kicked off this weekend’s “Slavery’s Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development” conference Thursday in Salomon 101. The conference — which highlighted the North’s connections with slavery and was hosted by Brown and Harvard — drew students, community members and scholars from around the country. “Ideas that have been flowing back and forth are radical in their potential to re-define history,” said Seth Rockman, associate professor of history. Ronald Bailey, professor emeritus at Northeastern University, addressed Simmons directly when he said at the conference, “I’ve been waiting for a college president to do this for 30 years, and you stepped forward.” Four years ago, the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, convened by Simmons, published findings that linked the University to its own slavery-ridden history. This weekend, she opened up about her own history. continued on page 2
streets by an unidentified driver who immediately left the scene at approximately 10:45 p.m. Saturday. The students “sustained moderate to serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” wrote Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, in an email to The Herald. A suspect has been detained, and the Providence Police Department is currently investigating the case, said Department of Public Safety Sergeant John Heston shortly after the accident. Heston declined to comment further but said the suspect was “probably” the driver of the vehicle. The female students “were on the
Unanue ’11.5, the sister of one of the victims, in an email to The Herald. The car that struck the students was a black Audi, wrote Juliana Unanue in an email to The Herald. Witnesses who arrived later at the scene said they saw at least one of the students being put onto a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. The students were taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment, Quinn wrote. Sofia Unanue wrote that her sister suffered a fractured right leg and will undergo surgery in the next few days. Chew suffered a mild concussion and other injuries to her head and is under observation, Sofia Unanue
Herald staff
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Ambulances and police cruisers arrived at the intersection of Hope and Charlesfield streets after a car struck two students Saturday night.
Transfer apps rise by 20 percent Student By MIRIAM FURST STAFF WRITER
For the first time, Brown’s acceptance rate for transfer applications may drop below its acceptance rate for first-year applications, according to Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73. The University received around 1,950 transfer applications this year — a 20 percent increase from last year’s 1,621 applications. The Admission Office has not yet decided the exact number of transfers it will accept, but it plans to offer spots to around 200 students and enroll between 125 and
130. The Corporation approved an increase of up to 50 for next year’s transfer class to stabilize the student body at around 6,000, but the University determined a smaller increase in transfer enrollment would be sufficient. About $400,000 in financial aid will be offered to transfer students, Miller said, the same amount that was earmarked last year. Transfer students are admitted on a need-aware basis — by contrast, first-year student admission is need-blind. By increasing the number of admitted transfers, the University can also increase the
amount of money received from tuition without a significant increase in enrollment or additional strain to first-year resources. “As a transfer, I would really like if more came, just because the transfer community is really strong and having more people would make us an even bigger presence on campus,” said Zoe Hoffman ’13, who transferred this year from the University of Virginia. Brown enrolled 110 transfer students last fall. The application process for transfer students is similar to
celebrating the semiotics program anniversary one year late. “You might think that it is funny math or extreme math,” said Mary Ann Doane, chair of the MCM department. “This event was very MCM.” The conference was characterized by alums’ passion for the department and its professors, as well as self-aware humor from presenters and faculty. Anna Fisher GS, a fourth-year doctoral student in MCM and one of the main organizers for the conference, said MCM@50 was developed to honor the program’s continued on page 5
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FEATURE
Courtesy of Julieta Cardenas
INSIDE
Ira Glass ’82, host of NPR’s “This American Life,” was a crowd pleaser.
NEWS...................2-3 HOUSING.............6-8 EDITORIAL.............10 OPINIONS.............11 ARTS....................12
the Department of Modern Culture and Media. The two-day symposium comes during the 15th anniversary of the MCM department, but its predecessor, the semiotics program, was founded 36 years ago — the number 50 comes from a combination of the two dates and
Feeling the crunch
The Herald explores Brown’s long history of overcrowding, its causes and its impact. HOUSING, 6–8
Endorsement
The Herald endorses David Chanin ’12 for UFB chair
EDITORIAL, 10
WEATHER
Alums, professors and students flocked to “MCM@50: Theory, Practice, Passion” this weekend — though the event did not in fact celebrate the 50th anniversary of
By AMY RASMUSSEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Matthew Strickland, who was enrolled as an undergraduate from 2005 to 2009, was found dead in his Alabama apartment Tuesday. Strickland was on leave from Brown and was studying full-time at the University of Montevallo during the 2010-11 academic year. The cause of death is unknown, but no foul play is suspected, according to a University of Montevallo press release. Strickland, originally from Owens Cross Roads, Ala., was a dual concentrator in urban studies and history of art and architecture, wrote Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, in an email to The Herald. In an email to the community Friday morning, President Ruth Simmons noted that though Strickland pursued courses ranging from African dance to Spanish during his time at Brown, he had ultimately hoped to become a physician. “He was known to many as a courageous, tenacious and unfailingly generous student,” she wrote. “We have extended our deepest condolences to Matthew’s family and join with them in mourning the loss of a valued member of our community.”
In meta-conference, MCM explores MCM By MORGAN JOHNSON STAFF WRITER
found dead in Alabama
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