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october 25
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Wilson 101
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VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH Cheese and Pepperoni French Bread Pizza, Green Beans with Tomatoes
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, Italian Vegetable Saute, Chicken Fajitas with Accompaniments DINNER Braised Chicken, Seafood Cavatelli, Red Potato Frittata, Vegan Acorn Squash, Pear Pie
Country Style Baked Ham, Toasted Ravioli with Italian Salsa, Cream Cheese Brownies
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The Brown Daily Herald Monday, October 24, 2011
Med Ed dedication touts U.’s growth By Kat Thornton Senior Staff Writer
The new Medical Education Building glowed brightly against dark Jewelry District streets at its official dedication Friday evening. Politicians and members of the Brown community praised Alpert Medical School’s development, which is advancing Providence’s knowledge district and the bounds of national medicine. The ceremony started with a formal procession of honorary degree recipients dressed in full gowns. Herbert Kaplan, chairman and CEO of Warren Equities and president of the Warren Alpert Foundation, joined their ranks later in the night, receiving a degree of his own. Providence Mayor Angel Taveras also honored Kaplan, proclaiming Oct. 21 “Herbert Kaplan Day” and presenting him with a key to the city. Members of the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — and other prominent figures mingled in the building’s foyer before the dedication. It was the first time most Corporation members had seen the building. “It’s miraculous, the transfor-
mation,” said Chancellor Emeritus Stephen Robert ’62 P’91, who said he saw the factory building before its renovation. Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76 opened the ceremony, thanking President Ruth Simmons, the late Warren Alpert and others who contributed time and resources to the new building. “The students now have a home, and they call it home,” said Edward Wing, dean of medicine and biological sciences. Students can work harder and professors can teach better in the building, he said, noting the 24-hour study spaces. He quoted Phillip Grupusso, associate dean for medical education, who said he feels “inspired” to teach in the facility. The building symbolizes growth, both for the University and for the city’s economy, Wing said. “It’s an exciting time of collaboration,” said Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, “And it is anchored by this Med School.” Simmons emphasized the extension of the University’s reach beyond College Hill. The presence of the mace, the ceremonial staff used to lead processions of Brown degree recipients, on the other side of the
Providence River, carries “tremendous” symbolism, she said, calling the building “a triumph for the city and state, as well as Brown.” Simmons presented Kaplan, Warren Alpert’s nephew, with an honorary degree for the stewardship of Alpert’s funds toward the Med School. Keynote speaker Darrell Kirch, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, spoke candidly about the need for change in the nation’s “unsustainable” medical system, which he said suffers from problems of access and equality. “We now have a responsibility to try and deal with the problems we face,” Kirch said, and the Med School and the development of the Jewelry District can be part of the solution. “The pieces are all here, converging,” Kirch said. Now that the new building is open, the University can accelerate progress toward excellence at a time that is crucial to the country’s medical system, he said. The Med Ed building officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 15. The dedication was postponed until the October meeting of the Corporation.
Gender-neutral housing gains traction By Caitlin Trujillo Senior Staff Writer
Cr ossword
The Office of Residential Life has been working with undergraduates on a proposal to allow first-years to opt in to gender-neutral housing, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential and dining services. Queer Alliance is collecting signatures for the proposal, which it expects to present to ResLife within the next two weeks. The proposal will then go to the Office of Campus Life and Student Services for approval. The Queer Alliance is recommending ResLife include a question on the New Student Housing Questionnaire for incoming first-year students that would allow them to be assigned a roommate assignment regardless of gender. Though gender neutral rooms could exist in any first-year residence hall, the proposal specifically names Emery and Woolley halls because of their private bathrooms. GenderAction, a subgroup of Queer Alliance, aims to offer more comfortable housing to students
Daily
the Brown
who do not fit within the gender binary, said Maddy Jennewein ’14, co-president of GenderAction. Under the proposal, the gender-neutral option would be open to all incoming first-year students. Past proposals have failed due to a narrow focus on transgender issues, she said. The current system is “a lot of work” for students who do not identify as strictly male or female because they have to negotiate with ResLife to change their room assignments, Jennewein said. “It seems like a small thing, but it’s a big barrier if students have to pick up the phone to call ResLife to get appropriate housing,” she said. Gender-neutral housing for firstyears was first considered in 2006, when ResLife adopted the current housing lottery system, Jennewein said. When the University approved the gender-neutral option for upperclass doubles in 2008, discussion reached the level of the Corporation. It is not clear if the Corporation would consider a proposal for implementation of gender-neutral housing for first-years, she said. ResLife suggested GenderAc-
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tion gather names to gauge student opinion in early October, Jennewein said. The group hopes to present the names to ResLife within the next two weeks and then present the proposal with ResLife to the Office of Campus Life and Student Services, she said. The goal is to collect at least 600 names, which would represent about 10 percent of the student body, Jennewein said. Over 400 names have been collected so far, including those of 60 alums, she said. Emily Walsh ’13, who said she lived with a student two years ago who identified as “genderqueer and transquestioning,” signed the proposal. Though Walsh said she and her roommate lived amicably, she remembers the email that the student had sent her, letting her know that he did not identify as female. Walsh said the situation made her wonder what would have happened if she had not been comfortable with her roommate situation. Genderneutral housing would help students who identify as transgender or gender-variant feel more comfortable, she said. The proposal seems like a good idea for students who identify as transgender or genderqueer, so long as both roommates opt in to the living situation, said Tene Johnson ’14, who lives in gender-neutral housing this year with a male friend. But incoming first-year students might not opt in because they do not know their roommate, she said. Ramsey Jeremie ’12 said the proposal was appropriate because transgender and gender-variant issues are often overlooked by the University. Allowing students to choose a gender-neutral living situation “does more good than harm,” he concluded.