Thursday, November 10, 2011

Daily

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vol. cxlvi, no. 105

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Paterno ’50 fired amid Penn State sex abuse scandal

By Tony Bakshi News Editor

Joe Paterno ’50, head coach of the Penn State football team for the last 46 years, was fired by the university’s board of trustees last night amid a sex scandal rocking his program.

Jerry Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator under Paterno, was arrested on allegations of child molestation Saturday. Sandusky was charged with 40 counts related to improper incidents involving eight minors from 1994 to 2009, according to the New York Times.

According to multiple reports, Paterno was made aware of one such incident, which occurred in the showers of the football facility in 2002. Paterno “redirected the

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graduate assistant who reported the assault to the athletic director, rather than notifying the police,” according to the Times. The graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, is a current assistant coach at Penn State.

The president of the university, Graham Spanier, resigned yesterday.

Paterno had released a statement yesterday, before he was fired, saying he would step down at the end of this season.

“This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more,” Paterno said in his statement.

Paterno played quarterback and defensive back at Brown. He is tied for the record for career

Since 1891

U. awards $250,000 in bonuses this year

By Alexander Kaplan Contributing Writer

In a statement released yesterday prior to the hearing, Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 voiced his disapproval of some of the proposed revisions, specifically a change that would exempt the 36 municipal plans not included in the state system from reform.

As a result of this change, retir-

The University allocated $250,000 for employee bonuses and meritbased awards this fiscal year, according to Karen Davis, vice president for human resources. This figure represents an increase since the fiscal downturn of 2008 and 2009, after which no funds were allotted to the pool, but it is still far from its peak of $800,000 distributed in the fiscal year ending in June 2006.

Despite low bonus and meritbased award distributions during the fiscal downturn, Davis said the University remained competitive with peer institutions, who were also hit hard.

The merit and bonus pool is determined each year as part of the University’s budgeting process. Its total varies considerably from year to year in direct correlation with the greater economic climate, Davis said. Typically, all funds are used.

About 5 to 10 percent of employees receive bonuses and about twothirds receive merit-based awards.

“Whether there is an up year or a down year, we are looking at market data all of the time and using

continued on page 4

continued on page 3

Herald file photo

Joe Paterno ’50, a former star quarterback, was fired from Penn State last night.

interceptions with 14. The athletics department annually presents the Joe Paterno ’50 Award to an “outstanding first-year varsity male athlete,” according to the depart-

ment website. Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger declined to comment on whether the department will continue presenting the award.

Progress of Chafee ’75 bemoans pension bill revisions knowledge economy assessed

By Morgan Johnson senior staff writer

“We, in fact, will make Knowledge Providence the epicenter of the universe,” Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, told a crowd of about 100 at the 2011 Knowledge Economy Community Forum yesterday morning.

The forum, which showcased the past and future growth of the Knowledge District, was held at the Alpert Medical School — a site chosen because of its role as “the catalyst for continued movement in this area,” White said.

The new Medical Education Building is one of many ventures that promises to grow the Knowledge District and boost the state’s economy. But as the area continues to develop, it is important to constantly monitor progress, said Pat Rogers, chief of staff for Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14.

To that end, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce has worked with the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory

inside

continued on page 2

news....................2-3 CITY & State............4 editorial...............6 Opinions................7

URC may propose 5 percent tuition hike

By Katrina Phillips Senior Staff Writer

Evan Schwartz ’13, a student representative on the University Resources Committee, estimated a 5 percent tuition increase next year — higher than the typical 3.5 percent annual increases — at last night’s general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students.

“My gut feeling is that the committee is going to ask for a higher (increase) — say 5 percent tuition increase,” said Schwartz, who encouraged students to attend the committee’s meeting.

The URC — the body that recommends all University budget and tuition increases to the Cor-

Post-

Gets high, reads books on tape

Post-, inside

poration — will hold its annual public forum at noon today to invite student contribution to its budget discussions.

Ben Noble ’13, the second student representative on the URC and a former Herald staff writer, said increases in tuition could make it harder for middle class students to afford Brown.

While financial aid continues to cover the tuition increases for students receiving it, Noble said middle class students with family incomes too high to receive aid will continue to be impacted by these increases.

Both Noble and Schwartz said students were underrepresented continued on page 5

Rachel A. Kaplan / Herald

Evan Schwartz ’13 estimated a 5 percent tuition hike at last night’s UCS meeting.

Ye gods!

High school prayer fosters exclusion Opinions, 7

weather

By nicole grabel Contributing Writer

Nearly three hours past the scheduled meeting time, state lawmakers spoke yesterday before the joint House and Senate finance committees to present their revisions to the Chafee-Raimondo pension reform bill. The legislation, spearheaded by the state’s governor and treasurer,

has been billed by Rhode Island policymakers as a way to rein in the state pension system’s massive $7.2 billion unfunded liability and ensure the system’s survival for future retirees.

The House and Senate finance committees are scheduled to vote on the finalized version of the legislation in separate sessions this afternoon.

t o d ay

tomorrow

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2 Campus News calendar Today

November 10

4 P.m.

Tomorrow

November 11

6 p.m.

“What if the U.S. Legalized All

Folk Music Night,

Drugs?” Salomon 101

Brown Bookstore

6 p.m.

8 p.m.

Libya, Law and Intervention,

Brown Opera Concert,

Smith-Buonanno 106

McCormack Family Theater

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH BBQ Beef Sandwich, Vegetable Pasta Medley, Zucchini and Summer Squash, Curly Fries

Vegan Nuggets, Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli

DINNER Creamy Parmesan Primavera, Pesto Pasta, Chicken and Lo Mein Noodle Stir Fry, Blueberry Pie

Cajun Chicken Pasta, Vegan Paella, Artichoke and Stewed Tomatoes, Stir Fry, Pear Pie

Sudoku

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, November 10, 2011

City looks to grow knowledge hub continued from page 1 Council to create a new index to track the state’s success in building a knowledge economy. The index relies on 23 indicators — including per capita income, math scores for eighth graders and the number of science and engineering degrees awarded — according to information handed out at the event. The data for Rhode Island is then compared to three other sets of data — those for the U.S. as a whole, New England and 27 states lagging in science and technology development. All of this information will help Rhode Island pinpoint exactly what has gone well and what has not, Rogers said.

For example, the index shows

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the Brown

that Rhode Island needs to make strides in “keeping our best and brightest right here in Rhode Island” and “building an entrepreneurial climate,” she said.

Though Rhode Island needs work in these areas, among others, there is hope the state is on its way.

Danny Warshay ’87, adjunct lecturer in engineering and the founder of the company Clearview Software, said that, as one of the few entrepreneurs in Providence in the 1980s, he felt like a “mutant.”

But almost 20 entrepreneurs attended the event yesterday and spoke about their diverse business ventures and future plans in Providence, an indicator of how much has changed. Moses Goddard, associate professor of research, spoke about

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Cytosolv Inc., a biotech company he started that is producing a drug for problems such as diabetic ulcers.

Dan Horton talked about ASR Systems, a company he founded in Providence that recycles asphalt roof shingles.

Julie Sygiel ’09, whose office is in the Jewelry District, introduced her company Sexy Period, which sells underwear for women to wear during their periods.

Thomas Cafaro, vice president of innovation for G-Form, a company stationed in Providence that manufactures protective gear for athletic equipment and electronic devices, demonstrated his product’s efficacy by surrounding an iPad in G-Form gear and dropping it to the floor. The tablet survived unscathed.

Constance Howes, chair of the Innovation Providence Implementation Council and president and chief executive officer of Women and Infants Hospital, articulated a theme of the forum: “The mutants are here to stay.”

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, November 10, 2011

Campus News 3

Program tests room-specific heating U. increases bonuses

By Carol Kim Contributing Writer

Diman House, outfitted with usercontrolled, variable thermostats, will pilot the Dorm Energy Efficiency Project this heating season.

During the season — which began in October and will finish by early spring — the Office of Energy and Environment, a division of the Department of Facilities Management, will compare energy usage in Diman to that of a similar residential hall.

The project is expected to create $25,000–$50,000 in yearly energy savings.

In 2008, President Ruth Simmons announced that the University aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent by 2020. Identifying the energy usage of each building on campus, as well as capital investments that would make buildings more energy efficient, is crucial to the reduction effort, said Christopher Powell, director of sustainable energy and environmental initiatives.

The Office of Energy and Environmental Programs partnered with GreenerU, a consulting firm that works with institutions of higher education to help them achieve their sustainability goals, to launch the efficiency project.

GreenerU was introduced to the University in 2010 through David Kopans ’91, co-founder and CFO. The decision to contract GreenerU over other consultants was based on its commitment to establishing a solid base of communication with the students, Powell said.

“We are going case by case … working with students in creating a relationship that is long-term,” said Dallase Scott, sustainability program manager at GreenerU. “It takes that sort of understanding to create a culture of change.”

GreenerU engineers previously conducted a walkthrough of campus buildings, looking for opportunities to reduce energy

consumption. Finding that heating systems are a major source of energy consumption, the company installed user-controlled, variable thermostats on the radiators in each Diman room over the summer. The thermostats allow students to adjust the heat from a range of zero, or no heat, to seven. “Snowflake” — the setting between zero and one, represented by a snowflake symbol on the thermostat dial — is the lowest heat setting possible.

The University also installed additional infrastructure improvements, including pipe insulation, LED lighting and sensors that detect outside air temperature and adjust indoor heat flow accordingly. Total installations cost approximately $289,000, according to Powell.

Based on energy metering data collected from Diman and the control dorm, the University may consider expanding the project to other residential halls. Kai Morrell ’11, outreach coordinator for Facilities Management and a former EcoRep, declined to name the control dorm to maintain the value of the comparison.

If the University does expand the infrastructure improvements to other dorms, the process may be lengthy. “The dorms are the toughest buildings to get into,” Powell said, referring to the limited window of time in which residential halls are not in use.

Scott endorsed giving students power over their environment.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than not having control,” she said.

In that vein, project coordinators have posted signs next to every Diman radiator reading, “You have the power to turn down your heat if your room is hot or stuffy.”

But with power comes responsibility. To prevent waste, Diman residents are asked to rely on their thermostats, not their windows, to cool their rooms. A team of representatives from GreenerU visited Diman Nov. 2 to demonstrate efficiency tips, including

the suggestion that students move furniture that might obstruct the flow of heat from the radiators.

Morrell said she believes giving students the power to regulate their own heat is a considerable incentive to comply with measures.

But some Diman residents remain resistant. Vincent Biagiotti ’14, who described himself as “not very environmentally conscious,” said he opens his windows after dialing up the heat to seven, because he enjoys having fresh air and heat at the same time.

Still, many students appear to be cooperating. Kathryn Rogers ’14 said she moved her bulky dresser away from the radiator because it had prevented the heat from properly circulating.

post-recession continued from page 1 anecdotal information to determine a competitive amount,” she said.

Though 2009 saw a bear market, the brunt of the downturn did not come until 2010, when the University factored losses into the budget, said Elizabeth Warner, director of compensation, organizational services and employee programs.

The University anticipates an extended period of slow financial growth in coming years, but Davis said it is impossible to predict how the economy will shape future budgets.

“We evaluate our total compensation programs and needs on

an annual basis,” Davis said. “This evaluation considers a number of factors that include the general financial climate, as well as external benchmarking and market data, internal recruitment and retention trends.”

The University also distributes excellence awards from a separate bonus pool totaling approximately $125,000 each year to 20-30 staff members.

The University Resources Committee recommended a 4.25 percent increase in the total faculty salary pool for the current fiscal year for “merit increases, promotions and competitiveness” in the committee’s 2012 annual report.

4 City & State Program unites cancer patients, athletes

By Lauren pope Contributing Writer

When Sidney Kushner ’13 watched 11-year-old cancer patient Brett Paterra meet former Pittsburgh Pirates player Jim Rooker for the first time, he felt one step closer to his goal of empowering children with cancer. “Just to see that kid’s eyes light up when the athlete walked in the room makes everything so worth it,” Kushner said.

Since his freshman year, Kushner has been developing the idea for an organization called Connecting Children with Champions, which aims to give strength to children with cancer by partnering them with professional athlete mentors. His idea came to fruition when the pilot program launched in October.

“Who better to serve as a role model than a professional athlete?”

Kushner said.

Children diagnosed with cancer undergo an extremely difficult emotional process. “Studies have explicitly shown that the stronger relationships you have with the people around you, the better clinical results you will have,” Kushner said.

The program works in stages.

First, the organization pairs an athlete with a patient based on the child’s interests, age and level of treatment. The athlete and child meet for the first time at an induction ceremony. For the first four to six months of the child’s treatment, CCChampions facilitates a pen pal relationship. “Every time the kid goes into treatment, the kid can have a jersey on his back and a letter in his hand, and he can feel empowered,” Kushner said.

At the end of the program’s first phase, the child is presented with a trophy at a “Winning the Championship” ceremony. “The trophy signifies that whatever happens, you have accomplished something great and you are an inspiration for all of us,” Kushner said.

CCChampions works together with Major League Baseball, pediatric oncologists and child development specialists. Kushner has built a network of over 6,000 athletes across the country.

Paterra’s family heard of the program through a specialist their son was seeing at the time. Kim Burns, Paterra’s mother, said she was elated about the opportunity for her son.

When Rooker visited the fam-

ily’s house for the first time, he “sat at our kitchen table, sharing stories, and the two talked for nearly two hours,” Burns said. She added that Rooker let Paterra wear his World Series ring for the duration of the visit, one of the child’s favorite moments.

In the future, Kushner said he hopes to reach out to more teams, players and children. “We are going to start expanding across the nation,” he said. The program, so far only launched in Pittsburgh, will soon come Rhode Island, Kushner said.

“The thing about athletes is that, in order to succeed, you need to work with your teammates and coaches, and you’re always going to face problems,” Kushner said.

“It’s the same thing with a kid with cancer — you need to work with your family and doctors, and there will always be that uncertainty. But as long as you have your end goal, it will be okay.”

Kushner’s positivity defines CCChampions and the families the program serves. “I see the inspiration in the ways in which a family and community can rally around each other and the good that can come out of it,” Kushner said.

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Politicians discuss edits to pension bill continued from page 1 ees enrolled in these plans would continue receiving cost-of-living adjustment payments that would be frozen for employees in the state system under the original bill.

The changes move the bill closer to Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s position on costof living adjustments, yearly increases in pension payments that are indexed to inflation. Raimondo supported cost-of-living adjustment freezes on state-run pensions and opposed Chafee’s desire to extend freezes to the state’s municipal plans.

Under the new bill, retirees would receive cost-of-living adjustment payments in their pensions every five years until the system’s unfunded liability is stabilized, or 80 percent funded. The original bill would have frozen these payments entirely until the system could be considered healthy.

The partial restoration of costof-living adjustments and other proposed revisions increase the new bill’s cost by approximately $27 million relative to the original bill.

The revisions also mandate that the funded ratio of all plans operated by the state be collectively evaluated before cost-of-living adjustment payments are restored to being paid out annually. No state workers will regain yearly adjustment payments until the entire state pension system reaches an 80 percent funded ratio.

State judges — excluding active Supreme Court justices, whose compensation cannot be reduced under the state constitution — will also face reduced cost-of-living ad-

justments if the new bill is enacted.

Retirement eligibility has also been altered from the original plan.

The bill now matches eligibility to receive a state pension with Social Security payment eligibility by mandating a retirement age of 67 for employees born after 1960.

The revised plan caps eligibility at 67, so that increasing the age to qualify for Social Security would not affect state pension eligibility.

Depending on their years of service, active workers approaching eligibility for the current staterun plan would now be able to retire before 67, but no earlier than 59 years. Their benefits would be reduced under the new plan.

The revised bill also allows part-time employees, excluded from the original bill, to receive pension payments based on the 10 years during which their salaries were the highest to avoid increasing payments for employees who transition to full-time at the end of their careers.

Other revisions mandate actuarial studies to determine funding of municipal plans to be completed no later than April 2012. Plans determined to be under 60 percent funded must submit improvement plans to a 14-member commission headed by the state director of revenue, the auditor general and municipal employees and officials.

The bill has sparked considerable opposition from the state’s public employees and retirees.

More than a thousand of them protested the legislation outside the Rhode Island State House in a rally Tuesday organized by the Rhode Island Retirement Security Coalition, a group of Rhode Island public employee unions.

Campus News 5

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, November 10, 2011

URC seeks student input at today’s budget forum continued from page 1 on the URC. Noble said he felt most members of the committee have almost no sense of protecting students from increases in tuition. “They have the idea that people will be able to keep paying as long as we keep increasing financial aid too,” he said.

“Everything is determined in terms of competitiveness,” Schwartz said, explaining that the actions of the University’s peer institutions influence budget discussions in University Hall. While budget plans cannot be discussed with peers before their announcement because of anti-trust laws, last year’s budget increase was affected by the other schools’ announcements, Schwartz said.

The URC initially settled on a 2.9 percent increase to recommend to the Corporation to keep the number low. But by the time the Corporation met to finalize the decision, peer institutions had announced higher increases, encouraging the Corporation to push the increase up to 3.5 percent.

Schwartz defended the intent behind these increases. “The money is not going nowhere,” he said. The increases go toward improving students’ education and the worth of the Brown degree, but other options for growing the budget should be explored further, he said.

He said one question not discussed enough by the committee is whether the University can afford to keep up with Harvard or Princeton in certain areas. A higher per-

comics Cloud Buddies! | David Emanuel

centage of Brown’s operating costs come from tuition than its peers, largely because it does not have as large an endowment, professional schools bringing in revenue or sufficient government funds and outside sponsorship of research.

He said one option under consideration is an increase in the number of students admitted into master’s programs, which bring in tuition while incurring lower costs than do undergraduates.

Today’s public forum is the sole chance for students to express their opinions on the budget, said Schwartz, lamenting the poor turnout at last year’s forum, when only a single audience member attended. He called the turnout “really embarrassing” and implored UCS members to attend today.

UCS President Ralanda Nel-

son ’11 promised the attendance of the majority of the executive board and said she encouraged the general body members to join the discussion as well.

Later in the meeting, three candidates were appointed representatives to four University committees. Christopher Anderson ’14 was appointed to the Public Safety Oversight Committee and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center Advisory Board. Bradley Silverman ’13, a former Herald staff writer, was appointed to the Public Safety Oversight Committee. Ian Eppler ’13 was appointed to the Officer Conduct Review Board. Appointments Chair Alex Drechsler ’15, a Herald contributing writer, said the Brown-

Tougaloo Partnership Campus Advisory Committee responsible for encouraging the University’s relationship with Tougaloo College in Mississippi still needs an appointment.

Drechsler said that for next semester’s appointments, his committee hopes to attract more females to the positions, since this semester’s applicants were “overwhelmingly male.”

Four student groups — What’s On Tap, Brown Students for Education Reform, Brown Polo Club and Brown Noise Toastmasters — were approved by the council for recategorization to Category III, allowing them to submit budgets to the Undergraduate Finance Board in the spring.

6 Editorial & Letter Editorial Debt relief useful, but not a panacea

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, November 10, 2011

Editorial cartoon

Unemployment for recent college graduates topped 9 percent last year. In addition to this anemic job market, young degree-holders are often burdened by debt. The average debt for a graduate from the class of 2010 was $25,250.

In this context, we welcome President Obama’s recent efforts to ease the pain of student debt. Obama’s plan has two main components.

First, federal student loan payments will be capped at 10 percent of income, down from 15 percent, and debt will be forgiven after 20 years, down from 25 years. Second, graduates who have both student loans from the government as well as private government-backed loans will be able to consolidate them at a reduced interest rate.

Any assistance to struggling college graduates is appreciated during this economic downturn. But it is questionable just how much of an impact these changes will have. There are numerous qualifications to be eligible for aid. Graduates of the class of 2011 and earlier, for example, cannot take advantage of the 10 percent cap. And Daniel Indiviglio of the Atlantic suggested that the average monthly savings resulting from Obama’s measures “will be between $4 and $8.” For students drowning in debt, this moderate relief can only go so far.

Leaving aside the new policies, it is clear that student loan debt is a very real problem and one our elected leaders should be addressing.

Of course, a fundamental issue in higher education affordability, and one very much related to relieving student debt, is tuition. President Obama’s announcement of the debt-relief measures coincided with the release of a College Board report showing that tuition continues to increase at a staggering rate. The cost of attending a public university increased 8 percent, and private schools saw a 4.5 percent rise. The Corporation approved a 3.5 percent hike in Brown tuition earlier this year.

For years, it has gotten more and more difficult to afford a college education. Debt-relief efforts alone will not solve this problem.

Tuition should be a central issue for the Occupy movement on college campuses across the country. We must demand an explanation for why tuition continues to outpace inflation and growth year after year. Are we receiving a better product than previous classes to pass through the Van Wickle Gates? Because we are certainly paying more.

If our political leaders are serious about reviving our country’s economic engine, they will take on the issue of college affordability.

Exorbitant tuition not only hampers the recovery by stretching our finances — it threatens to rob countless young people of the opportunities a college education affords. As high-paying employment becomes ever more contingent on holding a degree, college affordability is an urgent problem. This trend is particularly distressing in public universities, institutions instrumental in providing affordable college education for individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

We cannot allow public institutions to turn their backs on lowerincome students.

Public opinion research indicates that young people of all political stripes want action on the cost of college. We should use next year’s election as an opportunity to organize and demand action.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

by sam rosenfeld

letter to the editor Setting the record straight on McCormick To the Editor: The words of mine quoted in yesterday’s editorial (“The full truth,” Nov. 9) represent half of what I told my interlocutor and unbalance what I said. Here is something like a balanced summary of the statement I gave to The Herald: Were I a senior administrator who believed in the correctness of our actions in the McCormick affair, I would welcome an independent commission to examine all documents in the case and take the necessary testimony in order to arrive at a clean and truthful record, so that we could reaffirm our honor and self-respect as an institution.

If I had reason to believe that some person or persons in the administration had something to hide, I would also welcome an independent commission, so that we can deal with the facts of its investigation and take the actions necessary to restore our institutional honor and self-respect. Our first obligations are to the truth and to justice. Because of the utter lack of transparency with which Brown has conducted the McCormick affair, neither truth nor justice is in sight.

David Josephson Professor of Music

quote of the day

“The mutants are here to stay.”

— Constance Howes, CEO of Women and Infants Hospital See entrepreneurs on page 1.

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Correction An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“A silk-tongued comedy fit for this century,” Nov. 8) misidentified a character in “Lady Windermere’s Fan.” The hard-of-hearing character is Lady Jedburgh played by Natalie McDonald ’15. The same article stated that Christopher Thompson ’15 played the character of Lord Augustus. In fact, Lord Augustus is played by Skylar Fox ’15. The Herald regrets the errors.

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Opinions 7

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, November 10, 2011

Faculty, students and the presidential search

By Sam Carter Opinions Editor

A variety of issues surround the University’s search for its 19th president, and many of them have already been discussed in these very pages. There are concerns about the search process itself, the selection of members who will comprise the committees so fundamental to this search process and the extent of student participation in the search.

Discussion of what qualities a strong candidate should possess has also begun, and it’s worth examining what faculty members think with respect to this issue in order to see how much their expectations align with those of students.

A recent Herald article (“Faculty ask for vision, fundraising from new president,” Nov. 9) reported on a faculty forum on the presidential search. Troublingly, only 25 faculty members showed up — out of a possible 700. Of course, students are in no position to criticize: Only 15 participated in a recent forum. If participation in forums were any indication of a possible alignment between student and faculty views on the University’s next president, then it seems like we are equally disinterested in the outcome.

But let’s put issues of participation aside.

As the Herald recently reported, two ideas were given great consideration in the faculty

forum: vision and fundraising. How useful these ideas really are and the extent to which student and faculty agree on their importance are two key questions we face as we begin the search process.

It’s hardly fair for faculty to expect a prospective candidate to have a clearly-articulated vision, let alone one they find satisfactory. This is especially true for external candidates who might not even have the knowledge and experience necessary to formulate a vision suitable for the University.

But even if a candidate were to have a vision,

right: You want to make people who donate feel like they’re playing a role in the future of the University. But does a president need to have his or her own vision in order to bring in money? There’s nothing that prevents a president from selling to donors a vision that reflects the views of the entire University community. I have no real fundraising experience, but I think it would be easier to get money out of people when they know that the faculty and students themselves have had a say in determining the vision and direction of the University.

It seems fair to say that a president should shape such a vision through continual interaction with the University community, reworking it as new issues arise. how important would it be? It seems fair to say that a president should shape such a vision through continual interaction with the University community, reworking it as new issues arise. I don’t mean to suggest that a candidate should have no ideas. But it would be both unreasonable and unproductive to come to the post with a perfectly crystallized vision.

Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76 said that “great fundraising starts with great vision,” so perhaps that’s a reason to consider a candidate’s vision. And intuitively it seems

I’m not sure these faculty expectations of a presidential candidate with vision are held by students. Students seem to want a future president who will be a collaborator when it comes to developing a vision — someone who will bring some ideas to the table but who also wants a dialogue.

The headline of the Herald article suggests that faculty also value fundraising ability in a candidate. But, importantly, no faculty member is quoted when it comes to the importance of fundraising. Tisch and Corporation member Marty Granoff P’93 are

quoted, and Tisch quoted a former Brown professor on how fundraising is like “selling participation in a dream,” but the faculty members quoted spoke about the importance of teaching, risk-taking and greater interdisciplinary collaboration. Granoff even went so far as to make the unsubstantiated claim that fundraising is integral to attracting strong faculty members.

Even if faculty members do emphasize the importance of fundraising ability in a candidate, students don’t appear to feel the same way. Among the Ruth acolytes I know, none has consistently gushed about her fundraising abilities. I’m not sure any of them have even mentioned it in the hagiographies they consistently deliver to unsuspecting bystanders like me. The ability to bring in money for the University will never negatively affect a student’s perception of a president, but it is far from the most important factor.

So it’s pretty clear that students and faculty have divergent views on what constitutes a good candidate. To expect anything else would be naive. It’s obvious that all involved parties will agree that fundraising and vision have some importance, but for the views to diverge this much on important issues means that the search will be a difficult one — especially if more faculty members and students contribute to the process.

Sam Carter ’12 is a philosophy and Hispanic studies concentrator. He can be reached at samuel_carter@brown.edu.

End religious exclusion at Cranston West

By Bradley Silverman and Lex Rofes Guest Columnists Do you believe in a heavenly Father?

You might or you might not. Chances are that no matter your religious perspective, you would not be comfortable imposing your theological beliefs upon someone else.

You might be even more uncomfortable doing so if that person were of a different faith — or none at all — a religious minority or a minor.

Jessica Ahlquist, a junior at Cranston High School West, falls within all three of these categories. She has expressed her disapproval of a prayer displayed prominently in the school’s auditorium and has obtained legal assistance from the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union to have the prayer removed. The school is resisting her request, arguing that the prayer possesses historical value that is independent of its religious connotation, and that its message is universal.

We disagree. We are skeptical of the notion that any statement beginning with an appeal to “Our heavenly Father” could truly be inclusive of people of a wide variety of religious beliefs or non-beliefs. For obvious reasons, this preface alienates atheists and agnostics who do not affirm the idea of G-d’s existence. Additionally, any believer in G-d who does not conceive of the divine as either male or personal — a G-d that can be related to like a person — could reasonably feel ex-

cluded by this narrow depiction of a higher power.

Many adherents of Buddhism, Unitarianism and certain unorthodox denominations of Judaism or Christianity could not help but understand this statement as contradicting their own religious beliefs. Polytheists and those individuals whose theological beliefs defy easy categorization, such as Hindus, could feel similarly.

Furthermore, the body of the prayer contains several problematic phrases. In four locations within the text, the school appeals to a higher power to either “grant,” “help” or “teach us” ways to behave and “conduct ourselves” as individuals. Such word choices in-

tion from Cranston West for her personal religious views. Rather, she simply wants the school to take a neutral stance so that it does not confer legitimacy on some students’ theological perspectives at the expense of others’. She understands that the removal of the Cranston West prayer would be a step toward a stronger climate of religious acceptance at her high school. She wants to ensure that future students feel included even though they are not members of a dominant religious sect.

For her stance, she has felt harsh backlash from narrow-minded people in Cranston, in the state of Rhode Island and from across the country. In the past, she has been screamed

We firmly believe that no one should impose his or her own beliefs on another human being, and in our opinion, that is exactly what Cranston West has decided to do. voke clear images of a divine being that can intervene in our day-to-day lives and cause us to act differently than we otherwise would.

In our high schools, many students did not conceive of G-d in this fashion, and a prayer displayed prominently would have diminished their morale and detracted from their high school experiences. Where we grew up, most students did not feel that it was necessary or appropriate for the school to promote their individual beliefs in order for them to meaningfully partake in religious life.

Ahlquist is not seeking special recogni-

at for her atheism, such as when she would not say the words “under G-d” while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. She has received malicious letters and hateful emails for taking a courageous and principled stand. No human being should be subject to such harassment, especially in a country that recognizes and has recognized freedom of religion as one of its founding ideals.

One of us identifies strongly as a religious Jew, and the other as an agnostic, albeit one with a strong affinity for his religious background. In the end, though, neither of those

things matter. We firmly believe that no one should impose his or her own beliefs on another human being, and in our opinion, that is exactly what Cranston West has decided to do.

Ahlquist can take comfort in the knowledge that existing First Amendment jurisprudence is on her side. A long line of Supreme Court cases concerning government action and religion affirm that there must be a wall of separation between church and state, especially where schools are concerned. These include the 1962 decision Engel v. Vitale, which held that public schools may not impose an official prayer or require its recitation. In 1971, the Court held in Lemon v. Kurtzman that legitimate government actions must have a legitimate secular purpose, cannot have the promotion or inhibition of religion as its primary effect or result in excessive entanglement of government and religion.

Because the exclusionary language of this prayer could alienate individuals of a broad variety of faiths, and because our Constitution and First Amendment jurisprudence explicitly protect freedom of religion in public schools, we support Ahlquist’s efforts to have the prayer removed. At the very least, we would encourage the school committee to consider adjustments to the prayer’s language so that it could truly represent all members of the Cranston community.

Bradley Silverman ’13 is the vice president of the Brown chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Lex Rofes ’13 is the vice president for cultural arts at Brown/RISD Hillel, but speaks only for himself.