Daily
Herald
the Brown
Friday, December 2, 2011
vol. cxlvi, no. 117
Since 1891
Guided by green, Brown tests uncharted waters Despite
advances, AIDS still poses threat
Expansion begets more expansion as U. funds its ambitions with online master’s programs, corporate-funded research and a growing presence in emerging overseas markets. By Mark Raymond and LINDOR Qunaj Senior Staff Writers
Before the 2008 economic downturn, the University had grand plans. President Simmons’ ambitious fundraising campaign was on track to surpass its goal of $1.4 billion. Administrators were eyeing a new home for the Alpert Medical School, construction of state-ofthe-art brain science laboratories, increases in financial aid and expansion of the University faculty. Then, in September 2009, the University announced the endowment’s $740 million fall, and planners forecasted $65 million in budget shortfalls over the next three
years. Still looking to build a new fitness center, establish itself as a research powerhouse and overhaul on-campus housing, University Hall weighed its options.
Mission drift?
By Eli Okun Contributing Writer
Elcock spoke extensively about what she sees as a great barrier to the end of the epidemic — the tension between science and social activism. She said the national AIDS strategy of 2009 represented the first “coordinated, systematic, integrated response from (the) government” to the AIDS epidemic. With this strategy came the creation of the White House’s Office of National AIDS Policy, which has brought together the “little pockets of money here and there” previously dedicated to AIDS funding. The current focus of the plan
When the first American diagnosis of AIDS catapulted it onto the national health scene 30 years ago, the disease was shrouded in mystery and stigma. Since then, major medical breakthroughs and heightened public awareness have made AIDS a more treatable and recognizable threat. But these advances can give students a false sense of security, University administrators said. For many on campus, yesterday’s commemoration of World AIDS Day was both a celebration of progress achieved and a reminder of work to come. Health Services has ramped up prevention efforts in recent years, now offering free mouth-swab HIV testing to all undergraduate and graduate students. In the 201011 school year, more than 1,000 students took HIV tests, said Edward Wheeler, director of Health Services. Last year, Health Services switched to an opt-out testing model, so any students who come in for a routine physical or gynecological exam are automatically offered the test. Administrators said campus prevention efforts focus on HIV, since students with the disease generally are not at Brown long enough to develop AIDS. Wheeler said the high testing numbers reflect drastic changes in
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Courtesy of PAUR
Part 4 of a 4-part series
President Ruth Simmons oversees University partnerships in Asia and elsewhere.
Further increases in tuition could alleviate some budgetary woes. But Brown has long been more reliant on undergraduate
tuition than its peers, and administrators acknowledged there was only so far that yearly sticker prices could increase. Fundraising rev-
enue, too, was approaching a glass ceiling. continued on page 12
Brothers Activist discusses politics of AIDS brought together by football By Katrina Phillips Senior Staff Writer
The holiday season has long been regarded as a time for family and togetherness. To most Americans, that means gathering around dinner tables and Scrabble boards with relatives of all ages, delighting in friendly chatter and warm apple
Football cider. But for linebackers Brad Herzlich ’14 and Mark Herzlich, “family time” often means something different. The Herzlich brothers are your prototypical football siblings. Though they both share many interests outside of football, they’re more likely to be watching film and critiquing each other’s play than playing Boggle by the fire. And they would not have it any other way. “It’s really fun in that he’s very helpful,” Brad said of his older brother. “He’s been very successful and has a lot of experience — and because of that, he can give me a lot of great feedback and help me improve my game.” Currently a member of the NFL’s
inside
continued on page 11
news........................2-4 Science........................5 Arts..........................6-7 D&C............................14 Opinions.................15 SPORTS......................16
Unzipping the tent
Happy 120th, Herald
Inside Occupy College Hill By ELIzabeth carr Senior Staff Writer
Two-and-a-half months after the Occupy movement first made headlines, the movement’s precise focus
Evan Thomas / Herald
Dec. 2, 1891: “This issue begins the career of The Brown Daily Herald. Whether it shall remain as one of the fixtures of Brown or die a natural death is up to the students themselves.”
Post- Holiday Guide Self-examines, decks the hall
Post-, Inside
remains an open question — even for members of Occupy College Hill.
D&C
Providence gets coal — find out why Diamonds & Coal, 14
weather
By azar kheraj Contributing Writer
“It’s always been a great time to talk about HIV,” Soraya Elcock, HIV/AIDS policy advocate and former vice president for policy and government affairs at Harlem United Community AIDS Center, told The Herald following the lecture she held to top off yesterday’s World AIDS Day events on campus. A small but highly interested crowd gathered in Smith-Buonanno Hall for Elcock’s funny and thought-provoking talk entitled, “Activism, Women and Innova-
tion,” in which she talked about the progress of AIDS awareness and this year’s AIDS Day theme, “Getting to Zero.” “We’re 30 years into the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, and we still don’t have a cure,” she said. Normally, Elcock added, Worlds AIDS Day drives her crazy because of the population’s tendency to get hyped for the cause for one day, after which “it flies off of everybody’s radar” almost immediately. The difference this year’s theme brings, she said, is that the science and hopefully the resources to end — if not cure — HIV/AIDS now exist.
When a national student walkout was called in solidarity with the Occupy movement Oct. 5 — just 17 days after protesters began their Occupation of New York’s Zuccotti Park — about 70 members of the Brown activist community assembled on the Main Green in search of their role within the movement. “There are these existing structures of people that are politically inclined to support Occupy Wall Street,” said Lily Goodspeed ’13, pointing to student groups like the International Socialist Organizacontinued on page 9
t o d ay
tomorrow
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