Thursday, February 16, 2012

Daily

Herald

the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 17

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Since 1891

UCS referendum fails to garner two-thirds approval Despite jump

By Margaret Nickens Senior Staff Writer

Paige Gilley / Herald

UCS and UFB officials spoke at last night’s community forum.

The referendum on an amendment that would allow the Undergraduate Council of Students to determine its own funding without the approval from the Undergraduate Finance Board failed to receive the two-thirds majority it required to pass, according to a statement sent to The Herald by UCS Communications Chair Sam Gilman ’15.

“The wording of the constitutional change was clearly ambiguous and led to significant confusion about potential oversight of UCS,” Gilman wrote. But he added that the proposal facilitated discussion and “pushed the UCS and UFB to the bargaining table.” As a result, UCS and UFB will form a commission to reassess the current funding process

and will include representatives from both bodies and the student community.

Students had until 11:59 p.m. last night to vote on the referendum. UCS did not provide The Herald the vote tally before press time.

Early last evening, members of the Undergraduate Finance Board and the Undergraduate Council of Students hosted a community forum to discuss the proposed UCS constitutional amendment and answer students’ questions about the issue. Around 30 students attended the event, half of whom were affiliated with UCS or UFB. At the beginning of the forum, UFB Chair Jason Lee ’12 expressed his dissatisfaction with the means by which the council

“China is absolutely top-priority in terms of teaching and research,” said Matthew Gutmann P’14, vice president for international affairs. Mutual understanding between the United States and China is absolutely essential, he added.

Kathleen McSharry, associate dean of the College for curriculum and writing, said faculty can use the grants for anything from sumcontinued on page 5

continued on page 4

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Forty-seven organizations — representing industries including technology, education and marketing — will attend the spring Career Fair next Wednesday, a smaller version of the fall counterpart intended to introduce students to companies that recruit at the end of the school year.

Most consulting and finance firms started their recruiting in the fall and are just finishing up the hiring process now, but smaller companies usually need until the spring to determine their budgets and openings for the summer, said Yvonne Rogers, assistant director for employer outreach.

About one-third of the attendees are nonprofits, such as the Peace Corps and Environment America. Big-name recruiters at the fair include Amazon, Yelp, Abercrombie and Fitch and Facebook. This year’s participants come from a greater variety of industries and sectors than did participants in previous years, Rogers said.

Rogers said she expects 600 to 800 students to attend the spring

inside

continued on page 6

news....................2-7 RoundUp........8-9 editorial............10 Opinions.............11 City & State........12

Simmons, Taveras meet to discuss payments Johnson and Wales to increase contribution to $6.4 million over ten years, with possible $5 million more

By Sona Mrkttchian Senior Staff Writer

Mayor Angel Taveras met with President Ruth Simmons yesterday afternoon to discuss the possibility of the University increasing its annual contributions to the city.

Taveras’ administration wants Brown to double its annual $4 million contribution. At a press conference yesterday, he said he feels optimistic about his goal of raising an additional $7 million from the city’s tax-exempts. Taveras has been pressuring the city’s non-profit institutions to increase their annual payments since announcing two weeks ago that the city may face bankruptcy in June if it does not take immediate action to address its roughly $22 million budget deficit.

Following his meeting with

MED Spreads Nonprofit sends medical equipment abroad

News, 3

Simmons, Taveras held a press conference with John Bowen, chancellor of Johnson and Wales University, to announce that the university will increase its voluntary contributions to $6.4 million

city & state over the next decade, with the possibility of an additional $5 million dollars contingent upon plans for expansion.

“I am pleased to announce this new agreement with Johnson and Wales and am grateful to the university for being a strong partner to the city of Providence,” Taveras said at the press conference. The agreement has not yet been legally drafted and still needs to be passed by the City Council.

Johnson and Wales pledged to continued on page 8

Herald File

Mayor Angel Taveras (above) met with President Ruth Simmons yesterday.

Post-

talks ish, jams

Post-, Inside

weather

By Claire Schlessinger Staff Writer

From first-year seminars to handson upper level courses, an extensive curricular development grant system instituted by the dean of the College’s office encourages faculty and students to develop courses in underrepresented areas.

The grants, which have a ceiling of $4,000 this year, have been offered for several years in order to promote the growth of the cur-

riculum.

To mark the Year of China, which the University is sponsoring this year, the dean of the College is offering a curricular grant for first-year seminar development with preference given to proposed courses that relate to China, according to the dean’s website.

The Year of China initiative has been run through the Office of International Affairs with the goal of facilitating connections in China.

By Alexa Pugh Staff Writer

Graduate school application rates to the University remain constant despite a 10 percent increase in the number of students who took the Graduate Record Examination in the United States over the past year.

“GRE test scores are good for a five-year period. As a result, it is challenging to link tests taken and applications in a given year,” wrote Graduate School Director of Communications Beverly Larson in an email to The Herald.

Though some master’s programs are still accepting applications, the total number of applications received so far is on par with last year’s numbers, Larson wrote.

Nationally, the number of people taking the GRE increased by 5 percent in 2010, according to Educational Testing Services, the company that administers the GRE. The Council of Graduate Schools reported an 8.4 percent increase in applications to graduate schools across the country between fall 2009 and fall 2010.

Testing Services officials credit

Increased Grants target curricular growth diversity of recruiters at spring career fair

By Katherine Cusumano Staff Writer

in GRE test taking, grad school apps constant

t o d ay

tomorrow

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2 Campus News

Students seek personalized advising system

calendar Today

February 16

2:30 P.m.

ToMORROW

February 17

4 p.m.

A Reading by Poet Sherwin Bitsui,

“Rebuilding Japan”

McCormack Family Theater

Science Center

8 p.m.

9 p.m.

Goblin Market,

The Brown Barrel Show,

Production Workshop

Salomon Center, Room 001

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH

Chicken Milanese, Vegan Tacos, Fresh Collard Greens, Canadian Rice Salad, Sugar Snap Peas

Wisconsin Ziti with Four Cheeses, Buffalo Wings, Dijon Pasta Salad, Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

DINNER Grilled Marinated Boneless Pork Chop, Tortellini Angelica, Vegan Tacos, Carrot Cake

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

Veggie or Chicken Stir Fry, Vegetable Strudel, Pot Roast Jardiniere, Baked Acorn Squash

Sudoku

Crossword

By Kate DESIMONE Contributing Writer

Since a report on undergraduate education was released in 2008, the University has increased efforts to strengthen its advising and mentoring resources. While Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron has made student guidance and support a key focus since the report’s release, students are also adding their voices to the campus dialogue.

Mentoring profiles

The Undergraduate Council of Students is looking to include personal statements from student concentrators on Focal Point, a tool on the Dean of the College’s website that aims to provide students a snapshot of each concentration.

“Focal Point isn’t very personal,” said Besenia Rodriguez, associate dean of the College for research and upperclass studies, who has been working with UCS on the project.

The Dean of the College and UCS nominated about 30 seniors to contribute to the site to give it “a more human element,” she said. Rodriguez said these profiles are not lists of classes so much as narratives of the seniors’ experiences at Brown, which “weave together the curricular and the co-curricular” while giving students concrete advice about making the most of their college experience. Todd Harris ’14, chair of the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee, brought the idea to the Dean of the College last fall, and they hope to complete the project by late spring, Rodriguez said.

Independently, Norian Caporale-Berkowitz ’12 has also been seeking to start a thoughtful discussion about the status of mentoring at Brown.

“It started as a conversation with some of my roommates and fellow seniors about what kind of advising and mentoring relationships they’ve made over the years,” Caporale-Berkowitz said. But he said they realized that “a lot of students get through Brown without solid mentoring relationships.”

Caporale-Berkowitz brought this concern to the Dean of the College and afterwards recruited students interested in joining the discussion through a Morning Mail announcement Jan. 25. “(The Dean of the College is) really looking for a solution,” he said. “I think they’re hoping that students will help them find it because they’ve been searching for a long time.”

Daily

the Brown

One possibility would be an online database of profiles of upperclassmen, describing their academic interests and the opportunities they have explored, Caporale-Berkowitz said. The database could be integrated with a forum similar to Yahoo!

Answers, and any student could post a question and get responses from profiled users. Viewers would upvote the answers they found the most helpful, he said.

Caporale-Berkowitz said this would help students find mentors in a way that is “natural, and not contrived.” Such a website would give students opportunities to make “organic” connections with peer mentors outside of a systematic and formal atmosphere, he said.

The nature of academics at Brown requires rigorous mentoring, he said, because the open curriculum “is immensely powerful but also terribly dangerous.” Mentoring can help ensure that the end product is meaningful, he said.

“I definitely think students value other students’ advice as much if not more than faculty advice,” said Jonah Kagan ’13, who joined the initiative after seeing the Morning Mail announcement. He is also one of the creators of the recently launched Best of Brown site.

Kagan said he found his own mentors outside of the formal advising system. Finding the right people, he said, is just about luck, so this site would be helpful in providing a starting point for building those kinds of relationships.

Harris also expressed interest in Caporale-Berkowitz’s discussions.

Mentoring is very valuable, he said, and while UCS has been focused on ways to improve the current advising system, it has not explored informal conduits of advising as much.

Student-led initiatives

Other projects are also underway to encourage students to make important connections and to provide them with more academic guidance. UCS has been working with the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program to create an advising handbook for the upcoming fall’s first-years, Harris said.

The idea behind the handbook is to clarify the roles of the student, the Meiklejohn and the adviser. The handbook is unique because “a lot of things are written by faculty and deans,” he said. “We wanted something by students, for students.”

An increased level of student

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input is common to these efforts in improving advising and mentoring. Harris’ committee recently became involved with the advising emails sent out weekly to first-years by adding a “tip of the week” from Meiklejohns. The input from their peers makes the advice more relevant to students, Harris said.

The committee is also seeking to increase student feedback on their advisers. There isn’t the same level of student input on the advising system as there is for the Meiklejohn program, he said. UCS passed a statement Feb. 8 urging the Corporation to consider student input in their decisions on faculty tenure.

“We want to make sure we have the faculty who are the best advisers and mentors in the students’ eyes,” Harris said.

Taking it to the next level

The Dean of the College is always working on improving advising and mentoring, said Ann Gaylin, associate dean of the College for first-year and sophomore studies. “They’re the central preoccupations of the office,” she said. The office seeks to create opportunities for students and faculty to connect without being forced to do so, she added.

Mentoring is “advising taken to the next level,” said Gaylin. Often, a mentor shares a student’s intellectual interests, but conversations between the two guide the student’s development in all areas of life, Rodriguez said. Whereas advising is more about getting questions answered “in real time,” mentoring is “a sustained relationship,” she said.

Though Brown has a multitude of support structures, there are students “who are too shy to use those resources or don’t know they’re there,” Caporale-Berkowitz said.

The input from his group’s discussions about mentoring will help the Dean of the College to find “what would resonate with fellow students” to encourage them to make connections with faculty, Gaylin said.

“So much is dependent on student initiative,” she said. Though some students may feel too shy or intimidated to approach a professor, faculty members who are eager to work with students may not take the first step either. “Faculty are shy, too,” she added.

About 20 students responded to Caporale-Berkowitz’s Morning Mail announcement. The group’s discussions have so far been focused on finding ways to foster peer mentoring.

“When faculty are paid for their research, teaching and advising is something they do out of the goodness of their hearts,” he said. “With that in mind, peer mentoring seems like a good path to pursue.”

While many efforts to improve advising are focused on providing guidance for underclassmen, the Dean of the College is also considering ways to support students who have declared their concentrations.

“Concentration advisers can come and go,” Rodriguez said, so the office is looking for ways to connect students with long-term mentoring relationships within the same departments.

Campus News 3

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

Non-profit startup to provide Zanzibar with medical technology By michael weinstein Contributing Writer

Jayson Marwaha ’14 first got the idea to start a non-profit organization in a setting where all good ideas are born — a high school party. Two years later, he decided to take action, founding Medical Equipment Donations International — a nonprofit that aims to donate unused medical equipment in the United States to facilities in developing countries.

At a party during his junior year of high school, Marwaha said he learned from a recent graduate working with a diagnostics facility that the U.S. is home to an abundance of medical technology waste waiting to be tossed or scrapped for metal.

“I thought I could make something of that,” Marwaha said. He researched the issue further, and in August 2011, MED International — as Marwaha refers to the organization — was officially incorporated.

“There’s a tremendous surplus of obsolete medical equipment in the first world that is actually still quite useful, but it’s been superseded by something newer or better,” said Alan Harlam, director of social entrepreneurship at the Swearer Center for Public Service.

“Most of that equipment goes to waste.”

A few months after the incorporation of MED International, Harlam suggested another student, Han Sheng Chia ’14, partner with Marwaha, who was still working by himself to get the organization off the ground.

“I think they both are really strong learners with potential as entrepreneurs, so I really encouraged them to maybe join forces,” Harlam said.

It turned out Chia and Marwaha were both in the same class, Professor of Epidemiology Stephen McGarvey’s PHP 1070: “Burden of Disease in Developing Countries.” “I got up in the middle of class to go to the bathroom, and (Chia) took my seat,” Marwaha said. The two started talking, and soon became partners.

While many large-scale nonprofits have worked to donate unused medical equipment in the past, Marwaha and Chia said they hope to succeed where others

have faltered.

“What we’re trying to do is address what we call the barriers of utilization,” Marwaha said. While donated machines make up 80 percent of medical technology in developing countries, only 30 percent of those machines are actually used once donated, he said.

Marwaha and Chia have broken the process into three steps — supply, delivery and utilization.

The supply — the actual medical machines — comes from hospitals and companies. Institutions get technology write-offs as an incentive to donate, Chia said, so they do not lose money by supplying. The delivery is transporting those machines to the clinics and facilities in developing countries.

Finally, there is utilization, the step most efforts tend to overlook, Marwaha and Chia said.

“If you don’t have the third part, you’re essentially transferring waste from one country to another,” Chia said.

Harlam said Marwaha and Chia have explored three reasons why equipment often cannot be used in the facilities where they are donated. First, there are infrastructure needs, such as electricity and water, which facilities may not have the means to maintain.

Second, many machines require that operators undergo specialized training, so the personnel in these health facilities may not have the skills to use them.

Third, some medical technology has high operating costs — even after a machine is donated, the materials needed to use it may be too expensive for a facility to purchase.

McGarvey said he has observed the effect of some of these problems. “Many times we’ll be walking through a laboratory — whether it’s an actual clinical laboratory or a research laboratory — and there’s many pieces of equipment that are just basically gathering dust,” he said.

While solving these problems will be MED International’s main focus, the nonprofit will not deal exclusively with implementation of technology. Marwaha said to focus on maximum utilization, the other two steps are necessary prerequisites.

Marwaha and Chia have concluded through their research that the key to utilizing the donated

technology is familiarity with the needs of the recipients of that technology.

In October 2011, Marwaha visited the Tanzanian Embassy in Washington D.C. to meet with Vice President of Zanzibar Seif Ali Iddi and Deputy Minister of Health of Zanzibar Dr. Sira Ubwa Mamboya, who expressed interest in what MED International is attempting to accomplish. Marwaha said they told him Zanzibar was undergoing an extensive, government-run, health facility overhaul and that they were looking for equipment to put in the renovated health facilities.

“They demonstrated the strongest capacity to receive and implement because of the nature of this massive overhaul,” Chia said. Because of this, MED International is focusing on Zanzibar as the first recipient of donations.

To see the clinics of Zanzibar for themselves, Chia and Marwaha have applied for funding to conduct a study on the ground this summer to assess barriers to utilization. Marwaha and Chia are already planning the study, in collaboration with professors at Brown and at the University of Singapore.

Marwaha and Chia have solicited the help of numerous experts and professionals, including their advisers at Brown — professors of public health and commerce, organizations and entrepreneurship — in addition to various administrators.

“I would definitely say that Brown is the place to start a nonprofit,” Marwaha said. “There’s tons of resources here.”

The two have also contacted professionals off College Hill, such as faculty members at the University of Singapore, pro bono legal support at the firm Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft LLP and officials at the Tanzanian Embassy. “We’re always aware that we’re college kids, which is why we network widely,” Chia said.

“It’s no small feat to find your way into the office of the vice president of even a small country,” Harlam said. “That to me is an indicator that (Marwaha and Chia) are both studying the field that they hope to operate in, thinking strategically about how to solve the problems that others have encountered before them.”

Courtesy of Jayson Marwaha

Jayson Marwaha ’14 met with Zanzibari government officials ­­— ­including Vice President Seif Ali Iddi, and Deputy Minister of Health Sira Mamboya — ­ at the Tanzanian Embassy in October.

Courtesy of Jayson Marwaha

Jayson Marwaha ’14 greets Vice President of Zanzibar Seif Ali Iddi during talks to install medical equipment in Zanzibar clinics.

www.browndailyherald.com

4 Campus News

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

MunchCard use expands

By Margaret Farris Contributing Writer

The MunchCard, a restaurant discount created by four Brown students as an alternative to University-provided meal plans, has been gaining popularity since its initiation last September. This spring, about 700 undergraduates are participating in the program, compared to 530 last semester.

Steven Tran ’13, one of the card’s co-founders, said he “hopes to see 1,000 students using the card by next year.” Tran said he predicts an increase next semester because the University meal plan can only be cancelled at the beginning of the first semester. Students can downgrade meal plans between semesters but not opt out of them. Tran said he hopes students who drop the meal plan will be attracted to the MunchCard.

The number of restaurants that accept the card has continued to grow, with 25 restaurants now taking the card. The most recent addition, Shanghai, was added to the list of restaurants on Thayer Street that take the card this week, Tran said. Most participating restaurants still offer a discount of 10 percent to MunchCard users, and many will also be offering various promotions throughout the semester.

The card’s creators — ­ Tran, Ben Vishny ’14, Tucker Adams ’11 and Andrew Tran ’11 — have recently announced plans to launch a delivery

Emily Gilbert / Herald George Steele ‘14 uses his Munchcard at Better Burger Company. Munchcard functions like a debit card and gives users discounts and many restaurants on College Hill.

service as well. Through this service, users will be able to place their delivery orders using a PIN provided with their MunchCards and verify their orders through text. So far, Wings over Providence has expressed interest in the service. The addition of delivery will greatly expand the potential restaurants that accept the card, Tran said.

The founders are actively pursuing restaurants closer to campus as well. They are currently focusing their attention on Blue State Coffee, which has said it would join if enough students demonstrate high levels of interest.

Tran said they encountered difficulties last semester with the restaurant Chinese Iron Wok since its owners often did not abide by their contract. After several incidents of

non-compliance, MunchCard removed Iron Wok from the service.

Otherwise, business has been running very smoothly, Tran said.

Their operational system is backed up and has not been down yet this semester.

The restaurants have offered positive feedback about the card, Tran said, adding that it has been especially well-received by food carts.

Mary Kate LoPiccolo ’13, a MunchCard user, said she likes the convenience of the card, adding that it holds a preset amount that “gives you a limit so you don’t feel bad going out to eat.”

But she also said she wished that “the card could be used at more places, especially Blue State.”

The creators hope to further expand the business this summer.

Rachel A. Kaplan / Herald

The University’s grad school application rates have remained constant in spite of a 10 percent increase in GRE test takers.

Rachel A. Kaplan / Herald

CareerLAB Director Andrew Simmons said he thinks the number of GRE test takers will decrease when the economy improves.

Recession prompts students to take GRE continued from page 1 a new version of the exam and more institutions accepting the GRE as reasons for the increase, according to a Feb. 8 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“Every time there’s a recession, this is the kind of thing that happens,” said Andrew Simmons, the director of CareerLAB. Many students may choose to attend graduate school directly after graduation in the hopes that the job market will have improved by the time they get their degree.

“I knew I wanted to go to grad school eventually, and there was no reason I could think of that right after graduation wasn’t a good time for me,” said Lizette Chaparro ’12, who applied to

several urban planning graduate programs.

About 23 percent of the class of 2010 decided to go on to graduate and professional studies, according to a CareerLAB survey.

CareerLAB is still in the process of gathering data for the class of 2011.

Simmons said it is likely the number of people taking the GRE will decrease when the economy improves. But he expects the overall number of alums pursuing graduate studies to remain constant, he said.

“No matter what the job market is, I think there’s always the attitude that people are going off in their own directions and doing things in their own order,” Chaparro said.

Campus News 5

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

Grants help bolster FYS program, writing courses continued from page 1

mer salary support to purchasing course materials and hiring undergraduates.

The variety of first-year seminars offered is a particular “priority for the College,” McSharry said.

Eighty-one percent of freshmen have taken a first-year seminar, said Katherine Bergeron, dean of the College.

The first-year seminar program has a “salutary effect” on the curriculum as a whole, Bergeron said.

It generates creative thinking and stimulates the hiring of new faculty. Professors have even been known to create graduate seminars as the result of positive reception for their first-year seminars.

As a result, curricular development awards particularly target the development of new first-year seminars, Bergeron said.

Peter Andreas, professor of political science and international studies, said he had never before taught a first-year seminar, but heard that the College was seeking to increase the number of these seminars. He recently received a curricular development grant for his class on drug war politics, which will be offered in spring 2013.

“To be honest, I was going to do the course anyway,” Andreas

said.

Writing designation

In addition to first-year seminars, the dean’s office has also supported writing-designated courses through curricular development awards. The WRIT course designation, which was instituted in fall 2010, stemmed from Bergeron’s desire to formalize the writing curriculum.

McSharry said she believed Bergeron’s efforts landed Brown on this year’s U.S. News and World Report list of colleges that make writing a priority.

Though the University has informally had a writing proficiency requirement since the 1870s, it was not until the open curriculum in 1969 that this was implemented as part of a larger set of initiatives to improve written communication at Brown.

Around 200 courses already existed that filled the WRIT requirement when it was implemented in 2010, Bergeron said.

The curricular development grants allocated to writing-designated courses target departments such as biology that are not normally focused on writing, McSharry said.

Writing is synonymous with logic and clarity of thought, and it is therefore essential to any study,

said Jan Tullis, professor of geological sciences.

Faculty members too often assign fairly major writing assignments without providing essential feedback, Tullis said.

The writing requirement is particularly aimed at “developing students’ ability to work on their writing, especially in their concentration,” Bergeron said.

This is not to say the grants give the dean’s office a huge hand in how an individual course is developed. Bergeron said she is involved in “housekeeping” in order to maximize a program’s opportunities.

The formation of a new course is still an intrinsically voluntary process, where the dean of the College shapes course development instead of directing it. The grants are merely another method to encourage expansion in an area that still needs development and consolidation.

McSharry said WRIT and FYS courses are not the only ones that get developmental support.

Beyond the dean’s office

Bergeron said there are multiple resources that faculty can take advantage of when developing a new course. The Office of International Affairs, Creative Arts Council, Humanities Initia-

tive and Swearer Center for Public Service all promote curricular expansion through grants.

Curricular development grants led to the Swearer Center’s Engaged Scholars initiative, which now involves 21 faculty members across a range of disciplines.

The program is “committed to the idea of curricular integration in community-based work,” said Kerri Heffernan, director of faculty engagement and the Royce Fellowship.

The Swearer Center’s grants provide up to $4,000 for course development and up to $10,000 for research, according to the dean of the College’s website. The large majority of these grants are used to hire teaching assistants and undergraduates for teaching and research purposes.

“There’s no censorship or direction,” said Phil Brown, professor of sociology and environmental sciences, of the way curricular development grants are administered. “The best grants give you what you want to do.”

He added that the grant often permits collaboration between faculty members.

Many federal grants focus too much on reporting, he said. The bureaucracy takes time and energy that could be better spent on work.

“One of the nice things about

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Brown is there’s a lot of give and take and a lot of enthusiasm,” Gutmann said.

The Office of International Affairs offers a grant of up to $4,000 for faculty developing or revising a curriculum designed to “bring an internationalized perspective to the subject,” according to their website.

Receiving a curricular development grant does not necessarily lead directly to funding of a course, said Chira DelSesto, assistant director of the Creative Arts Council. Some simply do not pan out. Nevertheless, “these grants give faculty the freedom and opportunity to experiment,” she said.

The first grant was given out approximately two years ago. The Creative Arts Council does not demand much input on the development of the course, DelSesto said, but instead just asks for a narrative about development and the expected teaching strategy.

Curricular development grants across this range of offices are given out every year, Bergeron said. Though there is not a huge amount of funding, it is available from an increasing range of sources. McSharry said it is rare that the dean’s office cannot support a request.

“We want to feed the curriculum,” Bergeron said.

6 Campus News Career fair attracts seasoned recruiters continued from page 1 fair. Around 1,000 students attended the Career Fair last fall.

Not all students think what they are looking for will be represented among the employers.

Nicholas Shulman ’14 said the kind of companies he is interested in — small start-ups and tech companies in Silicon Valley — are too small to attend and would not send people all the way to the East Coast. Since he cannot take advantage of traditional methods of networking at career fairs, he called securing internships with these companies “more stressful.” He added that he would be interested in seeing more of an international presence and a more robust effort to attract companies from the West Coast at events sponsored by CareerLAB. Kendra Cornejo ’15, who currently plans to be at home this summer, said CareerLAB did a good job of publicizing the fair, so even though she is not active-

ly seeking out an internship, she still plans to go to “see what’s out there.”

Megan Fitzpatrick ’11, a clean water associate with the nationwide nonprofit Environment America, said her organization actively recruits at Brown. Environment America is looking to fill a two-year fellowship that would allow recent graduates to work with advocates and organizers on issues such as water and clean energy, environmental sustainability and global warming, she said.

Michael Clinton, a senior recruiter for the advertising agency Hill Holiday, said this career fair marks the company’s fourth recruiting event at Brown. While his company specializes in marketing — a profession not specifically represented among the University’s academic offerings — he said Brown students are able to articulate how their previous experiences, academic and otherwise, have prepared them to work in the

industry. He added that students he talks to at the fairs have usually researched the company and are able to justify their interest compellingly.

In addition to next week’s career fair, there are four supplemental fairs scheduled. The AllIvy Environmental Career Fair at Columbia serves the consortium of eight Ivy League schools. The Association for Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting Career Fair targets Latinos interested in accounting and finance but is also open to other applicants, Rogers said.

CareerLAB also hosts career fairs in March for students interested in careers related to health and social enterprise.

With five career fairs within a month, there is “a lot of activity,” Rogers said. She added that students should expect more offerings from CareerLAB to meet the needs of students interested in working for nonprofits.

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

UCS referendum sparks discussion continued from page 1 chose to address its funding issues and its relationship with UFB. “If it does pass, I think it is the end of the conversation instead of the beginning,” he said, reiterating UFB’s argument that the proposed amendment will only worsen relations between the two bodies.

The amendment could give the council an “undesignated amount of funding” in the future, Lee said.

“The way (the amendment) is worded is a slippery slope.”

UCS President Ralanda Nelson ’12 encouraged students to provide input about the referendum.

“All student activities give to this campus, and they all deserve and have a place here,” she said.

During the forum, many students expressed concern about the lack of time between the amendment’s introduction and the voting process.

Sam Davidoff-Gore ’15 compared the constitutional change’s sudden appearance to the 2011 shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He argued that her injury led to a dramatic increase in the amount of discussion surrounding political rhetoric but that ultimately the conversation fizzled and did not lead to any changes. The sudden introduction of this amendment led to more discussion about the roles of UFB and the council, he said, but he added that he did not think this conversation would produce substantial changes.

Many students initially voted without knowing all arguments for and against the referendum, said Remy Fernandez-O’Brien ’12, who wrote a Feb. 15 guest column in The Herald proposing a compromise between the two groups.

He said the council should allow a re-vote since more information about the proposed constitutional change is now available.

Nelson said the proposed amendment was an “on the ground, learning ‘oops.’” But she said the main purpose of introducing the constitutional change was to foster more discussion about the issue of funding, rather than to pass an agenda.

“I would be surprised if (the amendment) passed,” Nelson said.

Other students asked what the council would do with additional funding. Nelson said UCS might buy buttons for Brown Employee Appreciation and Recognition Day because UFB does not fund free giveaways. UCS Vice

President David Rattner ’13 also said the council needed more funding for its Ivy Council Conference. This year, the University’s Ivy Council only received $1,500 compared to Dartmouth’s $10,000, he said.

But Lee said the council returned 50 percent of the funds allocated to it. Nelson noted that UFB “operates in the green,” meaning many student groups return money given to them by UFB. “I think it’s a misnomer to say that they are so constrained that (the amendment) would negatively affect all students on campus,” Nelson said.

While she said there would not be a limit to the amount of funding the Council could allocate to itself, Nelson said she does not think “taking all that money would ever fly.” More specific details about how the proposed amendment would be implemented would come through a code change, Rattner said.

Students also asked how the amendment would improve transparency in the budget process and how it would improve the relationship between the council and UFB. Some criticized the lack of unbiased information available about the amendment.

Sarah Evelyn ’12 told The Herald she found the forum helpful, though it did not change her opinion on the amendment.

“I thought it was really great that people got to voice their opinions about the referendum,” she said. “I wish it had happened earlier in the voting process.”

Davidoff-Gore said the animosity between the council and UFB detracted from the quality of the discussion. “There’s obviously tension between the two, and that needs to be resolved before there can be anything that goes forward,” he told The Herald.

He voted against the amendment and has not spoken with anyone outside of UCS who supported it, he said.

“It seemed like they were trying to pull the wool over our eyes,” he said. “Both need to tone down their ego, and they need to think about what’s best for the students.”

Director of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center and Student Activities Kisa Takesue ’88, Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn and Senior Director for Student Engagement Ricky Gresh also attended the forum.

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

Campus News 7

U. officials discuss tax status at UCS general body meeting

By David Chung News Editor

University officials discussed Brown’s financial contributions to the city of Providence at Wednesday’s general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students. The council also introduced a resolution on gender-neutral housing for firstyear students to be voted on next Wednesday and considered the future of its relations with the Undergraduate Finance Board in light of recent backlash over its proposed constitutional amendment.

Though the University recognizes the severity of the fiscal crisis plaguing the city, it is already a major contributor to the city, paying $4 million annually, said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations.

About 38 percent of the city’s property is tax-exempt, Quinn said, adding that it is understandable that city residents are looking to Brown for additional contributions. Still, University property accounts for only 8.1 percent of the city’s property.

“And we’ve already stepped up,” she added, indicating the University’s proposal to provide an additional $2 million in voluntary payments each year to the city.

President Ruth Simmons has demonstrated the University’s commitment to the city, Quinn said, but Brown cannot simply write a “blank check” for the city without considering the potentially “crippling” effects on the University’s mission as well as its tuition and need-blind admission.

Quinn also pointed to Yale which has a strong financial commitment to its home city of New Haven and is considered “one of the more generous in the country.” Though Yale provides the city with $8.1 million in voluntary payments each year compared to Brown’s $2.5 million in voluntary contributions to Providence, Yale possesses an endowment of $19.4 billion, approximately eight times as large as Brown’s.

While Mayor Angel Taveras told Simmons he would seek legislative action to increase Brown’s financial contributions if negotiations are unfruitful, Quinn said the University would fight in court over its taxexempt status if necessary.

“We have a strong legal case,” said Albert Dahlberg, director of state and community relations.

The council also introduced a resolution in support of genderneutral housing for first-years as proposed by the student group GenderAction. Members will vote

next week on the resolution, which calls for the implementation of gender-neutral housing based on the University’s anti-discrimination clause, undergraduate student body support as expressed in the council’s fall 2011 poll and Penn’s plans to introduce the option this fall for its students.

The council also discussed the controversy surrounding the amendment it proposed last week that would allow UCS to make funding decisions without UFB’s approval. UCS leaders were considering withholding the results of

the undergraduate student vote on the amendment, said David Rattner ’13, vice president of the council.

Some students told the council they had voted for the amendment and then learned information that would have affected their decision, added UCS President Ralanda Nelson ’12.

But due to widespread disagreement among the council’s members, the decision to withhold the vote was reversed.

Rattner also said a separate council of five members composed of two UCS representatives, two UFB representatives and a community

member will be created. The committee will discuss the relationship between the two bodies and introduce a proposal clarifying their relationship within the next month. The committee is charged with exploring the issue of transparency, Nelson said, and will provide regular updates to the council.

This weekend, Nelson, along with four other members of the council, will represent the University at the Global Zero conference at Yale and will meet and discuss issues with other student leaders from across the country.

8 RoundUp

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

Taveras optimistic after meeting continued from page 1 contribute an additional $5 million over ten years if the university can purchase lands from the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, which oversees the sale of land made available by the relocation of the interstate, Bowen said at the press conference. Bowen suggested the land would be used for expansion by the university, which is interested in developing the state’s first physician assistance program.

But Taveras is still asking the city’s other large tax-exempt institutions — including Brown and Providence hospitals — to come

to the table with additional contributions.

“I am confident that we are going to be able to resolve the issues with Brown,” Taveras said during yesterday’s press conference. Details about his meeting with Simmons are not being released to the public.

“The conversation that the mayor had with President Simmons was productive, and the mayor feels hopeful that we are headed in the right direction,” said David Ortiz, Taveras’ press secretary.

Simmons’ meeting with Taveras comes in the week following the University’s meeting of the Corporation. As the University’s highest

governing body, the Corporation will ultimately have to ratify any changes to the amount the University contributes to the city.

“The strength and success of Brown and Providence are intertwined, and the scenarios we are discussing with the mayor seek to position Brown as a long-term partner with the city,” Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, wrote in an email to The Herald.

While Taveras declined to disclose details of yesterday’s meeting with Simmons at the press conference, he verified that additional meetings with Simmons are planned.

Higher ed ne ws roundup

by Kate Nussenbaum senior staff writer

Insurance companies will cover costs of contraceptives at Catholic colleges Women who work at religiously-affiliated colleges will receive free contraceptives as part of their health care coverage, but the colleges will not be required to pay for them, President Obama announced Friday, according to an article published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. His new policy marks a change from his announcement last month, in which he said the nonprofits would have to cover the cost of preventative services in their employees’ health care plans.

Under this plan, the insurance companies would have to offer free contraception to females at these institutions directly, according to CBS News.

Many politicians and religious leaders are opposed to the policy. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the policy “an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country,” the Huffington Post reported.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said it is not willing to compromise on the issue.

“The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for (the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services,” the bishops said in a statement Friday.

But many students at Catholic colleges support the measure. “When we hear conservative Catholic organizations ask what we expected when we enrolled at a Catholic school, we can only answer that we expected women to be treated equally, to have their medical needs met,” Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke told the Huffington Post.

Callie Otto, a student at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. said condoms are not distributed on campus. “I’m paying $50,000 a year to go to college,” she told the Post. “I think that I should be able to get birth control with that $50,000.”

Former teammates testify against Huguely in Love trial After five-and-a-half days in court during which more than 50 people were questioned, the jury has not yet reached a verdict on whether George Huguely V, the former boyfriend of University of Virginia student Yeardley Love, is guilty of causing her death, according to ABC News.

Ken Clausen, one of Huguely’s former lacrosse teammates at the University of Virginia, told the court about Huguely’s aggressive behavior on the night that he allegedly murdered his then-girlfriend Love, according to the New York Daily News.

Clausen said there were holes in the story Huguely told him and his roommate concerning his whereabouts that night. He also said Huguely was a heavy drinker, the Daily News reported.

The trial continued Thursday, when the defense brought in a brain scientist who said Love’s death could have been caused from suffocation, and not a heavy blow to her head as the prosecution is alleging, according to ABC News. Love may have accidentally suffocated herself after drinking heavily, the expert said.

If Huguely is found guilty, he could face life in prison, ABC News reported.

New site lets professors rate themselves In January, Northeastern sophomore Daniel Abram launched KnowThyProf.com, a new site where professors can briefly describe their courses and teaching styles to potential students, according to an article published in Inside Higher Ed. The site functions as an alternative to sites like RateMyProfessors.com where students anonymously submit numerical evaluations of teachers.

“There are no ratings or rankings. It simply tells you what kind of person the professor is,” Abram told Inside Higher Ed.

Why can’t we be friends?

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RoundUp 9

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

today in University history

by Sona Mkrttchian senior staff Writer

comics

Fraternity of Evil | Eshan Mitra, Brendan Hainline and Hector Ramirez

On Feb. 16, 1999: In preparation for the opening of the Providence Place Mall, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation planned to construct a ramp to ease southbound traffic on Route 95. The procedure was stalled due to a low supply of steel, which was integral to completing the 1,800 foot bridge. The ramp eventually served to redirect drivers onto Providence Place. The project was federally funded and cost around $8 million.

On Feb. 16, 1993: Moving his business from Cranston, Rhode Island, Michael Anthony Cardillo opened up a barbershop in Faunce House for the University community. At the time, Faunce house also included a candy counter and post office. Melissa Smith, a customer, called Cardillo “very patient” and said students were content with the quality of the service. Cardillo — known as the Faunce House Barber — had previously owned a salon at the University of Rhode Island and planned to have suppliers like Paul Mitchell come to campus to introduce students to their products.

On Feb. 16, 1971: Faculty members proposed a measure that would allow faculty who could not attend meetings to vote using absentee ballots .

Twelve professors co-sponsored the amendment drafted by former Professor of Engineering William Findley, who sought to increase faculty participation in “policy questions,” he said. Some faculty members like former Professor of Biology Frank Rothman disagreed with the measure. “In order to be able to vote intelligently on any issue, it is valuable to hear the debate,” he said. Additional debate revolved around the use of secret ballots for public issues beyond appointments.

Dreadful Cosmology | Dario Mitchell

10 Editorial & Letter Editorial

Contraception proposal offers compromise Last Friday, as a concession to mounting Catholic opposition, President Obama rescinded his proposal requiring all religiously affiliated institutions to provide contraceptive services to their employees. In a statement, the White House said, “Contraception coverage will be offered to women by their employers’ insurance companies directly, with no role for religious employers who oppose contraception.” While many Catholic leaders are still opposed to the revision, we deem Obama’s compromise more than fair, and his commitment to increasing access to birth control for women is commendable. But we also think further improvements could be made.

In the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, as well as in some other dioceses in the U.S., the diocese does not partner with a separate insurance company. Rather, it acts as a self-insured group — implying that Obama’s amendments would not change anything. In essence, these dioceses would continue to pay for contraceptive services, which they oppose on moral and religious grounds.

At the same time, most Catholic institutions are neither self-insured nor opposed to Obama’s revisions. In a practical sense, if employees in these institutions wish to obtain contraception, they have every right to do so through their insurance companies. In addition, a recent study concluded that 98 percent of Catholic women have used contraception, and the very public debate around this topic has revealed that many Catholics do not share the exact sentiments of the higher clergy on issues such as homosexuality, divorce and pre-marital sex. We conclude that if most Catholic institutions are not required to pay for a service they oppose, Obama’s compromise seems like an egalitarian approach to respecting not only religious freedom, but also the right of women to access crucial health care.

That said, there are philosophical issues that have not been addressed. The principal reason why many bishops are still unhappy is not simply because they oppose contraception, but because through this process the administration has defined what constitutes a religious institution. For instance, religious officials are not sure if “Catholic schools” such as the University of Notre Dame — also home to many non-Catholic students and faculty — would be considered religiously exempt and thus free from being compelled to directly provide contraception. Since the “separation of church and state” has been so heavily emphasized in the Cranston prayer banner case, it seems hypocritical that the same argument is not marshalled in this case. We believe that, on a fundamental level, the Obama administration has no right to decide whether certain institutions are religiously affiliated or not.

Holistically, the revisions make sense. While they are imperfect, we believe that they satisfy the needs of not only those who need access to contraceptives, but also those who do not wish to compromise their principles in order to provide these services. We are satisfied with Obama’s changes and applaud his intentions, though we certainly believe there is room for improvement.

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

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The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

Editorial cartoon

by a n d r e w a n ta r

Correction Due to an editing error, an article in Wednesday’s Herald (“New groups grapple with UCS procedures,” Feb. 15) stated that there are currently five student group category classifications, including a Category A designation for club sports. In fact, the Category A designation was eliminated by the council last year. The Herald regrets the error.

le tter to the editor To end hazing, students must report concerns To the Editor: In response to Wednesday’s editorial (“A haze of excuses,” Feb. 15), we would like to clarify for all students Brown’s policy on hazing. For any student seeking the policy, it is easily accessible on the Office of Student Life website under the student conduct policy. Brown’s policy clearly states that hazing is a criminal offense as well as a University offense. We do not defer to state law, but we are in compliance with state law. Hazing is a violation of our conduct standards and is not tolerated on this campus. Disciplinary action has and will be taken against individuals and organizations that are in violation.

Every Greek organization and sports team has annual training and education about the hazing policy, which emphasizes our seriousness regarding enforcement of this policy. Sanctions for individual students have been levied in response to hazing allegations (these actions would not be visible publicly), and we follow up with organizations, including suspending chapters when necessary. In cases

where we have sufficient evidence of hazing, sanctions will be more serious than probation.

This next point is harder to make but is very important. The culture within organizations that might engage in hazing tends to make it difficult to get information from members of those organizations (or even from knowledgeable outsiders) when there is a concern that hazing might be taking place. The best way to stop the culture of hazing is to report it. We stand with The Herald in calling for an end to hazing at Brown, and we ask that students with any knowledge of hazing on our campus come forward with that information to protect our community. Confidential reports can be made to Dean Allen Ward or at OSL@brown.edu.

Richard Bova, Senior Associate Dean for Residential and Dining Services Margaret Klawunn, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Allen Ward, Senior Associate Dean for Student Life

quote of the day

“I would definitely say Brown is the place to start a nonprofit.”

— Jayson Marwaha ’14, MEDInternational founder See nonprofit on page 3.

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Opinions 11

The Brown Daily Herald Thursday, February 16, 2012

How unique are you?

By Jan Cao Opinions Columnist A friend, who is a teaching assistant in “SOC 0170: The Family,” just finished grading the class’ first homework. The assignment was to write a five-page essay about one’s family history. She said that out of the 60 students who submitted essays to her, only two to three of them do not live with both of their biological parents. Hard-working grandparents, loving and encouraging parents and loyal and friendly pets are often mentioned. Many of the grandparents are college graduates, as are most of the parents. Though racial and ethnic diversity is present among her students, the stories are not as diverse as expected.

These comments from a teaching assistant of SOC 0170: “The Family” may not give you a comprehensive understanding of an average Brown student’s family background, but they may reveal some of its very interesting aspects. We tend to think of Brown as a diverse place where people from all kinds of background come together, share their opinions and learn new things from each other. But what if half of the people sitting in the same lecture hall with you have grandparents with immigrant backgrounds, who worked very hard, earned college degrees and maybe even paved a smooth

road for your life before your birth?

Let’s imagine. Since people tend to form some of the closest, longest-lasting friendships in college, many friends in college stick together long after they have graduated, meet friends-of-friends, build networks and form a circle. Plus, many elite universities are feeders for large corporations, academia and professions such as law and medicine. So it could be that some people sitting in the same lecture hall with you will be hanging out and

ery student is a tree-hugging, pot-smoking, liberal hippie, Brown students often regard themselves as smart, liberal, somewhat artsy and, of course, unique.

The student body as a whole has its own way of speaking and its own dress code.

As one of my professors said in her class, “Have you noticed that you all dress, more or less, alike? Brown students don’t dress in the same way as students at Vanderbilt University do.” We think we are unique because everyone else feels the same way,

While rumor often says that Brown has absolutely no requirements and every student is a tree-hugging, potsmoking liberal hippie, Brown students often regard themselves as smart, liberal, somewhat artsy, and of course, unique. working with you later on in your life, and they may also be the grandchildren of your grandpa’s friends-of-friends. If it is true, then you already belong to a community, and the connection between you and those other people around you is already embedded in your family kinship, probably before you even noticed.

The university is another place where sameness, connection and convention rule. While the stereotype is that Brown has absolutely no requirements, and ev-

and being unique in the same way makes us comfortable. Our collective college experience forms a sense of familiarity and community. Also, attending an elite college and succeeding in careers like business or law are still largely functions of family wealth and sustained networks.

You may argue that, even though the family stories sound alike, they are very different in reality, and every person is unique. I absolutely agree. Everyone wants to be special and cool, and I am

no exception. But there are certain standards and expectations of being unique.

Brown students feel unique because they have similar family backgrounds, similar tastes for fashion and art, similar educations and similar ways of thinking. It is precisely the sameness that makes us feel different.

It is very difficult to avoid, or to even notice, the taken-for-granted desirability of certain types, the tendency to comply with normative standards, the ease with the familiar and the rejection of those considered deviant. Preference for sameness is embedded in our allegiance to family, education, professions, consumption, ideologies and so on. Even though there have been a lot of debates on multiculturalism, the plea to reproduce other cultures rather than only the dominant one has been much more popular than questioning the assumption that cultures or sameness need to be maintained or reproduced.

Probably there is no way of being unique. All we have is the reproduction of sameness hidden behind the sense of collective uniqueness. Personally, I believe that the preference of sameness is an important part of human nature that inevitably rules our ways of our thinking.

While this is sometimes a good thing, it merits further examination.

Jan Cao ’13 believes that everyone taking SOC 0170 will enjoy the next paper topic: “Dating and Hooking Up.”

No cuts to mass transit

By Ethan Tobias Opinions Columnist The proposed service cuts by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority are a terrible idea. These cuts would end commuter rail service to Providence after 10 p.m. on weekdays and entirely on weekends. For the privilege of fewer services, commuters would experience an average of a 35 to 43 percent fare increase. For Brown students, it would severely limit access to Boston and would force them onto the less convenient and more expensive Amtrak trains.

In his column (“Transit cuts, fare increases; two extra-dumb ideas,” Feb. 2), Daniel Moraff ’14 explained why cutting mass transportation is bad policy and how it could have been prevented. Regardless, the mismanagement of the past is something we need to accept in the present if we are to save the MBTA from its $161 million deficit.

To address this shortfall, the MBTA is proposing two scenarios that identify service reductions and fare increases. These scenarios suggest a lack of foresight by the MBTA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in responding to this crisis. This shortfall is an excellent opportunity to think big about the nature of public transportation in the 21st century.

First, our continued reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable, both because it pollutes the environment and because

there are a finite amount of oil reserves left on Earth. Mass transportation is much more fuel-efficient than automobiles and is the way of the future. Cuts to rail service will only encourage our addiction to cars and fossil fuels, thereby extending our dependence on carbon fuels far into the future.

Instead of cutting rail service, Massachusetts should be taxing gasoline and using the additional revenue to cover the budget shortfalls of the MBTA. Such an action would simultaneously maintain mass transit and discourage fossil fuel

ing Connecticut, or even the 33 cent tax here in Rhode Island.

In addition, paying a little more at the pump will lead to several benefits for many drivers in the Boston suburbs. For those getting in and out of Boston during rush hour, anything that gets more people off the roads and into trains and buses would be well worth a couple of cents.

And for those who do make the switch to the train, they will find that sitting and reading on their iPads is a lot more enjoyable than gritting their teeth in daily standstill traffic.

Instead of cutting rail service, Massachusetts should be taxing gasoline and using the added revenue to cover the budget shortfalls of the MBTA.

use.

While some may complain that higher gasoline costs will hurt drivers, Massachusetts residents already have it way too easy. The gasoline tax in Massachusetts is a mere 23.5 cents per gallon, which is significantly lower than the 49.6 cents customers shell out per gallon in neighbor-

On top of an increased gas tax, there are still many ways that the MBTA can raise revenues without interfering with service. One of the major causes for the budget shortfall in the first place is interest incurred on debts related to the Big Dig. I say charge a toll for drivers who want to use I-93, which goes through

the center of Boston, since they benefit from the Big Dig’s completion and use that money to help pay down the MBTA’s debt.

Finally, as students at Brown, many of us are not Massachusetts residents but will gain tremendously from the MBTA maintaining or even increasing current rail service. With a transportation bill looming in Washington that puts in jeopardy the roughly $8 billion allocated nationally for mass transportation, we have the responsibility to oppose it. If the federal government were to adequately support mass transportation, it could go a long way to fixing the MBTA budget.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts looks to be a leader in innovation. It is a hub of biotech companies and universities that attract some of the brightest minds in the country — though if they are choosing Cambridge over Providence, how bright can they really be?

These students and young people need an infrastructure that works for them. They understand that the current model is unsustainable and that mass transportation is the path forward.

The city of Boston and its surrounding suburbs deserve a mass transportation system worthy of carrying top talent in and out of the city on any day of the week, no matter the time. It is ridiculous that in 2012, a major metropolis cannot even accomplish that.

Ethan Tobias ’12 is really good at getting work done on trains. He can be reached at Ethan_Tobias@brown.edu.

Daily Herald City & State the Brown

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Providence schools may go paperless State pursues expansion of the Knowledge District

By phoebe draper Senior Staff Writer

Kindergarten students may soon be learning arithmetic on iPads, as part of a new “paperless classroom” initiative sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Education.

The idea of paperless classrooms is gaining traction as state textbook costs swell to $3.9 million annually, according to a report submitted by the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Purchase and Use of Textbooks in Public Schools.

The Rhode Island Department of Education announced a $470,000 grant Jan. 18 “to support the redesign of a school that will use technology to transform education.” All public and charter schools are eligible to apply for the grant, but only one school will receive the funding and function as the pilot school for the paperless classroom program.

The chosen school will launch the initiative this fall. The program includes digitalized curricula and a “one-to-one” policy, in which every student is paired with an electronic device such as a laptop or an iPad. State Rep. Joy Hearn, D-Barrington and East Providence, who co-sponsored the bill to create the commission and served as co-chair of the commission, lauded the Department of Education for adjusting to the “changing educational landscape,” according to RIDE’s Jan. 18 press release.

Teachers and educational administrators converged to learn more about the possibility of going paperless at the Innovation Powered by Technology Conference, hosted Saturday by the University of Rhode Island.

For educators, cost is one of primary concerns regarding the program’s full-scale implementation.

“You’re looking at a time of budgeting when it may be constrictive,” said Javier Montanez, principal at the Dual Language School at Lima Annex.

But Dave Fontaine, professor of educational technology at University of Rhode Island and member of the commission, said cost is actually “one of the tremendous benefits.”

“When you incorporate digital content and digital textbooks, you end up saving a lot of money,” he said. “Even in the course of one year, if the cost doesn’t break even, by the second year you’ll certainly be making a profit, or at least saving a significant amount of money.” This is largely due to the ease of updating electronic material, Fontaine added.

Fontaine admitted that a major obstacle to the program is staff training and development. But training staff to work with the technology is a one-time cost, while textbooks require routine spending because they need to be updated every few years, he said.

Educators are also concerned

By adam toobin Senior Staff Writer

Herald File Photo

As textbook prices rise, Providence has begun to consider paperless classrooms.

about technological infrastructure to support electronic curricula.

“We’d have to be very conscious to make sure that the students and parents and families at homes also have access to the information,” Montanez said.

Mari-Ellen Boisclair, principal of Anthony Carnevale Elementary School, said she understands how an interactive technological classroom would especially benefit the large population of special-needs students at Carnevale.

While both Montanez and Boisclair expressed interest in the program, neither educator had heard of the grant prior to speaking with The Herald.

The paperless classroom initiative was launched when the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a joint resolution in March 2011, sponsored by Hearn and Sen. Edward O’Neill, I-Lincoln, North Providence and Pawtucket. The resolution established a special legislative commission co-chaired by the two legislators to “study the possibility of bringing electronic learning to Rhode Island classrooms,” according to a General Assembly press release.

The 15-member commission met for the first time in May 2011 with several explicit objectives — to reduce textbook costs, provide students with devices that would allow them to access information, eliminate the growing problem of 40-pound backpacks and conserve the natural resources used to print and distribute textbooks, according to the commission’s report.

Several months passed as the commission held hearings with

public agencies, private eBook distributors, education officials and existing paperless programs in other states.

“It was exciting,” Fontaine said. “We started off with what we thought was going to be a simple goal, of simply trying to study the option of moving hard copy textbooks to digital textbooks. What happened was that we found that our mission expanded as we began going through our research. We began calling in experts in the field,” he said.

Among these experts was Jeff Mao, learning technology policy director for Maine. Mao described Maine’s decade-old “one-to-one” Learning Technology Initiative, in which all seventh and eighth grade students in the state are provided with an Apple laptop computer. Maine’s program has been “very successful,” according to a report published by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute. According to the report, 75 percent of teachers find that laptops are beneficial in helping their students meet state learning standards.

After “lots of discussions, lots of complication and lots of networking,” Fontaine said the commission submitted its report to the state legislature in November, recommending the implementation of a similar program at a Rhode Island school. This pilot school will function as a “statewide model” until the paperless program can be scaled up to a “grander version.”

“It’s going to be a major shift in education,” O’Neill said.

The economic problems facing Rhode Island are no secret, but state leaders see a ray of hope in Providence’s Knowledge District.

Last year, state legislators formed the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission to organize 20 acres made available by the re-routing of Interstate 195. The group received its first major loan of $250,000 last month from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to create infrastructure plans for the new land.

The land is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for statewide economic growth, said Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 in a press release. The commission’s project remains in its nascent stages, but this first round of funding has provided it with the resources to hire engineers who will plan the extensive infrastructure renovation. The district will need significant work to become a prospering neighborhood, said Colin Kane, chairman of the commission.

The commission will work on the land’s basic infrastructure before moving on to economic development. “Though several institutions have expressed keen interest in purchasing land in the area, the commission’s current concern is to ensure that the district has the basic necessities,” Kane said. “Nobody wants to work where the piping doesn’t work.”

The commission is about to finish models for roads, storm water management systems and other utilities, Kane said. They hope to begin the two-year con-

struction project over the summer, he added. The commission will focus on “environmental due diligence” as it moves forward, he said.

“The primary thing is to create an identity for the area that is consistent with the Knowledge District and Providence,” Kane said. It is for state legislators to decide which companies will reside in the new land, he said.

The Medical Education Building, home of the Alpert Medical School, was one of the first organizations to move into the emerging Knowledge District.

As the neighborhood expands, Brown officials see chances for the University to grow as well, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president.

“If the city, state and community want us, then we would be eager,” Spies said. But due to the Knowledge District’s early stage of development, “we haven’t been able to plan,” he added.

Spies listed a new Med School educational center, a research facility and an engineering facility as examples of institutions Brown would consider bringing to the area.

The University must clear a number of hurdles before it can begin to plan, Spies said. Among these difficulties is a debate about the amount of taxes Brown would pay on any land it purchases in the new area. Though Brown is a tax-exempt nonprofit, the I-195 legislation calls for any institution that buys land — regardless of tax-exempt status — to pay either taxes or payments in lieu of taxes.