Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Daily

Herald

the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 24

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Since 1891

Taveras, Spies to step down in wake of Simmons’ resignation Dems discuss U. payments to city

By Shefali Luthra News Editor

By sona mrkttchian Senior Staff Writer

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras addressed students’ concerns about the University’s relationship with the city and reminisced about his political ascent yesterday at a meeting of the Brown Democrats.

“It’s interesting to lead in these times,” Taveras said at the meeting, pointing out that the city’s financial crisis forced his administration to decrease the city’s former $110 million structural deficit to around $22.5 million.

A collection of measures, including revenue from cuts and additional contributions will be necessary to close the remaining budget deficit, Taveras said. He is seeking revenue from the city’s tax-exempt institutions, including Brown, as a significant source of funds to close the budget deficit.

The number one source of revenue for the city is real estate taxes, Taveras said. “But about half of our property in the city is tax exempt.”

The University now pays around continued on page 5

Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president, will step down at the end of the calendar year, President Ruth Simmons announced Monday in an email to faculty and staff.

Spies joined the University January 2002 in a position Simmons created for him, Simmons said.

He was previously vice president for finance and administration at Princeton.

Spies said he decided to step down when Simmons announced she would be leaving at the end of the academic year.

“My role here has always been tied to her view of how planning should be done and the role of the Plan for Academic Enrichment,” he said.

Though Simmons said she

expects the president-elect to be named before April, it will likely take longer to decide whether an equivalent vice president for planning position will exist after Spies leaves.

“Every president approaches this somewhat differently,” she said.

“The Corporation did not, when I came, suggest anything as a format with respect to planning. This decision I was allowed to determine on my own, and so I’m sure the same courtesy will be extended to the new president to decide how they want to handle things.”

Simmons said she had “in a way” expected Spies to step down with her departure, given the closeness of their working relationship.

Spies said he does not know if one person will fill his role or if the position will be divided between multiple administrators. continued on page 2

Courtesy of Marisa Quinn

Spies’ role has always been linked to President Simmons’ academic initiatives.

Program fosters student entrepreneurship BUCC talks

By SINCLAIR TARGET Contributing Writer

Six student teams were chosen last Friday to form the inaugural class of a startup accelerator called Brown Venture Labs. Over the course of the 10-week program, the teams will be provided with mentors, office space and $4,000 of seed funding each to help them develop their nascent businesses. The finalists were competing with 16 other teams for spots in the program.

An extra $1,000 will also be awarded at the conclusion of the

program to the team that best establishes itself through channels like social media, said Adrienne Tran ’14, who is running the program. The funding for Venture Labs comes from the Brown Venture Launch Fund, formed last year from a $100,000 anonymous donation intended to foster student entrepreneurship on campus, Tran said.

Among the mentors who will be participating are Hyun Kim ’01, founder of Mama Kim’s; Charlie Kroll ’01, founder of Andera; and Walker Williams ’11, founder of Teespring and co-founder of Jobzle. The teams

will meet with mentors at a mentorship speed dating event March 4 and then communicate with them through weekly blog posts, dinners and regular meetings. They will also attend workshops on pitching, prototyping and finance.

This spring marks Venture Labs’ first semester, but if all goes as planned it should return in the fall, said Elizabeth Weber ’14, co-president of the Brown University Entrepreneurship Program. Weber said she hopes Venture Labs will grow to continued on page 3

Senior’s ‘Zoostalgia’ revisits ages past Weeping woolly mammoths, bucktoothed Neanderthals and a firebreathing North America — Manvir Singh’s ’12 new book, “Zoostalgia,” is full of quirky and inviting illustrations like these that draw in readers regardless of their background in biology. “Zoostalgia,” which is now available at a handful of small book-

feature

Courtesy of Manvir Singh

inside

“Zoostalgia” by Manvir Singh ‘12 features didactic doodles of prehistoric species.

news....................2-5 editorial................6 Opinions.................7

Jim Crow

Lecturer deplores racial disproportion in prisons news, 3

stores and on Amazon, is dedicated to Pleistocene megafauna, extinct large animals that lived from 12,000 to 2.6 million years ago. Singh, a self-proclaimed “animal nerd,” said he has always been fascinated by these creatures.

“They’re kind of like extreme, mutated versions of a lot of the creatures we have, like giant sloths, giant armadillos, like dwarf hippos,” he

said. “It’s like an alternate universe.”

One appealing aspect of these fauna, Singh said, is their “recency” — geological recency, that is­— and the stamp they left on the world.

“They are so alien in one sense, but you can still see the ecological effects,” he said.

The book is done entirely in black and white and catalogues the various fauna by continent of origin. The cover, which lacks any text, showcases the giant head of a woolly mammoth, complete with an angelic halo and a star balanced between its tusks. The rest of the book showcases Singh’s clean and detailed, if sometimes anatomically incorrect, line art.

Each spread features an elaborately drawn animal alongside a handwritten description.

The lettering is also fanciful — Singh swirls the ends of his y’s and g’s and puts occasional serifs on the continued on page 4

Guilty?

Eppler ’13 targets the death penalty opinions, 7

weather

By elizabeth koh Staff Writer

solutions to tensions with city By caroline flanagan Senior Staff Writer

The Brown University Community Council spent the majority of its monthly meeting Tuesday discussing the University’s current relationship with the city of Providence as well as the details of numerous construction projects planned for the next few years.

President Ruth Simmons started off the meeting with an update on the University’s current relations with the city. Media attention surrounding the conflict has calmed down, she said, adding that she is confident the University can come to an “equitable solution” that will benefit both sides. The Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, is currently reviewing various proposals and providing administrators with specific instructions on how to deal with the situation, Simmons said.

“They believe that whatever we do should involve a transaction,” she said. “It should not be in any way construed as a gift.

That is a principle they see as very important.”

One possible arrangement is that the city could allow the University to expand beyond its current property boundaries in

t o d ay

tomorrow

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2 Campus News

Spies was city’s partner from ‘day one’

calendar Today

February 29

11 A.m.

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, February 29, 2012

ToMORROW

March 1

continued from page 1

5:30 p.m.

Condom Carnival,

“What Kind of Subject is Food?”

Main Green

Annmary Brown Memorial

4 p.m.

8 p.m.

“The View from Obama’s Cabinet,”

“We Can Rebuild Him,”

Salomon 101

Stuart Theatre

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH

Vegan Tacos, Vegetarian Mori Soba Noodles, Beef Tacos, Refried Beans, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

Mediterranean Eggplant Saute, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

DINNER Castle Hill Inn Pork Spare Ribs, Vegan Jamaican Jerk Tempeh, Decorated Birthday Cake

Mediterranean Shrimp Stir Fry, Rotisserie Style Chicken, Broccoli Cuts, Decorated Cake

Sudoku

What is important, he said, is that the University maintains a “focus” on excelling in a few key areas — something he said has characterized the past decade.

“We can’t be all things to all people,” he said. “We have to focus our resources if we’re going to be successful, if we’re going to compete with institutions that are bigger than we are, if we’re going to attract the very best people.”

Spies played a key role in areas like redeveloping the Jewelry District in Providence and the ongoing negotiations between the University and the city. Simmons said the University brought Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration, and Marisa Quinn, vice president of public affairs and University relations, into the ongoing talks so that there will be other administrators with “deep knowledge of where we’ve been” if the debate continues past Spies’ departure.

“But obviously our goal has been to resolve that really as soon

as possible rather than wait until the next academic year,” Simmons said. “What would happen is that if we’re able to finish it, that leaves the new president without the onerous task of trying to deal with all this.”

Spies worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce in trying to redevelop the Jewelry District in Providence. Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, said she was saddened to hear Spies would be leaving, though she was not surprised by the news.

“The follower will have a predecessor who is very bold in action and committed,” White said, adding that she believes whoever succeeds him will also show dedication to developing the city’s economy.

“He’s been a partner from day one,” she said, citing his frequent meetings with the Chamber of Commerce — White and Spies met two to three times each week — as a sign of both his and Simmons’ commitment to the city.

Spies informed Simmons of his plan to step down a couple of weeks ago, she said. Simmons and

Spies notified administrators, staff, faculty and city officials Monday.

Huidekoper said Spies told her of his intention Monday morning, adding that she is “happy for Dick,” though he is “obviously going to be missed.”

“Dick has been absolutely committed to Brown, and he’s focused and been very helpful in ensuring that Brown stays focused as well,” she said.

Huidekoper also cited the “special relationship” between Spies and Simmons, adding that the potential for a successor depends on the president-elect’s personal preference.

Spies said he did not announce his intention to step down earlier because he did not want to “put a damper” on work that still needs to be done.

Though he does not yet have plans for after he leaves the University, Spies said he would like to continue working in higher education. One potential project is authoring a book with Simmons about higher education and university governance, he added.

Bill may close gender gap in health costs

By MORGAn JOHNSON Senior Staff Writer

Crossword

Supporters and opponents of a new bill that would prohibit health insurance providers from charging women higher premiums gathered last night for a hearing at the State House to testify in front of the House Corporations Committee while the bill remains on hold.

“I can’t believe we missed this one,” said Barbara Colt, former director of the Rhode Island Health Centers Association, who said she was shocked that this practice, called gender rating, went under the radar during the peak of sexual discrimination reform.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Donna Walsh, D-Charleston, New Shoreham, South Kingston and Westerly, said 95 percent of insurance companies charge females aged 21 to 55 higher premiums than men, according to national actuarial studies. The percentage increase varies by age group, with companies charging between 6 and 45 percent higher premiums for women under 25 than their male counterparts.

Walsh called the rationale behind the higher charges “really interest-

Daily

the Brown

ing.” In addition to medical expenses associated with maternity, insurers charge women preemptively for greater average frequency of health checkups than men. Walsh said the extra charges are ultimately counterintuitive, adding that frequent visits to physicians result in better prevention and earlier diagnosis of disease. “It saves insurers money overall,” she said.

Walsh said the higher premiums are further burdensome on the female demographic, as women are less likely to have jobs with employer-provided health insurance, are more likely to hold part-time jobs and comprise more of the poverty rate than men.

Kate Brock, executive director of the liberal lobbying coalition Ocean State Action, said she is met with “shock and outrage” whenever she explains gender rating to the coalition’s members and others. “It violates basic values of fairness,” she said, adding that women should not face sole financial burden for pregnancy-related expenses. “Last time I checked, men have something to do with women getting pregnant.”

Brock said the consequences of gender rating trickle into unfair

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hiring practices, which she said she finds understandable as an employer.

“I know that my premiums will be higher if I hire a woman over a man,” she said.

“I’m here representing myself,” said Nicole Casinger, a local, who called higher premiums “both sexist and classist.” She said the prospect of paying for health insurance after becoming financially-independent was the “scariest thought in the world,” adding that many of her friends have chosen to remain uninsured due to the high premiums and avoid biking to work for fear of being injured.

“I’m going to be very popular today,” said Terrence Martesian of America’s Health Insurance Plans, one of the few speakers who testified in opposition to the bill. Martesian said the Affordable Health Care Act, which would take effect in 2014, already includes a federal ban on gender rating along with ‘safety-net’ subsidies not included in the state bill.

Shawn Donahue, a lobbyist for Rhode Island Blue Cross Blue Shield, said gender disparities are reversed in car and life insurance, which typically charge men higher rates and are much less contended. He added that Rhode Island’s lack of health care mandates would make the bill a failure if enacted. A similar bill passed in Maine, which also lacks mandates, caused premium prices to “skyrocket,” he said, and it was ultimately repealed. “Health care becomes less affordable for men and women,” he said, adding that the resulting higher prices for men after the elimination of gender rating drives many to drop insurance, which ultimately increases premiums for the remaining insured individuals.

“Will this create a cost shift? Absolutely,” said President of Rhode Island National Organization for Women Carolyn Mark. “We are not looking for special treatment. We are looking for equal treatment.”

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Campus News 3

Lecturer criticizes ‘new Jim Venture Labs funds student entrepreneurs Venture Labs could play this role, nium is already backed by two vencontinued from page 1 Crow reality’ of prisons emphasizing that it would create an ture companies, Social Leverage and By mathias heller Senior Staff Writer

Michelle Alexander, associate professor of law at Ohio State University, discussed problems with the nation’s criminal justice system last night in this year’s Debra L. Lee Lecture on Slavery and Justice. Alexander spoke to a packed audience that included President Ruth Simmons and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 in the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts last night.

Her talk, entitled “The New Jim Crow,” was based on her 2010 book with the same name that deals with the issue of mass incarceration in the United States.

“We as a nation have taken a wrong turn in our stride towards freedom,” Alexander said in her opening lines. Alexander, who also taught at Stanford Law School and was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, described her personal “enlightenment” when she discovered the reality of mass incarceration in the nation’s criminal justice system. She said she used to reject comparisons between slavery and the disproportionate imprisonment of blacks before she came across a case of police abuse in Oakland, Calif., while working as a civil rights attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The systematic mass incarceration of poor people in the United States is tantamount to a new caste system,” Alexander said. She described the eye-opening experience of talking with a man who claimed he had been wrongfully convicted of a drug felony and had subsequently been denied access to housing, food stamps and employment. Though she initially did not believe him, she said she later learned on the news that the Oakland police had in fact wrongfully arrested him.

“The minute he told me he was a felon I’d stopped listening,” Alexander said. “My real crime was in refusing to allow the stories of those we feel as guilty from ever being told.”

The incident changed Alexander’s mindset about the drug war, she said, and forced her to ask herself “hard questions” that led to her decision to write a book.

“What I learned in the process truly blew my mind,” she said.

Throughout the lecture, Alexander presented a series of statistics on the impact of the federal war on drugs on blacks, some of which elicited audible shouts of surprise from audience members. Fifty percent of workingage black males have a criminal record and nearly one in seven black men have been temporarily or permanently denied the right to vote, Alexander said.

“We went from a prison population of about 300,000 in the 1970s to upwards of 2.5 million,” Alexander said. “Incarceration rates have soared regardless of

whether crime has gone up or down.”

Alexander said the root of her argument is that the drug war’s disproportionate imprisonment of blacks stems from the Reagan administration’s efforts in the 1980s to win political support from low-income whites anxious about civil rights advancements for blacks. The drug war was part of the larger “Southern strategy” to capitalize on whites’ fears for political purposes, she said.

“The drug war has been waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color,” Alexander said. “There are more people in prisons and jails today just for drug offenses than were incarcerated for all reasons in 1980.” And four out of five arrests for drug offenses are for simple drug possession, she said.

The ability of a lawsuit to address racial discrimination in the drug war is limited by Supreme Court rulings that consistently reject allegations of bias without cut-and-dry proof that law enforcement officials made a “conscious” decision to discriminate, which can be nearly impossible to attain, Alexander said. “The U.S. Supreme Court has closed the door on cases alleging racial bias,” she said.

In response to questions on how she proposes to reform the criminal justice system, Alexander said she believes efforts to provide felons with greater access to social services are inadequate to eliminate the “new Jim Crow” reality.

“This system … is not going to just fade away without a major upheaval, a fairly radical shift, in our public consciousness,” Alexander said. “We’ve got to be willing to admit out loud that we as a nation have managed to re-birth a caste-based system.”

The soul-searching required to overcome this challenge must be accompanied with compassion for the large number of primarily black felons leaving prisons, Alexander added. She told the audience the nation must do more than listen to “the same sound bites from Martin Luther King, Jr. during Black History Month” to put King’s vision of racial equality into practice. One key step would be removing the “shame and stigma” attached to felons so they can rejoin their families and communities, she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The annual Lee lecture is sponsored by Debra Lee ’76, the chair and CEO of Black Entertainment Television Networks. The lecture features experts on issues related to the historical legacy of slavery in the U.S. and around the world.

In his introduction to Alexander’s talk, Corey Walker, associate professor and chair of the department of Africana studies, called the lecture “a key component of Brown University’s response to the Report of the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.”

accommodate up to 20 or 25 startups each semester. The entrepreneurship program, which is overseeing Venture Labs, is a student-run umbrella organization for entrepreneurial activity on campus and is supported by an advisory board of faculty and alums.

Tran, who is also the in-reach vice president of the entrepreneurship program, came up with the idea for Venture Labs last summer. She wanted to create a more communal place for startups to develop than the options Brown already offered. “I felt like a lot of people were working in isolation,” she said. “There’s a lot that can be gained by putting those people together in the same physical space.” Tran said she also wanted to make it easier for startups to access the University’s resources by putting their founders together in one place.

Tran worked to set up Venture Labs with Andrew Antar ’12, a Herald editorial cartoonist, who had come up with a similar idea. In the fall semester, they were advised by Alan Harlam, director of social entrepreneurship at the Swearer Center for Public Service, who said he was looking for ways to support recipients of Venture Launch Fund grants.

Harlam said he was “trying to find a structure that could be mostly student-run to support the grantees with mentorship and a strong, peerlearning community.” He added that

opportunity for “entrepreneurs to thrive in a community of other entrepreneurs.”

Applications for the program were due Feb. 17. The application asked teams to explain the novelty of their ideas, their plan for connecting with customers and how their companies would be socially and environmentally responsible, among other questions. The teams were also interviewed by a selection committee, composed of members of the entrepreneurship program and its advisory board. Tran said the committee based its final decisions on the teams’ potential to succeed and also their collective personalities, motivations and drive.

The six teams participating in Venture Labs this semester represent a range of different industries and ideas. Fanium, a sports-focused Twitter aggregator run by a team with summer experience at Amazon and Microsoft, aims to provide “the best second screen for watching sporting events,” said CEO Grant Gurtin ’13.

Fanium feeds users relevant tweets from players, sports commentators and other viewers as they watch sports games.

Gurtin added that the organization has a working website — which operated during the Super Bowl — and is currently developing an application for mobile devices. Fa-

Venture51, and has raised $150,000, Gurtin said.

Another team aims to create a social network for musicians and music fans, through which users could organize into bands, discuss music and buy and sell songs. The team calls its project Hearo.fm and said it is “90 percent complete,” according to Antar, one of its co-founders.

The team also has plans to provide a ticketing service for concert venues and is creating a system it calls Hearo Causes that would allow bands to allocate a portion of their profits to charities. Antar said the team hopes to launch its site in the next couple of weeks.

A third team is working on a children’s watch that would combat obesity by incentivizing exercise. The watch, called Exersaur, would feature a dinosaur on its face that would light up as a child exercises, said Shawn Medford ’12, co-founder of Exersaur. It could then be connected to a computer, so that on the Exersaur website, children would be able to spend exercise points on growing and personalizing their dinosaur avatar.

Medford characterized the project as part Neopets, part Pokemon. The team has yet to develop a prototype of the watch.

Other finalists include SquareQuote, Bodyrox and NBA Math Hoops, Tran said.

4 Campus News

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, February 29, 2012

UCS aims to bring Bear Bucks to Thayer Singh ’12 works ‘whimsical’ to see if a similar concept will work ering whether the idea is financially drawings into second book By james johnson Contributing Writer

The Undergraduate Council of Students is discussing a proposal that would allow students to use their Bear Bucks accounts at restaurants and local businesses on Thayer Street.

The Bear Bucks system replaced the declining balance account this semester and functions as a centralized vending system through which student ID cards act as debit cards on campus.

“The idea for this project was convenience — not having to carry around your wallet and your credit cards — just your ID card is enough to make you self-sufficient around this campus,” said Alexander Sherry ’15, a member of the UCS Admissions and Student Services Committee, who is spearheading the project to make ID cards usable at Thayer Street businesses.

The project is currently still in its research phase, Sherry said. He has contacted seven schools on the East Coast — including Harvard, Cornell and Georgetown University — to learn more about outside dining options at these schools and

at Brown, he said.

“We don’t want to waste the administration’s time,” Sherry said.

The idea is similar to the MunchCard, a restaurant discount program established by students last spring.

Both Benjamin Vishny ’14, director of MunchCard, and Sherry said that they do not believe either MunchCard or the proposed Bear Bucks plan are in competition with Brown Dining Services. Sherry said UCS will discuss the idea with Dining Services later this spring, but he added that he does not see a connection between the two.

Vishny said most MunchCard users who go off meal plan have said they use the card as a complement to cooking for themselves or to a smaller meal plan option, not as a replacement for an on-campus meal plan.

Logan Mutz ’13.5 called the Bear Bucks project “decently convenient,” adding that it would be nice to have all his money in one place, but that it is not a great inconvenience to have to pay with cash or card.

The Admissions and Student Services Committee is also consid-

feasible. Sherry said that cost is a concern in the proposal, since he knows the University will not support something expensive without good reason.

Daouda Ndiaye, general manager at Au Bon Pain, said University officials talked to the restaurant’s management around 2008 about whether paying with student cards at the restaurant might be possible. But the losses the restaurant would have accrued due to the costs of required software and hardware, as well as the percentage of each purchase that would have gone to Brown, “didn’t make sense,” Ndiaye said.

Both Sherry and Vishny see a combination of the three plans — meal plan, MunchCard and Bear Bucks — as the solution. “I think having options will be good for students,” Sherry said. “If (the University) had had a system where Bear Bucks had been accepted at the restaurants, we wouldn’t have started MunchCard,” Vishny said.

Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential and dining services, declined to comment since the project is still in its early stages.

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continued from page 1 headings of his pages. Instead of italics, species names are done in a charming cursive. “Zoostalgia” is a book of small touches, from the tiny, turbaned human silhouette — added to provide a sense of scale for every creature — to the scrawled ISBN number above the printed barcode on the back cover.

A ‘logical little project’

The heart of the book-making process is one of “revelry,” Singh said.

Singh, who has been drawing since childhood got the idea for “Zoostalgia” last spring. He drew his first illustration for the book, a Glyptodon, or giant armadillo, in April. When he returned to Brown in the fall, he started mapping out the structure of the book and completed the book over winter break.

“I have a picture of an animal or a thought, and (I) doodle it,” he said, adding that he draws his pictures free-hand, without sketches or outlines. “I like celebrating eccentricity or spontaneity.”

“Zoostalgia” is not Singh’s first foray into publishing. His first book, “The Evolutionist’s Doodlebook,” was published last year and provided definitions of various concepts such as sexual dimorphism and Dollo’s law alongside his signature doodles.

Though the first book is “more whimsical and a lot goofier,” Singh said the final process of publishing the book was the same. After editing the drawings and lettering himself, Singh took his work to a printing press in Queens, N.Y. Singh said he was first inspired to publish his work himself when he visited a bookshop in New York selling artists’ publications. “I was looking, and I said, ‘I think I can make something better than these,’”

he said.

“I like books a lot. I like books as an object,” he added. “It just seemed like a logical little project.”

Whimsical doodles

The book’s doodle-like style has been a draw for readers.

“They’re very whimsical,” said Guy Tabachnick ’12 at the book’s launch party Feb. 16. “But (they’re) also very well-done and informative.”

The launch event at Alumnae Hall featured live music and screenprinting of some of Singh’s designs.

“His projects are an expression of who he is ,” said Sandeep Nayak ’12, who has known Singh since freshman year and also attended the event.

For Singh, putting together the book was a way to synthesize his passions for cartooning and biology while exploring his own identity.

“It puts your personal self together,” Singh said.

New territories

Singh said he hopes to go into academia in the future and study animal behavior.

“As long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with animals,” he said.

“It’s cool that we cohabitate with these things.”

After graduation, he plans on taking time off. “I want to explore and travel,” he said. Singh has applied to programs studying animal behavior in the Kalahari Desert, Copenhagen and New Caledonia, an island east of Australia.

In the meantime, Singh plans to write a third book.

“A project can be anything you want — it can be making a table, making a book,” he said. “It gives meaning to a lot of small things in your life.”

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Campus News 5

BUCC favors fee for faculty Taveras explains demands to Dems use of new athletic facilities continued from page 1 Those institutions should be contrib- scapegoat. Were the University concontinued from page 1 exchange for increased payments, Simmons said.

Council members mostly discussed the University’s current contributions, “from practical, economic things to students volunteering in schools,” said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, and how to raise public awareness about the beneficial nature of the University’s presence in the community while dispelling the misconception that it simply drains funds and resources.

One council member suggested creating a blog to facilitate communication between the University and the community.

Quinn said her office may consider more types of advertisement once relations are less strained.

Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, then addressed the proposed fee for use of the new athletic complex, which is scheduled to open in April. The proposed fee is $30 a month for faculty and staff and will be used for the upkeep of the facility, which will cost $1.7 million a year. Students currently pay a recreational fee of $64 a year included in their tuition to use all athletic facilities.

“We looked at a fee that would be fair and still offer opportunities for faculty but still retain the primary purpose of the facility for student usage,” Klawunn said.

Faculty members are allowed to use current athletic facilities free of charge, and the significantly higher fee caused some controversy among the meeting’s attendees.

Simmons and Klawunn emphasized that the measure is not intended to exclude faculty.

Klawunn added that the University thought about introducing a fee after the endowment was cut, but decided against it because they did not think that the current athletic facilities were comparable to local athletic facilities, while the new athletic center will be.

Next, Klawunn and Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential and dining services, gave a presentation detailing the proposed changes to campus housing. Bova placed significant emphasis on the changes to firstyear areas, particularly the renovations to Keeney Quadrangle and Andrews, Metcalf and Miller Halls. He defended the decision

to split Keeney, which currently houses close to 600 students, into three buildings, each housing 210 students. Bova said the smaller, more manageable buildings will foster a sense of community and create a more united residential experience, which Keeney currently lacks.

“Keeney houses 15 percent of the University’s population and is responsible for 50 percent of its vandalism,” Bova said.

The council also discussed plans for the proposed slavery memorial on campus. “It occurs to me that we might not want to call this a memorial to slavery,” Simmons remarked as a side note, adding that the term should be reworked.

Director of the Bell Gallery Jo-Ann Conklin described the process the Public Arts Committee underwent to select an artist and their final decision to choose preeminent African American sculptor, Martin Puryear. Puryear’s work has been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, and he was presented with the National Medal of Arts by President Obama two weeks after his selection to design the memorial.

The Public Arts Committee will receive a proposal for the memorial from Puryear over the summer and will make the design public then. Conklin expects the memorial to be completed in 2014 and to cost about $600,000 with some additional costs for landscaping.

Elizabeth Keithline, a member of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, attended the meeting and commended the University for its plans for the memorial, calling it “a wonderful addition to public art in Rhode Island.”

$4 million of contributions in lieu of taxes to the city due to its tax-exempt status as an educational facility. Taveras pointed out that if the University were taxed fully at the current rate, it would be paying around $40 million in taxes each year. The University is the “largest owner of property in the city,” he said, and its landholdings are valued at $1 billion.

“I could do a lot of things with $40 million,” Taveras said.

Attendees asked Taveras questions primarily on the issue of increased contributions. While most agreed that the University should be contributing more to the city, many voiced concerns that the University was being unfairly targeted.

“The issue, from my perspective, is really related to the size of the institution. Some institutions are in better shape than others,” Taveras said.

uting more because they can afford to do so, he said.

Some private institutions in the city are helping to ameliorate the budget crisis, he said ­— Johnson and Wales University recently promised to triple its current contribution. He also said the city’s hospitals are looking to begin negotiations with the city, but they already provide an invaluable service to the city’s residents.

Taveras also addressed student concerns about the vitality of the University’s endowment. “We want to make sure that Brown continues to prosper,” he said, adding that he does not expect the University to be paying $40 million because that would be “painful.”

But the University should be following the model of other Ivy League schools, Taveras said, instead of using its relatively small endowment — as compared to the other Ivies — as a

Chester Crabson | Tess Carroll

Cabernet Voltaire! | Abe Pressman

comics

tributing the same proportion of its endowment as Yale contributes to New Haven, it would be paying $22 million a year, Taveras said.

Ultimately, Taveras said he was confident that an agreement between the University and the city would be reached soon. He said he spoke with President Ruth Simmons on the phone Monday, in addition to meeting in person twice over the past two weeks and again next week.

Students also questioned whether Taveras has long-term solutions for the city. He responded that there are many initiatives already in place but said he is currently more focused “on dollars and cents.”

Taveras said he feels a great responsibility as the first “colored mayor” of the city.

“When you’re the first, you can’t just be good,” he said. “You have to be great.”

6 Editorial & Letter Editorial

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Editorial cartoon

by sam rosenfeld

A second bill of rights Legislators and activist groups have collaborated recently to introduce legislation to alleviate the burdens of the homeless. One bill would provide $12.5 million in funding to the Neighborhood Opportunities Program in the name of affordable housing, and another would delineate a homeless bill of rights. The latter would protect the homeless from discrimination in the workforce, housing, transportation and other public services. We absolutely support the legislation for affordable housing and strongly believe that the homeless bill of rights is the right move in the process of eliminating homelessness in Rhode Island. These two pieces of legislation benefit the homeless both by providing immediate relief and by combatting the roadblocks for systemic improvement.

Rhode Island consistently ranks in the top 10 states in terms of a proportional homeless population. Though between 2009 and 2012, the homeless population shrank by a third. Evidence suggests the volatility of the housing market is the culprit for the majority of those who lose their homes — not, as many tend to claim, personal issues like drug abuse and mental instability, which in fact only make up 10 percent and 22 percent of the homeless population, respectively. The legislation for affordable housing should help those who were forced into homelessness. This bill is a necessary first step towards achieving important changes that could have tangible benefits for Rhode Island’s most vulnerable citizens.

The bill of rights for the homeless purports to guarantee that “no person’s rights, privileges or access to public services may be denied or abridged solely because he or she is homeless,” according to the bill’s press release. Though the means of enforcing the bill are still unclear, we applaud Rhode Island’s efforts to codify rights for the homeless in the form of concrete legislation. At the same time, the bill of rights, if passed, needs to include solid provisions for the enforcement of these rights, especially regarding the obtainment of housing and employment.

As a possible solution to enforcing anti-discrimination employment policies, we propose a form of affirmative action that would give preferential treatment, in at least firms with lowerskill qualifications, to employing homeless individuals who are actively seeking work. A homeless person “has the right not to face discrimination while seeking employment,” but an affirmative action policy could help solidify the law. This is not only costminimizing to the firms, but it would also greatly help members of the homeless population find jobs that would fit their respective skill levels.

If Rhode Island wants to eliminate one problem on its growing checklist, the bill of rights needs to be explicit on anti-discrimination policies. Given the practical complications of implementing the bill, legislators may want to pursue a procedure for affirmative action. Overall, we applaud the efforts by legislators and activist groups to present a direct and realistic solution to the problems of affordable housing and believe that the bill of rights is a great precursor to future efforts to curb homelessness.

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

t h e b r ow n da i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief

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Column mischaracterizes entrepreneurs To the Editor: In case there are any budding social entrepreneurs who are having second thoughts after reading Daniel Prada’s ’12 (“Every entrepreneur is a social entrepreneur,” Feb. 14) gross mischaracterization of the field, I wanted to offer some words of encouragement.

That for-profit enterprises have brought tremendous social benefits is undeniable. Capitalism is the source of much of our prosperity. But Prada paints a sugarcoated capitalist fantasy, where the market properly rewards every businessperson in proportion to his or her contribution to social wealth, and where every potential contributor to social wealth draws his or her most valuable motivation from the promise of future profits.

In the real world, externalities, collective action problems and other concerns operate to limit profitability as a measure of social wealth improvement.

Moreover, there are individuals who draw tremendous motivation from the social impact of their work, rather

than from potential profit. These people aren’t broken.

They aren’t lazy or stupid. They shouldn’t give up their value system and go be an “actual entrepreneur,” Prada’s euphemism for someone who, like him, is principally motivated by profits. We should encourage that behavior, not shun it.

All around us, there are examples of social enterprises changing the world. The Wikimedia Foundation runs the sixth most popular website in the world on a tiny fraction of the budget of the remaining top 100.

The GNU/Linux operating system enables so much of the for-profit activity that Prada holds so dear; it and the vital tools that run on it are developed largely by social entrepreneurs. BUILD, a social enterprise founded by Suzanne McKechnie Klahr ’94, uses entrepreneurship as a tool to keep at-risk high school students in school.

The list goes on.

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Correction An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“At forum, residents criticize MBTA cuts,” Feb. 28) incorrectly stated that Amtrak train service from Providence to Boston stops at 9:30 p.m. In fact, it stops at 11:30 p.m. The article also reported that the Providence-Stoughton Line will lose 23 stops. In fact, 23 is the number of stops that will be put out of service in Rhode Island on weekends and late nights under the MBTA’s proposal. The Herald regrets the errors.

quote of the day “Last time I checked, men have something to do with — Kate Brock, executive director of Ocean State Action See bill on page 2.

Managers Justin Lee Kaivan Shroff Gregory Chatzinoff Mahima Chawla Matthew Hill Alison Pruzan Elizabeth Gordon David Winer

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Matt Gelfand ’08

women getting pregnant.”

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letter to the editor

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C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

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Opinions 7

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, February 29, 2012

No sincere solutions can come from austerity

By Adam Bouche Opinions Columnist In days when layoffs are industry standard and austerity leads to uprisings, no town in America slips through unscathed. With Providence’s cash flow set to run dry by June, this debt hysteria is hitting home.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has so far stripped millions from the budget by making cuts and consolidating government branches. However, it seems that the steps taken so far are not enough. Mirroring the sentiments of Occupy Providence protesters, Taveras is calling on the city’s major tax-exempt institutions to help alleviate more of the financial burden. Besides our University, this includes several hospitals and three other independent fixtures of higher education.

These local concerns undoubtedly reflect the current national discourse. Occupy Wall Street, congressional gridlock and the beginning of the presidential race have launched the nation into a heated debate about what comprises a fair share of taxes. Providence denizens — many of whom view the University as a corporation with a $2.5 billion endowment — think that our school should contribute much more than the annual $4 million paid in voluntary taxes. Considering that Providence’s budget for this fiscal year is $614 million, roughly $150 million less than the University’s budget for the coming year, this issue is obviously one worth some delib-

eration. But how do we move forward?

One can understand Brown’s hesitance to throw wads of cash at an ailing city. Time and time again — from Boston’s Big Dig to failed federally-funded enterprises — we have seen what tends to happen when we hand our purses to government without explicit agreement as to where the money ends up. Thus, in an attempt to assist one of the sectors hit hardest by budget cuts, the University offered to pour an additional $10 million into city schools over the next five years. Seeing as

entire generation. If Providence abandons its children, who will be capable of dealing with the complex socioeconomic problems plaguing present and future citizens? Even if we choose to cut more arts, music or athletics from schools to save academics, the youth will become less healthy and creative, and more will likely turn to substance abuse to abate boredom. We don’t want Providence turning into yet another urban wasteland. Facilitating the city’s decay will also decrease prospects of economic development. Origi-

Any monetary contribution from the University must be met tenfold by increased student volunteering and tutoring at Providence schools.

Brown’s tax-exempt status means it pays $30 million less than it would each year, the mayor’s administration flatly rejected this proposal in hopes of a more lucrative one. However, the University’s motivations are well-founded.

Providence must realize that lack of money is not the biggest problem it faces in years ahead. Sacrificing education in an already poorly-performing district is the worst move that this administration can make. To curb debt, the city has closed five elementary schools since last year and has narrowly avoided laying off scores of teachers. Though student-teacher ratios have managed to stay low, future rounds of cuts will not leave us so lucky.

It doesn’t matter if the city can meet its budget goals if it means not educating an

nally attracted by Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design, businesses and startups searching for a home will be deterred from choosing Providence if they think it has no future.

The University should contribute more money to the city, but only on the condition that it is not sucked away into the bureaucratic void. Any agreement must include provisions for funneling additional money into education and other enterprises that do not neglect the long-term for the short. In the future, few will remember a year solely because the city met its budget goals — but no one would ever forget who signed Providence’s death certificate.

Our city, though scarred, is brimming with bright hopes. Many neighborhoods are alive with kids playing and running free. The

sense of community manifested in projects like the Urban Pond Procession proves that the city is ripe with minds devoted to creative innovation, even outside of the college communities.

But hands cannot extend one way. We, the students who reap the city’s benefits and help keep local businesses thriving, must start pulling more from our brains than from our wallets. Any monetary contribution from the University must be met tenfold by increased student volunteering and tutoring at Providence schools. What we can do for the local economy is good, but what we can do for the people is great.

Through close friends, I was recently introduced to several innovative programs with great potential. They include Project GOAL, where Brown students couple tutoring with soccer in Central Falls to encourage academic success, and Arts for Social Change, an inthe-works group that will become active next semester. Many student organizations currently help, but as with all service endeavors, the job is never done. Though the University may soon be stripped of its tax exemption by forces beyond its control, we must trump funds with action to improve our home away from home. If the city won’t act and shuns education, we must teach where it won’t and ensure kids have fun.

Adam Bouche ’14 is a geology-biology and archaeology concentrator from Ipswich, Mass.

He may be contacted adam_bouche@brown.edu.

Chafee ’75 correct to oppose death penalty

By Ian Eppler Opinions Columnist Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 and the state of Rhode Island are currently engaged in a fierce legal battle with the federal government over the fate of Jason Wayne Pleau, a man accused of bank robbery and murder. Rhode Island rejected a request to surrender Pleau for prosecution on federal charges because of the federal government’s plans to seek the death penalty in Pleau’s case. Rhode Island has not imposed the death penalty since 1852, and, in the words of Chafee, it is a “penalty consciously rejected by the state of Rhode Island, even for those guilty of the most heinous crimes.” The citizens of Rhode Island have good reason to reject the death penalty for a variety of reasons, including that the sentence is racially discriminatory, causes unacceptable risk of executing an innocent person and is inordinately expensive.

Racial bias has a pernicious influence on the administration of the death penalty.

Countless studies have demonstrated that, across the country, race has an impact on death sentencing decisions. The death penalty has links to the worst aspects of our country’s sordid history of racial bigotry. In 2005, researchers at Ohio State found a relationship between a state’s death sentencing patterns and its lynching history. The death penalty also demonstrates racial bias in areas less typically associated with racial violence. Between 1989 and 1993, black defendants in Philadelphia were four times more likely to receive the death penalty than similar white defendants. Racial bias continues to be a factor to-

day. In September 2011, the Supreme Court temporarily stayed the execution of Duane Buck, an African-American man whose race was cited by witnesses and prosecutors as a factor that increased his “future danger to society” during his 1997 trial.

Despite clear evidence that racial bias influences death penalty sentencing decisions, legislatures and courts have failed to address the problem. In 1987’s McCleskey v. Kemp decision, the Supreme Court held that evidence of racial disparities in the imposition of the death penalty did not constitute a violation of the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. Only one state — North Carolina —

has, in fact, been a reality. The heroic work of organizations such as the Innocence Project has saved hundreds of lives, but the cases of Willingham, Davis and others indicate that wrongful conviction and execution is a very real possibility.

While some states have taken admirable steps to prevent wrongful convictions, such as reducing barriers to DNA testing, requiring the recording of police interrogations to prevent coerced confessions and mandating compensation for the exonerated, wrongful convictions continue. This year has already seen the exoneration of Joe D’Ambrosio in Ohio, and history suggests that the number

The substantive argument behind Rhode Island’s decision — that the American death penalty is an abhorrent punishment that should be forbidden in all cases — should be uncontroversial. has passed legislation addressing racial bias in the imposition of the death penalty. Given the inaction of policymakers, a color-blind criminal justice system is impossible in the face of the death penalty. Abolition is the only solution.

The death penalty’s racially discriminatory impact is reason enough to oppose it, but the continued use of the death penalty risks the unimaginable horror of executing an innocent person. We have reason to fear the possibility. Since 1973, 140 death row inmates have been exonerated and released from prison. The celebrated cases of individuals such as Cameron Todd Willingham and Troy Davis raise grave concern that the unimaginable possibility of executing an innocent person

will grow. The possibility of wrongful convictions demonstrates that the criminal justice system is entirely too fallible to be entrusted with the power to kill.

The American death penalty is an extraordinarily expensive enterprise. According to a report prepared for the Judicial Conference of the United States, the median cost of trying a federal death penalty case such as Pleau’s is approximately 10 times greater than the cost of trying a similar non-death penalty case.

This cost disparity at the trial level is staggering, but it is only the beginning. Following a conviction and death sentence, state and federal law correctly offers opportunities for extensive post-conviction review of death sentences. The painstaking legal work asso-

ciated with post-conviction review and the cost of maintaining a super-maximum security death row come with a high price tag. In 2011, federal judge Arthur Alarcon released the results of his study of California’s death penalty. Between California’s reinstatement of the death penalty in 1978 and 2011, California spent $4 billion on the death penalty and associated costs, which resulted in 13 executions. In other words, California spent $308 million per execution, with no identifiable return on such a large investment. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars with no identifiable return is the epitome of a failed policy.

Wasting taxpayer money may not seem as morally problematic as the possibility of executing an innocent person or involving insidious racial discrimination in the decision to take someone’s life. But in a time of austerity, every dollar that is spent on state-sponsored killing is a dollar taken from educating children or feeding the hungry. The death penalty money pit is indefensible, from both a policy perspective and a moral perspective.

Rhode Island’s decision to reject the federal government’s request raises a number of complicated legal issues related to federalism.

There are no easy answers to these questions, but given the death penalty’s flaws, the substantive argument behind Rhode Island’s decision — that the American death penalty is an abhorrent punishment that should be forbidden in all cases — should be uncontroversial.

Ian Eppler ’13 is a former intern in the postconviction litigation program of the Texas Defender Service. He may be contacted at ian_eppler@brown.edu.

Daily Herald Campus News the Brown

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Market Shares recognized by White House By mark valdez Staff Writer

The Brown Market Shares Program, which supplies produce from local farms to students, faculty and staff shareholders, was recently named a finalist in the first national Campus Champions of Change Challenge sponsored by the White House.

Choosing from a group of 15 finalists, the public can cast votes for finalists online until March 3, and the top five finalists by popular vote will attend a White House event and host an episode of mtvU’s ‘The Dean’s List.’

At press time, the University of Massachusetts Amherst was in first place with 24,185 votes for its program of beautifying its campus through permaculture gardens. The Market Share program was in sixth place, with 8,667 votes.

Leah Douglas ’13, outreach coordinator for the program, was nominated on the program’s behalf. Last fall, Douglas’ mother told her about the competition and encouraged her to apply, she said. This was one of many grants that Douglas was in the process of applying for, so she pieced together the application and sent it off, thinking that “it would disappear into the ethers.”

When a phone call from a White House representative came for Douglas, she was shocked. “I thought it was a joke,” Douglas said.

“All across America, college and university students are helping our country out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” said President Obama in describing the program, according to the challenge website. “I hope this challenge

Panel addresses social influences on health By jasmine fuller Contributing Writer

Courtesy of Meital Cafri

The Brown Market Shares Program ranks sixth in a White House competition.

shines a light on their efforts and inspires Americans of all ages to get involved in their communities.”

Douglas described the market shares program as “unique.” The program regularly provides shareholders with food shares, including produce that comes from farmers within a 20-mile radius of Brown, Douglas said. Shareholders include students, faculty and staff, who pay a lump sum at the beginning of the school semester for their share of produce.

Charlotte Delpit ’15, coordinator of the subsidized program, is responsible for organizing subsidized shareholders. “Our values entail creating access to fresh, local food to everyone and anyone, no matter their financial circumstance,” Delpit said.

Douglas said she was drawn to the program about a year and a half

ago by the real world experience she expected to gain. “I love the work,” she said. “It’s all about access to food.”

Douglas and Delpit said that they appreciate the White House recognizing the need for reform in the agriculture system. “It’s hopeful to know that the White House is paying attention to the major problems of the current food system and highlighting those who are (paying attention),” Delpit said.

Other finalists in the competition have worked on projects including creating gardens on campus lawns and using unused meal credits to feed the homeless, according to the challenge website.

Douglas said she has been “overwhelmed by the support from family, friends and the shareholders.”

“It’s surreal,” she added. “Just surreal.”

Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts said she is amazed by how often health care financing is discussed and how rarely actual health policy is addressed during the first part of a three-seminar series called “Social Determinants of Health: Law and Public Policy,” presented by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions.

Students, doctors and community members gathered in the nearly full Salomon 001 Tuesday evening to learn about the connection between social factors and public health.

“We need to kind of crosspollinate,” Roberts, the keynote speaker, said, referring to the need to concurrently look at social disparities and policies.

Roberts encouraged young leaders to remain in Rhode Island to promote positive change.

Panelist Eric Loucks, assistant professor of epidemiology, said analyzing social factors and their influence on health requires viewing individuals as components of communities, which exist within broader societal contexts.

Meanwhile, panelist Lauren Smith, medical director and chief medical officer of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, advocated active communication among attorneys, doc-

tors, researchers and financial specialists to increase the efficacy of research and policy.

Smith cited her research on winter utilities costs and child health as an example of a more holistic approach to health care.

She added that while it might seem odd for a pediatrician to be knowledgeable about utilities, it is this sort of interdisciplinary work that drives policy making.

Smith said more coherent information from researchers and better understanding among policy makers about accessing research would aid in converting studies into effective policies.

Panelist Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, director of the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at Brandeis University, said her research on the links between housing and health indicate that “housing needs to be thought of as a health-indicator.”

Panelists were optimistic that health policies related to social factors are moving in a positive direction.

Though much can be done to improve research and policy making, the relationship between the two has come a long way, they said, adding that developments can still be made.

“Some of these things we don’t like to talk about, but I really encourage you to push these discussions front-and-center,” Roberts said.

Teach-in dissects marriage equality Fireplace smoke sets

By JAMES RATTNER Senior Staff Writer

Tax differences between gay and heterosexual couples and the local marriage equality situation, as well as its judicial progress, were the focus of a teach-in hosted by the Queer Alliance last night. The event featured law professors from Roger Williams University and a representative from Marriage Equality Rhode Island. Almost all of the approximately 10 attendees spoke or asked questions, as the event was changed from a lecture to a discussion due to the low turnout in List Art Center 120.

Keeva Terry, professor of law at Roger Williams, spoke about the surprising differences in federal income tax rates. In some states, gay married couples pay less than heterosexual married couples. Terry distributed a handout showing that the difference is $340,000 annually for couples in California.

Terry said the Defense of Marriage Act has proven to discourage marriage among heterosexuals, since they would be forced to pay more in taxes in some areas.

Terry added that this effect is largely lost on the heterosexual com-

munity, who might be encouraged to join the fight for equality in the interest of evening out tax rates.

The Congressional Budget Office predicted the added revenue from taxing gay couples the same amount as heterosexual couples could total $500-700 million annually. Terry acknowledged this is “not a significant percentage of the federal budget” but would accumulate to “not a small number either.”

Courtney Cahill, also professor of law at Roger Williams, focused on the legal developments of the issue. She listed several examples of how marriage equality has been defended in the courts, including refuting defense by majoritarian morality and discriminating against a group because of presumed actions. She explained that homosexuality cannot be discriminated against because sodomy may violate a religious belief, as argued by the attorneys of a Christian legal group at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. “(Marriage equality is) happening much more quickly than I would have anticipated,” Cahill said.

Cahill described Perry v. Brown, which overruled California’s 2008 ban on gay marriage under Proposi-

tion 8, as a “pretty limited decision” because it is inapplicable to most states.

Ray Sullivan of Marriage Equality Rhode Island primarily addressed the legislative process of passing a marriage equality bill. Sullivan explained that the majority of Rhode Islanders support equal rights, but the state government has yet to get behind it.

“It’s not a question of will marriage equality pass, it’s when,” Sullivan said.

In the legislative process, the distinction between “marriage” and other terms such as “civil unions” is often disputed. Sullivan said this difference in semantics should not be overlooked, adding that “‘marriage’ is the gold standard.”

Sullivan noted it is also an economic development issue, saying a company may not find Rhode Island a good place to do business if it knows its employees will not be treated equally.

He also suggested replacing elected members of the Rhode Island General Assembly who have failed to support the marriage equality initiatives.

“If you don’t like the score at the end of the game, you’ve got to change some of the players,” Sullivan said.

off sorority’s alarm

By Lauren Pope C ontributing W riter

At an Alpha Chi Omega event the evening of Feb. 13, one of the fireplaces in Sears House became very smoky, setting off the fire alarm. Two AXO sisters had previously attended fireplace safety training, which is required for fireplace use.

In the past, this training has been inconsistently offered, but the Office of Residential Life plans to hold it more regularly from this semester on, according to Kate Tompkins, assistant director for summer and special programs at ResLife.

In an email to the residents of Sears, one of the sorority sisters wrote, “The ladies of Alpha Chi Omega used the flue and other fireplace precautions, but the smoke was just a little too much, and the alarm went off.

I want to let you all know that Sears residents were never in danger, and the alarm going off

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was not due to any mistakes on our part.”

Representatives from program houses who want to use their fireplaces are taught how to open the flue, the safe way to start a fire and what to do if the fire spreads in terms of calling the fire department and using the pull boxes in the residence halls” in a training session with fire safety officers Paul Brookes and Sue Hawksley, Tompkins said.

“We shouldn’t assume people know how to use a fireplace.

Someone who does needs to teach those who don’t,” said Thomas Forsberg, associate director of housing and residential life. “If you start a fire that causes a building to be evacuated, does property damage or potentially hurts someone, there are lots of ramifications.”

The University also inspects fireplaces that are in use to make sure they are working properly.

“We want people to be safe,” Forsberg said.