Thursday, September 6, 2012

daily herald the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 61

INSIDE

Page 2

thursday, september 6, 2012

Paxson urges ‘constructive irreverence’

’Til you drop

By Caroline Saine senior staff Writer

First day of shopping commences in the rain

Page 5

Chafee at DNC Touting his independence, governor supports Obama

Page 8

Fake the vote

Rep. Cicilline ’83 denies opponent’s fraud allegations today

tomorrow Tom Sullivan / Herald

81 / 65

83 / 67

since 1891

First-year students listen to President Christina Paxson’s Convocation address, which was held in the Pizzitola Center due to rain.

Though yesterday’s weather was damp and dispiriting, President Christina Paxson’s Convocation address roused the class of 2016 as she welcomed them to Brown’s 249th academic year.

The weather forced the address from the Main Green to the Pizzitola Center, and the traditional first-year walk through the Van Wickle Gates was postponed until today.

“Even though I’ve only been here for a few months, I’ve found that Brown already has a very special place in my heart — for its people, its history and its values,” Paxson said in her opening remarks.

Paxson encouraged the 1,541 members of the incoming class to approach their first year with “constructive irreverence,” which she praised as Brown’s “distinctive approach to learning and to life.”

This irreverence is defined by

an ability to think independently but also to give established ideas and people “the respect that they are entitled to,” Paxson said.

“We give our undergraduates unparalleled independence, but we don’t confuse liberty with license,” Paxson said. “Our belief is that a combination of freedom and responsibility will let you cultivate the habits of mind that lead to a lifetime of intellectual development and social engagement.”

Paxson stressed that students must be open to new people and especially to new opinions in order to enrich their educational experience and exploit opportunities for personal growth.

Paxson said she hopes that after four years at Brown, the incoming class will be prepared to “change a world that too often resists change and too often tolerates the intolerable.”

As first-years take on the chal/ / Convocation page 3

Despite restructuring, city unable to close budget deficit Corporation In response, many of the city’s declared Providence “back from and tax increases. The city slashed the brink.” spending in nearly every depart- tax-exempt institutions — which fellow’s firm The deal has not yet been formally ment, closing several schools, include universities, health care Providence Mayor Angel Taveras approved by the firefighter and cutting 200 employees from the providers and places of worship — investigated shocked the city in February with police unions, but the announce- city payroll and raising taxes by increased their payments in lieu of his revelation that the state capital ment seems to mark the end of a 11 percent — an increase signifi- taxes. The city’s tax-exempt instiwould be forced to file for Chap- heated period that at times pitted cant enough to require state ap- tutions own around 40 percent of for tax fraud

By Adam toobin

senior staff writer

ter 9 bankruptcy if its nonprofit i ns t itut i ons and municipal unions refused to agree to cost-saving measures.

After negotiations, a number of health care providers and colleges — including Brown — increased their contribution commitments to the city in the spring. And May 30, the city announced a tentative agreement with retirees and police and firefighters unions, and Taveras

city & state

the city against the University and other nonprofits, targeted nearly everyone in Providence for painful sacrifices and required a restructuring of Providence’s pension system.

Austere times

When Taveras entered office in January 2011, he faced an annual structural deficit of $110 million for an operating budget of about $630 million. The crisis encouraged a round of significant budget cuts

Laundry revamp includes new machines, price hike

By Corinne Cathcart Staff Writer

The University’s laundry system underwent a series of drastic changes over the summer, including the introduction of new machines, a price increase, a revamped infrastructure and more efficient energy standards. The changes were implemented after consistent urging by the Admissions and Student Services Committee on the Undergraduate Council of Students and the rest of the student body.

Old machines have been replaced with high-efficiency ones, saving approximately 300,000 gallons of water per year, said Scott Thatcher, director of technology for campus life. The new machines will be accompanied by a 25 cent increase in price — now $1.50 per load — as well as a major change

in the payment method. Instead of using vending stripes and quarters to pay for laundry, the new machines only accept Bear Bucks, a system of payment formerly known as “declining balance.”

First-years have new Brown ID cards, which do not have a vending stripe and feature a Bear Bucks helpline number on the back. In addition, the eight machines that allow students to add money to their Bear Bucks accounts are now “strategically placed” around campus, Thatcher said, to increase their availability.

“There may be limited machines, but the fact that they will actually work outweighs that all,” said Holly Hunt ’13, a member of the Admissions and Student Services Committee, of the card machines. “ We’r e / / Laundry page 3

proval, according to David Ortiz, the mayor’s press secretary. The mayor also voluntarily accepted a salary cut of 10 percent.

But the city was still short more than $20 million in April of this year, spurring the mayor to begin negotiating with the city’s pensioners and nonprofit institutions, asking that all parties make concessions to keep the city from going bankrupt at the end of the fiscal year in June.

Providence’s taxable land, a financial burden in a city where property taxes provide a substantial chunk of the annual operating budget.

The University agreed to pay an additional $31.5 million over 11 years, a decision to double annual voluntary payments that represented the culmination of contentious negotiations between the city and Brown and protests by some Providence residents who felt / / Budget page 4 the Universi-

C A L M B EFORE T H E STOR M

emily gilbert / herald

Students catch a rare dry moment between classes during a day filled with downpours and shopping.

By sona mkrttchian Senior Staff Writer

Providence Equity Partners, the international private equity firm founded and run by Brown Corporation Fellow Jonathan Nelson ’77, is one of the 12 firms that received subpoenas from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in connection with an investigation into a tax strategy used to evade high income taxes.

The strategy — which could save firms like Providence Equity Partners and Bain Capital hundreds of millions of dollars — involves transferring management fees gathered from investors into fund investments, which are taxed at 15 percent. These fees could be taxed at a rate of up to 35 percent if reported as income.

Investigations into the firms’ financial records began last month, when the presidential election cast a spotlight on the financial dealings of Bain Capital — the private equity firm that Republican nominee Mitt Romney founded in 1984. Leaked records from Bain show that executives saved more than $200 million in federal income taxes through this evasive tax strategy.

While some industry executives claim the practice is legal, the Internal Revenue Service released a statement in 2007 following its investigation into tax evasion and manipulation that suggested these management fee conversions and similar strategies were “areas of possible / / Equity page 2

2 campus news

the brown daily herald thursday, september 6, 2012

c alendar Today

sept. 6

12 p.M.

ToMORROW

Sept. 7

2:30 p.m.

Gap Year Student Dinner

First-Year Scavenger Hunt

Kasper Multipurpose Room

Faunce Arch

8 p.m.

11 p.m.

Viewing Party: Obama at the DNC

Funk Nite

Wilson 101

The Underground

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH Chicken Pot Pie, Zucchini Parmesan Sandwich, Falafel with Pita Bread, Hot Baked Ham on a Bulkie Roll

Sloppy Joe Sandwich, Vegetable Strudel, Cauliflower Au Gratin, Vegan Bean Stew

DINNER Nacho Bar, Pot Roast Jardiniere, Yellow Beans with Onions and Cherry Tomatoes, Red Potatoes with Dill

Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Shells with Broccoli

Sudoku

Emily gilbert / herald

Students brave the rain to file into MacMillan Hall during the first day of shopping period.

First day of shopping dampened by rain This article was written by Maddie Berg, Caroline Flanagan, Elizabeth Koh, Kate Nussenbaum and Mark Valdez.

Crossword

Floors around campus were slippery, and new outfits were drenched as students slogged through the rain on the first day of classes yesterday.

“I heard that rain is a sign of good luck,” Antonio Smith ’14 said.

The rain pushed Convocation from its usual location on the Main Green to the Pizzitola Center and kept the Van Wickle Gates closed.

The gates will be open today from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. “for all new students to enter at their convenience,” according to a campus-wide email from Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91. President Christina Paxson will walk through the gates with all new students today at noon.

Over lunch, a group of Perkins first-years shared their disappointment about not being able to walk through the Van Wickle Gates together but tried to maintain a

/ / Equity page 1 noncompliance.”

In 2004, Nelson, Providence Equity Partners’ chief executive officer, donated $10 million for the construction of the new Jonathan Nelson ’77 Fitness Center and funded the creation of two new professorships in 2011. His private equity firm focuses on investments

positive attitude. “At first I was really bummed, but I think that the tradition is what is important,” said Jenna Waldmen ’16.

Around campus, first-years like Waldmen encountered the disorientation that usually accompanies the first day of classes. With newly printed IDs, they struggled to swipe into the Sciences Library, adopting deer-in-headlights expressions at the sight of Brown’s gray card readers.

One confused freshman walked into the elevator from the mezzanine asking, “Where’s the second floor?”

But Abby Malone ’16 and her friend Camille DeRy ’16 had no trouble finding their ways around campus because they plotted the locations of their classrooms on a map beforehand.

First-years weren’t the only ones confused. “The highlight of my day was probably when I had to ask for directions from a bunch of freshmen, and they thought I was a freshman,” said Nimita Uberoi ’15.

in media, communications, information and education.

Subpoenas to the 12 firms were issued in July, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

Schneiderman’s investigation into the financial practices of the firms is ongoing.

A representative from Providence Equity Partners could not be reached for comment.

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At the end of a packed day of shopping, many students trudged through the rain to the gym, where they can attend fitness classes for a free trial period.

“I shopped three math classes in three hours, which left me pretty brain-dead,” said Roxanne Alaghband ’15. “The gym was a muchneeded break.”

Mark Lee ’15 said he couldn’t recall the names of any of the classes he had shopped just hours before.

Though shopping was stressful for all students, seniors had the added worry of planning their life after Brown. Ben Stephenson ’13 tried not to think of yesterday as his last first day of classes. While he acknowledged the perks of being older, such as smaller classes and more individual attention, he said it will be “sad next year at this time.”

But fellow senior Alex Kua ’13 refused to let melancholy — or the rain — dampen his spirits. “Being a senior, my aim is to work, of course, but also to have a lot of fun and end my time here on a good note.”

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the brown daily herald thursday, september 6, 2012

election 2012 3

With primary five days away, Democrats battle for nomination

By Adam toobin senior staff writer

Registered Democrats and independents in Rhode Island’s first congressional district — which encompasses the University and its surrounding area — will choose between incumbent Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., and businessman Anthony Gemma to be the Democratic Party’s nominee Tuesday. The winner will face Republican Brendan Doherty, retired superintendent of the Rhode Island state police, in the Nov. 6 general election.

Cicilline has represented Rhode Island’s first district for 20 months since defeating former state Rep. John Loughlin, R-Tiverton, in November 2010. Before his time in the U.S. Congress, Cicilline served eight years as the mayor of Providence and eight years in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

Gemma has never held an elected office and has spent his career in the private sector, where he led his family’s plumbing business for seven years. After his mother died of breast cancer in 2002, Gemma co-founded and now serves as

/ / Convocation page 1 lenges of college life, the administration will aim to take on the difficulties of new technologies, changing times and society’s growing concerns about the value of higher education with “the same creativity, openness and thoughtfulness” that is expected of the students, Paxson said.

Brown’s tendency towards constructive irreverence, Paxson said, has roots in the University’s earliest days. She noted that at the time of Brown’s founding, Rhode Island’s colonial charter insisted that no one be punished for his or her religious views. “If anything defined Rhode Island at all, it was simply that everyone had the same right to constructive irreverence.”

Paxson said the required reading for first-years, “Sons of Providence,” helped her appreciate “how deeply Brown’s origins have shaped the University we see today.”

In light of NASA’s Curiosity rover’s recent landing on Mars, Paxson highlighted the involvement of Brown scientists in that achieve-

president of the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. Gemma ran for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the first district congressional seat in 2010 but lost to Cicilline.

Gemma announced his intent to run April 15 and has since launched a constant stream of attacks against Cicilline. Both candidates have struggled to articulate significant differences between their platforms and the campaign has often revolved around personal attacks rather than policy discussions.

Gemma has accused Cicilline of several breaches of the public’s trust, including claims that thenmayor Cicilline hid Providence’s financial crisis from voters to bolster his campaign for Congress. And in a widely publicized Aug 22. press conference, Gemma asserted that Cicilline engaged in acts of voter fraud in his 2002, 2006 and 2010 elections.

Cicilline issued a denunciation of the voter fraud and has sought to convince voters that Gemma is exaggerating his culpability for the city’s financial woes. Cicilline has maintained that he never con-

sciously misled the public but said his remarks that the city was in “excellent fiscal condition” were “overly optimistic” and has apologized to voters.

The issue has remained a focal point of the campaign, garnering significant discussion at both debates between the candidates so far.

“If history shows us anything, we can’t believe a word that comes out of David Cicilline’s mouth,” Gemma said at the first debate hosted by Eyewitness News and the Providence Journal.

But Cicilline told The Herald that if he was going to be held responsible for his words, he also wanted to receive credit for his actions as mayor.

When Cicilline took office, the city was ailing from a $59 million budget gap and a $216 million structural deficit, a problem further compounded by a declining tax base and a dearth of contributions from nonprofits, he said. Cicilline’s administration closed the budget gap, renegotiated labor contracts to save the city money and negotiated an agreement to extract payments in lieu of taxes from the city’s colleges

ment. Paxson used the rover as a metaphor for the exploratory journey of the first-year students. “I am giving you your official invitation to rove,” she said.

“The world needs constructive irreverence, and specifically, it needs you,” Paxson said in closing her remarks.

Incoming students were inspired by the speech, which for many was an introduction to Paxson.

Alissa Rhee ’16 noted that Paxson “seems like she has the same mentality as the Brown community.”

For Son Tran Tuan ’16, the past few days have been not only his first at Brown but also his first in the United States. Tuan said he believes Paxson is “going to do a great job,” noting that she visited personally with him while interacting with incoming international students.

Evert Justice Finger ’16 said Paxson’s appointment “brought a little more excitement” to the prospect of coming to Brown.

“I’m coming in as a new person, and she is as well, so we’re going through that adjustment together,” Finger said.

/ / Laundry page 1 trying to create something more useful and more reliable,” Thatcher said. The old Card Value Center machines, which transferred money onto vending stripes, were becoming out-of-date technologically, he said, adding that repairing the machines was becoming increasingly difficult.

To even begin to deal with student requests for the laundry system changes, these machines had to be replaced, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president of campus life.

Klawunn said UCS’s commitment served as the primary catalyst for undertaking the project. This was the opportune moment for the changes, said Abigail Braiman ’15, chair of the Admissions and Student Services Committee. In addition to consistent complaints from the student body regarding the laundry facilities and vending stripe malfunctions, the previous laundry machine contracts were set to expire at the end of last year, Braiman said.

and universities, he said.

In addition to reforming the city government, Cicilline said he corrected a police department “where there was evidence that people bought jobs, paid for promotions.”

Gemma has campaigned largely on the notion that Cicilline was responsible for the financial challenges that Cicilline’s successor, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, has spent his first two years in office confronting. In his initial months as mayor, Taveras faced a $110 million structural deficit that he said brought the city close to bankruptcy. In a March press release, Taveras said he forgives Cicilline for his misleading comments on the city’s fiscal health and endorsed him in the race against Gemma.

“The challenges facing our city have many causes and were not created overnight,” Taveras said. Taveras has also praised Cicilline for his role as one of the first mayors to adequately fund the city’s pension system.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’16 has also endorsed Cicilline.

Chafee defended Cicilline’s record as mayor, placing significant blame for Providence’s financial crisis on

state cuts that he said “no mayor can take,” according to WPRI. The issues

Despite holding nearly identical policy positions, the candidates disagree on the starting point for the highest income tax bracket. Gemma told The Herald taxes should be raised for individuals and families with incomes greater than $100,000 a year. Cicilline said the threshold should be $250,000 — in line with President Obama’s assessment. “I have a strong belief that we should not raise taxes on the middle class,” Cicilline said.

The only other real policy difference between the candidates concerns their efforts to find savings for the post office. Gemma supports ending Saturday mail delivery.

Cicilline said he would keep it and instead sacrifice a federal requirement that the post office pre-fund health benefits.

Both candidates oppose all cuts to Medicare that affect benefits.

They both oppose a nuclear Iran and support President Barack Obama’s efforts to deny that country such a capa/ / Democrats page 5

emily gilbert / herald

New laundry machines will no longer take quarters, but will save 300,000 gallons of water this year.

“We just kept mentioning it to the right people enough times,” Hunt said. “Eventually, our priorities and Residential Life’s priorities lined up.”

The adjustment period may be the only downside for students, Thatcher said.

“I’m a die-hard quarter user myself,” Hunt said, “so that was kind of inconvenient. But its seems that the system is just getting more efficient and our (ID cards) less complicated.”

While many changes have already been implemented, Thatcher said the project is still in the works.

One of the most exciting upcoming changes will be a new online system called LaundryView that will allow students to see what machines are free in their laundry room, Thatcher said, adding that the website can send students a text message when their laundry is done.

The department is also looking for ways to make it easier to add to Bear Bucks balances, potentially through online deposit systems and mobile applications, Thatcher said. These changes will likely be introduced to the student body by the beginning of next semester.

4 city & state March 3, 2011: Taveras announces the city is facing a “Category 5” financial crisis.

January 3, 2011: Angel Taveras inaugurated as 37th mayor of Providence.

January 10, 2011: Taveras orders panel to review city’s finances.

August 1, 2011: Central Falls, R.I., files for bankruptcy, a troubling omen for Providence.

April 5, 2011: A new deal with the city’s largest labor union saves the city $26 million over 4 years.

ty should increase contributions.

Through most of former President Ruth Simmons’ final semester of her tenure, the University was involved in negotiations with the city that at one point became so heated that Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’16 stepped in to moderate the proceedings.

When the deal between Providence and Brown was announced May 1, Taveras said the agreement exceeded his expectations, describing the day he heard about the University’s offer as one of the best during his term as mayor.

In all, contributions from the University, the Rhode Island School of Design, Johnson & Wales University and several health care providers netted the city an additional $5.95 million for the last fiscal year — just short of the mayor’s goal of $7.1 million. Providence College was the only major nonprofit institution that refused to renegotiate its PILOT payments, Ortiz said.

The increased payments from the city’s tax-exempt institutions provided the city with additional revenue for the previous fiscal year.

May 1, 2012: Brown University agrees to pay the city an additional $31.5 million over 10 years, effectively doubling total payments.

February 2, 2012: Taveras warns the city is on “the brink of bankruptcy.”

June 24, 2011: City strikes first deal with police and firefighters, saving at least 78 police from losing jobs.

March 14, 2011: Taveras proposes the closure of four public schools to save the city a total of $12 million.

/ / Budget page 1

the brown daily herald thursday, september 6, 2012

But in a February press release, Taveras said that until the city could strike a deal with unions and retirees to reform the pension and health care system, Providence’s finances would never be sustainable, and bankruptcy would remain a possibility.

Pension overhaul and ongoing troubles

When Taveras announced the city’s financial woes, its pension system was critically underfunded.

And previous administrations’ failures to adequately fund the city’s pension system made it costlier for Taveras’ city government to shore up the system. The city’s annual required contribution to the pension fund last year totaled $59 million, around 20 percent of its annual budget.

Under the plan the mayor inherited, the city’s annual required payment would rise to $207 million annually by 2039, Ortiz added.

With unanimous support from the city council, he passed a pension reform ordinance April 30 that would have saved the city around $19 million annually. The resolution passed but faced a legal challenge from the city’s unions and

April 30, 2012: City council unanimously agrees to cut pensions and health care benefits for city retirees, police and firefighters.

August 10, 2011: Providence teachers accept new contract saving city $54 million.

retirees whose benefits would be compromised. The mayor continued negotiations and announced a tentative agreement with the workers May 30. The settlement — which the retirees have agreed to and is pending approval by firefighters and police unions — will save the city $18.5 million for fiscal year 2012-13 by cutting benefits.

Taveras’ administration focused its pension reform efforts on costof-living adjustments, which compound the value of the pension at rates between 3 and 6 percent annually. Though the majority of pensions increase at rates below 5 percent, a quarter of all yearly pensions pay out in the six figures, Ortiz said.

Paul Doughty, president of the Providence firefighters’ Local 799 union, told The Herald unions would be willing to work with the administration to reach a deal that balanced the needs of the city with the interests of union members.

Doughty said his union accepted the deal after it became clear to him that it could stand to lose much more in bankruptcy than if it made the concessions Taveras sought. He had originally filed a lawsuit to stop the city council’s pension reform, but he said a union victory in the lawsuit would have forced the city into bankruptcy — a bad result for both his union and the city.

Under the new tentative agree-

May 30, 2012: Retirees, police and firefighters reach deal on pension and health care reform.

Taveras declares city “back from the brink.”

ment, cost-of-living adjustments will be suspended for 10 years, though families of city employees who lose their lives on the job will still be entitled to COLAs. The COLAs will be reinstated in 2023 for pensions under 150 percent of the state median income until they reach that amount — a statute intended to rein in some of the largest pensions.

These COLA adjustments lower the annual cost of the pension program and help to reduce the city’s unfunded pension liability. The city has promised $1.32 billion to its employees in pensions over the next several decades, but has only accounted for $423 million, Ortiz said. While the pension system does not need to be entirely funded since the city does not incur the full cost of the pensions at once, experts consider a fund in a dangerous position if it is less than 70 percent funded. Providence’s was 32 percent funded at the beginning of this year, Ortiz said.

The pension deal reduces the total unfunded liability — previously $900 million — by $170 million, Ortiz said. The reduced total liability should lower the city’s annual payments to the fund.

The unfunded liability has increased rapidly in recent years, which Taveras has attributed to neglect by previous administrations, including that of current Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I.

The fund also took a hit when the stock market crashed in 2008.

Providence’s pension fund suffered more than Rhode Island’s when risky investments that paid off during good economic times failed, the Providence Journal reported.

As a result, the city has now lowered its expectations for the fund’s annual growth.

Providence also faces a $1.5 billion unfunded liability for its health care system for city pensioners. The settlement addressed this problem by moving retirees over the age of 65 — who receive health insurance from the city — into Medicare. This provision is expected to save the city $40 million over the next 10 years, Ortiz said.

The Medicare deal ended a lawsuit filed by retired police and firefighters that had initially blocked the mayor’s effort to transfer the retirees to the federal government’s health insurance program. The city will subsidize additional coverage in coordination with Medicare.

Despite sacrifices from almost every sector of Providence, the city still did not manage to close the deficit. Though the numbers are not yet final, Ortiz predicts the city will report an $11.5 million deficit for fiscal year 2011-12. The deficit does not force the city into bankruptcy, but it requires the city to pay into a rainy-day fund for the next few years until it has recouped the money.

the brown daily herald thursday, september 6, 2012

Chafee ’75 criticizes GOP’s rightward shift

By Elizabeth Carr city & state editor

Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’16 introduced himself as “the nation’s only independent governor” in his Democratic National Convention address Tuesday night prior to First Lady Michelle Obama’s primetime speech.

Chafee distanced himself from the Republican Party, which he left in 2007, and touted his moderate beliefs. “Though my former party has hijacked the term, there really is nothing conservative about today’s Republican Party,” he said. “There is no room there for traditional conservatives.”

Inviting an independent to speak was intended to help President Obama’s campaign attract independent voters, said Associate Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller.

Chafee pointed out several recent instances of Republicans straying from the party’s past tenets by degrading the environment, obstructing the rights of women and homosexuals, recklessly involving the nation in foreign entanglements and exhibiting fiscal irresponsibility under former president George W. Bush.

“His speech represented a critique of the contemporary agenda of the Republican Party,” said Maureen Moakley, political science professor at the University of Rhode Island. “It was more compelling coming from a former Republican who had to abandon the Republican Party because of the disjuncture of his ideas — which represented the old Republican Party

­ and where the party is headed — now.” She called his analysis “authentic” and “basically correct.”

“My fellow traditional conservatives, my fellow independents, my fellow moderates, there is a candidate that shares our beliefs,” Chafee concluded his speech. “That candidate is our president, Barack Obama.”

Schiller said that in addition to helping the president, Chafee’s speech was important for his own political career. Chafee is only two years away from a reelection race that will pit him in a tough race against a Democrat, Schiller added. “If he has the elites of the party to support him, that can go a long way.”

But Moakley disagreed that speaking on the national stage was a calculated move. “I think he did it for principled reasons, not political reasons,” she said.

Two Rhode Island Democrats who may vie for the opportunity to unseat Chafee — State Treasurer Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Angel Taveras — also attended the convention. Schiller said the convention would provide them with the opportunity to network and garner national support if they decide to challenge Chafee in 2014.

Moakley countered that their presence at the convention “means very little at all” and “will have no effect on the dynamic of the elections.”

Raimondo and Taveras are scheduled to speak on their experience with pension reform in panel discussions — “Fiscal Thursday” and “Tackling Pension Reform,” respectively — held tonight as part of the convention.

www.browndailyherald.com

election 2012 5 / / Primary page 8 R.I. Senate

Sen. Rhoda Perry P’91, DProvidence, will not be running for reelection after 22 years in the Rhode Island General Assembly.

Gayle Goldin, who oversees strategic initiatives at the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, and Maryellen Butke, formerly the executive director of the education nonprofit Rhode Island Campaign for Achievement Now, will vie to replace her in Tuesday’s primary. The match-up has become one of the most expensive in the state. Each candidate has highlighted her experience with public policy, and it appears that the election will hinge on their divergent views on education reform. Butke is a long-term advocate of charter

/ / Democrats page 3 bility.

Neither Gemma nor Cicilline is in favor of permitting states to offer school vouchers to students that would allow them to use taxpayer money to attend private school.

In Tuesday’s debate, both candidates said they would vote the straight Democratic Party ticket in November, but Gemma said he would make an exception for Cicilline, who he would not support under any circumstance. Cicilline said he would vote for Gemma over Doherty.

A WPRI poll released in late

schools and wider use of teacher evaluations. Goldin — who has been endorsed by the National Education Association, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and the Democratic Party — is less supportive of charter schools and believes test results should not replace seniority and peer evaluations in determining teachers’ compensation. The winner of the primary will run unopposed in the general election.

U.S. Senate

The state’s junior senator, Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, is running unopposed for his party’s nomination. Whitehouse was elected to his first Senate term in 2006. ­— With additional reporting by Adam Toobin

August showed Cicilline holding a 12-point lead over Gemma. The same poll indicated that half of registered Democrats who support Gemma would vote for Doherty in the general election if Cicilline were the nominee. Gemma said this information indicates that he, rather than Cicilline, would be best equipped to keep the seat in the hands of Democrats come November.

Election day is Tuesday, Sept.

11, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Those registered to vote in Rhode Island’s first congressional district can cast their ballots in Salomon Center.

/ / Fraud page 8 mick.” He added that he will continue to personally fund the TRP investigation, even though he will not be able to use any forthcoming evidence in his campaign.

“I will continue to fight until these wrongdoers are brought to justice,” he said.

Thus far, the Gemma campaign has only released affidavits from anonymous sources who either witnessed or were involved with voter fraud in connection to a Cicilline campaign.

“These are very serious accusations to lodge against anyone running for office,” Schiller said. “To make this announcement and not produce any of the people … showed a disregard for the legal system.”

Brendan Doherty, the likely Republican nominee to run for the seat in the general election, said in an Aug. 22 statement that he was “greatly troubled” by the accusations because “fair and free elections are the cornerstone of the democratic process in America, and there is nothing more important than protecting their integrity.”

A recent WPRI online poll shows that 67.1 percent of voters said Gemma’s “announcement on voter fraud was not the game-changing event he promised.”

“It has not thus far proven to be helpful to him in generating support,” Schiller said.

— With additonal reporting by Adam Toobin

6 editorial Editorial

the brown daily herald thursday, september 6, 2012

Editorial cartoon b y a n g e l i a wa n g

Keep the facts straight Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan gave a speech at the Republican National Convention last Wednesday that was notable not only for its forceful and mostly well-received articulation of a conservative political agenda, but also for some factual inaccuracies. In the days after the speech, media coverage of the convention emphasized that while the Internet has afforded a significant increase in the number and efficiency of fact-checking organizations, their impact remains limited. We believe this lack of attention to concrete facts in a nationally broadcast speech is deplorable, and we advocate an increase in fact-checking standards in politics in general.

Political pundits, fact-checkers and bloggers across the nation have particularly questioned Ryan’s anecdote about a General Motors plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wis. Ryan noted that President Obama, while still a candidate, visited the plant and claimed, “I believe that if our government is there to support you … this plant will be here for another 100 years.” Ryan continued, “That’s what he said in 2008. Well, as it turned out, that plant didn’t last another year. It is locked up and empty to this day.”

The Tampa Bay Times-run website Politifact.com ruled differently, pointing out that the plant in Janesville closed in December 2008, a month before Obama took office. “Ryan said Obama broke his promise to keep a Wisconsin GM plant from closing. But we don’t see evidence he explicitly made such a promise,” the factcheckers said, rating his statement as “False.”

Ryan is not the only candidate whose statements have been called into question. Mitt Romney, his partner in the campaign, is under fire as well. As the New York Times noted this week, Romney’s first television advertisement included a clip of Obama saying as a candidate in 2008, “If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.” Then-candidate Obama, however, was actually quoting the words of his opponent, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. For this claim, the Romney campaign earned a Politifact grade of “Pants on Fire.”

In fact, neither campaign has a record free from charges of factual distortion. This summer, the Obama campaign produced an advertisement claiming that Romney “backed a law that outlaws all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.” Factcheck.org, a project from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, accused the Obama campaign of twisting Mitt Romney’s stance on abortion, as Romney has made clear on several occasions that he is opposed to abortion except in instances of rape and incest, or where the life of the mother is at risk.

Campaigns or outside organizations that use ads with false information should be put to task. There is a significant difference between presenting information with a partisan spin and giving statements that are known to be false. During the RNC, Romney pollster Neil Newhouse stated, “We’re not going let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers.” This attitude is misguided and dangerous at best. In an election cycle where there are so many substantive differences between candidates and platforms, it is more important than ever that voters have access to reliable and accurate information.

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opinions 7

the brown daily herald thursday, september 6, 2012

R.I.’s status quo: Kill business, long live decay Elizabeth fuerbacher Opinions Columnist Literally translated, the “status quo” means “the state in which.” It is a phrase we encounter in our everyday activities as we listen to the news, discuss politics and bemoan the economy. Simply put, the status quo is a snapshot of how life is at this very moment. Right now, I would like to invite you to peer into the camera lens of Rhode Island and observe what exists. For a state that boasts gorgeous coastlines, proximity to major metropolitan areas and a thriving intellectual hub, Rhode Island should have images of vitality and growth. Sadly, our eyes are met with images of sluggishness, stagnation and a very tangible commitment to preserving the status quo. Does a state that prides itself on independence and innovation really want to foster complacency and degeneration?

Construction is a visible indicator of growth. Of course, in this dire economy, we would not expect to see construction sites adorning the suburbs of Providence.

Nonetheless, a demand for development remains, and one need not look further than our neighbor, Massachusetts. Simply cross the state line into Massachusetts and all along Route 6 are new shopping centers with stores such as Home Depot, Costco, Target, Lowe’s and Staples. While

these may not house glamorous department stores or chic restaurants, these retail spaces are frequented by residents of varying economic strata. More importantly, they provide jobs, increase tax revenues and bolster a locale’s appeal. Attracting this type of development would, in turn, draw more residents to the state and spur residential housing demand, as well.

There is plenty of open space throughout Rhode Island — ­ from Pawtucket to Portsmouth — that could accommodate such expansion. However, the refusal to permit new projects has created a structural problem that prohibits growth. Even

in articles entitled “States where no one wants to buy a new home.”

A cursory analysis might suggest there is just no demand for new construction.

Granted, the large inventory of homes and waning household wealth have contributed to the deceleration in development.

Rhode Island’s business climate is not one that magnetizes job growth. As a New Jersey native, I am familiar with burdensome taxes and regulation. But I find Rhode Island’s policies to be nothing short of astonishing.

A prime example of this reticence lies at the artery of our campus: the proposed

Does a state that prides itself on independence and innovation really want to foster complacence and degeneration? builders remark that permit processes take longer than actual construction. Much of this reticence is cloaked under the umbrella of “preservation.”

Googling “Rhode Island construction permits” yields articles that describe Rhode Island as the state with the lowest number of building permit issuances. 24/7 Wall Street examined relevant data: The ratio of Rhode Island’s new housing permits to the total number of housing units ranked last in the country. Also, our state suffered a 70.81 percent decline in housing permit issuances between 2005 and 2011.

To exacerbate the bleakness of these statistics, the Ocean State has been featured

257 Thayer Street housing project. Some criticize it as intrusive and disparaging to the character of Thayer Street. But what is the condition of the buildings that these new apartments would replace? The properties in question are largely outdated at best, even dilapidated. Why would we not want fresher, newer buildings to swathe a very celebrated part of Providence? Do we really want to preserve decaying buildings? The proposed development would not only enhance the aesthetics of College Hill; it would also induce graduate students and visiting scholars to live close to campus, thereby increasing Providence’s tax base.

Portsmouth, 30 minutes southeast of Brown, also hesitates to embrace modernity. This year the town council unanimously rejected a proposed zoning change that would have allowed for 130,000 square feet of new retail space. Why? Bureaucrats felt commercial zoning would disturb Portsmouth’s integrity and nearby residences.

Perhaps that argument would be more salient were it not for the development’s site on a main highway. Even town council members acknowledged the need for more commercial development and this center’s potential to attract visitors from Route 24.

So again, what do these leaders and their sympathizers want to preserve? Undeveloped, abandoned land that neither enjoys its highest and best use nor generates tax revenues?

Preservation is admirable so long as a logical, productive intent supports it. Yet many development proposals in Rhode Island — from residential projects to shopping centers to casinos — have been spurned in the name of preservation. Often these objects of preservation are neither historically significant buildings nor reputably undisturbed locales. The only thing we can unambiguously determine is that this attitude perpetuates the status quo. And does Rhode Island really want to prolong this self-inflicted misery?

Elizabeth Fuerbacher ’14 will take her money across the border and buy property there. She can be reached at elizabeth_fuerbacher@brown.edu.

‘Freedom’ taken too far Jaclyn Katz Opinions Columnist Apparently Abraham Lincoln needs to revise the Gettysburg Address. It says America is a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It won’t take him long to update it. Just insert “corporations” where “people” once was.

Over two years ago, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a bitterly divided Supreme Court ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections. Though we as Americans value freedom of expression, since when are corporations entitled to the same First Amendment rights as individuals?

This decision goes beyond violating the principles of our democracy. It threatens them. And it has given wealthy people and influential, well-connected politicians the power to potentially game the 2012 election.

The justices in the majority interpreted free speech rights much too broadly — and incorrectly. It is an absurd and dangerous claim to say corporations are just like people and are entitled to the same rights: Companies are artificial, legal constructs that exist to make money. Corporate spending on politics is not comparable to ordinary Americans’ support of a candidate.

Citizens United was out to prove otherwise. The organization created “Hillary: The Movie,” a flick that essentially argued why Hillary Rodham Clinton was unfit for

the presidency. The FEC restricted Citizens’ right to advertise the film during the 2008 primary season.

David Bossie, a Republican campaign operative and member of Citizens United, sued the FEC. According to the Washington Post, a lower court sided with the FEC in 2008, but Bossie was not satisfied and brought the case to the Supreme Court.

The decision overruled two well-established precedents that restricted corporate spending to support or oppose candidates.

The 2002 law, known as McCain-Feingold, banned all broadcast, cable or satellite transmission of “electioneering communications” paid for by corporations or labor unions in the 30 days before the presiden-

ington Post. While an individual might be attracted to a candidate because of plans to reform health care or education, a corporation does not think in those terms. In fact, a corporation, though composed of many individuals, does not “think” at all. It acts according to what would be most profitable.

This empowers the people within a corporation, as companies hold more economic power and sway than do most Americans.

Regardless of the reason for someone’s support of a candidate, that person represents only herself in a vote or donation.

Who is the corporation representing, and precisely why is it involved in our community? Masked in a cloak of anonymity, the corporation can shout louder than or-

Masked in a cloak of anonymity, the corporation can shout louder than ordinary Americans with its billions and billions of dollars. tial primary and in the 60 days before the general elections, the New York Times reported.

In a 1988 New York Times article, Ralph Nader and Carl J. Mayer noted how the framers of the Constitution “knew about corporations but chose not to mention [them].” The Constitution’s rights are meant to equalize and empower the people, not moneymaking entities. Corporations have only economic interests at heart, and now, they have free reign to “inject as much money as they jolly well please into federal campaigns,” wrote Jason Linkins of the Huff-

dinary Americans with its billions and billions of dollars. When enormous corporations can spend unlimited funds in federal campaigns, the voice of the people is lost.

And is a democracy not a government of the people?

Instead of upholding the principles of the First Amendment, the five justices in the majority have actually destroyed the rights for those who are truly entitled to them — the people. By extending the same freedoms to corporations, the Court has diminished the value of the people’s power. This decision truly twists the First Amendment and,

in effect, causes it to lose its purpose for everyday Americans.

And now, the repercussions of the decision are beginning to surface.

Federal law caps at $2,500 the amount an individual can give to any one candidate during the primaries. Thanks to the Citizens decision, though, whatever money wealthy supporters cannot give directly to a presidential candidate can aid campaigns indirectly via Super PACs. A direct consequence of the court decision, a Super PAC is an independent group that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to support a candidate.

For example, the New York Times reported that former presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry was among the top political fundraisers in the country thanks to his Super PACs, with a “vast network of wealthy supporters eager to bankroll his presidential ambitions.” According to a study by Texans for Public Justice, half of Perry’s campaign contributions — approximately $51 million in the last decade — came from just 204 donors giving $100,000 or more.

Perhaps I’m naive to believe that money should be silenced in order for the people’s true voice to prevail. But corporations and Super PACs possess superhuman privileges.

With the chance to spend infinite amounts of money during election time, corporations hold most of the cards. Corporations are freer than we are.

Jaclyn Katz ’14 understands that the University is not a person and can be reached at jaclyn_katz@brown.edu.

daily herald election 2012 the Brown

thursday, september 6, 2012

Cicilline ’83 campaign accused of voter fraud

By Sona Mkrttchian Senior Staff writer

Congressional candidate Anthony Gemma, who is running as a Democrat in the state’s first district, announced last week that an investigation initiated by his campaign has conclusive evidence that Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., and his staff committed voter fraud in a series of elections dating back to 2002. Cicilline has dismissed the accusations as “baseless” and “false.”

“There’s a significant and deeprooted problem that has been around for years,” Gemma told The Herald.

Gemma hired TRP Associates, LLC, a private investigation firm operated by former state police officers, to lead the investigation after many South Providence residents approached him with the accusations while he was campaigning in the area earlier this year, he said.

Gemma said that while rumors about the prevalence of voter fraud have circulated for years, the activity “is happening at such an egregious level now that it needs to be dealt

with.”

“We have serious issues to discuss in the campaign, and what voters have a right to expect is a serious discussion of the issues and their ideas,” Cicilline told The Herald. “I’ve never seen a more reckless and irresponsible action in a political campaign in my lifetime.”

Cicilline is leading by more than 10 points in the most recent poll, conducted by WPRI in late August.

As the investigation progressed, Gemma said TRP collected evidence that suggested voter fraud allegations would extend beyond Cicilline and his staff. He said he has alerted the U.S. Attorney’s office to its findings.

FBI and state police are now exploring the investigation, which includes hours of video, audio, photographs and other documentation, Gemma added. TRP refused to comment on the investigation, and no evidence has been released to the public.

Gemma released details of his accusations at a highly-publicized press conference Aug. 21.

The accusations are likely an attempt to gain attention before the Sept. 11 primary, said Associate Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller.

Gemma has said he would never “put his integrity on the line … for a political gim/ / Fraud page 5

State primary elections approach

By Elizabeth Carr City & State Editor

Candidates in state elections have less than a week of campaigning left before the Sept. 11 primary, which will determine the party nominations for each race.

U.S. House of Representatives

Incumbent Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., will square off against Anthony Gemma in Tuesday’s primary to represent Democrats in the general election race for the first district House seat. A WPRI poll conducted Aug. 19-22 shows Cicilline leading Gemma 43.4 percent to 31.1 percent, with 17.7 percent undecided. Since WPRI’s May poll, Cicilline’s lead has increased from 4 percent to 12 percent. The August poll also showed Cicilline’s approval rating up from 32 percent to 40.4 percent since May. In February, when Cicilline was first faulted for allegedly concealing the severity of Providence’s financial problems, he had a 14.8 percent approval rating, according to a poll conducted by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions.

Cicilline has been endorsed by the Democratic Party.

Two weeks ago, Gemma accused Cicilline of committing voter fraud in 2002, 2006 and 2010 — when Cicilline was elected and reelected

as Providence mayor and elected to his current seat in the U.S House of Representatives, respectively. Gemma did not offer any proof to support his accusations, and TRP Associates, LLC, the private investigation firm he hired to investigate Cicilline, has not released any evidence. Cicilline has denied all accusations.

The candidates met Tuesday for the second of three scheduled debates. During the debate, Gemma doubled down on his attacks regarding Cicilline’s management of Providence’s finances and the recent voter fraud allegations. The third debate is scheduled for tonight and will be aired on WJAR-TV Channel 10. Chris Young, who ran for mayor against Cicilline in 2002 and 2006, was excluded from the past two debates but has been invited to participate tonight. Young made national news during his 2010 campaign for Providence mayor when he was ejected from a debate after he refused to set aside a statue of Virgin Mary he brought, serenaded Fox Providence’s Elizabeth Hopkins during an interview and proposed to his girlfriend during another debate.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary will face Republican Brendan Doherty, former head of the Rhode Island state police, in the Nov. 6 general election contest. / / Primary page 5

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

At convocation, President Christina Paxson regaled students with stories and advice. See Convocation, page 1.

On leave from Brown, Libby Kimzey makes bid for the State House

By Morgan Johnson Senior Staff Writer

Libby Kimzey, a former member of the class of 2009, is taking time off her studies at the University to run for the District 8 seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

In the Sept. 11 primary, she will vie for the Democratic nomination against incumbent Rep. Michael Tarro, D-Federal Hill, Olneyville and Valley, and John Lombardi.

Because no Republicans or Independents are listed on the general election ballot, the winner of the primary will be the district’s next representative.

Kimzey, 23, moved to Providence in 2005 to attend Brown, and she is currently leading both candidates in campaign endorsements with support from Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and at least 14 other interest groups, community organizations and labor unions.

Some of Kimzey’s endorsements come from previous employers and organizations where she volunteered as a lobbyist. She began lobbying in her free time for fair elections as a member of student group Democracy Matters as a student at Brown.

Tarro, 49, and Lombardi, 60, have both emphasized their lifelong residency in the district in their appeals to voters­. Tarro has completed one term representing District 8. Lombardi has spent 26 years on the Providence City Council — also briefly serving as the council’s president — and was acting mayor for four months after former mayor Vincent Cianci Jr. resigned in 2002.

Kimzey said her commitment as a full-time student was a major disadvantage when trying to compete with full-time lobbyists.

“Industries had their lobbyists (at the State House) every day of the week,” she said. “It wouldn’t be

effective if we went once every other week.”

Kimzey has taken leave from her studies at Brown three times, twice to volunteer and work full time for election ethics group Common Cause and local progressive organization Ocean State Action. She now manages an income tax assistance program and offers financial coaching for low-income clients at the Capital Good Fund.

Kimzey joined her opponents in a forum organized by the West Broadway Neighborhood Association Tuesday. A member of the association, Kimzey moved to the West Broadway neighborhood — the hub of many of the organizations for which she volunteers — last year.

“I didn’t believe I’d be here a year later as a candidate,” she said in her opening address to attendees.

Before declaring her candidacy, Kimzey began a search to fill the District 8 seat after former state Rep. Steven Consantino vacated the position in 2010, Kimzey told The Herald. Specifically, she was looking for a candidate who she believed held favorable positions on taxes, same-sex marriage and mass transit, she said. “I tried to find someone, and I couldn’t find the right person,” Kimzey said.

Tarro has not improved upon Constantino’s policies, Kimzey said. She noted that both of her opponents hold conservative positions on abortion rights and gay marriage. Kimzey, who is more liberal, has received endorsements from Marriage Equality Rhode Island, as well as local chapters of Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women.

Neither Lombardi nor Tarro denied support for same-sex marriage at Tuesday’s forum. “It’s gonna happen,” Tarro said, adding that he expects a bill legalizing samesex marriage will pass soon, even

if the composition of the Rhode Island General Assembly does not change in the next election. In the past, Tarro has said that he would work to approximate marriage for same-sex couples but vote against legalizing same-sex marriage in full.

At the forum, Kimzey said her decision to run was also influenced by a need to remedy the General Assembly’s poor treatment of the budget in the last three years, including $64 million in spending cuts, which has contributed to school closings and sharp service reductions by the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.

“We’re at a crisis point,” Kimzey said of the state of the bus system, which she said could stop completely by March if the General Assembly does not take immediate action to resolve RIPTA’s $8 million debt. “We got to this point because the General Assembly puts everything to the last minute,” she added.

At Tuesday’s event, Tarro said Kimzey’s accusations toward the General Assembly were taken “a little too far,” noting that last year’s reforms to the state pension system freed up a significant amount of funds to be reallocated to struggling programs like public transportation.

Tarro has frequently commented on the fact that Kimzey has not completed her undergraduate education, she told The Herald. But Kimzey said voters with whom she has spoken have proven indifferent about her choice to postpone graduation.

“I’m not embarrassed about the decisions I’ve made,” she said, adding that she remains in good academic standing at Brown and plans to return to earn her degree if the University will accommodate part-time students. “I’m very candid with voters, and it isn’t an issue.”