Monday, October 29, 2012

daily herald the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 94

INSIDE

Page 3

Monday, October 29, 2012

Series of celebrations marks 19th inauguration

Movie star

By alexandra macfarlane news editor

Ennenga ’16 stars in a new Lena Dunham movie Page 7

Iran difficulty Mayo ’13 says Obama must halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions Page 8

Inaugural ball Check out The Herald’s spread of the inauguration

today

tomorrow

57 / 51

61 / 58

since 1891

Emily Gilbert / Herald

President Christina Paxson was inaugurated as the University’s 19th president in a weekend of lavish ceremonies and festivities.

In ceremonies punctuated with insights from the past, celebrations of present successes and excitement for the future, members of the Brown community and distinguished guests marked the inauguration of the University’s 19th president, Christina Paxson.

Friday’s event was intended to celebrate the inauguration, while Saturday marked a more official welcoming of the president. Over the course of the weekend, administrators and local officials praised Paxson and encouraged her to continue the University’s tradition of liberal learning. Paxson also seized the opportunity to reiterate the University’s commitment to a universal need-blind admission policy.

Explosive brass opened the event Friday night, as local brass band What Cheer? Brigade stormed in from the rear of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Many of the musicians, dressed all in black, leapt to the stage and ges-

tured wildly. The group was followed by the Brown Jazz Band, as well as Word!, a campus spoken word and poetry group, and several other performance groups, including Badmaash Dance Company.

Kate Burton ’79 P’11 hosted the event and read from the letters of Abigail Adams, who advocated women’s rights at the time of the nation’s founding. “We should have learned women,” Burton quoted, adding that Adams also stressed that people should not be bound by laws that do not represent their unique civic voices.

Participants in the celebration extended personal greetings to Paxson, gesturing to the second tier where Paxson was seated during the ceremony.

Speakers and participants described the impressions Paxson has made on them in her short time as president.

“Brown has found just the right leader for this moment of the University’s history,” Burton said.

Local poet Christopher Johnson / / Inauguration page 5 shared

U. cancels classes as hurricane threat looms Corp.

By Amy Rasmussen City & State Editor

Courtesy of NOAA

Hurricane Sandy will be most dangerous starting early Monday morning and continuing into the evening, weather officials said.

University officials used the Brown Alert system at approximately 7:30pm to notify the community that Monday classes would be canceled and administrative offices closed due to the projected effects of Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane packing 75 mile-per-hour winds and currently moving up the East Coast. Normal operations are set to resume Tuesday. Sandy’s fury is expected to affect tens of millions along the coast with wind damage, extended power outages, coastal erosion and flooding.

Rhode Island residents can expect to see the greatest impact beginning Monday morning and into the evening hours, said Lance Franck, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. Currently, the greatest

concerns for the Ocean State are high winds and flooding, and experts are predicting sustained winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour and gusts of up to 80 miles per hour, he said.

Administrators have been keeping a close eye on the developing storm throughout the week and made the decision to cancel classes and other University functions this evening, said Stephen Morin, director of the University’s risk management team.

“We decided it was in everyone’s best interest not to have students and staff walking around campus,” Morin told The Herald last night. High winds and falling tree limbs pose particular concerns. “Essential staff,” including some Facilities Management, Dining Services and Department of Public Safety workers, will still be reporting, / / Storm page 4 he said.

Local artist spruces up city with StumpChairs By sabrina imbler Contributing writer

It is fitting that Providence’s own artisanal vigilante — working in a city known as “the creative capital” — concerns himself not with vandalism, but with woodworking. Under the nom de guerre “Johny Chair Seed,” a name coined by a Providence blog and embraced by the artist, he roams Providence at night, transforming ordinary tree stumps into extraordinary chairs, including at least one stump on campus.

Two to three hours before daybreak mark prime stumping hours.

Johny, who asked to remain anonymous to encourage others to build StumpChairs of their own, must build his guerilla artwork unnoticed by the eyes of the general public. Armed with a bag of drill bits, he has learned to stump efficiently: drill, glue, screw.

In those three steps, a StumpChair is born. He and members of the select circle of those who know his secret install the chair and leave the scene in fewer than 10 minutes.

For Johny, a college student who currently resides in Philadelphia, “stumping” is as much a late-night pastime among friends as it is an art.

“If we don’t have anything else to do, I say, ‘Hey I feel kind of stumpy. Do you want to go out?’ or ‘It’s getting kind of stumpy out. Do you want to go stumping?’” Johny paused.

“There’s a whole adjective, noun and verb.”

Stumping is generally a spontaneous act that depends on Johny’s supply of chairs. In the beginning, he said he foraged for his supplies on Sunday nights, the night before trash collection, biking along streets teeming with abandoned chairs. Now, / / Stump page 5 he receives

Emily gilbert / herald

An anonymous artist turns tree stumps into aesthetic and comfortable sitting spots by constructing sustainable chairs along the city’s sidewalks.

approves planning groups

By LUCY FELDMAN NEWS EDITOR

In its first meeting under President Christina Paxson, the Corporation reviewed the University’s strategic planning process and heard updates about ongoing initiatives, including the formation of a school of public health. Paxson also arranged the formation of new committees to address campus master planning and digital technology.

Master planning and digital technology groups Paxson identified master planning and digital technology as two subjects that “cut across” established committees on the Corporation, she told The Herald, noting that campus planning falls under the jurisdiction of not only the Facilities and Design Committee on the Corporation but also the domains of academic priorities, student life and University budgeting.

The newly formed master planning group will be the alum and Corporation counterpart to the existing faculty, administrator and student committee on planning, Paxson said.

The exact structure, size and members of the groups will be decided in the next few weeks, she said.

The University has hired Sasaki Associates, a Boston planning and design firm, to assess how to integrate academic needs into physical planning / / Planning page 2

2 campus news c alendar Today

Oct. 29

4 P.m.

/ / Planning page 1

ToMORROW

Oct. 30

2:30 p.m.

Physics Colloquim: Mehran Kardar

A Reading by Poet John Yau

Barus & Holley, Room 168

McCormack Family Theater

4:30 p.m.

4 p.m.

Chinese Filmmaker Jiayin Liu

“More Crop Per Drop”

Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute

MacMillan Hall, Room 117

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH Italian Chicken Parmesan, Vegetarian Vegetable Submarine Sandwich, Hot Roast Beef on Sesame Roll

Chicken Fajitas, Black Bean Tacos, Mexican Succotash, Beef Barley Soup, White Chocolate Chip Cookies

DINNER Cider Glazed Turkey, Macaroni & Cheese, Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Wheat and White Bread

the brown daily herald Monday, October 29, 2012

Pizza Rustica with Spinach, Italian Meatballs with Sauce, Italian Couscous, Broiled Stuffed Tomatoes

Sudoku

Crossword

projects, Paxson said. Sasaki’s emphasis on data analysis appealed to the University, Paxson said, adding that the firm is developing an app to gather further data on people’s movements and connections across campus. The app will likely launch by the end of the semester, she said.

The digital technology group will conduct site visits to other universities that make particularly good use of digital technology to learn about their approaches, she said, noting that digital technology constitutes everything from the programs needed for online education to the social media tools necessary to keep alums connected to campus.

“There’s a lot of learning that’s going to have to happen” for members of both committees, Paxson said.

Campus planning involves everything from the physical layout of the campus to budgetary matters, so members of the committee will have a lot to catch up on, she said. Most people have one specific area of expertise in digital technology, and members will have to diversify their knowledge, she said.

Strategic planning and initiatives Aside from the formation of the committees, the Corporation primarily heard updates on the University’s stage of planning.

“I think partly because the Corporation weekend coincided with the inauguration, the Corporation meeting itself was … subordinate to the inaugural events that were planned,” said Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12.

In an email to the community Oct. 27, Paxson encouraged community members to take part in the University’s upcoming planning process.

Earlier this month, the University announced the formation of six committees to explore topics of faculty retention, infrastructure, financial aid, curricular innovation, online education and doctoral education.

The strategic planning website will be updated regularly, and each committee’s page has a space for community feedback, said Provost Mark Schlissel P’15.

“In the longer term, each committee will be doing outreach to student focus groups, and we’ll have some student forums,” he said, adding that he is working directly with the Undergraduate Council of Students to solicit input.

The Corporation also discussed “resource needs” of the expanding faculty, according to the email, but no specific recommendations were

made, McLaughlin said.

The size of the faculty grew by around 20 percent under the Plan for Academic Enrichment, Schlissel said, “but the resources available … did not grow in proportion.” The planning committees will need to determine the resources the faculty needs, prioritize goals and cultivate those resources in the upcoming years, he said.

“We have to create the right kinds of physical spaces to be adaptable to new kinds of teaching,” he said.

If class sizes trend towards smaller seminars, classrooms will need to allow for more intimate discussion, he said.

Diversity and internationalization are “essential to every aspect of strategic planning,” Paxson wrote in Saturday’s email.

These two issues can be readily integrated into conversations about research, education and facilities, she said.

“Sometimes by singling it out as its own thing, it becomes kind of isolated and segmented from the planning process,” she added, noting that the Plan for Academic Enrichment included diversity and internationalization as individual goals. Paxson identified diversifying the faculty as something the University could have done better in the past.

Ongoing initiatives The Corporation heard an update on ongoing renovations to campus facilities, according to Paxson’s email.

Anonymous parents donated $5 million to Residential Life for dormitories, according to the email.

The funds will go towards the $56 million goal for funds towards ResLife improvements set last year, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services.

Klawunn added that the Corporation is supportive of the proposal to offer gender-neutral housing options for first-year students and that she believes it will be implemented next fall.

The Corporation also discussed the School of Engineering and its physical expansion efforts, Schlissel said.

“Clearly, engineering is one of the priority initiatives that has a significant space component and a facilities component attached to it, but there’s no approved project underway because we just haven’t gotten there yet,” said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president.

The Corporation heard specifics about a plan for the proposed school of public health to report to the provost.

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Terrie Wetle, associate dean of public health and public policy, told the Corporation last May that the proposed school would report to the Corporation instead of the dean of biological and medical sciences. The proposal for the school is scheduled to be voted on by faculty members at the Nov. 6 faculty meeting. If approved, it will go to the provost and president for approval and then to the Corporation for the final vote in February.

New gifts The Corporation approved $24.5 million in gifts this weekend, as well as a statue to be installed between Waterman and Angell streets next month, according to the email.

“It’s a pretty impressive expression of support for the president and for the agenda that she’s set out, even though it’s in some ways an interim agenda waiting for the larger comprehensive plan,” Spies said. The University received over $30 million in gifts last fall.

A lot of the gifts received this weekend speak directly to the eight fundraising priorities continuing from former President Ruth Simmons’ administration, Paxson said.

The University aims to raise around $500 million towards these eight priorities, which include financial aid, athletics and renovations on Hunter Laboratory and residency halls.

“We have at this moment just under $100 million dollars in gifts and pledges toward those eight goals,” Spies said. “More than half of that has actually come since the last Corporation meeting” in May, he said.

The Athletics Initiative received a $2 million donation from the initiative’s co-chair and Corporation Trustee Kevin Mundt ’76 P’11 and Jayne Mundt P’11. These donations come after the University reviewed its athletic program in 2011 in light of school-wide budget constraints.

The Corporation ultimately approved several measures affecting the athletics department last October, including cuts in the number of admission spots per team, a fundraising effort to improve facilities and an increase in coaches’ salaries to make them more competitive with those at peer schools.

“People recognized in that review that athletics is an important part of the campus community and that there were areas of athletics that needed to be financially supported,” said Athletic Director Jack Hayes.

An anonymous gift of $5 million was donated to the Department of Theater Arts and Performance Studies and the Brown/Trinity Master of Fine Arts programs in Acting and Directing.

The University also received sculptor Tom Friedman’s “Circle Dance” from an anonymous donor.

The sculpture will likely be placed somewhere on the Walk between Waterman and Angell streets. Having the sculpture on campus will be “a way of reminding us all of the place of art and our collective humanity,” Spies said.

— With additional reporting by Shefali Luthra

@the_herald

arts & culture 3

the brown daily herald Monday, October 29, 2012

DataFest presents economic First-year stars in film with Krasinski ’01 benefits of city’s arts scene By emily passarelli contributing Writer

By Riley davis contributing writer

In addition to providing entertainment and fostering a rich creative culture, Providence’s arts scene serves another important purpose: stimulating the economy. Precisely that was the subject of the first annual DataFest, held Oct. 26 at the Trinity Repertory Company, which showcased massive amounts of data on how the arts contribute to Providence’s economic vitality and quality of life.

DataFest 2012 drew a crowd of several dozen people affiliated with the arts, local universities and nonprofit organizations to hear about how data concerning the arts is more telling and important than it initially seems. Indeed, despite the high concentration of technical terms that caused a few audience members to doze, DataFest offered a very simple message: The arts are important for mental stimulation, emotional stability and the economy.

The data presentation was split into three separate talks over the course of the day. Ashley Berendt, an associate with public policy nonprofit the Pew Charitable Trusts, led the first presentation, a workshop titled “How to Use Your Cultural Data Project Data.”

The talk discussed what the Cultural Data Project does and the effects of the data it is gathering. Essentially, groups associated with the arts can enter on the CDP’s website data they have gathered about their net income, expenditure and cost breakdowns. That data is then compiled and published so that other groups similar in size and budget can compare it to their own.

The CDP, established in 2004, is now in use in 12 states and the District of

Columbia, and other states are looking to join in on the data cultivation. The presentation also offered lots of facts and data on arts and culture participation in Rhode Island. This year alone, 436,207 people paid to attend arts and cultural activities in Providence, while 2,328,544 people attended free arts events. This data confirmed what many already suspected about Providence — for a city its size, it is doing very well when it comes to participation in the arts.

The second presentation, titled “Presentation of Arts and Economic Prosperity IV,” was given by Randy Cohen, vice president of research and policy at Americans for the Arts. Cohen gave a lively presentation on the arts in history, and how since ancient times the arts have been aiding overall quality of life. Cohen talked about how the arts have created 4,669 full-time-equivalent jobs in Providence, and how Providence generates four to five times in industry expenditure and jobs than other cities its size. He concluded by saying in order to sustain the arts scene for the future, the way the arts are broadcast to the population must keep pace with the technology available.

Steven Wolff, founding principal of AMS Planning and Research and AMS Analytics, wrapped up the day with a presentation titled “Understanding Change in Providence’s Arts and Cultural Sector.” Wolff discussed how to sustain and promote the arts’ growth in an unstable economy. One of the central questions in his presentation was whether the arts in Providence will continue to thrive. Though the economy is still unpredictable, Wolff said the data points toward an affirmative answer.

Students may know India Ennenga ’16 as just another member of the freshman class, but since the age of nine, she has done voice work and performed in various films and television shows, playing Meg Ryan’s daughter in “The Women” and appearing in HBO series “Treme” for the past two years. Ennenga’s most recent work is “Nobody Walks,” which premiered in theaters nationwide Oct. 12.

In the film, Ennenga plays Kolt, the daughter of Julie (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Peter (John Krasinski ’01), a couple living in Los Angeles. The movie tells the story of the effects that an artist from New York (Olivia Thirlby) has on the family’s relationships when she stays in the their Los Angeles home to work on a film.

“The family already has a lot of issues but isn’t really aware of them … and (Thirlby) winds up bringing out all of the sort of hidden problems that the family has,” Ennenga said. Ennenga’s character has a crush on her father’s assistant, adding to the tension.

Kolt is an example of a quiet girl going through her “tough teenage span,” Ennenga said. The way she deals with her problems resonated with Ennenga and attracted her to the role.

“The character seemed very much like a girl who had gone to my high school, so it was easy to relate,” Ennenga said.

For Ennenga, the sense of family that dominates the movie extended beyond the screen. The movie was shot mainly on one set, so a large part of the cast would just sit around and hang out between takes, Ennenga said. “It felt so much like a family at the end of it,” she said.

Ad-libbing scenes with Krasinski was entertaining, she added.

Ennenga especially loved interacting with Thirlby ­— for each new take, Thirlby

Courtesy of India Ennenga

India Ennenga ’16 appears alongside John Krasinski ’01 and Rosemarie DeWitt in her latest screen appearance, “Nobody Walks.” would assume a different approach but stick to the same words, which gave Ennenga a chance to learn and explore the different ways a scene could be played.

Just as she enjoys absorbing new skills on set, Ennenga said she also genuinely loves academic learning. She said her mother never pressured her to go to college, but “I love school, and I didn’t want to not go to college. The thought of sitting at home and waiting around for a job is just not something I’m ready for yet.”

Once the filming of the new season of “Treme” begins, Ennenga said keeping up with coursework and travelling to New Orleans to shoot may get a bit hard to juggle, but she doesn’t plan to let her acting career interfere with her

career as a Brown student. She said she is considering concentrating in English or comparative literature but has an interest in ancient religions.

At the age of four, Ennenga said she begged her mother to allow her to become an actress. Her mother eventually relented when Ennenga turned nine, at which point she had what she said she considers her first significant role as the voice of Pinky in the children’s cartoon “Pinky Dinky Doo.” Thus far in her career, Ennenga said she has chosen roles to which she can relate, so much so that in daily life she sometimes finds herself wondering “wait — wasn’t that a line that I read in a script?”

football

Bruno drops crucial conference game to Penn 20-17

By Lindor Qunaj Sports Editor

Looking to build off their recent victory against Cornell, the Bears took to the road in search of their second consecutive Ivy League win this past Saturday. But Bruno fell just short in Philadelphia, losing 20-17 to a Penn team that staged a successful comeback in the game’s final minutes.

“We didn’t get beat by a better team,” said Head Coach Phil Estes. “We beat ourselves. We had too many penalties, and you can’t win football games with four interceptions and picks in the red zone.”

The Bears’ (4-3, 1-3 Ivy) depleted depth chart suffered another blow before the game began. Jordan Reisner ’14 — who had an outstanding performance in last weekend’s Cornell game, running for 193 yards — was effectively out of commission this weekend with a broken wrist. Jeffrey Izon ’13 was also slowed by a sprained ankle, though he managed to run for a team-high 44 yards.

“Izon gave us all he could give out there,” Estes said. But with the team’s top five tailbacks all injured, “we’re not going to hang our hats on the running game,” he added.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Quakers (3-4, 3-1) scored the first points of the game late in the second. Wide receiver Conner Scott caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Quaker quarter-

back Billy Ragone to cap a 70-yard drive.

Getting the ball back with 19 seconds left in the half, the Bears caught a break as the Quakers were hit with a 15-yard interference penalty on a 32-yard punt.

Starting at the Penn 49, quarterback Patrick Donnelly ’13 completed a pass to wide receiver Stian Romberg ’15 for a 20-yard gain that put the team within field goal range. Despite two subsequent incomplete passes, Alex Norocea ’14 was able to connect on the 46-yard attempt, bringing the score to 7-3 as time expired.

The Bears took a three point lead midway through the third quarter after wide receiver Tellef Lundevall ’13 made a 10-yard catch for Bruno’s first touchdown.

Lundevall had an impressive performance Saturday afternoon, racking up a total of 170 yards and accounting for more than half of the team’s passing offense.

Lundevall’s 17 catches put him at sixth place in the Brown football record books for receptions in a single game.

On the next possession, the Quakers responded emphatically, taking back the lead with a 36-yard pass from Ragone to Jason Seifert to put them up 14-10.

The Bears had an opportunity to regain the lead early in the fourth quarter when a Quaker personal foul moved Bruno to Penn’s eight yard line with a full set of downs. But Drew Harris intercepted Donnelly’s first attempt to end Bruno’s drive.

Estes said his team’s defensive squad, which held Penn to 103 rushing yards and 207 passing yards, did a solid job.

“Those are stats that you could live with,” he said. “Our defense has been a mainstay.”

Co-captain and defensive lineman Ross Walthall ’13 echoed Estes’ comments. “As a defense, we did a very good job of shutting down their traditional running game,” he said. “For a team that loves the power running game, we did a good job of getting to them.”

The Quakers had been averaging 133 yards per game on the ground.

With 9:06 left to play, the Bears found themselves with the ball once more. Donnelly orchestrated a 69-yard drive that ate up over five minutes and ended with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Colby Taulbee ’14. Taulbee, who had been out with an injury for the last two games, ran for 11 yards and had two catches for 46 yards this weekend.

But the Quakers tied the game again on a 45-yard field goal by Connor Loftus made possible by a 46-yard kickoff return

by Dexter Davis.

A.J. Cruz ’13 returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, seemingly giving the Bears a commanding lead with just 2:13 remaining. But the touchdown was called back due to a holding penalty. Estes didn’t dispute the call, saying it was an “absolute hold.”

Emily Gilbert / Herald

Despite the 170 yards Tellef Lundevall ’13 racked up against the Quakers, a few last-minute mistakes cost the Bears a critical Ivy victory Saturday.

After advancing the ball only 13 yards, Donnelly threw for another interception at the Brown 44, returning the ball to a Quaker team with three timeouts left.

Penn went on to score a field goal with 14 seconds remaining. The Bears could not come up with a response, and Donnelly’s fourth interception of the game left Bruno without a chance.

Estes said that the holding penalty that nullified the kickoff return was just one example of the need for players to avoid costly mistakes. “If you have 10 guys doing the right thing, and one guy doesn’t, that won’t work,” he said. “You need to have 11 guys on the same page. And if

we can do that, we’ll be fine.”

But Estes said the team is excited to return to the familiar Brown Stadium for another Ivy matchup against Yale this Saturday.

“We’ve been on the road way too much,” he said. “It’ll be very nice to be at home this weekend.”

With three games left, the Ivy championship is now virtually out of reach for the Bears, and Estes said the team’s motivation will have to shift.

“At this point, they know they’re not playing for an Ivy championship,” he said.

“They’re playing for their pride. They’re playing for the seniors.”

4 sports monday

the brown daily herald Monday, October 29, 2012

M. Hockey

In first games, Bruno takes down Tigers, falls to Big Green

Jonathan Bateman / Herald

The Bears got off to a strong start in this weekend’s Ivy Showcase, defeating Princeton 2-1, but lost their edge in a shutout by the Big Green.

By Caleb Miller Contributing Writer

For the first time in nine seasons, the men’s hockey team won its Ivy League opener, defeating Princeton 2-1 Friday at home. The team then dropped its second game of the weekend’s Ivy Showcase tournament with a 4-0 loss to Dartmouth.

Though both games were against Ivy foes, neither will count toward the team’s Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference record.

Brown 2, Princeton 1 The Bears (1-1-0) kicked off the sea-

/ / Storm page 1 “Food and water will be available for students,” Morin wrote in an email to The Herald. “If there is a loss of power, these efforts will be coordinated primarily at the (Sharpe) Refectory, and communications will be sent as necessary. Flashlights should be used during a power outage and not candles, and I encourage everyone to have a flashlight.”

Students and staff should check their emails and the Brown home page for updates. Officials will also use the text messaging system for further important communications, Morin said.

Other pertinent information is also available through the University Hurricane Plan, available on Brown’s website.

Storm watch Morin was unsure of the last time classes were canceled due to inclement weather, but he said it’s “happened a fair amount” over the last 20 years.

Usually, the offending weather system is heavy snow.

Morin also urged community members to remain indoors tomorrow and to avoid the temptation to storm-watch at beaches. “If you can, stay inside,” he said.

Most students said they plan to ride out the storm with some last-minute homework for company. Opinions about Sandy’s actual severity ran the gamut.

Sydney Peak ’15 said she thought the University’s call for cancellations were made too last-minute and could cause unfair difficulties for staff.

“Brown should have made the decision in concordance with the city of Providence,” she said. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 declared a state of emergency yesterday, joining the ranks of 10 other states and expressing concerns about coastal flooding at a press conference.

Student preparations for the storm

son with a dominant display in the first period Friday. From the time the puck dropped, it spent most of its time in the Princeton (0-2-0) zone — Bruno managed 11 shots in the first period.

“I thought we came out hard the first period and put them on their heels,” said Head Coach Brenden Whittet ’94. “Honestly, that was the best period of hockey I’ve seen Brown play since I’ve been here.”

Forward Matt Lorito ’15 highlighted the effort, slapping a shot under the arm of Princeton goaltender Mike Condon for Bruno’s first goal of the season. Defender Joey de Concilys ’15 put the play in mo-

have not been particularly intensive, as most placed their trust in the University.

“I feel safe,” said Hannah Cole ’16.

“The University probably knows what they’re doing in terms of power generation, and we’re obviously not going to starve.”

Mandatory evacuations are in effect for residents in low-lying areas of Westerly and Narragansett. The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency opened 10 emergency shelters across the state yesterday to accommodate displaced persons, including an ice rink in Warwick that will be used specifically for pets.

All state public school districts announced closures yesterday. In a press release last night, Chafee ordered Monday classes at the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island, to be canceled. The Rhode Island School of Design, Salve Regina University, Roger Williams University, Providence College and Bryant University have also canceled classes.

‘Frankenstorm’ As the storm looms over the Atlantic, officials are still unable to predict the exact path or total damages it may cause. But one thing is for certain — the aptly-named “Frankenstorm” is anything but average.

Sandy is a unique system because it is in the process of transforming from a hurricane into an extratropical cyclone, Franck explained. Because it is merging with a variety of systems, the storm is taking on some of the characteristics of a Nor’easter — a storm that gets its power from the difference between a cold mass of air and warm Gulf Stream water.

But Franck warned that the categorization could be confusing. People think, “‘Okay, it’s going from tropical to extratropical, it’s weakening,’” he said.

tion, pushing the puck up the right side of the ice to Lorito. The forward faked a pass to Ryan Jacobson ’15 before sending a shot past the goalie and into the left side of the net.

The Bruno defense did their part, limiting the Tigers to just six shots in the period.

Most of the second period was backand-forth, with no team scoring until two tripping fouls within five seconds sent players from each squad to the penalty box. With just four minutes left, the Bears capitalized in the 4-on-4 scenario when forward Nick Lappin ’16 separated from the crowd and slid his first career goal into the net, pushing the Bruno lead to 2-0.

“I had a breakaway for about half the ice, kind of a lucky break,” Lappin said.

“The puck came out to me, and I just faked a shot and pulled to my backhand, and that was pretty open.”

A goal by Princeton’s Tyler Maugeri with 3:14 left in the final period proved to be too little, too late for the Tigers, who struggled all night to generate chances against a stout Bruno defense.

“Our motto this year is we’re a defense-first team,” said captain and defenseman Dennis Robertson ’14. “We just didn’t give them any grade-A chances.”

Goalie Marco DeFilippo ’14 grabbed 24 saves to spearhead the defensive effort.

“It’s actually strengthening.”

Weather experts are currently projecting Sandy will make landfall in New Jersey tonight, and most models keep the Ocean State out of the storm’s direct path. But experts are urging everyone to remain vigilant.

“You can’t just focus on the center and let your guard down in that sense, because the strong and damaging winds will extend well north and east of the center,” Franck said. “In that way, it’s much larger than your typical storm.”

The storm’s potential for damage is being compared to Hurricane Bob in 1991 and the Patriot’s Day Nor’easter in 2007, Franck said. Bob, a Category 2 hurricane, left $680 million in damages across Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Franck described Sandy, which has received a variety of Halloween-themed nicknames and drawn references to the “Perfect Storm,” as “multi-faceted.” The north and east sides of the storm are packing heavy winds, with the south and west bringing flooding rains, he said. Parts of the Appalachian mountains could see up to two feet of snow.

“It’s a tale of two storms in that sense,” Franck said.

Rhode Island’s last hit came from Category 1 Hurricane Irene in September 2011, which left nearly 300,000 residents without power and caused millions of dollars of damage. Sandy is expected to be even more costly.

“In Rhode Island particularly, the storm surge flooding will be worse, wind damage will be worse,” Franck said. “We expect it to be a greater impact than Irene.”

As stores are stripped of water, flashlights, bread and milk, officials and experts are advising residents to stay put.

“Hunker down. Prepare to stay in place for a little while,” Franck said. “(Monday) is going to be pretty dangerous with the increasing winds.”

“Marco played great. He was a backbone, and he made all the saves he needed to make,” Robertson said.

Dartmouth 4, Brown 0 The Bears were unable to carry Friday night’s momentum into the next day’s game against Dartmouth (1-0-1).

Whittet attributed the loss to problems with the team’s mentality. “I think we just did not have that mental edge — ­ we weren’t crisp mentally from the get-go. So what happens is you miss pucks, you take too long to make a pass, you miss the net with shots,” Whittet said. “It’s all upstairs.”

Bruno battled Dartmouth to a scoreless stalemate after the first period, but the Bears were dealt a major blow when forward Garnet Hathaway ’14 drew a game misconduct penalty with 1:49 left in the period. The penalty was called for a blow to the head of a Dartmouth player.

“That Hathaway penalty hurts us because he’s a big kid that plays a physical game,” Whittet said. “When you don’t have him, you lose an element from the lineup, and we just never recovered.”

The penalty also gave Dartmouth a five-minute power play lasting into the second period. On the power play, forward Eric Robinson sent a slap shot into the net to give Dartmouth a 1-0 lead.

After taking the early advantage, Dartmouth pushed the margin to 3-0

on two controversial plays. The first came late in the second period when Dartmouth’s Brett Patterson nudged a rebound into the open net as DeFilippo was caught up in a mass of bodies. The open net motivated officials to review the play for interference, but the goal was upheld.

A minute into the third period, Bruno forward Jacobson drilled the top bar of the goal and the puck bounced near the goal line. No goal was awarded, and as the Bruno faithful cried foul, the puck was sent to the other end of the ice where Dartmouth’s Tyler Sikura slapped it past DeFilippo for goal number three. Once again, the play was officially reviewed and upheld. An empty-net score by Jesse Beamish gave Dartmouth the cherry on top of the commanding victory.

The Bears registered 24 shots on the night, all of which were saved by rookie goalie Charles Grant.

Jacobson said it was the Bears’ inability to match Dartmouth’s aggressive style of defense that led to their offensive woes.

Bruno’s weekend split didn’t match the team’s expectations going into the tournament, according to Jacobson.

“We wanted the sweep. We’ve gotten to the mentality before in years past that one win and one loss is okay, and it’s just not anymore,” he said. “Next week, we’re going to look for a better result.”

U. opens research center for veterans’ neuro issues

By Elizabeth Carr City & State Editor

The University officially unveiled the Veteran Affairs Center of Excellence for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology Friday at a ceremony attended by government officials and members of the medical community.

The center was made possible by a $4.5 million five-year grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in June.

The center, located at the VA Medical Center, will focus on medical issues that affect many veterans — such as spinal cord injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression — through research in neuroprosthetics, advanced prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation robotics and neuromodulation, the use of neural stimulation to treat psychiatric disorders.

Friday’s ceremony highlighted the community partnerships — Massachusetts General Hospital, the University, Butler Hospital and Lifespan with the VA Medical Center — that made the research center possible. The collaboration “underscores the tremendous success we could have if we all work together,” said Glenn Tung, associate dean for clinical affairs at the Alpert Medical School, during the ceremony.

The collaboration is “an example of the VA at its very best,” said Michael Mayo-Smith, director of the VA New England healthcare system, in his remarks. “This is just going to be the beginning.” The center is unique in that it allows researchers and clinicians to work together, so when new innovations are developed, the patients at the VA Medical Center can immediately benefit, Mayo-

science & research

Smith said.

Professor of Neuroscience John Donoghue, director of the center and of the Brown Institute for Brain Science, outlined the “advanced research” that would take place at the center, aiming “to restore the ability of our veterans to carry out … fulfilling lives.” Donoghue’s neuroprosthetics research through the BrainGate project has made strides in creating artificial limbs controlled by neural stimulation.

The ceremony also provided an opportunity for BrainGate’s two research subjects — Robert Villette and Cathy Hutchinson — ­ to meet for the first time, according to a University press release.

Villette and Hutchinson, who have both suffered paralyzing injuries, were both able to recover some limb function through neuroprosthetics developed

by BrainGate.

Donoghue’s team is currently engaging in clinical trials in the center’s four core research areas, and he said he expects further treatment developments over the next 10 years.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 described the center as an important part of the state’s future. “This is going to be the epicenter, right here in Rhode Island,” he said. “Someday we’re going to be reading about (Donoghue) getting a Nobel Prize.”

In his keynote address, Joel Kupersmith, chief research and development officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, outlined the clinical trials and medical advancements of the VA program’s 87-year history, demonstrating how the new neurorestoration and neurotechnology center will fit into the program’s future. The center, Kupersmith said, will “discover knowledge and create innovations that advance the health and care of veterans across the country.”

campus news 5

the brown daily herald Monday, October 29, 2012

/ / Inauguration page 1 a poem about the University’s virtues. “(Paxson) said Brown has a way of taking what’s okay and doing it better, like integrating into a fast-moving world and having an impact on that world,” his poem read.

Paxson is “very humble, sincere and open,” Rodney Robinson ’73, who attended the event, told The Herald.

As the ceremony closed, What Cheer? Brigade played upbeat numbers that caused audience members — even Paxson and her family — to sway to the music as they left the auditorium.

Community members reconvened Saturday afternoon on the Main Green, following the Corporation meeting.

Ceremony participants — including student representatives, faculty members, campus administrators, local and national political figures and representatives of the academic community — examined issues the University has faced over the years and extolled the spirit embodied by its leaders.

The officials progressed through Faunce Arch and through the audience gathered near the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center “to confirm the University’s charter,” said University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, who led the invocation.

A new president offers a chance to renew the spirit of the University, said Anika Profit-Grier, senior biographic data specialist and Staff Advisory Council chair, in a speech.

“Brown’s strength has always been its people,” Mary Louise Gill, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee and professor of philosophy and classics, told the audience. Though leading the University will always be a “daunting endeavor,” Gill said Paxson should “anticipate a new era of achievement and growth of Brown under (her) leadership.”

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras expressed his excitement, sharing his belief that “our future is bright for Brown and Providence.”

At this moment of change, the University should “honor tradition while looking toward the future,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., adding that Paxson will “build on the legacy of leadership” created by former President Ruth Simmons.

Simmons, along with former Presidents Sheila Blumstein and Vartan Gregorian, attended the ceremony.

Nineteen “is going to be Brown’s lucky number,” said Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton, who served as

one of Paxson’s mentors during her time at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. The University will be well-caredfor under Paxson, whose leadership is characterized by “quiet confidence and unshakable composure,” she said.

Paxson has an ability to listen, forge consensus and stick to the decisions she makes, Tilghman said, adding that she has “creativity, ingenuity (and) willingness to question the status quo.”

Following these remarks, Paxson took part in traditions carried out by her 18 predecessors as she was presented with the University charter and the chain of office and sat in the Manning Chair, which was donated to the University by its first chancellor.

Paxson ended the ceremony with remarks that highlighted the vision the University has embodied from its inception and the larger importance of higher education.

“Thank you so much for the trust you’ve placed in me,” she told the audience.

“We are not in the business of producing widgets” — people who graduate Brown ready-made for certain careers, she said. Paxson added that a Brown education has the ability to effect change by fostering analytical thinking and a comprehensive approach to problem-solving.

Brown is about the “cultivation of creative and talented people who will lead us,” she said, adding that “if universities like us don’t undertake this work, nobody will.”

Paxson’s renewal of the University’s commitment to making the school accessible to all students regardless of their ability to pay was met with great applause and cheers from the audience.

Paxson used her own course of study to highlight the duty of learning, adding that she chose economics because it combines the study of “resource allocation and human well-being.”

As she spoke, the clouds above University Hall lifted to warm the podium, and students and guests pointed to a rainbow that formed above the stage on which she was speaking.

On the eve of its 250th anniversary, the University must reaffirm its dedication to scholarship and remain attuned to global problems as it invests in the future, Paxson said.

She concluded by remarking on the connection between the possibilities of the future and the understanding of the past. Brown is an “institution perpetually involved in the process of renewing ourselves,” she said.

/ / Stump page 1 enough emails from local residents offering their unwanted chairs for his purposes that he may consider retiring his bike, he said.

Transforming ‘eyesores into Windsors’ StumpChair’s roots in the University community run deep. In its fifth year, Brown’s A Better World

by Design conference featured the work of StumpChair as an example of sustainable, socially responsible design. Joanna Zhang ’13.5, a member of the 2012 committee for the conference, said she sees StumpChair as a “wonderful piece of whimsy.”

This August, a StumpChair appeared on George Street, directly across from Barus and Holley. The fungus-speckled stump now dominates the sidewalk, its massive roots having ruptured the herringbone pattern of brick long ago. The chair itself is simple: a round backing encircling spindles, Windsor style. It attracts the gaze of the occasional rubbernecking driver or rushed student but is mostly left alone.

The chair is also comfortable — it was designed that way. When a StumpChair is installed, a volunteer sits on the stump to locate the prime spot, which will be the seat of the chair, according to a documentary about StumpChair. For the stump in front of Barus and Holley, one half is mushy, and the other is firm. The back of the chair rests on the division between the two to ensure the sitter’s comfort.

Often returning to the scene of the stump to observe his work, Johny said he sees more people photographing his work than actually utilizing it. “It should be a functional chair before it is art,” he said. StumpChair’s motto is “Making eyesores into Windsors.”

Michelle Johnson ’15, who passes by the George Street StumpChair frequently en route from Perkins, never noticed the chair until one of her friends pointed it out to her. “It’s surprisingly comfortable,” she said “I have a new sitting spot now. It’s a good place to reflect.”

feature

Providence: A prime seat for stumping There’s just something about Providence that makes it the primordial soup necessary to bring StumpChair to life. Johny cited two principle reasons: the city’s compact size and its abundance of stumps.

In a smaller city like Providence, it is easier for StumpChair to become a landmark of the local culture, the artist said. While StumpChairs have become an institutional quirk of this artsy community, they face less favorable conditions elsewhere. Other cities expedite stump decomposition with potassium nitrate, clearing the city of the stumps and offering artists like Johny precious little StumpChair real estate. The first chair installed outside of Rhode Island — in Philadelphia — was swiftly removed.

“Here, it’s easy to find stumps,” he said.

But StumpChair didn’t take off right away in Providence, either. The first StumpChair Johny ever built was removed from Power Street within a matter of days of its debut, he said.

From the remains — specifically the nubs of a spindle of the late StumpChair — Johny built a miniature StumpChair on the same stump, which was also removed.

But while the first StumpChair in both Providence and Philadelphia may have been doomed, most other chairs have survived, some for more than a year. Johny estimates his current legacy to be 20 StumpChairs, he said.

Secret, but not protected While Johny has occasionally been discovered by others in his clandestine work, he is rarely confronted about his actions. When Johny installed a StumpChair on Power Street, officers from the Department of Public Safety discovered him, observed him for a minute, and then smiled, waved and left, he said. In fact, almost all of the few who spot Johny in his element do not say anything. One man who discovered Johny working on a chair in broad daylight asked him if he was the artist behind StumpChair, he said, but Johny told him no — he was just fixing the chair.

“He’s not very protective of the secret,” said Jimmy Rudolph, who attended the Wheeler School with the artist, marking his place among the elite few privy to the artist’s identity.

He is often asked if he knows the artist, but rarely reveals Johny’s identity.

The artist chooses to remain anonymous to the public so others do not feel as if they are “infringing on his ideas” if they choose to make a StumpChair, Rudolph said. The legality of installing StumpChairs is also still in question, he added.

Rudolph released a 10-minute documentary entitled “A Good Night for Stumpin’” online Sunday, which he hopes will encourage more people to follow in Johny’s footsteps. Essentially an instructional video regarding the installment of a StumpChair, the video preserves Johny’s anonymity while revealing his wiry frame and dexterous control of a screwdriver.

Two anonymous citizens have already paid homage to Johny’s work.

A StumpChair was erected on Sixth Street by a fan of the franchise, which has square spindles instead of Johny’s preferred round spindles. In an affectionately inverted tribute, another fan placed his creation — a chair whose back comprised gnarled tree branches sprouting from its seat — by a StumpChair.

StumpChair may also branch out to worldwide communities. Johny has been in talks with StumpChair enthusiasts in San Francisco and Berlin who hope to introduce the art of stumping to their respective communities. He keeps in contact with StumpChair fans via Facebook and a StumpChair-designated email account.

StumpChair has also nurtured an association with poet Shel Silverstein’s book “The Giving Tree,” which concludes with the image of an old man resting on a stump, all that remains of his arboreal friend.

“A tree stump can be more than an ugly thing sitting on the side of the road. It can be useful again,” Rudolph said. Through StumpChair, Johny breathes new life into the stumps of Providence and beyond, offering respite and reflection to passersby.

Johny returns to Providence in December, when he will stump again.

comics Join the Club | Simon Henriques

/ / Spillforth page 8 define visions,” Gander said of the poems and artwork.

On another wall, a series of birds nose-diving towards the floor with folded scrolls attached to the strings suspending them are accompanied by a quick-paced sensory poem by Wright as well as a poem by Gander. Large ceramic works resembling mortars and pestles rest on the floor as well.

The poets and artists originally met through a mutual friend who often had groups of artists and writers over to his house to exchange ideas, Gander said. Upon their friend’s suggestion, they created an exhibit at RIT called “The Mano Project” earlier this year.

This exhibit, “Spillforth,” features completely different works, he said.

Hirsch said he expects this group of artists and writers to collaborate more in the future.

A & B | MJ Esquivel

www.browndailyherald.com

6 editorial & letter Editorial

Compromise necessary in Grad School controversy In recent weeks, there has been significant debate within the Graduate School community concerning the changes that have been made in the enforcement of outside work requirements. Graduate students receive stipends from the University, but many work in appointed positions, such as teaching assistantships, as well as non-appointed positions, like those in the Writing Center. The latter jobs, however, have been threatened by recent proposals. The Graduate Student Handbook currently states that it is “recommended that such students work at an outside job no more than 20 hours per semester,” but officials at the Graduate School are seeking to change the “recommendation” to a “request.”

This change would limit grad students’ opportunities to work in positions that could be beneficial for future careers, and it would pose a significant obstacle to those who financially depend on supplemental income for incidental living expenses. We strongly recommend that the Graduate Student Council keep the handbook the way it is, as graduate students of good academic standing should have the ability to judge their own needs and limits.

An online petition to “Stop the Proposed Ban on Graduate Student Employment” has so far garnered 342 signatures from both professors and graduate students. While Peter Weber, dean of the graduate school, maintained “there’s no new policy” in this change, the petition alleges that “instituting a ban is a significant change in practice” because grad students are customarily given “flexibility, support and encouragement in seeking out additional work opportunities for reasons of both professional and economic necessity.” Changing a policy from a request to a rule would, indeed, constitute new policy and should be considered as such. While Dean Weber said the change is necessary because students in the past have not notified deans or directors of their outside work, we believe that a compromise should be made: Students could be required to notify supervisors of outside work, while compliance with the recommendation of hours remains optional.

Along with preventing graduate students from working at resume-building positions and earning money for expenses not covered by stipends, the work limit would certainly discourage some prospective graduate students from matriculating at the University. In a recent column (“Work ban for grads bad for students, U., future,” Oct. 23), Andrew Tobolowsky GS asked, “Who, with options, would choose Brown over a school where, when life demands it, they’ll be able to make a little extra cash to survive?” He also alleged that this ban would make the University “a school whose PhD programs boast one of the highest bars to entry of any comparable school.” The University should do everything in its power to attract the most qualified graduate students possible, and this nonsensical ban would certainly be a deterrent to some of these students also considering peer institutions. Finally, the petition notes that this work-limit ban would be most damaging for prospective low-income, first-generation and non-traditional students and would be “likely to disproportionately impact students of color,” contrary to the University’s commitment to achieving ever-greater diversity. To his credit, Dean Weber appears to be actively listening to the concerns of the graduate student population, and Lulu Tsai GS noted that though she did sign the petition, she felt confident in a happy resolution because “Dean Weber is completely open to changing the rules and doing whatever the students feel would be necessary.” At a University so proud of its principles of individual freedom and charting one’s own course, it is hypocritical to prevent students from pursuing options that would impact their education and livelihoods.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Daniel Jeon and Annika Lichtenbaum, and its members, Georgia Angell, Samuel Choi and Rachel Occhiogrosso. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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Editorial cartoon b y a a n c h a l s a r a f

Editor’s Note An article in The Herald earlier this month (“Photon research offers promise for tech field,” Oct. 10) contained a number of passages that presented as direct quotations language that differed from the wording originally used by the individuals quoted. In addition, several of these quotes and paraphrased information attributed to the sources was

A graph accompanying an article in Thursday’s Herald (“U. receives more than $50 million from NIH,” Oct. 25, 2012) incorrectly stated that the University of Rhode Island received $28.6 million from the National Institutes of Health in the 2012 fiscal year. In fact, URI received $14.3 million. The Herald regrets the error.

Cl arific ation An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“Panelists discuss role of religion in elections,” Oct. 24) has been updated to clarify that Melissa Proctor was discussing the link between the media’s coverage of anti-Mormon sentiment toward Mitt Romney’s candidacy in 2008 and the rise in the number of voters expressing discomfort with a Mormon president as measured in public opinion polls. She was not referring to the media’s coverage of Mormonism as a negative factor in the 2012 campaign, an election season which she said has featured much less discussion of Mormonism.

quote of the day

“It’s getting kind of stumpy out. Do you want to go stumping?”

— Johny Chair Seed

Office Manager Shawn Reilly

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factually inaccurate. The article also attributed information to sources that was not brought up during the interview.

Due to the extent of the inaccuracies throughout the article, The Herald has retracted the piece.

The Herald is committed to accuracy in its reporting and regrets the misquotations and factual errors.

Correction

Directors Julia Kuwahara Samuel Plotner Nikita Khadloya Angel Lee

the brown daily herald Monday, October 29, 2012

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opinions 7

the brown daily herald Monday, October 29, 2012

The means-ends relationship with our education Jaclyn katz Opinions Columnist During the week preceding the Oct. 2 deadline to change course grade options, my peers engaged me in countless conversations over which grade option they should choose for certain classes, analyzing the pros and cons of each option and aggressively soliciting my opinion.

During each of these discussions, I tried my best to genuinely help my friends, listening to their concerns over taking a course for a grade along with their qualms about taking a course S/NC. Yet I could not help but notice a pattern linking together all of these independent conversations with students from different disciplines and different walks of life.

The students with whom I spoke were not contemplating the S/NC option because they felt they would struggle with the material for a certain class or because they were taking a course outside of their comfort zone. The students with whom I spoke considered changing their grade option in the event they would receive a B in the course.

Using the S/NC option to banish Bs — and Cs — from one’s transcript is not a new phenomenon at Brown. As Kurt Walters ’11 wrote in a 2010 column, the New Curriculum has created an “unreasonable new environment in which A’s are the only

‘good’ grade and anything else represents a failure on some level” (“The A/B/(N)Cs of Brown grading,” Sept. 9, 2010).

Please understand, I am not writing yet another column advocating reforms of Brown’s grading policies or changes to the New Curriculum. Instead, I am writing to assess the pervasive grade-grubbing culture at Brown, a culture that subverts learning for learning’s sake and prioritizes letter grades over the acquisition and appreciation of knowledge.

When passing a course is preferable to receiving a B, it is apparent that we are more concerned with numerical academic success than we are with engaging with course material for its own sake.

As a community we cannot claim to espouse the New Curriculum if its purpose has been distorted. The New Curriculum and its grading policies were established with the hopes of encouraging students to embark on a broad course of study. If the New Curriculum’s S/NC option, is encour-

When the S/NC option is used out of the fear — yes, fear — of receiving anything less than an A, this implies that our reason for enrolling in courses in the first place is to simply obtain that A.

This is not at all to discount the importance of grades. Needless to say, grades are undeniably important for those applying to graduate schools and for those entering the workforce alike. Indeed, if we were not at all concerned with grades as high school students, many of us would not have made it to Brown.

Yet caring about how we perform academically is different from manipulating our transcripts in an attempt to disguise any “blemishes.” Moreover, since when is a B considered a lesser achievement than simply passing a course with a grade of “S”?

aging perfectionism rather than academic exploration, we must reassess the two elements that contribute to this trend: 1) the incentive structure of the New Curriculum and 2) the culture of our community and our reasons for studying at Brown.

As mentioned, I’m not going to urge for changes to the New Curriculum in this article. Instead, I want to use this space to discuss the academic climate at Brown and to analyze the issues of integrity plaguing our community.

When the S/NC option is used out of the fear — yes, fear — of receiving anything

less than an A, this implies that our reason for enrolling in courses in the first place is to simply obtain that A. And when we feel that we cannot obtain that A, we choose to obtain an S — perhaps with distinction — instead. In this sense, our education at Brown has become simply a means to achieve some end: admission to a competitive graduate school, a position at a top consulting firm or something else.

Being ambitious and having professional goals are praiseworthy, and the aim of my article is not to disparage an achievement-oriented mindset. I, too, have aspirations beyond Brown. What I do want us as a community to think about, however abstractly, is our relationship with our education. Is a shiny transcript from Brown merely a stepping stone to a competitive job offer? Or can our Brown education and the knowledge and skills we acquire through that education be the end itself, even if we have some other future end in mind simultaneously?

Assessing what we want from our Brown education will help shed light on the reality of our academic culture. If we aspire to create an environment conducive to learning for learning’s sake, conversation and academic exploration, then we must reevaluate the type of means-ends relationship we have with our education.

Jaclyn Katz ’14 would love to talk more about the purpose of an education, and can be reached at jaclyn_katz@brown.edu.

What to do about Iran? heath mayo Opinions Columnist Last week, President Obama and former governor Mitt Romney met in Boca Raton, Fla., for the final presidential debate of this election cycle. They each presented their own vision for American foreign policy in the years ahead and provided some ideas on recent developments.

While the President’s recent fumble of the Libyan tragedy has been covered in depth by the media, the more critical aspect of foreign policy is the approach that each of these men will take to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the growing specter of Iran’s nuclear program.

So far, Mr. Ahmadinejad has defied numerous overtures by the United States and others in the global community to cease his country’s enrichment of uranium and continues to progress toward what its leaders claim is “peaceful and domestic energy use.” While the Obama administration is right to urge caution in its dealings with a volatile Iran, it must not continue to be solely reliant upon economic sanctions that have, as of yet, failed to halt Iran’s progress. As voters head to the ballot box this November, it is important they remind themselves that a nuclear Iran would be an immediate threat to our ally, Israel, and further destabilize an already turbulent Middle East. The next president must be ready and willing to draw a line in the sand for the Iranian regime — a line that

Obama has continually been unwilling to draw.

Unfortunately, the Republicans’ recrimination of the Obama approach and the White House’s cheerleading on the matter have done nothing to advance the ball on an issue that will dramatically shape the balance of power in the Middle East in the coming years. Despite the ire between the two candidates, the actual policy differences between the president and Romney seem, so far, minimal at best. The largest difference has been one of tone, with Romney talking more critically

that economic sanctions will alter Iran’s policy calculus. Continuing in the footsteps of the Bush administration, Obama has opted to use the forum of the “P5plus-1” group of the United Nations Security Council as the sole vehicle of dialogue with the Iranian regime. From this position, Obama continues to hurl economic sanctions against Iran by preventing large banks from lending money to the country and hampering demand for its oil exports.

Despite the Democratic party’s platform that “all options, including military force, remain on the table,” the bottom line is

While the Obama administration is right to urge caution in its dealings with volatile Iran, it must not continue to be solely reliant upon economic sanctions that have, as of yet, failed to halt Iran’s progress. of the Iranian regime and Obama seeming professorial on the matter. Neither of the candidates’ stump speeches on the subject provide any clarity as to how they would handle the unfolding situation, but their common talking point does underscore a key reality that the next president must be willing to defend: “The United States cannot afford a nuclear Iran.”

So, what is the best path to preventing such an outcome? Certainly, it isn’t the status quo of the Obama administration.

With the next four years likely to come as the critical window for Iran’s nuclear development, it is imperative that the U.S. quit holding its breath in the hope

that the President’s current prescription of crippling sanctions has done nothing to halt Iran’s nuclear progress. Perhaps this is why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned, “Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have the moral right to place a red light before Israel.”

As Iranian defiance of global sanctions grows louder and increasingly vitriolic, the United States will need more than UN Resolutions and long-winded diplomatic posturing to communicate its point to the Iranian regime.

Instead, in order to avert military conflict, the focus of the next President should

not be on altering the calculus of the current Iranian regime, but fundamentally altering the regime itself. This is something that only the Iranian people can ultimately accomplish, but the United States need not be an inactive bystander in the process. More aggressive economic sanctions, vocal support of the Iranian opposition, less timidity in highlighting the consequences of continued inaction by Iran and the indictment of Mr. Ahmandinejad for his incitement to genocide under Article III of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide could help spur domestic discontent and global disapproval. In short, less talk, tougher talk and more action.

In the end, our dealings with Iran must also be inextricably linked to our ties with Israel, and it is critical that the next president patch over the unprecedented amount of daylight that has begun to show between the White House and our ally. More fundamentally, the premise that a nuclear Iran is ultimately worse than the costs of preventative military action that might eventually have to be borne must not be abandoned. This will require strength in leadership and clarity in purpose from our next president that, as of yet, Obama has failed to exhibit. Hopefully, over the coming days, Romney will get more specific as to how he would be any different.

Heath Mayo ’13 is a political science and economics concentrator pursuing a master’s degree in history. He can be reached at james_mayo@brown.edu.

daily herald sports monday the Brown

Monday, October 29, 2012

M. soccer

No. 11 Bears shut out Quakers

Jonathan Bateman / herald

Ben Maurey ’15 scored the game-winning goal at Penn to keep Bruno undefeated in the Ivy League and atop the conference standings.

By Alexandra Conway Sports Staff Writer

Forward Ben Maurey ’15 scored the game-winning goal for the third straight game Saturday evening to lead the No. 11 men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory at Penn. The win extended the Bears’ unbeaten streak to 11 games and marked their 10th shutout of the season. With only two conference games remaining, the first-place Bears (12-1-2, 4-0-1 Ivy) are that much closer to defending their 2011 title.

“Yesterday’s game was a big game, because after a huge win against Cornell, we didn’t want a letdown,” Maurey said.

“We knew Penn was a team we could beat but we couldn’t take them lightly since all Ivy League games are tough, and Penn is a hard place to play on the road.”

Midfielder Kevin Gavey ’13 also said the Philadelphia field itself adds to the challenge of playing away. “Historically, our program has had trouble winning at the field because it is so small and windy — just a hard place to play,” he said.

Though the Quakers (2-12-0, 0-5-0) have not had much success this season, “they played tough and showed that they are much better than their records show,” said Voltaire Escalona ’14.

Less than four minutes into the first half, the Bears took a 1-0 lead. After a quick passing play, Maurey scored his fourth goal of the year to become Bruno’s leading scorer. Gavey beat a man down the line and crossed the ball to Bobby Belair ’13 who then flicked it to Maurey for a shot from the penalty spot.

“We came out on fire and scored a nice goal early on, and unlike the Cornell

game, we kept the pressure on,” Maurey said.

After that goal, the game was pretty evenly matched, with both teams trading shots throughout the first half.

Bruno goalkeeper Sam KernanSchloss ’13 made six saves in the half and ended the night with eight.

The Bears came out strong in the first 10 minutes of the second half, creating multiple chances. Both Belair and Thomas McNamara ’12.5 threatened with shots on goal.

“Although it became more defensive the last 20 minutes, they didn’t have any real chances on goal,” Gavey said.

“Our defense was stellar once again,” Escalona said. “They are living up to their nickname of ‘the wall’ by posting another shutout.”

With two Ivy games remaining, the Bears hold a one-point advantage over Cornell and Dartmouth in the Ivy League standings.

“We’re currently in first and hold our destiny in our hand,” Gavey said. “So we know that this isn’t a time to let down but rather prepare even more to help us win the Ivy League and keep momentum going into the tournament.”

The Bears will now host Yale at Stevenson Field Saturday on Senior Night.

“We want to send our seniors off with a win at home,” Escalona said. “We have to continue to grind and work hard at practice like we have been up to this point. This is a special group, and we are hungry for another Ivy League ring.”

Art collaboration emphasizes beauty By sarah perelman staff writer

Glass barometers engraved with poems hung in a cascading pattern, and abstract paintings sat next to poems about searching for identity in “Spillforth,” an exhibit that opened Friday in the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.

Forrest Gander, professor of literary arts and comparative literature, and C. D. Wright, professor of literary arts, collaborated with Rochester Institute of Technology Professors of American Crafts Richard Hirsch and Michael Rogers to put on this art and literature exhibit, which will be on display through Nov. 20 in the Cohen Gallery.

“In a lot of poems the language has to do with doubling,” Gander said.

The name of the exhibit, “Spillforth,” is a compound word, he said. “When two words come together, they create something different. When two artists come together, they create something one artist couldn’t have made individually.”

Engraved glass barometers crafted

by Rogers and filled with bright blue water are arranged on one wall. Underneath them, lines of poetry are written

arts & culture

in scrawling handwriting. When the weather pressure changes, some of the water will drip onto the poems and obscure some of the words, Rogers said.

When making the barometers, Rogers thought about the “invisible forces that affect creative people,” he said. He added that he is interested in how the drips from the barometer will distort the words and change something tangible to something intangible.

Hirsch’s encaustic paintings, created by melting many layers of different colored hot wax, cover one wall.

The color scheme has brick-reds and muted greens, and the pictures are balances of color and texture rather than depictions of concrete objects — what Hirsch called “paintings of nothing.”

Some of the colors underneath are visible in certain areas and not in others, giving a sense of layers and perhaps changes over time.

“I would hope people come in and say ‘God, that’s beautiful,’” he said. He added that his intention was “not social commentary, not political, not cutting-edge, just trying to make things I consider beautiful.”

“Who am I?” — the first line of a poem by Gander about searching for identity — hangs next to these works.

“Neither one is completely based on the other, but they are working / / Spillforth page 5 together to

Inauguration Weekend

photos by emily gilbert / herald