Thursday, November 1, 2012

daily herald the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 96

INSIDE

Post

Post-

boxing candidates, dark divas and booty books

Admission Office extends early deadline By mathias heller senior staff writer

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Obama effect Prof. examines role of race in political perception Page 8

Election prep Providence gets ready for Tuesday’s elections. today

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tomorrow

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The Admission Office has extended its deadline for early decision applications from Nov. 1 to Nov. 7 due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, according to an announcement posted on the office’s website Monday. Applicants for the class of 2017 will have six additional days to submit their applications.

Widespread power outages and school closings across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic necessitated the extension, said Jim Miller ’73, dean of admission, noting the storm’s effect on applicants who plan to submit their materials online. “It was clear that a number of schools would be hit, and since our entire process is online, there was a potential for a number of things not to be here by the deadline,” Miller said.

Miller said the extended deadline applies to all early decision applicants, not just those residing in areas affected by the hurricane. The Admission Office plans to evaluate requests for further extensions from applicants affected by the storm on a case-bycase basis, Miller said, but he expects most of these requests to be granted.

“It’s our intention to be very flexible,” Miller said. “Certainly this was a serious and significant situation for lots of people.”

The Admission Office had received roughly 600 early decision applications by last Friday, comparable to the number received a year ago at this point in the process, according to Miller. He added that the applications received so far account for only about a quarter of the anticipated total of early decision applications, as most are submitted in the final days before the deadline. / / ED page 3

G o u r d wa r s

emily Gilbert / Herald

The Sharpe Refectory held its annual pumpkin-carving contest yesterday.

They also featured Halloween desserts in celebration of the holiday.

Facilities improvements decrease U.’s carbon footprint

By Corinne Sejourne Contributing Writer

The University has reduced its energyrelated carbon footprint almost 30 percent below 2007 levels, according to a sustainability report released by the Office of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Initiatives, a subset of Facilities Management.

Practices encouraging energy conservation, carbon emissions reduction and recycling have enabled the University’s pursuit of a smaller environmental footprint, according to the report.

The University’s reduction of carbon emissions represents a significant improvement over the previously articulated goal of reducing emissions by 19 percent.

If carbon emissions had continued to grow at the 2007 rate, the University’s carbon footprint would be more than twice what it is today, said James Giarraputo ’15, EcoReps coordinator for Facilities

Management.

The reduction comes as part of a larger initiative outlined under former President Ruth Simmons in 2008 to improve the University’s environmental impact.

It is especially significant because it occurred despite much energy-demanding construction, said Christopher Powell, director of sustainable energy and environmental initiatives.

Powell attributed some of the reduction in carbon emissions to the switch from fuel oil to natural gas, which was implemented in 50 campus buildings since last spring. Projects like improving insulation in many buildings and implementing a solar power system for the athletic facility pools have also increased heat energy efficiency, he added.

As the technical aspects of facilities are addressed, sustainability efforts going forward will need to focus on raising environmental consciousness, said Stephen Maiorisi, vice president for Facilities

Management.

Behavioral changes were promoted along with the implementation of thermal radiator valves in Keeney Quadrangle, Wriston Quadrangle and Pembroke residency halls, Giarraputo said. The change followed a successful pilot study in Olney House and Diman House, he said. EcoReps has also worked to encourage students to keep the windows closed and adjust the heater to change the room temperature, he added. It is “nice to see that it’s been effective,” he said.

The transition to single-stream recycling — with blue bins for all recyclables and gray bins for trash — has also been a significant area of positive behavior change for students, Giarraputo said.

Facilities Management hopes to continue emphasizing student behavior while also working to further integrate staff, faculty and the community into the process, said Powell, who will work closely with the Strategic Sustainability

Advisory Committee to craft more concrete plans. Labs, which account for 35 percent of campus energy usage, serve as an example of one challenge, Powell added, noting the continued priority of balancing safety with efficiency.

Such wide-reaching priorities for integrating environmental consciousness in academic, co-curricular and operational ways define the top-tier sustainable campuses, said Paul Rowland, executive director of media inquiries for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. He added that Brown stood out to him as a campus that has continued to be very active in its commitments and leadership in sustainability.

The University has made “very good progress” since Simmons’ starting goals, Maorisi said, adding that it will be taking the necessary “next steps” toward improving sustainability on campus and in the community.

he was an excellent teacher, he was an unbelievable advisor and mentor and a truly good friend to all the people in the department,” said Matthew Zimmt, professor of chemistry and chair of the chemistry department.

Sweigart began working at the University in 1980 and taught CHEM 0330: “Equilibrium, Rate and Structure,” as well as more advanced courses in inorganic chemistry, through last fall.

Sweigart is remembered as an incredible mentor. “What he did for his students who worked in his lab — both undergraduates and graduate students — was truly amazing,” Zimmt said.

This past July, the Chemistry Department and the company Strem Chemicals co-sponsored a symposium in Sweigart’s honor. Students from all over the world attended to present their work and to thank him, Zimmt said.

“I look back at my own interactions with Dwight as a model for how to mentor my students,” Jason D’Acchioli ScM’02

wrote in the symposium program.

“He always showed a keen interest in our personal lives,” said Alex MacIntosh GS, adding that Sweigart invited his mentees to his home on Saturdays and frequently took them golfing.

Sweigart told his students to call him “boss,” which is how Professor of Chemistry Shouheng Sun PhD’97, who studied under Sweigart, still refers to him, MacIntosh said.

Zimmt said Sweigart shaped his students’ lives “by giving them these opportunities, by demanding a lot and making them realize they had to demand a lot of themselves.”

Sweigart received his PhD from Northwestern University in 1971 and held appointments at Oxford University, the University of Wales and Swarthmore College before coming to Brown. He also served as vice chair of the chemistry department from 1999 to 2002. Sweigart published over 180 papers during his career.

When Sweigart first arrived at the University, he focused on understanding the structure and reactivity of polymorphins, a class of naturally occurring molecules. He also worked in the field of electrochemistry, investigating how electrons could be added or removed from molecules to enhance reactivity without expending great amounts of energy. Sweigart’s research also involved catalysis and nanotechnology, Zimmt said.

Within the last decade, much of Sweigart’s work focused on a subfield of inorganic chemistry — organometallics.

Specifically, his work has involved the creation of organometallic coordination networks, which can be used to store important molecules like hydrogen.Since 1997, he served as an associate editor for the scientific journal Organometallics.

There will be a memorial service for Sweigart Thursday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. in Manning Chapel.

— With additional reporting by Sona Mkrttchian

Beloved chemistry professor dies after battling cancer

By KAte Nussenbaum Senior Staff WRiter

Dwight Sweigart P’05, professor of chemistry, died Monday in the Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center in Providence after a two-year battle with throat cancer. He was 67 years old.

“He was a tremendous scientist,

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since 1891

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Ne ws in brief

Student injured after threestory fall

By Eli Okun Senior Staff Writer

A student remains in “critical but stable condition” after falling from a third-story Andrews Hall window early Sunday morning, according to a University statement released Wednesday.

The sophomore fell from a dorm room window at about 4:30 a.m. and was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital. He suffered multiple injuries and is currently being treated.

University officials have been in touch with the student’s family, according to the statement, and provided support services for his friends and dorm-mates over the past several days.

The Department of Public Safety and Office of Student Life are also reviewing the accident.

Residents in West Andrews told The Herald Wednesday night that many people had signed a card for the student and some visited him in the hospital Tuesday.

“Our thoughts are with the student and family at this time,” the University statement said.

2 campus news c alendar Today

Nov. 1

6 P.m.

ToMORROW

Nov. 2

8 p.m.

Vote or Die Variety Show

List Room 325

List 120

7 p.m.

10 p.m.

Screening of “Girl, Interrupted”

The PW Monster Ball

MacMillian 115

TF Green Hall

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH Falafel with Pita Bread, Garlic and Butter Infused Rice, Fried Tortillas, Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Sloppy Joe Sandwich, Vegetable Strudel, Vegan Bean Stew, Enchilada Bar, Curly Fries

DINNER Pot Roast Jardiniere, Vegetarian Spinach Strudel with Cheese Cream Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Melange

Report urges increased veteran recruitment

By SOnia phene staff writer

Jonathan Goodman: Artist Talk

Roast Turkey, Shells with Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Chocolate Mousse Torte

Sudoku

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Undergraduate Veterans Subcommittee of the Diversity Advisory Board released a report last month highlighting the issues that undergraduate U.S. military student veterans face and discussing how the University can ease some of these difficulties.

The report, entitled, “From the Military to College Hill: The Undergraduate Experience of Student Veterans at Brown,” was born out of a need to reevaluate the experience of student veterans.

Currently, six student veterans are enrolled at the University.

“Historically, veterans have been far better represented at Brown, and now they’re a tiny, miniscule faction,” said R. Tyson Smith, a postdoctoral fellow in sociology and a member of the subcommittee responsible for the report. The report comes out of a year’s work by the committee tasked with reviewing a list of 2009 recommendations made by student veteran Chaney Harrison RUE’11.5.

Ricky Gresh, senior director for student engagement and chair of the subcommittee, said the group used Harrison’s recommendations as a “springboard.”

Student veterans said they have

found areas where the University can make a difference in their experiences.

“It’s not something that Brown’s doing wrong, but it’s something that Brown can help improve,” said Lauren Rouse ’15, an Air Force Reserve Officer on active duty orders this year. Veterans occasionally need to travel for their service and could use extensions on schoolwork, she said.

The report ultimately offered four recommendations for improvements of the student veteran experience.

The report states that by creating a “critical mass” of undergraduate veterans, the University can improve its diversity profile, Gresh said. The formation of this demographic would depend upon support from admissions and financial aid, according to the report.

“I know people that I’d never have met if I weren’t at Brown,” Rouse said.

“I think veterans offer a new perspective to most students, which is what Brown is all about.”

The other main categories of recommendations involve recognizing military service, establishing formal academic and social support for student veterans and making an effort to change the campus’ attitude toward the military.

The report states that Brown needs to shift its reputation from a school

that is “at best, indifferent to military service” to one that greatly values it.

Rouse said she hopes Brown can “dissolve the stigma” student veterans feel coming on campus.

“Even though there’s no antimilitary sentiment on campus, the silence can be very negative,” she said. “If something isn’t talked about or seen, it can feel like you don’t want to be seen.”

In light of the issues student veterans face, the report offers a “roadmap” of the next steps the University can take, Gresh said. It details immediate actions as well as long-term recommendations. Some have already been put into place, such as a new website and a more involved Veteran’s Day event. Others will require implementation through other institutional channels, Gresh said.

Rouse said that simply raising awareness about these issues is important. “It’s a big step forward as far as getting a voice for veterans,” she said. “It’s great that the University has put us on the radar.”

The subcommittee has completed its work, and it will now be up to the University to implement these recommendations, Gresh said, adding that the group is working to ensure the recommendations will be reviewed by the correct University committees.

Prof. explores racial prejudice in politics

By Adam Toobin Senior Staff Writer

Crossword

When President Obama pledged “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” in front of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on a cold January day in 2009, he became the first black president of a country marked by the painful legacy of the African slave trade. His election represented a major milestone in America’s racial history, prompting several commentators to declare Obama’s assumption of office as a symbol of a “post-racial America.”

But according to Assistant Professor of Political Science Michael Tesler, who has spent the past four years researching the effect of Obama’s race on political discourse, these pundits’ declarations may have come too soon. Tesler found that racial attitudes still play a major role in politics.

In Tesler’s 2010 book, “Obama’s Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America,” he attributes the polarization that pervaded the 2008 campaign to the effect of Americans’ inscribed racial attitudes on their political

Courtesy of michael tesler

Professor Michael Tesler found the most racially resentful conservatives were more likely to prefer Clinton over Obama in 2008. behavior. In his research for the book, on the racial resentment scale, Tesler he categorized attitudes toward African- asked predictor questions on topics Americans on a scale from conservative ranging from interracial marriage to to liberal — the “racial resentment scale” the causes of the economic disadvan— and subsequently used the scale to tages facing many blacks in the United gauge responses to the new president.

States. His research found that about 60 To establish an individual’s position percent of white Americans answered with the “racially conservative” view that disadvantages stem from individthe Brown ual deficiencies rather than structural inequalities in society. Twenty percent www.browndailyherald.com said they opposed interracial marriage, 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. a very conservative view.

Tesler tracked the views of “racial Claire Peracchio, President Danielle Marshak, Treasurer conservatives” and “racial liberals” on Rebecca Ballhaus, Vice President Siena DeLisser, Secretary Obama’s campaign in a series of polls.

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday The results showed a strong correlation during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once between racial attitudes and views of the during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member candidate and his policy. Tesler found of the community.

Republicans with conservative racial POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906.

Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. attitudes were much less likely to support Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily.

Obama over his Republican opponent Copyright 2012 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., than they editorial Business were to vote for Secretary of State Hill(401) 351-3372 (401) 351-3260 ary Clinton, Obama’s main rival in the herald@browndailyherald.com gm@browndailyherald.com Democratic / / Race page 3

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primary, over McCain.

Though racial liberals are more likely to support Obama, the effect of racial conservatives likely outweighs this benefit, Tesler said. Many political scientists try to determine Obama’s “race penalty” — the number of points Obama’s racial background costs him in polls and elections — but Tesler said he abstains from this debate because it requires too many assumptions. He said he does believe Obama lost some points — maybe two or three — in the 2008 election as a result, but his estimate places Obama at less of a disadvantage due to his race than others who have maintained that the penalty could have been as high as seven or 10 points.

The more important result of the racial attitudes for Tesler is their effect on the polarization of the political process, he said. If individuals make up their mind about a candidate based on his or her race, it becomes much harder to have a reasonable discourse about substantive issues, he said.

Tesler’s research since the election has focused on the ways individuals’ racial beliefs affect their views on Obama’s policies. Racially conservative individuals were less likely to support the president’s initiatives, and racially liberal people were more likely to support his work. He said the correlation between racial views and support for Obama remained significant, even when he controlled for the disproportionate amount of racial conservatives in the Republican Party.

Tesler found that racial attitudes affect how whites view not only the president, but everything associated with him — including his dog, Bo, whom racial conservatives liked less after being informed he was Obama’s pet. Opinions on more serious issues like health care are also affected by racial attitudes, Tesler noted.

He also found that among black Americans, who generally hold very racially liberal views, Obama’s health care law was 20 percent more popular than President Bill Clinton’s similar proposal in the 1990s. Clinton’s bill was more liberal on a policy level, but Obamacare, which replicated conservative health care policy from the 1990s, received more support from blacks — indicating racial bias, Tesler said.

Polarization due to race is nothing new, but it has reached unprecedented levels under Obama, Tesler said. Ever since the 1964 presidential election between President Lyndon Johnson and Republican challenger and former Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, which focused largely on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, voters have split based on their racial views.

As Obama completes his time in public office in the next few months or years — depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s election — Tesler will examine whether the spike in polarization during Obama’s presidency will continue and how the electorate will react to future minority politicians. Tesler said racial views have remained constant over the last four years, and Obama has not inspired a decrease in racial conservatism, as some expected when he took office.

In his research, Tesler has also examined public opinion of Republican minorities like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and found that racial conservatives do not oppose him for being Hispanic. Because they agree with his political views, Rubio’s race does not bother them, Tesler said.

Other Ivy League universities have also announced extensions to their early admission programs this week.

Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth and Yale have extended their deadlines to Nov. 5, while Penn has extended its deadline to Nov. 6. Princeton extended its early action deadline to Nov. 7. Harvard did not officially extend its early action deadline, which remains Nov. 1, but the school’s admission office announced it would be “flexible” regarding materials that are submitted late, asking applicants or their recommenders to send a message explaining their late submissions.

Miller said the Admission Office did not make its decision to extend the deadline in consultation with its peer institutions. “I think everybody came to the same realization (on extending deadlines) about the same time,” he said.

Hurricane Sandy impacted an area stretching from North Carolina to New England, leaving more than eight million people without power and closing thousands of schools, during a time when high school seniors have been putting the final touches on their early admission applications. Applicants and their college guidance counselors in areas affected by the storm expressed relief about the deadline extension.

“People writing recommendations might not be able to send them without power,” said Washington, D.C. resident David Peck, who still needs to submit some parts of his application. “The extension definitely helps.”

Ann Selvitelli, director of college counseling at Suffield Academy in Suffield, Conn., said many seniors at her school were concerned they would have to submit all their materials before Sandy caused debilitating power outages.

“I tried to assure my students that colleges would be flexible,” Selvitelli said. She added that Ivy League universities’ extension of early admission deadlines will alleviate stress by giving students time to edit their applications carefully. “It was very reassuring because I didn’t want students rushing

campus news 3 to submit their applications even if they weren’t polished yet,” she said.

Cole Gruber, an Allentown, Penn., resident who is planning to apply early to the University, said he would have been able to submit his application by the original deadline as

he only lost power very briefly during the storm. But he said the extension allows him to spend more time crafting his responses to the supplemental essays.

Gruber added that the University’s extension provides flexibility

to his school counselors, who must submit a number of forms related to the Common Application. “My school has been closed for three days, so they wouldn’t have been able to send any of my information,” Gruber said.

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 1, 2012

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city & state 5

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 1, 2012

Election roundup: countdown to Election Day

By Adam toobin Senior Staff writer

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Brown students who are not registered still have the option to vote in Rhode Island on Election Day, but they will only be able to vote in the presidential race, as state races are closed to those who have not yet registered.

President The presidential election may be coming to an end, but it is not concluding quietly. Both President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney have each raised at least $1 billion in conjunction with their respective Super PACs, making the 2012 presidential election the most expensive in history. The candidates are allocating these funds toward purchasing TV ads and Election Day preparations in key swing states like Ohio, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire and Virginia, where the race is still close. Polls in most other states have already projected which candidate will win — Rhode Island, for example, will almost certainly give its four electoral votes to Obama.

U.S. Senate — R.I. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, will face Republican opponent Barry Hinckley in Tuesday’s election. The final WPRI-12 poll, released Tuesday night, showed Whitehouse with a 20-point lead. The two candidates will meet today at 3 p.m. for their final debate at Rhode Island College. The debate will not be televised until Friday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC 10.

U.S. House of Representatives — R.I. In Rhode Island’s contentious race to represent the first congressional district, Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-RI, saw his lead over his Republican challenger Brendan Doherty shrink to almost zero, according to the Tuesday WPRI poll. The poll has 43 percent of likely voters in Rhode Island’s first district supporting Cicilline and 42 percent planning to cast their ballot for Doherty.

The sampling error of plus or minus 5.6 percent makes the race a statistical dead heat. Compared to previous polls, Doherty has increased his lead among Independent voters — who support him almost two to one over the incumbent — and gained three points among voters over 65. The 8 percent of voters who were still undecided as of this poll will almost certainly determine the election.

Independent David Vogel received just over 6.3 percent of likely voters’ support.

The campaign’s final debate will be held today at 7:30 p.m. at Rhode Island College. It will broadcast live on NBC 10 and nationally on C-SPAN. U.S. House of Representatives – R.I. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-RI, has a commanding 16-point lead over Republican challenger Michael Riley in the race to represent Rhode Island’s second congressional district. They will also meet for their final debate today at 1:30 p.m., which will be broadcast on NBC 10 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

/ / Elections page 8 implemented, Brown said. Voters received incorrect information about acceptable forms of identifications, being told in some instances that only photo IDs were acceptable, Brown added. No legal action was taken.

Placencia and Nunez said neither of their election offices received complaints about this year’s state-wide elections.

“We feel that we adequately cover what is and is not proper identification with (polling officials),” Nunez said.

Polling officials are instructed to place posters listing proper identification in the polling places, and in addition to the training they receive, officials have instruction manuals with them, he added.

Brown said he “(has) no doubt that there will be some issues that arise” during the general elections due to voter ID laws, given the greater voter turnout.

Earlier this month, Carlos Tobon, then a candidate for the Rhode Island House of Representatives, petitioned for a manual recount after losing by one vote to Rep. William San Bento, Jr., D-

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Pawtucket. The Rhode Island Supreme Court denied his request.

According to Nunez, a request for a recount must be submitted by 4 p.m. the business day following a primary election and within seven business days of a general election. If the race is closer than 2 percent, ballots will be re-read by the Eagle machine to ensure accuracy, but Rhode Island law prohibits a physical recount. With results greater than a 2 percent difference, memory packs are re-read to determine election outcome, he said.

6 editorial & letter Editorial

Voters must look beyond debate rhetoric Each time President Obama said “millionaires” during any of the three presidential debates, we drank. Each time Mitt Romney said “jobs,” we drank. By the time any of the debates reached its conclusion, many of us were sick from too much popcorn, too many drinks or both. After all, Brown students are, for the most part, highly informed and opinionated individuals who have long since made up their minds on their presidential preference. This leads us to ask: How much do and should these debates matter on our views on who will take the White House?

We already know what Obama and Romney are promising. But these promises are not always laden with actions or even truths. Where are the 5 million “green jobs” or the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, both of which Obama has promised? Also, what is Romney talking about when he said Obama “doubled” the deficit? And would eliminating “Obamacare” actually reduce the deficit, like Romney says it would? The promises we heard from both candidates during these debates seem more concurrent with propaganda and appeals rather than substantive, fact-backed policy declarations. Romney’s recent shift toward moderation during the debates attests to his eagerness to pander.

But that’s okay with us, right? Do we not see past each candidate’s facade and trust that voters will discern legitimacy and real progress amid the fog of accusations we’ve seen recently on television?

As entertaining and hollow as these debates might seem to many Brown students, they do matter for many voters. For these voters, what Obama and Romney say and don’t say in the debates could be persuasive. It matters how presidential they appear and if one seemingly beat the other in presenting really nothing more than over-polished, vague rhetoric. We can also distinguish between two main types of undecided voters: those whose values and convictions find them split among Obama and Romney’s platforms, and those who just don’t know enough and use the debates as a final measure of a candidate’s worth. Though it is understandable that these voters are undecided due to their lack of knowledge about each candidate’s platforms, it is troubling that undecided voters would choose a candidate largely based on his debate performance or even his advertisements.

Just like we value the water more than the jug that contains it, a vote for a presidential candidate should be determined by that person’s positions on economic, political and social issues and not seriously based on who spoke better. While these debates can reaffirm our own convictions about a candidate, it would be misleading to base our decision on the outcome of the presidential debates. It’s important to know not only whom we are voting for but also what we are voting for. It is vital that all voters, including Brown students, are able to make a judgment based mainly on concrete facts rather than on intangibles.

This is not to say that debates should not exist or that undecided voters are inferior to those who have already made up their minds. Debates are currently the best option available to directly compare and contrast candidates. Undecided voters are incredibly important to the democratic process — they are primarily the reason why such debates exist. In addition, those who are undecided may equip a more detached and objective view than those who align themselves one way or the other based entirely on a few self-denoted salient issues.

At the same time, we believe that all voters, undecided or not, should maintain a meticulously thought-out and reasoned approach when deciding whom to put in office. Don’t become enamored of the person but rather with his or her ideas and visions.

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

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

Managing Editors

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editorial Sarah Mancone Arts & Culture Editor Joseph Rosales Arts & Culture Editor Elizabeth Carr City & State Editor Amy Rasmussen City & State Editor Aparna Bansal Features Editor Jordan Hendricks Features Editor Lucy Feldman News Editor Shefali Luthra News Editor Alexandra Macfarlane News Editor Sahil Luthra Science & Research Editor Jake Comer Sports Editor Lindor Qunaj Sports Editor Sam Rubinroit Assistant Sports Editor Dan Jeon Editorial Page Editor Annika Lichtenbaum Editorial Page Editor Lucas Husted Opinions Editor Garret Johnson Opinions Editor Jared Moffat Opinions Editor Greg Jordan-Detamore Special Projects Graphics & Photos Emily Gilbert Photo Editor Sam Kase Photo Editor Tom Sullivan Photo Editor Jonathan Bateman Sports Photo Editor Production Copy Desk Chief Olivia Conetta Assistant Copy Chief Sara Palasits Design Editor Kyle McNamara Design Editor Julia Shube Assistant Design Editor Brisa Bodell Assistant Design Editor Einat Brenner Web Producer Neal Poole

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the brown daily herald Thursday, November 1, 2012

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

le t ter

Defunct dept. made valuable contributions To the Editor: The article yesterday on Brown’s no-longer-existing history of math department was excellent (“Extinct mathematics dept. leaves traces around U.,” Oct. 31). Both Otto Neugebauer and David Pingree were truly outstanding scholars, not only in the history of ancient Babylonian and Hindu math and astronomy, but also in the general culture of those civilizations. Neugebauer deciphered Babylonian clay tablets and discovered a very rich mathematical culture worthy of comparison with that of the Greeks. I recall a lecture in which he explained how the Egyptian Coptic Christian Church calendar made sure that Easter and Passover never coincided. Pingree made frequent trips to India to collect Hindu manuscripts, some in some Rajah’s private library and written on Banana tree leaves. He discovered that Hindu mathematicians and astronomers, several hundred

years before Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus, knew the Taylor series of the sine and cosine functions. Any modern person who has learned this result in a calculus course finds it impossible to imagine how they did it. However Kim Plofker PhD’95 has recently written a large work on Hindu astronomy, in which, incidentally, this is explained. This book is reviewed

by Brown’s Professor Emeritus David Mumford, himself one of the world’s most eminent mathematicians who is himself currently working on ancient Chinese astronomy. In a university that emphasizes liberal education and the unity of knowledge, the outstanding work of these true scholars should have been better appreciated in recent times, and their department should not have been abolished.

Bruno Harris Professor Emeritus of Mathematics

Correc tion An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“Poll: Majority of students plan to vote for Obama,” Oct. 31) incorrectly stated that Brown was not ranked on a list of happiest schools compiled by the Princeton Review. In fact, the University ranked 14th on this year’s list. The Herald regrets the error.

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“I should probably understand things before I start mucking about with them.”

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opinions 7

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 1, 2012

Affirmative action as a means to meritocracy Claire Gianotti Opinions Columnist In a meritocracy, those who display the greatest ability become the ruling elite. Is this not the basis of the American dream — the belief that talent and hard work can raise you to the highest echelons of society?

When each of us were applying to college, we all probably heard the same speech 20 times: “Our students come from all 50 states, from countries all around the world, etc.” We may have even begun to take those speeches for granted. But such statements are essential to the identity of elite institutions in our country. They promote their diversity because it is an important American value and one that they lacked for so long.

Since the 1960s, affirmative action has been used to correct institutional racism, and it has worked incredibly well. But some say affirmative action has done its job and run its course. This is the argument presented by lawyers representing Abigail Fisher against the University of Texas before the Supreme Court earlier this semester.

For our parent’s generation, race-based affirmative action came close to accomplishing a meritocracy. But affirmative action, like meritocracy, faces a fundamental problem when instituted across generations. How do we disenfranchise the inferior children of the elite from their privileged status in order to make room for a new group of able lead-

ers? Social mobility must go both ways.

This ideal is difficult to make a reality in the college admissions process. Most obviously, there are legacy cases. These are defended on the basis of a continuity of school spirit and economic support. More ambiguous are the significant numbers of students from elite private high schools to elite colleges and universities. The Herald reported on admissions patterns from college preparatory schools in 2011. The high numbers of acceptances are generally attributed to ex-

ferent types of people with infinitely varied personal experiences is the hallmark of any good education. A meritocratic admission process will continue to produce diverse student bodies.

President Obama has said that his children should not receive preference in the college admissions process because of the color of their skin, when arguably they have faced none of the obstacles and challenges many African Americans have traditionally, and still do, face in obtaining an education.

But affirmative action, like meritocracy, faces a fundamental problem when instituted across generations. traordinary numbers of overall applications from these schools.

Elites are the most likely to invest — or overinvest — in their children. Students who attend private schools, can afford tutoring for standardized testing and have the leisure to become involved in extracurricular activities will enter the process with competitive applications. Students without access to such privileges do not stand equally in the admission process. This is where affirmative action can help make the process more fair and meritocratic.

The current affirmative action policy based largely on race is not a meritocratic system. But the result of a race-based policy — a diverse student body — is an end worth fighting for. Brown students benefit from a more diverse student body. Exposure to dif-

Unchanged, affirmative action may cause more harm than good. In the controversial “47 percent” video leaked of Mitt Romney at a campaign fundraiser, the presidential nominee jokes that if he were Latino, he’d have an easier time winning the presidency.

This is similar to the caustic attitude that is forming around affirmative action, propagating the myth that somehow life in America is easier if you are a minority.

An education is the most important tool this country can provide its citizens. Employment for the uneducated is few and far between in this country and disappearing fast. We know the stakes are high when it comes to college admissions. As Brown students with access to some of the best educational resources in the world, we should be the most employable, happiest and best cit-

izens of the United States. This should not be a status handed to anyone, whether by inheritance or by a race-based discretionary program.

To ensure a system of fairness, affirmative action should focus on economic and social disadvantage. Colleges and universities should seek and encourage candidates who demonstrate ability and potential across the board and place those candidates as best they can on an equal playing field. Would such a policy make Brown more uniform?

Probably not. But it would provide greater access to its resources.

And that is precisely what college admissions is — a playing field. And while it should be fair, it is still a competition. There will be some who are better at the game and some who are worse. The system should be modified so those who come out on top are those who demonstrate greatest ability, not those who had the most help in putting an application together. To accept a meritocratic America is to provide equal opportunity, but not an equality of persons. To provide the possibility of joining the ranks of the ruling elite to as many as possible alternatively requires Americans to accept the possibility that they or their child may not become part of this elite. Some will lose the game.

The goal of affirmative action should be to ensure that an offer of admission is never a guarantee and that rejection is never an injustice.

Claire Gianotti ’13 can be reached at claire_gianotti@brown.edu.

Not so pretty in pink: Let’s get real about breast cancer Maggie Tennis Opinions Columnist October just recently came to a close — with a hurricane of epic proportions. It is the month that signifies the beginning of fall, pumpkin lattes, Halloween and rich, autumnal hues. But October is also a pink month because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Just a few weeks ago, the bright pink Gloria Gemma Hope Bus spent a day parked on the Main Green distributing goodies and information.

Breast cancer awareness is everywhere and serves its purpose well. As a nation, we should be well aware of this tragic disease.

But some recent developments in breast cancer campaigns are worrisome and indicate a fixation on sex and women’s bodies.

I’ll tell you a secret about breast cancer.

It involves women’s breasts. Also known as their boobs. Or a variety of other nicknames, some landing very close to offensive on the degradation spectrum. And increasingly, breast cancer awareness campaigns focus on the breast part of breast cancer. This focus is so intense that it essentially sexualizes breast cancer.

Take for example the campaign from Keep A Breast. It is titled “I Love Boobies.”

The organization sells clothing and jewelry with this logo to encourage youth to, and I quote, “start talking about a subject that is scary and taboo” in order to make it “positive and upbeat.”

I’ll tell you another secret about breast

cancer. It involves cancer. You know, that horrifying, all-encompassing, need-I-remind-you deadly disease? Cancer is not positive. It is not upbeat. Just because we as a society are only comfortable talking about breasts when we call them by a nickname does not mean that we are allowed to forget that breast cancer is scary, strikes hard and often and kills. Of course it shouldn’t be taboo to talk about breast cancer, but the only taboo results from our collective immaturity regarding the female breast. Cara Newlon ’14.5 recently commented on a prime example: American University Assistant Profes-

bies. After all, they’re helping women with cancer! But is this the right kind of attention for breast cancer? Should we be advocating cancer research so we can preserve the sexiness, the provocative nature, of the female breast?

Not all “pinkwashing” — a term referring to the inundation of pink product that generates money for breast cancer research — is positive. For one, there’s the issue of companies profiting from these awareness campaigns, and thus breast cancer’s very existence. And in many respects, the focus on products and pink and boobs removes at-

Breast cancer awareness campaigns, like much of the media, can’t seem to treat breasts and breast cancer as a serious thing. So they make it a sexually provocative one.

sor of Anthropology Adrienne Pine ’94 was excoriated simply for nursing her daughter in class (“Lectures and lactating,” Oct. 15).

Breast cancer awareness campaigns, like much of the media, can’t seem to treat breasts and breast cancer as a serious thing.

So they make it a sexually provocative one.

That way, breast cancer will harness more attention, and promoting breast cancer awareness can be cool. People can justify parading around in shirts that proclaim a love of boo-

tention from the actual problem at hand.

In the documentary “Pink Ribbons, Inc.,” which exposed many questionable partnerships between Komen for the Cure and powerful corporations, survivor Barbara Ehrenreich observed how “the effect of the whole pink-ribbon culture was to drain and deflect the kind of militancy we had, as women were appalled to have a disease that is epidemic.”

Breast cancer is not just about the breast

of the afflicted woman or man. It is about life — and death. Many breast cancer patients lose their breasts but keep the cancer.

So framing breast cancer awareness in terms of “saving women’s breasts” is problematic.

We should be focused on saving women’s lives. Breast cancer research is important for this reason, and that should be reflected in awareness campaigns, even if pinkwashing continues.

I’m sick of seeing logos like “boobylicious” and “show me your boobs” and “if you love ’um, rub ’um.” It’s plain to see that we are unhealthily obsessed with breasts.

But this type of promotion is an objectification and not just of breasts or women in general. It is the objectification of women with cancer.

People may say that I should just be happy that at least some portion of sales is funding research that could actually make a difference. I am. They will argue that “sex sells” — that any publicity is good publicity.

I think we can do better. We can find new ways to support those with breast cancer that don’t rely on sexualizing them and their breasts.

Somewhere along the way breast cancer awareness became cool. That’s great. It should be cool to provide assistance and encouragement to victims and survivors. But in the back of our minds we should remember that cancer is not cool, positive or upbeat. It is the antithesis of everything that is good. And it is most definitely not sexy.

Maggie Tennis ’14 encourages you to support those affected by breast cancer, any and all months.

daily herald city & state the Brown

Thursday, November 1, 2012

T.F. Green receives federal grant Providence begins

By Elena Venable Contributing Writer

T.F. Green Airport will receive $110 million in federal funding for efficiency and safety improvements, announced Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian and Peter Frazier, interim president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, Oct. 16. The Federal Aviation Administration’s grant, which will be allocated over the next five years, will allow the corporation to move forward on plans to lengthen the Warwick airport’s primary runway, install better safety features and improve noise mitigation.

The FAA grant is especially helpful for T.F. Green’s planned improvements because it is a “pay-go grant,” meaning the corporation will get funding as soon as it enters into a construction contract, Frazier said. This will eliminate borrowing costs, making it much easier to complete the project, he said.

The corporation will receive $30 million for safety improvements to the crosswind runway. These funds will cover 75 percent of the cost of adding material at the end of the runway, which would be designed to stop an aircraft if it overshoots the landing, Frazier said.

The grant also allocates $50 million for the expansion of the main runway from 7,166 feet to 8,700 feet, covering 61 percent of the estimated costs, which Frazier said is “a good match for an efficiency improvement.”

The remaining $30 million will be used for a noise-mitigation program, which Frazier said will focus on adding better sound insulation to 444 Warwick homes near the airport. These home improvements will include central air

conditioning, double-hung windows and new doors with better noise abatement. The grant also allows the corporation to make offers and acquire homes that experience a certain decibel level.

The construction and completion of T.F. Green’s planned infrastructure improvements, especially the runway expansion project, will have a big impact on Warwick by spurring economic activity, according to the press release announcing the funding. Susan Baker, press secretary for Avedisian, said the corporation and the city have been planning the improvements for more than a decade. “The mayor is very pleased to hear that this funding is coming through,” she said.

In years past, the mayor’s office has worked with the corporation to address community concerns about the runway expansion project. Baker said the first proposal extended the main runway over 10,000 feet, which would have overrun many homes and businesses.

Other proposals posed environmental concerns, including potential damage to wetlands and decreased air quality. The final runway extension is a little longer than the city desired, but “it was the best outcome for the community,” Baker said.

Four softball fields, two instructional fields and three community soccer fields will be destroyed in the runway expansion process. There are 1,400 participants in the soccer league, “so that is a big impact if we took the fields away and didn’t replace them,” Frazier said.

Part of the current mitigation with the mayor’s office involves relocating these fields, and Frazier said the money for this project will come out of the $50 million being used for the runway extension.

The corporation hopes to offset any damages to the city, Frazier said. “It is very important to be a good governmental and corporal neighbor,” he added.

There are also concerns about increased traffic and delays through T.F. Green during construction, but Frazier said that a lot of work has gone into planning and that the process will go smoothly. The runway safety areas should be completed by December 2015, and the lengthening of the runway will start in 2014 and be completed by 2017.

Frazier said he hopes lengthening the runway will increase the airport’s business. With a longer runway, T.F. Green will be capable of providing more coast-to-coast services and even international flights.

Efe Cudjoe ’15, who flies from the Southwest Florida Airport to T.F. Green to get to school and cannot fly direct, said she thinks the expanded runway is a necessary change. With a longer runway, the airport will be able to accommodate larger planes used to fly longer distances. “Florida is not that far from Rhode Island,” she said, “so there is no reason for me to lay-over a longer amount of time than I am in the air.”

Though the construction will not be done by the time Cudjoe graduates, “it will still be helpful for other students in the future,” Cudjoe said.

The longer runway will also be more energy efficient for airlines. The current one is too short to accommodate a full load during certain weather conditions, which is bad for airlines and discourages business. “(T.F. Green’s) goal as an airport is to keep our cost as low as possible and be hassle-free for passengers,” Frazier said.

New activities director lays out plans

By Katherine Cusumano Senior Staff WRiter

Timothy Shiner, the newly appointed director of Student Activities and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, spoke to the Undergraduate Council of Students general body last night about the challenges facing his office and his plans for the future.

Shiner, who was hired in August, explained his current philosophy about the new role.

“I should probably understand things before I starting mucking about with them,” he said.

The Student Activities Office is already evaluating the effectiveness of changes made to the University’s orientation program, Shiner said. The office has also received input from President Christina Paxson and Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, he added.

General body member E-Soo Kim ’15 asked Shiner what he thought could most be improved in the office.

Shiner said he wants to focus on a stronger online presence — because of the near constant turnover in directors since the SAO was created, it is “a little behind” compared to peer institutions in its use of technology.

UCS President Anthony White ’13 raised the issue of scheduling space for student groups.

“At the bottom line, it’s a fiscal is-

election day preparations

By Tonya Riley Senior Staff Writer

The 2008 General Election saw 475,428 Rhode Islanders cast their vote, giving the state a 67 percent voter turnout, its highest since the 1988 presidential election. Providence voters accounted for 55,977 of those ballots. With less than six days until the election, the Providence Board of Canvassers and the Rhode Island Board of Elections are preparing for the third state-wide election in 2012.

The voter identification law the state began enforcing this year — which requires some form of photo or nonphoto identification — is the only major change in procedure since the 2008 general election, said Kathy Placencia, administrator of elections for the Providence Board of Canvassers.

In accordance with state law, Providence uses Eagle voting machines to scan and tabulate paper ballots, Placencia said. The machine electronically stores the information in a device called a memory pack, and it is printed out to be posted for the public, she said.

Each precinct delivers its memory pack to city or town halls, where they are read by a computer provided by the Board of Elections before being sent electronically to the state Board of Elections, said Miguel Nunez, planning specialist for the Rhode Island Board of Elections.

One Eagle machine is located at each of Providence’s 78 voting precincts, Placencia said. If a machine malfunctions, a team of technicians is dispatched by the Board of Elections to repair it, and unread ballots are kept in an emergency compartment of the machine, she added.

Placencia could not give a timeframe for machine repairs, but said they would not disrupt voting.

“Even if the voting machine was down for whatever reason, voters would not be turned away,” she said.

Machines do not read ballots if they are malfunctioning, she said, so there

is no chance they will misread ballots.

According to “Counting Votes 2012: A State by State Look at Voting Technology Preparedness,” a report by Verified Voting Foundation, the Rutgers School of Law — Newark Constitutional Litigation Clinic and Common Cause Education Fund, an independent random comparison of paper ballots to electronic results is the best way to ensure the accuracy of election-day results. The report grades Rhode Island’s auditing as “inadequate” because of its lack of post-election vote-auditing.

Rhode Island checks voting machines the day before elections for “logic and accuracy” using test ballots, Nunez said. It is against Rhode Island law for polling officials to access processed ballots during Election Day, he added, preventing day-of audits.

The required printouts of results at the close of polling “ensures that there was no tampering while in transit,” Nunez said.

Each polling place is run by trained officials who are selected by the chairmen of each ward, Placencia said.

Party officials have the opportunity to select poll workers until 45 days before each election — at that point, precincts fill the remaining spots, Nunez said. The only requirements for polling officials are that they be eligible voters, not serving a sentence for a felony conviction and literate and fluent in English.

Rhode Island began requiring voters to provide some form of acceptable identification this year in order to receive their ballots. By 2014, only photo identification will be accepted.

With regards to voting mishaps, “the problem is that you usually don’t know about problems until the election occurs,” said Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union.

The RI ACLU received complaints during the previous two state-wide elections this year, when the new voter ID law was first / / Elections page 5

Acceptable voter identification

Corrine szczesny / Herald

Orientation changes and improved scheduling for group meetings were among the topics discussed at last night’s UCS meeting. sue,” Shiner responded, adding that it is one of the most essential problems his office faces.

There are probably spaces that are underused or that student groups perceive as not suitable to their needs, he said. This is a problem of “what they need versus what they are used to” that the SAO can help groups work through, he said.

The two remaining vacancies in the office are in the process of being filled. Students have been involved in the search process, Shiner said.

For example, students who work

in the SAO and those involved with orientation programs interviewed candidates for administrative coordinator. Members of student groups advised by the program associate were given an hour with applicants for that position without any administrators in the room, Shiner said.

An admission committee that looks at student applications is also looking into the potential for student involvement in establishing criteria for admission, said UCS Vice President Brandon Tomasso ’13 after Shiner concluded his presentation.

Under the new law, Rhode Island polling places will accept the following forms of identification, according to the Secretary of State website:

• R.I. driver’s license

• U.S. passport

• ID card issued by an educational institution in the United States

• U.S. military identification card

• ID card issued by the U.S. government or State of Rhode Island like a RIPTA bus pass

• Government-issued medical card

• R.I. Voter ID

• Employee ID card

• ID card provided by a commercial establishment

• Credit or debit card

• Health club ID card

• Insurance plan ID card

• Public housing ID card

• Birth certificate

• Social security card

• Government-issued medical card

• Utility bill

• Bank statement

• Document issued by a government agency

• Lease or rental statement

• Student ID

• Tuition statement or bill

• Insurance plan card