daily herald the Brown
vol. cxxii, no. 105
INSIDE
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Classes click
Poll finds students in support of online courses
wednesday, november 14, 2012
since 1891
compared to 60.2 percent this year. But students polled last year were not asked about whether they committed unauthorized collaboration. The percentage of students who collaborated on work without permission — 17.7 percent — accounts for nearly all of the difference between the two years’ results. Spencer Caplan ’15 said he was surprised the proportion of students who said they had illicitly collaborated was not higher. “I don’t think a lot of people outright cheat,” he said, “but I think a lot of people collaborate.” Unauthorized collaboration recently drew national attention after 125 Harvard students were investigated for inappropriately working together on a take-home exam. Such collaboration may not necessarily involve direct copying, but could refer / / Cheat page 2 to discussing
Mie morikubo / herald
Poll: Majority of students do not cheat By Sam Heft-Luthy Contributing Writer
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Out on a limb Prof explains new methods for evaluating prostheses
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Ballin’ Men’s soccer earns bid to NCAA Division 1 tournament today
tomorrow
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Almost 40 percent of students reported committing some form of academic dishonesty since coming to Brown, according to The Herald’s biannual poll, conducted last month. About 20 percent of students admitted to copying an assignment or parts of an assignment from a friend while at Brown, 5.6 percent admitted to copying an assignment or parts of an assignment from a published source, 6.4 percent admitted to using notes for a take-home test or assignment when instructed not to, 4.3 percent admitted to cheating on an in-class test and 17.7 percent admitted to collaborating on an assignment when instructed not to. About 80 percent of students polled last year reported committing no forms of academic dishonesty,
SexPowerGod initiatives place event ‘in good hands’ New fitness By Maxine Joselow Contributing Writer
SexPowerGod went smoothly this year due to new planning initiatives, with fewer students than last year requiring Emergency Medical Services. Nine students were transported by EMS for alcohol intoxication this year, compared to 13 last year, wrote Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, in an email to The Herald. Though the number of students who needed EMS decreased from last year, it was still higher than in past years. Only five students needed EMS in 2009 and 2010, Klawunn wrote. The decrease from last year accom-
panied several new planning initiatives by event coordinators. This year marked the first time the Queer Alliance dance committee made students sign the event’s rules while waiting in line for tickets, said Kelly Garrett, coordinator of the LGBTQ Center. The rules — which did not change from last year — forbade bags, cameras, phones and recording devices, emphasized consent and prohibited “explicit sexual activity.” The reason behind having students sign the rules was to ensure that people actually read them, said Pom Bunsermvicha ’16, who was in charge of publicity for SPG. “When students sign them, they make more of a commitment to following them,” she added.
Students told The Herald they were earnest about reading and signing the rules. “I read the rules … because I wanted to know what I was getting into,” said Sarah Dominguez ’14. “Besides, they were short,” she added. “I read all of the rules before going, and I took them seriously,” said Ian Garrity ’16, who took pictures for and created the SPG posters. Event planners also made sure party managers received more training this year, Garrett said. “In the past, party managers would say, ‘How do I know if something’s consensual or not?’ so we explained consent at a meeting and made the party managers’ roles and responsibilities clear,” she said.
This year students supervising the event were move active in enforcement, said Elisa Glubok ’14, who attended SPG this year and two years ago. The number of Campus Life staff members assessing students’ intoxication also increased from two to three this year, Garrett said, adding that this decision was not in response to a particular incident. “The process for checking students in line was to walk up the line. I tried to make eye contact with students and speak with them,” wrote Timothy Shiner, director of Student Activities, in an email to The Herald. The staff asked students who were “stumbling, slurring or unable to focus” to leave the line with a friend, / / SPG page 2
150 letters later, bioethics prof still offers wit and wisdom By sam heft-luthy contributing writer
Opening the door to Professor of Philosophy Felicia Nimue Ackerman’s office is like opening a portal to another world. It’s hard to see the books on the shelves behind the various objects decorating the walls: an eclectic assortment of Day of the Dead figurines, Indian paper banners and various trinkets. Since the late 1980s, Ackerman has had a prolific hobby — writing an astonishing number of letters to the editor of the New York Times. Ackerman estimated that she has had more than 150 letters published in the Times and several dozen in multiple other publications, though she said she doesn’t keep an exact count. “Academia is status-conscious, and I’m trying to avoid that in other areas of my life,” she said. The majority of the five letters per week she generally submits go unpublished, she said. She writes about topics that range from her philosophical specialization —
feature
courtesy of felicia ackerman
Prolific letter writer Felicia Ackerman told The Herald she would prefer to print a photograph of her cat, Palomides, instead of one of herself.
bioethics — to whatever controversies spark her interest, from book reviews to college admissions and even gerbils. Her writing style is punchy and succinct, often tinged with snark — just like her real life persona. “I don’t use a lot of verbal pyrotechnics because I don’t have the talent,” she said. Ackerman wore a brightly colored vest and floppy-brimmed hat as she sat looking up from behind the stacks of books on her desk. “I used to indulge myself with food, but now I indulge myself with clothes,” she said. “Food was more fun, but I think the quantity of life is more important than the quality.” Now her frame is short and slender, though she used to be “fat” — not “overweight,” she insisted. Ackerman incorporates such personal experiences in her letters. “As a former fat person who thinks that her weight is her own business, I hope that New Yorkers who want big sugary drinks and who share my distaste for the nanny state will respond to the ban by buying and drinking sev/ / Letter page 5 eral small sug-
center overcomes challenges By jasmine bala contributing writer
When the Jonathan Nelson ’77 Fitness Center opened its doors in April, some faculty and staff members expressed frustration at a gym fee of $20 that accompanied the new facility. Though several faculty and staff members told The Herald they might not use the gym due to the fee, the number of memberships has not declined this semester, said Allyson Caudell, fitness and recreation coordinator. “The fitness center has been super popular for all interested fitness-goers,” said Matthew Tsimikas, assistant athletic director of the athletics department. Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students with a valid ID have free access to the gym and pool facilities, and the gym offers discounted rates for alums and staff. Sports teams have found the space particularly useful, many athletes said. “The swimming pool is really big, and the heating systems work wonderfully,” said Edward Zhao ’16, a member of the men’s swimming team. All nine divisions of the Department of Facilities Management have been working on maintaining the pool and the gym, Tsimikas said, adding that the facility is mostly still under warranty. “It takes a village to keep the operation smooth for the end user,” he said. The gym has faced other challenges since its inauguration. It has been difficult adjusting to a wide range of fitness equipment, Caudell / / Fitness page 4 said, and the