Thursday, November 29, 2012

daily herald the Brown

vol. cxxii, no. 112

INSIDE

post-

post-

Poll: Most students opposed to use of race in admissions

By Adam Toobin Senior Staff Writer

BIG NAZO, pageants, figgy pudding

Page 6

Sex onstage “Speak About It” cast talks sex, boundaries and assault Page 12

Under the sea Talk explores fate of islands threatened by rising waters today

tomorrow

41 / 27

33 / 25

since 1891

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Just more than 58 percent of students oppose the University’s consideration of race in student admissions decisions, while over 34 percent of students said they supported the policy, according to a recent Herald poll.

Of the students who are opposed to the consideration of race, more than half support the consideration of an applicant’s socioeconomic status. Just over a quarter of students oppose the consideration of race, socioeconomic status or any other demographic factor in admission decisions.

Most students said their answers were tied to their beliefs about the University’s race-based affirmative action policy. Currently, the University considers an applicant’s race as a single factor among many — including grades, test scores and extracurricular activities — and does not weigh socioeconomic status in determining whether the applicant

should be admitted to Brown.

The University’s diversity programs “redress historical patterns of exclusion and … foster opportunities to embrace the greatest mix of ideas, opinions, and beliefs so important to the achievement of academic excellence,” according to its webpage on institutional diversity.

Students who oppose the use of race in admission decisions but support using socioeconomic status as a factor in admission usually said race no longer plays a large enough part in American society to warrant the policy. Many of these students told The Herald they support nurturing a student body with diverse backgrounds, opinions and world views and that using socioeconomic status as an admission criterion would adequately serve this purpose.

“You can accomplish that same goal (of diversity) through socioeconomic class,” said Heath Mayo ’13, a Herald opinions columnist. / / Poll page 5 Proponents of a

Should Brown consider race in student admissions decisions?

No opinion 6.9%

No, but it should consider other aspects of diversity, like socioeconomic status 32.9%

Yes 34.5%

No 25.8%

einat brenner / herald

Committee to recommend full need-blind admission Trustee’s hedge fund could face new charges

By Mark Valdez

Senior Staff Writer

The committee on financial aid will recommend the University alter its current policies and offer need-blind financial aid to international students and transfers, said Susan Harvey, the committee co-chair and a professor of religious studies. Harvey made the announcement at an open forum about financial aid jointly hosted by the committee and the Undergraduate Council of Students last night.

The committee, created to orient the long-term goals of President Christina Paxson, will present its report to Paxson and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 early next year.

The committee “will say that a major recommendation of ours is that Brown be need-blind admissions for everybody,” Harvey said.

Several international students in attendance raised concerns about their current financial aid process, which does not allow them to reapply for aid if they do not choose to do so when they apply for admission.

Attendees also discussed eliminating loans from financial aid packages and the high tuition rates at universities across the nation. Work-study and the overall difficulty students face when balancing academics, extracurricular activities and employment, were also among the issues discussed.

Undergraduate Finance Board Vice Chair Daniel Pipkin ’14 raised the issue of cost breakdowns in financial aid packages, saying that they do not always fully cover all of the costs incurred by Brown students. He cited summer storage costs as an example.

The forum also discussed the need for student input in the process of changing financial aid policies.

“We need to hear from students,” said Jon Vu ’15, a student representative on the committee. Many committee members agreed that individual student stories can be effective in changing financial aid policies.

“Stories are very powerful,” said Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73.

“Statistics are one thing, but you all

just came out of a presidential election, and the best candidate had the best stories.”

The committee will meet with Paxson Dec. 14 to begin the process of submitting their recommendations for financial aid changes, Harvey said.

“This is not the end of the process,” she added.

Though members did not offer a definitive date, the committee plans to submit a preliminary report to Paxson and Schlissel “sometime in January or February,” Harvey said.

The report will then be presented at the February 2013 Corporation meeting and undergo revisions before being presented again at the Corporation’s May meeting.

Video game seeks to curb domestic violence

By Sona Mkrttchian senior staff writer

Courtesy of Christina garcia

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., attended the press conference of a new game designed to educate 11- to 14-year-olds about domestic violence.

Last year, approximately 10,000 victims reported incidents of domestic abuse in Rhode Island.

As part of efforts to combat this issue, Sojourner House, one of six affiliated agencies of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, announced last week the official release of a new preventative, educational video game called “The Real Robots of Robot High.” The game — targeted to children ages 11 to 14 — is structured as an interactive narrative through which students can explore the consequences of domestic violence abuse and learn the importance of healthy, stable interpersonal relationships.

Sojourner House partnered with ELine Media, a game development firm that focuses on education and empowerment products for youth, to develop Real Robots after being awarded one of the 11 prestigious $1 million Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grants in 2008. The game is currently in a beta testing phase

and will launch nationally in early 2013.

The coalition is dedicated to informing and educating the community about the prevalence of domestic violence issues, while also providing resources and support for victims. According to statistics compiled by the coalition, half of the visitors to domestic violence shelters in the state in 2010 were children. Today, national figures indicate that 15.5 million children live in violent homes, and 90 percent of these children are cognizant of the abuse perpetrated against their parents.

“Domestic violence affects the whole family,” said Kris Lyons, executive director of the Women’s Center of Rhode Island. “Watching your mother being assaulted is serious and can have a longterm impact.”

Statistics show that children who grow up in violent households have a greater risk for stress and anxiety disorders later in life, and Lyons added that children often “model” behavior and attitudes they pick up from parents and other figures as they grow into their own identi/ / Violence page 3

By Eli Okun Senior Staff Writer

SAC Capital Advisors L.P., the major Wall Street hedge fund founded and run by Corporation trustee Steven Cohen P’08, is facing a potential civilfraud suit brought by federal investigators, various news outlets reported Wednesday. The possible suit comes on the heels of another suit filed last week that marked the fifth allegation of insider trading against employees of the fund in the past few years.

Cohen revealed the latest legal developments in a conference call with SAC Capital investors Wednesday morning, according to the New York Times. The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent SAC Capital a Wells notice, which generally notifies the accused party of impending civil action but not criminal action.

A Wells notice indicates that the SEC has gathered the requisite information to file a suit but has not yet done so, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.

During the call, Cohen told investors he had committed no wrongdoing.

The notice comes after Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for an SAC Capital affiliate fund, was charged last week with alleged insider trading that reaped a total of $276 million in profits and averted losses for SAC Capital. The SEC brought civil charges against Martoma, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York brought criminal charges against him. The case is thought to be among the largest insider-trading schemes of all time, / / SAC page 5 investigators

2 campus news c alendar Today

nov, 29

5:30 P.m.

ToMORROW

nov. 30

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

With renovations, U. seeks better city ties

8 p.m.

Having Fun with Food

The Bluest Eye

Salomon 001

Leeds Theatre

6 p.m.

9 p.m.

MCM DUG: The Hunger Games

First Annual Asian Gala

List Art 120

Alumnae Hall Auditorium

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH Falafel with Pita Bread, Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce, Hot Baked Ham on a Roll, Garlic Butter Rice

Sloppy Joe Sandwich, Vegetable Strudel, Cauliflower au Gratin, Enchilada Bar, Rice Krispie Treats

DINNER Vegetarian Spinach Strudel with Cheese Cream Sauce, Nacho Bar with Toppings, Pot Roast Jardiniere

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

Sudoku

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, November 29, 2012

Los AngelesCrossword Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Early sunscreen ingredient 5 “Let’s get goin’!”

9 Put __ act 13 Tater 14 Hard to believe 15 Wine quality 16 Campground sound #1 19 Devilish toon 20 Maine-et-Loire mate 21 In-crowds 23 Campground sound #2 27 Curt refusal 29 Hot time in Maine-et-Loire 30 Renaissance painter __ Angelico 31 Like a spot in “Macbeth” 33 Pac-12 team 35 “Pretty Woman” co-songwriter 37 Some comedy sketches 42 Nov. voting time 44 Streaker in a shower 45 Remote power sources 48 City near Yorba Linda 50 Track contests 51 Campground sound #3 55 “Honor Thy Father” author 56 Sargasso Sea spawner 57 Forest’s 2006 Oscar-winning role 60 Campground sound #4 64 “__ baby!”

65 Swimmer with pups 66 POTUS backup 67 Hightail it 68 Pays (for) 69 West Point team

4 Log shaper 5 Mount Everest?

6 Capital on the island of Luzon 7 Texter’s “Holy cow!”

8 Mario Brothers console 9 16 oz.

10 Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown song covered on “Glee” 11 Desires from 12 “Iliad” wise man 17 Blood typing, e.g.

18 Wrestling pair 22 Calypso offshoot 24 Years in old Rome 25 Chit 26 Crunch source 27 Promise before a parson 28 Hawk’s cause 32 British travel feature, in the past?

34 Clean and then some 36 Philip __: 16thcentury Italian saint

38 __-Tass 39 Pass target 40 Fair-hiring abbr.

41 Many AARP mems.

43 Rep. counterpart 45 Play a part, or play part 46 Genesis mountain 47 Heel-click follower

49 Dating stumbling block, perhaps 52 Jai alai basket 53 Pollux or Arcturus, to an astronomer 54 Brings down 58 Judge 59 Cosby/Culp TV series 61 www access 62 Revivalist’s prefix 63 Actress Gardner

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

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DOWN 1 Subtle “Over here ...”

2 Polynesian capital 3 WWII German

By James Sajdak missile nickname (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

11/29/12

COURTESY OF TRACY MANSOUR

Through its Brown to Brown Home Ownership Program, the University has renovated five houses in disrepair, including this house at 117 Brown St., and sold them to faculty in an attempt to bolster town-gown relations.

By Claire Schlessinger Staff Writer

Five previously neglected houses on Brown, Benevolent and Brook streets have been renovated and sold to faculty through the Brown to Brown Home Ownership Program over the past five years. Houses in the program, which are in states of disrepair or disuse, are sold to eligible faculty and staff for 80 percent of the appraised market value after being renovated.

The program aims to enhance relations with community members in the area by beautifying homes that were formerly neighborhood eyesores. While tax-exempt under University ownership, the properties become taxable once sold to private individuals, generating revenue for Providence.

The five houses sold through the program so far have generated an annual average of $8,959.50 in taxes, said John Luipold, director of real estate at the University. Revenue generated from the sale of homes is enough to pay for home renovations and make the program self-sustaining.

“The program is part of Brown’s continuing effort to be a good neighbor, and to identify opportunities to contribute constructively to the East Side and to Providence,” wrote Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, in an email to The Herald. “By restoring and repurposing properties that are best suited for residential uses, we are able to provide neighborhood assets while adding to the city’s tax base.”

A team of administrators from the Planning, Design and Construc-

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www.browndailyherald.com 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I.

Claire Peracchio, President Rebecca Ballhaus, Vice President

Danielle Marshak, Treasurer Siena DeLisser, Secretary

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 during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community.

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Copyright 2012 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. editorial

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tion Office, Auxiliary Housing Office and the Office of Residential Life are currently working on a second wave of houses identified for renovation.

Many of these properties are on Benevolent Street, including 95 Benevolent St., previously an auxiliary housing option that has been inhabited by the crew team in recent years.

Ian Connor ’14, a resident of the crew house, wrote in an email to The Herald that “it’s a pretty inconvenient situation for our team.”

The tenants were notified in October that the lease was not available for renewal next year, wrote Taggart Denton ’14, another resident, in an email to The Herald. Denton added that by the time they were notified, it was too late for them to find offcampus housing.

Richard Bova, senior associate dean for residential and dining services, wrote in an email to The Herald that students in auxiliary housing sign leases ranging from nine to 12 months, which can be terminated if the University decides to repurpose the property.

Before renovation, the houses taken into the program are blights on the neighborhood, Luipold said — one home, for example, had a tree growing through the chimney.

The renovations aim to preserve the properties’ historic architecture while making them habitable. He said decorators intend to “bring it back to the original flavor with just some modern updating.” At 95 Brown St., a ceramic tile floor in / / HOUSES page 4

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

city & state 3

/ / Violence page 1 ties and begin relationships, creating a cyclical culture of violence in some communities.

While most educational programs target older teens and young adults, Kelsey Collins ’13, who works with students at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center in Providence through the Swearer Center’s Sexual Health Advocacy through Peer Education program, said targeting and educating children early on about the dangers of domestic violence is important.

“There was an almost unanimous agreement that abuse isn’t a problem because it’s just a given,” said Collins.

“It’s definitely a huge issue in romantic relationships and sexual relationships in high school.”

In the United States, one in three adolescent girls has experienced physical, emotional or verbal abuse during a romantic relationship, according to a 2008 focus report by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

“This is an age when children are developing ideas about relationships,” said Vanessa Volz, executive director of Sojourner House. “If you provide this education early on, when they are still young, you can start strong and help them develop healthy relationships as they grow into adults.”

Volz said the nonprofit enlisted the help of local students through Rhode Island’s Young Voices initiative, which seeks to empower youth to participate in political advocacy and activity, to develop a game that would engage students who spend so much of their free time either online or using some form of technology.

The game’s narrative is set at a high school that is the subject of a popular reality show in “Robot Land.” The characters, with names like Jette, Bro, Emo and Perfect, experience typical high school drama. The story’s main conflict is a messy relationship between the two main characters, Jette and Bro. Players of the game are immersed into this world and must draw on their knowledge of healthy relationship themes in order to

Courtesy of Christina Garcia

“The Real Robots of Robot High” is designed to teach students about healthy relationships through interactive gameplay with robot high school students, who are also reality television stars, in the fictional world of Robot Land. solve Jette and Bro’s problems and save the school.

The beta phase of the game’s development has involved a variety of focus groups and has given Real Robots the opportunity to improve based on student feedback.

“Students are kind of excited that they are able to play a video game during school,” Volz said. “But it provides a mechanism for kids to talk about this issue.”

4 campus news

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

courtesy of Tracy Mansour

The University reserves the right to repurchase homes in its Brown to Brown Home Ownership Program at 80 percent of current market value if faculty leave or wish to sell their homes.

/ / Houses page 2 a polished metal kitchen leads out onto parquet flooring in the foyer with a wooden banister up the front staircase.

Richard Spies, interim senior vice president for university advancement,

said the initiative, first discussed about a decade ago, coincided with an influx of new faculty members and was intended to better facilitate their acclimation to Brown.

Upon returning to the University after teaching at New York University for several years, Professor of

Comparative Literature Karen Newman said she wanted to find a home through the Brown to Brown program because most of the other homes in the area were too large for her and her husband.

The house she found through the program, which is on Brown Street, directly adjacent to Pembroke campus, works well because it is “more manageable and appropriate for us as a couple,” she said.

The home had not yet been renovated when Newman decided to purchase it, so she had a chance to be involved in the planning process, she said. She paid extra for amenities such as geothermal heat and silver LEED certification to construct “as sustainable a house as possible.”

“Prices on the East Side are quite steep, and it helps if you only pay 80 percent” of their fair-market cost, she said.

The University retains long-term

rights to buy back the property in several scenarios. If the owner leaves the employment of the University — other than through retirement — or wishes to sell the house, the University is entitled to repurchase the property for 80 percent of its current market value. The University can also reclaim the property for other purposes after five years of ownership if it provides three-year notice, according to the program website.

Since the University would most likely exercise its right to repurchase the property if the tenant decides to sell it, Newman said she appreciates the implicit convenience of being able to avoid going through the selling process herself.

Spies said the right to repurchase the homes is a strategic move in light of the University’s constantly evolving footprint. While none of the homes in the program have been identified for a different future use yet, Spies

pointed to examples of the University’s changes to homes over the years.

Buildings for the philosophy and applied math departments used to be houses. The Modern Culture and Media building was a haberdashery 20 years ago, Spies said.

Of the homes in the program now, he added, “Who knows what will be there 50 years from now?” The point, he said, is to “preserve options for future generations.”

The program was originally inspired by similar ones at universities including Princeton, he said.

The University initially tried to sell homes in their original conditions, but that did not draw much interest because of the “massive renovations” necessary to make the homes livable, Luipold said. It was then decided to renovate the homes to make them more attractive to potential buyers, at which point the program was met with enthusiasm, Spies added.

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the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

/ / Poll page 1 class-based affirmative action policy said the structural inequalities that exist in today’s society hurt lower-income families. The University should not “be playing a numbers game based on racial numbers,” said Justin Braga ’16, a member of the Brown Republicans. “We should be focused on the merit of one’s application.”

Braga defended the use of class in admissions, because “lower-income families are more likely to have gone to schools that don’t perform as well.”

But attending an underperforming school does not disqualify one from getting into Brown, he added.

“I believe that you should judge someone based on their ability, not necessarily their knowledge base,” said Phil Denys ’15. “They might not have the same knowledge. They definitely could have the same ability.”

The use of race in admission “discriminates against people of other races that are disadvantaged just as much,” Denys said. Most opponents of racially-based affirmative action who spoke to The Herald agreed with him.

“We’re admitting wealthy minority students as opposed to minority students that really need the help,” Mayo said.

Supporters of race-based affirmative action disputed the claim that race — separate from the role of socioeconomic class — no longer acts as a barrier to advancement. Bryan Payton ’15 said he thinks “race should be a factor,” because “it is a factor in who is even able to apply to an Ivy League university in the first place.”

Payton said minority students have fewer opportunities to take Advanced Placement classes, while white students go to “better-prepared and better-funded schools.”

“Even people of color from middle-class backgrounds are much more likely to have the same poverty rates, or live in neighborhoods that don’t have as good schools,” Payton said.

Lydia Bennett GS, who was an admissions counselor for Colorado State University for three years, said she has seen firsthand the “very drastic” result of what happens “when race is considered and when race is not.”

“College admission continues to be a place for structural inequality to have a big influence on who gets in,” Bennett said. She cited SAT and ACT scores, which “measures your socioeconomic status more than your ability to succeed in college” as areas where wealthier, white students have an advantage over their less affluent, minority peers.

“Affirmative action is not about bringing in unqualified students,” Bennett said. “It’s about making sure the structural inequalities don’t keep out students who would otherwise get in.”

Supporters of race-based affirmative action often pointed to the University’s preferential treatment of legacy applicants and recruited athletes as real violations of its meritbased admissions process.

More than 40 percent of athletes oppose the consideration of any demographic factors in the admissions process, compared with 25 percent of the overall student body.

While not necessarily criticizing this preferential treatment, Payton presented these groups as demographics — like race — that “add a diverse array of perspectives to a

University.” “(People) like to go off this postracial idea of this country, and we’re not there,” Payton said. “We’re not there at all.”

Many students expressed surprise that a majority of their peers opposed the use of race in admissions. “Thinking about Brown as stereotypically liberal, I would think more people would affirm race-based policies,” Mayo said.

Among the students interviewed for this article, none who opposed the use of both race and socioeconomic status in admissions agreed to go on record with their opinions.

“It’s an issue a lot of students have gone through themselves, so they’re more knowledgeable on the subject,” Denys said.

Many respondents said affirmative action often suffers from a “not in my backyard” mentality, where support for a liberal cause fades when those liberals supporting the cause are asked to sacrifice. “College admission is something they’ve actually been affected by,” Denys said.

Demographics A student’s view on the use of race in the admission process correlated with their race, according to poll results. Black students, who made up 9.2 percent of poll respondents, supported the use of race most heavily — 60 percent said they agreed with the University’s current policy.

Slightly more than half of Hispanic students agreed with the use of race in admissions. White students’ opinions reflected the overall student body’s view of the policy, with about a third favoring the use of race.

Only 16 percent of Asian students said they favored the use of race in admissions decisions — the least of any demographic group. But almost half favored consideration of socioeconomic status instead of race. The percent of Asian students who oppose the use of both race and socioeconomic status was only slightly higher than average, at 30 percent.

These demographic breakdowns loosely correlate to affirmative action’s reported effects on each group.

A study from the University of California at Los Angeles found that when affirmative action policies were suspended at public universities, admission rates rose for Asian students but fell for white, black and Hispanic students, The Herald reported in 2008.

Methodology Written questionnaires were administered to 959 undergraduates Oct. 17-18 in the lobby of J. Walter Wilson and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center during the day and the Sciences Library at night. The poll has a 2.9 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence. The margin of error is 9.0 percent for varsity athletes and 3.1 percent for non-athletes.

Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.

I n s tag r a m r e a d e r p h oto o f t h e w e e k

Photo by @csparson

Follow us on Instagram @bdhphoto! Use #bdhphoto for a chance to win Reader Photo of the Week, featured in print and on our website.

/ / SAC page 1 said.

Five other SAC Capital employees have been charged with insider trading in recent years, but these are the most direct charges against the $14

billion hedge fund yet. Some news media outlets have depicted the string of charges as part of an effort to ensnare Cohen, who was implicated for the first time in last week’s allegations but was not charged or

explicitly named.

Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, had not returned multiple requests for comment on the developments as of Wednesday night.

6 city & state

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

Show urges students to ‘speak about’ sex Providence Reads targets childhood literacy rates By steven michael contributing writer

Through a mixture of short monologues, anecdotes and skits, the cast of “Speak About It” engaged students and faculty in conversations about relationships, sex, consent, boundaries and sexual assault in Salomon 101 Tuesday night.

Led by producer Shana Natelson, the five-member cast has traveled around the country, using humor to address often-taboo issues surrounding sex on a college campus. The show opened with the Lonely Island’s song “I Just Had Sex,” which appeared in December 2010 as a Saturday Night Live digital short.

Cast member Erik Moody joked that they were all “passionate about sex,” further clarifying that they were “passionate about talking about sex.”

After the introduction, cast members read and performed true stories submitted by students across the country. In order to maintain authenticity, the cast read from notecards and referred to each other by their real names during sketches.

In one skit, cast members Ellen Almirol and Benjamin Row portrayed classmates who spend the night together after a party. While enacting a bedroom scene behind a curtain, Row

campus news

asks permission before each move, and the couple communicates effectively. When Almirol declines to have sex, Row respects her boundaries.

Reflecting on the scene afterward, Almirol and Row said setting boundaries makes a relationship stronger.

The performance also sought to correct myths surrounding sexual assault on college campuses. Contrary to the archetype of sexual assault perpetrated by a stranger in a dark alley, nine out of 10 survivors of sexual assault know their assailants, the cast said.

Sexual assault is not the victim’s fault, cast members reminded the audience, adding that most cases of sexual assault also involve the consumption of alcohol.

The cast urged audience members to help prevent sexual assault by being “active bystanders.” An active bystander does not need to be a superhero, the cast said — though for the sake of hyperbole, Natelson donned a cape to stop a pair from leaving a party together.

Natelson demonstrated how to be an active bystander by checking whether both partners were comfortable and sober enough to give consent before leaving a party together.

When Natelson determined that one potential partner was not comfortable or clearly intoxicated, she attempted to stop a potential sexual

assault by pulling the person aside.

Strategies used included suggesting they go to Josiah’s for a late-night snack, stay on the dance floor or walk back together.

“Speak About It” began as part of the first-year orientation program at Bowdoin College in 2009. Natelson acted in the original performance.

After graduating from Bowdoin in 2010, Natelson acquired the rights to the show and organized productions for college students across the country.

By Natelson’s own count, “Speak About It” has reached 10,000 students.

“We hope that all students can relate to a part of the show,” Natelson said. “We want the conversation to continue after we leave campus. If students are discussing (sexual assault prevention) in the dining hall after we leave, then we are doing something right.”

Members of the audience reacted positively to the presentation, laughing easily at the lighter moments of the program.

Ryan Din ’14 said the show “did a good job of mixing humor into the presentation while getting the message across.”

Nicole Chen ’14 said the performance gave a balanced perspective on relationships and sexual assault. “I liked how they presented healthy relationships and bad ones,” Chen said.

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By Adam toobin Senior Staff Writer

Brown students rapidly approaching finals period are more likely to be concerned by the sheer number of unread pages than how to read them. But for the millions of Americans and about 8 percent of Rhode Islanders who lack basic literacy skills, even reading this sentence would be impossible.

Chronic illiteracy has been called a social problem, a moral problem and an economic problem — a report from ProLiteracy, an international nonprofit focused on helping adults learn to read and write, said illiteracy costs America $240 billion each year.

But a new citywide initiative called Providence Reads is trying to target the problem at its source — the fourth grade. Currently, only 46 percent of Providence fourth-grade students are reading at grade level.

“Research shows that low-income children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are up to 13 times more likely to drop out of school,” according to the city press release announcing the initiative. As part of the Providence Reads program, the city has set the goal of helping 70 percent of fourth-graders read at grade level by 2015.

Students who are reading below grade level at the end of third grade rarely manage to recoup those skills in later years, falling behind and never catching up, said Angela Romans, a senior advisor on education to Mayor Angel Taveras and architect of the Providence Reads program. But recently, Providence’s education system has been recognized as a leader in promoting early literacy, Romans said. These efforts are meant to preempt the chronic difficulties facing high school students and adults who cannot read, she added.

The city’s multi-pronged approach focuses on raising awareness among parents and the community about the importance of grade-level reading, improving readiness for kindergarten, raising attendance rates, increasing access to books and implementing summer learning for young students.

The Providence school system has a high proportion of low-income students — over 80 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch — adding unique challenges to the fight for grade-level reading, Romans said.

Students from low-income backgrounds come into kindergarten behind their peers, and the gap often widens if attendance is inconsistent.

Low-income students have less access to books than their peers, Romans said. They also hear fewer words in total, a deficit with wide implications for literacy, she added.

A ProLiteracy study shows that low-

income children hear about 30 million fewer words before the age of three than their more affluent peers.

These problems inspired the mayor to seek book donations and to work to bring students to city libraries. Providence Reads also brings community volunteers who read to students into schools.

The city is also increasing the connections between early care centers and kindergartens. These links aim to make the transition to kindergarten and real classwork easier on students, Romans said. This early childhood innovation has brought national distinction to Providence, she said. In July, the National Civic League selected Providence as one of 14 All-American Cities for its plan to improve third grade reading levels.

But many of these initiatives hinge on parent involvement and community understanding of the importance of improving children’s reading ability, Romans said.

Providence’s school system also faces the challenge of encouraging parents who work night shifts to bring their children to school in the morning, Romans said. Providence is now opening elementary schools early to better accommodate parents’ schedules. The city has also established a “walking school bus,” where volunteers walk students to school every morning.

These outreach efforts will also help parents understand the importance of kindergarten and early childhood education.

Funding for Providence Reads comes mostly from grants and contributions from local businesses.

But Taveras’ leadership has put the city on the national map, and some large foundations have pitched in to help subsidize these programs, Romans said. In addition to receiving contributions from local businesses — Walgreens has promised a monetary contribution and 20 weekly volunteers to read to children, and GTECH has spent $10,000 to adopt a classroom — the city has received recognition from foundations like the Bloomberg Philanthropies, an organization started by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Though the state government is not directly involved in this initiative, Elliot Krieger, the executive assistant for communications in the office of the Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the state was happy with Providence’s efforts and hopeful that the city can raise its literacy rates. “What we like about Providence is they’re involving the whole community,” he said. “After all, they say reading is fundamental.”

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

city & state 7

UCS continues to categorize new student groups

By Katherine Cusumano Senior Staff Writer

The Undergraduate Council of Students continued the process of categorizing student groups at its general body meeting last night, evaluating appeals and deliberating the values of groups seeking Category I status.

Vincent Stamer ’15 opened the meeting with an appeal on behalf of the Brown Biotechnology Investment Group.

The group was initially rejected for any categorization status because Student Activities Committee members thought it was too similar to the Brown Investment Group and should be absorbed by BIG. But Stamer presented a letter from the president of BIG stating that the groups should not merge. He also explained that BIG focuses on stocks, while the biotechnology group focuses on “raising awareness for the healthcare sector” — biotechnology and pharmaceutical stocks are not even part of the BIG portfolio, he said.

The group’s members are primarily science students. They examine business models by reading and presenting papers on the science behind company products.

At the moment, Brown Biotechnology Investment Group has a virtual online portfolio without any actual money, but in the long term, members hope to be able to invest real funds.

UCS voted to approve Brown Biotechnology Investment Group as a Category I student group.

UCS also discussed the status of Social Enterprise Ecosystem Economic Development, a group that Alexander Kaplan ’14, chair of the Student Activities Committee and a former Herald staff writer, said he was “apprehensive” about categorizing because it “would not help their cause.”

SEEED hosts an annual conference that costs approximately $50,000, Kaplan said, a sum which UCS cannot provide to a Category I group.

UCS members expressed concern that categorization may cause the group to move away from current channels of support. SEEED currently receives funding from the Swearer Center for Public Service and through the nonprofit Social Venture Partners Rhode Island.

But Manya-Jean Gitter ’14, chair of the Academic and Administrative

dave deckey / herald

UCS members highlighted the potential for the student group Social Enterprise Ecosystem Economic Development to enhance the University’s reputation as a center of student entrepreneurship ventures at its general body meeting.

Affairs Committee, said the group will probably not continue to receive nonprofit funding.

“This could really have a lot of potential for Brown,” Kaplan said, adding that the group could “solidify Brown as a sort of hub of entrepreneurship.”

After several votes and vigorous discussion, UCS voted to accept SEEED as a Category I group.

Brown Arab Society was also approved upon appeal. Though Student Activities members were uncertain about the need for another political group on campus, Brown Arab Society members made clear that the group has more of a cultural than political focus.

Pa r l i a m e n t a r i a n G r e g o r y

Chatzinoff ’15, a member of the Herald business staff, presented proposed amendments to the UCS code of operations. These include increasing the number of elected positions to the Undergraduate Finance Board from six to eight, empowering the elections board to propose a penalty without first holding a hearing in case of elections protocol violations and requiring that all victorious candidates of any race win at least 5 percent of the total votes cast. The amendments will be voted on next semester.

Committee updates followed the appeals process.

The Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee is working on an organizational chart of the entire University, said Giuliano Marostica ’15.

It will map Brown offices from the Corporation down, making students more aware of resources available to them, specifically those related to advising.

Brown Conversation will be hosting a Reorientation Boot Camp in January. It is a “mega-extension of the Brown Conversation,” said WooHyun Byun ’16, which is designed to discuss ways to make the most of a Brown education.

The Admissions and Student Services Committee has been working

on a revision of Morning Mail for more than a year, said Holly Hunt ’13, and the new edition now has a prototype. A timeline for its launch is still uncertain because Computer and Information Services is still working to ensure that the revamp is done well, she said.

Jon Vu ’15, the alumni relations liaison, closed the meeting and described last night’s financial aid open forum. There will be more events to discuss the issues surrounding financial aid next semester, he said.

8 campus news

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

Experts debate U.S. decline, position in world order

MERONE TADESSE / HERALD

At a Wednesday debate hosted by the Janus Forum Lecture Series, foreign policy experts Robert Kagan and Charles Kupchan offered contrasting viewpoints on the United States’ position and influence within the liberal world order, considering whether the “unipolar moment” is coming to an end.

By Alexander Blum Contributing Writer

Two foreign policy experts debated America’s role in today’s world and how

it may change in the coming decades in the Janus Forum Lecture Series’ second event Wednesday afternoon.

During the lecture, titled “The Voice of America: Have We Been Si-

lenced?” Robert Kagan, a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, predicted that America will hold an influential role in the 21st century, while Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, described a rearranged global order in which the United States may not exclusively predominate.

Kagan spoke first, asserting that in

today’s world, “America has the loudest voice around” — though it may not always be a welcome source of input.

Kagan emphasized that he was not “saying that America can never be in decline” — instead, he felt that the day when “the United States will not enjoy the position that it currently enjoys” is not in the immediate future. Kagan noted that since the country’s inception, there have always been people

who have subscribed to various theories of declinism, including Patrick Henry in the 18th century.

But generation after generation, America has persisted in the face of adversity, despite “constantly (worrying) that it lost the best of itself,” Kagan said. This paranoid American psyche is “overly influenced by current events,” he said, creating a “nostalgic fallacy in present notions of decline.” Such perceptions create a glorified past that may not actually have been as great as it is remembered to be.

Kagan also outlined some of America’s advantages, stressing that its geographical location remains a constant asset. Its position as an island power ensures that it is in a “very safe neighborhood” geopolitically, compared to countries like China, which must compete with nearby powers such as Japan.

With respect to the current unrest in the Middle East, Kagan dismissed the false perception that there was a time when the United States could direct other nations. In fact, Kagan said, with the exception of reconstruction immediately following World War II, the United States was historically “far from being able to get what it wanted whenever it wanted.”

“We are less influential than some times in the past, but we are also more influential than other times in the past,” Kagan added.

Today’s America faces many economic, domestic and international challenges, Kagan acknowledged, but he disputed the charge that the rise of other countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China will amount of “detraction from American power and influence.” / / Debate page 9

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

campus news 9

MERONE TADESSE / HERALD

Foreign policy expert Robert Kagan argued against allegations that the United States is in decline by pointing to its history of adaptation, military power and accelerated recovery from economic downturns compared to other nations at a Wednesday Janus Forum debate.

/ / Debate page 8 Kagan cited the United States’ ability to adapt and improve, often emerging from economic recessions more quickly than other countries.

“We are a long way still from seeing the decline of the United States and, more importantly, of the world order that it has supported,” Kagan concluded.

Stepping up to the podium, Kupchan noted that he was not arguing that the “United States is in decline, if by that phrase we mean the country’s

best days are behind it.”

Focusing on the current economic landscape, military situation and the current global liberal order, Kupchan said he was “less concerned about the numbers” and was more alarmed by America’s inability to shift its democratic system “out of neutral.”

With respect to America’s economy, Kupchan said it is a “political problem more than an economic problem,” adding that the United States once held 50 percent of global Gross Domestic Product. It currently possesses 25 percent of global GDP and “will see that

share decrease,” according to Kupchan. He went on to predict that the “global pecking order will be turned upside-down” as the West “will find itself (controlling) below 50 percent of global GDP.” Addressing America’s military might, Kupchan asserted that the military gap is “much greater and more durable,” citing China’s recent landing of a plane on an aircraft carrier, which he called an “upside-down Ukranian bathtub.” But Kupchan warned that while “China is (currently) far behind us,” the “balance of power in that local

strategic theater (will begin) to equilibrate,” adding that “military power is only one dimension” of global might.

“We can’t afford to invade Iraq when we don’t need to,” said Kagan, adding that the United States will likely adopt strategies of diplomacy and will need to consider military engagements more carefully to adapt to a changing global climate.

With respect to the world’s currently American-led liberal order, Kupchan said “democracy is overrated,” since rising BRIC powers may adopt democratic forms of government that

comics Fly by Night | Adam Kopp

are a “kind of democracy that is not Western.” Kupchan predicted that the United States will not be able to rely on rising democracies, citing that “our top national security priority is being undermined by India,” referring to the country’s ongoing trade with Iran as the United States continues to enforce heavy sanctions on Iran.

In developing the future world order, Kagan said he believes that “we will get some, and we will give some.”

The United States must “look at that world with eyes wide open,” he added.

10 editorial & letter Editorial

Joining the Choom Gang On Election Day, both Colorado and Washington voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use — a giant leap for the legalization movement and a step toward slowing down the skyrocketing incarceration rates in the United States. This is the first time that marijuana usage for non-medical reasons has been approved through ballot initiatives, and it signals a growing acceptance of marijuana culture in the country. Twenty-four states now have some authorized legislation that either allows marijuana use for medicinal purposes or decriminalizes possession of the substance in small quantities. However, we also note that Oregon’s legalization initiative failed, and Montana approved a plan to further restrict medical marijuana operations.

Rhode Island House Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, has introduced legislation that would allow marijuana to be taxed and regulated like alcohol, rather than remain at the mercy of the black market. Though the same bill never went to a vote in both the 2011 and 2012 sessions, there is growing acceptance in New England, especially in Rhode Island and Maine, for the cannabis legalization movement. Medical marijuana has been legal in Rhode Island since 2006, and decriminalization takes effect in April 2013. As such, legislators would be ill-advised to ignore the trend toward cannabis legalization. The regulated distribution of cannabis for recreational purposes in Rhode Island can decrease criminal activity, raise desperately needed state tax revenue and largely dissolve any complicity of Rhode Island’s cannabis enthusiasts in the organized drug trade.

Marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, representing a distinct dissonance between federal and state law. Substances classified as Schedule I are described as having “no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision and a high potential for abuse.” Given the definite federal animosity toward cannabis, which is inextricably linked to illegal drug trafficking across the Mexican border, some policy experts are anticipating pushback by federal authorities against the substantial legalization measures in Colorado and Washington.

It is unclear how the administration will react to completely legalized marijuana distribution, especially at the outset of President Barack Obama’s second term.

The recent legislation affords the Obama administration a golden opportunity to change the federal government’s attitude toward marijuana.

Mexico’s outgoing president, Felipe Calderon, told the Economist this month that the United States has an obligation to either “drastically reduce … consumption of drugs (or) at least have the moral responsibility to reduce the flow of money towards (Mexico’s criminals).” Within our borders, the drug war is destroying our cities and cramming our prisons. From 1980 to 2012, the U.S. prison population quadrupled from 150 inmates per 100,000 adults to 760.

This staggering rise is a direct result of America’s misguided policies in the war on drugs, especially regarding cannabis. More than half of America’s federal inmates are imprisoned on drug charges, while 80 percent of the 1.66 million drug charges in 2009 were for possession alone.

There is an enticing economic impetus for cannabis legalization in Rhode Island, especially given the state’s dire financial position. Regulated cannabis would essentially mimic the alcohol market. But while this argument may be necessary to make marijuana legislation more appealing to state lawmakers, there is a more pressing ethical crisis that Rhode Island must evaluate. At the federal level, Obama will be hard-pressed to find direct legislative support for national legalization. One critical measure Obama does control, however, is the classification of marijuana. A move by Rhode Island toward legalizing marijuana will give even more reason for Obama to remove cannabis from the Schedule I list.

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

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the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

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

le t ter

Grade distribution should prompt discussion To the Editor: In regard to the Nov. 19 story “Concerns persist as grade distribution remains steady,” I’d like to point out that Brown undergraduates consistently score above the national mean on college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT, as well as on pre-professional exams such as the MCAT and LSAT. Furthermore, it is well-known that admission to Brown has become increasingly competitive over time, leading to a student body that by definition possesses high levels of motivation and intelligence. In that light, should it necessarily be of concern that over half of our students would be capable of performing what their instructors deem to be A-level work in the courses that they take here? I believe that the time is right for a University-wide conversation as to the meaning of grades in general. More specifically, we need to ask what an A should primarily signify — should it reflect individual performance, as measured by the instructor’s standard? Or is it more important to indicate relative performance, that the student has ranked within some predetermined fraction — e.g. the 35 percent standard employed by Princeton — of their peers? As a teacher, I strive to impart the highest possible level of understanding to all of my students, a goal that I

am certain the administration supports. I give exams that are considered challenging by the vast majority of my students, but part of the deal is that all those who rise to the challenge by meeting my standard for excellence will be graded accordingly, which in practice does tend to lead to a “non-Princetonian” grade distribution. However, I do recognize the concerns of students who feel that there may be substantial variations of effort and, more importantly, of subject mastery within a particular letter grade, especially given the lack of the pluses and minuses that are commonly employed at other institutions. While the addition of pluses and minuses is likely to be a nonstarter, I propose that we consider resurrecting the “with distinction” option for letter grades that existed as recently as 2007. Although the “A with distinction” carried no official weight in that it did not change GPA computation and was not reported on the external transcript, returning it as a grade option would give instructors additional flexibility in acknowledging the highest levels of excellence in a manner that would not negatively impact those students receiving a “standard” A — a truly Brunonian compromise.

Richard Bungiro PhD’99 Lecturer in Biology

Correc tion

An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“BUCC reviews strategic plans,” Nov. 28) incorrectly stated that the University acquired 250 Jewelry District parking spaces. In fact, these parking spots are located in the College Hill area. The Herald regrets the error.

An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Number of Sc.B. degrees double since ’03,” Nov. 27) incorrectly spelled the names of Ezra Lichtman ’15 and Jacob Buckley ’15. The Herald regrets the errors.

quote of the day

“Democracy is overrated.”

— Charles Kupchan, Georgetown University professor See JANUS on page 8.

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opinions 11

the brown daily herald Thursday, November 29, 2012

Saving face Gabriella Corvese Opinions Columnist In their post-Election Day release, Bloomberg Businessweek attempted to envision the United States four years from now with a shocking image: President Obama’s face edited to make him appear aged. His hair is gray and his wrinkles are defined.

His expression is not valiant, but rather it is that of someone laying down their arms after an arduous battle. Yet despite Obama’s alarming and unconventional appearance, he earns the public’s respect after fighting for the nation.

Not all politicians have had their appearances this well-received by the public. In 2008, a close-up of Sarah Palin on the cover of Newsweek drew attention not for Palin’s politics but for her visible pores and blemishes. And in summer 2011, people were shocked and disturbed by another Newsweek cover, this time featuring Michele Bachmann with a look in her eyes that was deemed crazy.

But what separates the Palin and Bachmann covers from Obama’s?

Certainly, the women are controversial politicians who hold beliefs with which many, including myself, disagree. On magazine covers, though, they are unfairly recognized for their looks alone. Like all politicians, Palin and Bachmann deserve our attention for the work they have

done, but their photos only elicit criticism for not adhering to society’s extreme and problematic beauty standards for women.

These covers, as well as the public’s outrageous reactions to them, demonstrate the sexist attitudes we hold toward female politicians in America.

If magazine editors can airbrush supermodels, why couldn’t they get rid of the unflattering marks on Palin’s face?

And what provoked Bachmann to make

sexist since they presented women as ugly and undesirable — qualities considered unacceptable for American women. But the sexism here is not in the photographs, or the fact that the pictures of Palin and Bachmann are “unflattering.” The sexism exists in how these women are up against different standards than men in the first place. Judgments that are passed on the women completely disregard their political beliefs or accomplishments and only

Like all politicians, Palin and Bachmann deserve our attention for the work they have done, but the photos of them only elicit criticism for not adhering to society’s extreme and problematic beauty standards for women.

those “crazy eyes”? Though these harsh comments seem like ones that could be uttered between bitter girls in a middle school fight, they were in fact used by television commentators, reporters, even members of the GOP who were embarrassed that their candidates had the audacity to not display perfect countenances on the covers.

The covers were ultimately deemed

emphasize the alleged imperfections in their appearances. Regardless of opinions on Palin and Bachmann’s politics, it is unacceptable and unfair to them — and women everywhere — to hold them to such superficial standards.

These attitudes toward women are toxic and must change. It is disturbing that, after years of advancing rights and opportunities for women, we still witness

female politicians being judged by the quality of their facial features rather than the quality of their work. Not only does it reduce a powerful woman to an object of society’s desire, but also it furthers other dangerous expectations of women: to either be beautiful or worthless.

As humans, we form opinions at first glance, and there is little chance of removing that ingrained part of our psyche.

But individuals’ appearances should never be weaponized to lessen their accomplishments — like the cover photos have for Palin and Bachmann. Similarly, personal image should not be the sole standard to which female politicians are held.

When we see a picture of Obama edited to be aged and hardened by time, we admire the battle he has fought for the nation. So why can’t we see the same for women?

Politicians will be politicians, regardless of their wrinkles, scars or zits.

The last few decades have seen monumental achievements for women in politics, but there are still many roadblocks in the way of future accomplishment. If we truly want to treat women in politics as equals to their male counterparts, the needless objectification and judgment has to end. Women should not be bound by the way we look but incited by these instances of blatant sexism.

Gabriella Corvese ’15 will probably not defend Bachmann and Palin ever again and can be reached at gabriella_corvese@brown.edu.

Actual universal suffrage: Give felons the franchise

By Megan Hauptman Guest Columnist

In the months before the election, a swath of criticism arose in response to voter identification laws that would disproportionately restrict low-income and minority citizens from voting. In reading the tirades against these restrictions, which were seen as being enacted primarily in swing states to hinder President Obama’s victory, I was surprised that the largest restriction on universal suffrage was frequently overlooked entirely.

Nearly six million Americans are disenfranchised because of current or previous felony convictions. This policy, which often seems to go unnoticed or is taken as given, is ideologically incompatible with the idea that civic participation is a right, not a privilege.

When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, it is estimated that only 6 percent of the population could vote. Women, slaves, people without property, people who were illiterate and criminals were all excluded from the franchise. In the years since all of these limitations have been criticized and overturned, except for one.

Felon disenfranchisement laws vary from state to state. In two states — Maine and Vermont — currently incarcerated people can vote from prison, while in 19 others, inmates, parolees and probationers are prohibited from voting. In 11 states, even ex-felons who have served their full sentences are barred from the polling booths.

Two of the most restrictive states, Florida and Virginia, are also swing-states with some of the most contentious voter ID laws.

Minority populations are disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system. Voting restrictions affect four times as many African-American citizens as white citizens. In Florida, this statistic means that currently 23 percent of the state’s African-American population is ineligible to vote. In Virginia the total is 20 percent. Even before controversial voter ID laws, these two battleground states already restricted more than a fifth of their African-American populations from voting.

Beyond the effect ex-felons might have on national elections in swing states lies a larger

bilitative sites that should promote inmates’ post-release reintegration into society, this denial of one of the most basic rights our constitution gives us is a glaring inconsistency. Treating criminals as less-than-citizens hinders their ability to live as law-abiding citizens — as well as being subject to restrictions on voting, previously incarcerated felons cannot live in public housing, cannot receive many welfare benefits or most student loans and are discriminated against in applying for employment. Felon disenfranchisement is part of a larger picture of pervasive discrimination against people we label as criminals.

Crimes classified as felonies range from murder to vandalism, treason to drug posses-

People who commit crimes are people before they are criminals, but it seems easy to forget this when their identities are shrouded in language of intrinsic other-ness. question: Why prohibit criminals from voting? The justification historically comes from ancient Greek and Roman notions of “civic death,” in which individuals who transgressed social norms or laws were excluded from the democratic process.

The argument for felon disenfranchisement might come down to one’s standpoint on the purpose of criminal sentencing and incarceration as punitive or rehabilitative. If you believe that prisons exist to punish individuals for their crimes, then the idea of civic death could hold some water — why would someone who breaks the law deserve basic rights? But if you consider prisons as reha-

sion. Someone can be convicted of a felony, pay a fine and never spend a day in jail. The words felon, criminal, inmate, offender and prisoner connote judgements of unsound character and the inability to coexist within society. People who commit crimes are people before they are criminals, but it seems easy to forget this when their identities are shrouded in language of intrinsic other-ness.

Most people transgress against the norms we’ve codified into laws, but some people are more likely to be caught, sentenced and incarcerated. Drug laws, urban poverty, racial profiling and other discriminatory practices in law enforcement mean poor and minor-

ity Americans are far more likely to encounter the criminal justice system than people whose race, money and privilege affords them protection from the ramifications of their illegal behavior. As Michelle Alexander puts it in the introduction to “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” the United States uses its “criminal justice system to label people of color ‘criminals’ and then engage in all the practices we supposedly left behind.” Denying convicted felons the franchise is just one of the many ways our criminal justice system enforces discrimination against poor and minority citizens.

Striking exclusionary voting laws would certainly be a step in the right direction.

In 1999, as part of efforts to democratize the country after apartheid, the South African Constitutional Court gave prisoners the franchise, stating that “the universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and personhood.”

To allege that the United States has universal suffrage is to deny the personhood of the 2.5 percent of our population that is prevented from voting because of a criminal record.

Combined with the racial and economic discrimination perpetuated by our criminal justice system, this restriction stands in conflict with our rhetoric of justice, equality and opportunity for all.

Megan Hauptman ’14.5 can be reached with comments at megan_hauptman@brown.edu.

daily herald campus news the Brown

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Talk explores uncertain fates of drowning islands

By Mariya Bashkatova Staff writer

What will happen to the citizens of a modern-day Atlantis, a country that will be submerged completely as ocean levels rise due to global warming? Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, discussed the fate of drowning island nations yesterday at the Joukowsky Forum of the Watson Institute for International Studies.

Gerrard focused on the Marshall Islands, a series of atoll islands halfway between Australia and Hawaii that scarcely break the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Formed by the growth of coral reefs on top of long-extinct and sunken ocean-

Ne ws in brief City opens season for skating, shopping Along with freezing temperatures, winter also brings a host of festive holiday activities to Providence.

The Bank of America City Center, Providence’s downtown outdoor skating rink located next to Kennedy Plaza and Burnside Park, opened Nov. 21. The rink is open 10 a.m.

Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. on the weekends and closes at 10 p.m. daily.

Admission is $6, with skate rentals available for an additional $4. “College Night” begins at 6 p.m. every Wednesday, when skaters can show student IDs to pay halfprice for admission. Half-priced admission is also available 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, along with $3 skate rentals.

The city will hold its annual tree-lighting ceremony on the steps of City Hall Dec. 1, from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The tree-lighting will also feature performances by the 18 Wheelers, the Wheeler School’s choral performance group, and the RPM Voices of Rhode Island, a group that sings choral music inspired by African-American perspectives.

The Brown University Skating Band will make an appearance and Skate for Joy, a statewide organization that aims to engage urban youth in the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills program, will hold a figure skating demonstration along with local, regional and international figure skaters.

The city also recently launched its Buy Providence and Buy Art campaigns to encourage customers to frequent local businesses. As part of the initiative,the city will offer two hours of free parking in local commercial districts daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

— Elizabeth Carr

floor volcanoes, each island is a low-lying and narrow strip of land encircling a large lagoon.

Because of the small size and remoteness of the islands, in the event of a tsunami the only option is to “tie yourself to a coconut tree” to avoid floating away, Gerrard said. All joking aside, the main population center of the island of Majuro is 10 feet above sea level, while the very highest peak on the Marshall Islands is only 33 feet above sea level. Even modest increases in the tide will make these islands unlivable and will eventually submerge them completely, Gerrard said.

The fate of the Marshall Islands and other similar nations raises legal questions about the existence of a government and citizens with no land, he said.

It is also unclear what will happen to the islands’ fishing, mineral and other rights, he said.

Gerrard predicted that in the future, adverse climate conditions will force people to migrate to more livable locales within their country — “but with the island nations, there’s no such thing as internal displacement,” he said.

Where do the people go? It is at least feasible to imagine a diaspora of the 60,000 Marshall Islands inhabitants, or even the several hundred thousand inhabitants of all endangered island chains, he said. But a disaster of epic proportions would ensue if millions of people in a densely populated country like Bangladesh had to evacuate for climate-related reasons, he said.

Gerard also spoke of the tenuous relationship between the Marshall Islands and the United States. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted its outdoor nuclear testing on the Marshall Islands. Testing was so frequent that “people could go out and watch the nuclear bombs explode,” he said, and there continue to be concerns about health problems associated with the nuclear tests.

Gerrard said that in 1988, Congress created a nuclear claims tribunal and awarded the Marshall Islands $2 billion in damages but ultimately did not pay out the promised amount, Gerrard said. He added that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions disproportionately contribute to rising sea levels — an issue that he

City ranks as finalist in ‘Mayors Challenge’

By Katie Lamb Contributing writer

Providence is developing a plan for monitoring and increasing literacy among young children, earning the city one of 20 finalist spots in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge, Mayor Angel Taveras announced in a Nov. 5 press conference.

The Mayors Challenge aims to “spread proven and promising ideas among cities,” wrote James Anderson, director of the government innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, in an email to The Herald.

Just over 300 cities representing 45 states submitted applications in September, according to the Bloomberg Philanthropies website.

Teams from the selected cities, including Houston, Boston and San Francisco, shared ideas related to issues ranging from sustainability to employment at a Bloomberg “Ideas Camp” in New York City Nov. 1213. During the camp, finalists gave 45-second pitches for their ideas, worked collaboratively with other cities, received advice from experts and refined their proposals, said Toby Shepherd, deputy director of policy for Taveras.

The challenge offers a total of $9 million in prizes, with a grand prize of $5 million, and four $1 million prizes for runner-up cities, according to the Bloomberg website. Following the Ideas Camp, Providence is now working with an individualized coach assigned through the challenge to prepare its idea for final submission in January, according to a Nov. 5 press release.

Providence’s proposal calls for the use of an electronic device called the Language ENvironmental Analysis Pro,which attaches to a child’s clothes and records up to 16 hours of continuous talk, including all words spoken to them, Shepherd said. When connected to a computer, the device can display the number of conversational turns that took place and the number of words that were heard per hour, she added.

The device was designed in response to work done by Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995. Their research demonstrated a “word gap,” which translates to a literacy gap for children entering kindergarten, influencing their ability to succeed in elementary school and beyond.

According to the study, children in low-income families hear significantly fewer words per hour on average than children in higher-income families.

“By age four,” the study states, “a child from a welfare-recipient family could have heard 32 million words fewer than a classmate from a professional family.”

The LENA Pro device has the potential to provide “really interesting, powerful” information to both the city and individual families, Shepherd said. It would help “coach parents” and “connect them with things in the community that already exist,” such as literacy-building events at public libraries, he said.

“This information would provide the city with a level of data and analysis that we don’t currently have,” Shepherd said. “We would be able to map out ‘word deserts,’ or the spots in the city where children aren’t hearing enough words.” When assessed for various risk factors, the Providence families eligible for home visitation services would be given the option of using the device about once a month in order to receive feedback and comprehensive coaching, he added.

The proposal “dovetails with one of the mayor’s signature initiatives and one that is very close to his heart,” said David Ortiz, Taveras’ press secretary.

Taveras aims to raise grade-level proficiency for students entering fourth grade to 70 percent by 2015, compared to 46 percent at the beginning of 2011, and the device has the potential to help Providence reach that goal, Ortiz said, citing statistics from a Nov. 14 press release.

The use of the data to boost literacy may also have a lasting impact on the academic success of Providence’s youth, as “research shows that low-

income children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are up to 13 times more likely to drop out of school,” Ortiz said.

Providence got involved in the challenge when Bloomberg Philanthropies reached out after the city received a $25,000 grant from the foundation in October for implementing a mentor-based reading program called Leyendo, Shepherd said.

Accordingly, Providence reached out to its public. Taveras posted a request for ideas on his Facebook and Twitter pages and spread the word through the community, Shepherd said. The ideas were then narrowed down in the mayor’s office, and the LENA Pro was chosen because it was “the most innovative and most replicable by other cities,” Shepherd said, which corresponded to the challenge’s criteria.

On the judging end, “The ideas were rated based on vision, ability to implement, impact and replicability,” Anderson wrote in an email.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies is focused on spreading good ideas among cities. … The Mayors Challenge provides a chance for mayors to put forward bold new ideas that improve their communities — and then spread nationally.”

In the weeks following the Ideas Camp, Providence will continue to work with its coach to polish the final proposal. “We’re spending this month and next month really ironing out and thinking hard about” several pieces of the idea, Shepherd said.

One valid concern that has come up is the issue of privacy, Shepherd added, but he clarified that “nobody is going to have access to the actual content, just the raw numbers.” He compared the device to a pedometer, which counts steps but does not map the location.

The five winners will be announced in spring 2013, according to the Bloomberg website.

If Providence’s proposal is selected, it will ideally be implemented by the beginning of the next academic year, Shepherd said. “We feel a lot of urgency around this issue,” he added.

www.browndailyherald.com

contended raises the question of what large industrial nations owe such small island nations.

Gerrard stressed the familiar effects of global warming, including rising temperatures, increasing carbon dioxide levels and a higher incidence of disastrous weather events.

Curbing the problem lies in the adoption of stricter regulations for greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, Gerrard said, adding that the most effective way of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions is increasing energy efficiency. The U.S. should especially be focusing on the issue since “1990 is the last time Congress has passed a major environmental statute,” referencing the amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1970, he said.

a day in universit y history k ate desimone staff writer

Nov. 29, 1972 President Donald Hornig announced an end to limited enrollment courses. Instructors would not be allowed to set enrollment restrictions, with the exception of modes of thought, seminar and others approved by the Educational Policy Committee,. “Unless the course is approved by the EPC, there is no reason for the limitation of class size,” Hornig said. “We will accept no limitations for course enrollments in 1973.”

Chairman of the Faculty Policy Group and Associate Professor of political science Edward Beiser said enrollment restrictions “should be a university policy and not up to the individual professors.”

Nov. 29, 1983 Byron Lichtenberg ’69 embarked on the space shuttle Columbia as one of two payload specialists on board.

Lichtenberg, who received a bachelor of science in engineering from Brown, was tasked with running over 70 experiments aboard Spacelab I during the shuttle’s 9-day orbit.

Lichtenberg carried three University relics with him.

He brought along an ancient map, one of the first to show the American continent, from the John Carter Brown Library as well as a reproduction of a Copernicus text from the John Hay Library, according to the George St. Journal. Lichtenberg was rumored to have a 1957 letter from Josiah C. Carberry to the New York Times, suggesting that the terms “space ship” and “astronautical vehicle” be replaced by the word “astricle.”

Lichtenberg said he brought the three items from Brown with him because his time there was “probably one of the best sets of four years” of his life.