Daily
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 40
INSIDE
POST
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013
adult flesh pie
By SARAH PERELMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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Game over Studio 38 attempts to dismiss a state lawsuit Page 5
Fast talkers Annual debate contest tries competitors’ quick thinking today
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tomorrow
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since 1891
Health officials identify campus norovirus outbreak The U. has not seen a norovirus outbreak in almost 10 years, Health Services said
post-
Herald
A stomach bug spreading through campus was identified as a norovirus by the Rhode Island Department of Health yesterday afternoon, said Edward Wheeler, director of Health Services for the University. Since Sunday, one student has been admitted to the emergency room with the virus, and 18 others have visited one, Wheeler said, adding that 49 students in total have contacted Health Services with symptoms. The “highly contagious” virus is found in stool and vomit, Wheeler said. It can be transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces but is not airborne, he said, adding that Facilities Management is providing extra cleaning to dorms and athletic centers this week to help prevent further spreading.
Though people with the illness are scattered throughout campus, the “epicenter is the whole Keeney Quadrangle area,” Wheeler said. “I think it’s the numbers of people,” he said, adding that shared bathrooms could contribute to the disease’s spread. Health Services reached out to the Department of Health Sunday, when staff saw the number of students with gastrointestinal symptoms spike, Wheeler said. Health Services normally only sees three or four students with gastrointestinal symptoms per week, he said. The Department of Health provided materials for collecting sick students’ stool samples, which its labs tested to determine the illness patients contracted, he said. The state laboratory confirmed two samples as positive for norovirus, said Dara Chadwick, chief officer of health promotion at the Department of Health. “For the purpose of determining if this is in fact a norovirus outbreak, two cases is enough, she said. “One of the number one things that people can do (to prevent contracting or / / Virus page 4 spreading the
TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD
Forty-nine students have contacted Health Services experiencing symptoms, and one has been hospitalized.
State challenges DOMA constitutionality UCS to R.I. joins 14 states to oppose the law, which withholds fund federal marriage benefits from same-sex couples service groups By HANNAH KERMAN STAFF WRITER
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court March 1 arguing the court should declare Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. DOMA, which was signed into law in 1996, established the federal definition of marriage as a lawful union between one man and one woman — regardless of the marriage laws in a particular state — and allows states to choose whether to accept other states’ same-sex marriage statutes. As a result, all federal marriage benefits, including the ability to file joint tax returns and receive health care coverage under a
CITY & STATE
spouse’s plan, only apply to heterosexual couples. The Supreme Court will hear the case of Windsor v. the United States, challenging Section 3 — the restriction on federal benefits for same-sex couples with legally recognized marriages — when it considers the constitutionality of DOMA March 27. By signing the amicus brief, Rhode Island joined “14 other states challenging the constitutionality of DOMA,” said Amy Kempe, Kilmartin’s public information officer. “We’re not the primary party in the lawsuit,” but signing the amicus allows Rhode Island to show support for the groups challenging DOMA’s constitutionality, Kempe said. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 has long opposed DOMA, signing a 2011
letter sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign that declared the federal legislation financially irresponsible and counter to the principles of equality and fairness, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Chafee also participated in a panel at New York University sponsored by the Respect for Marriage Coalition, where he discussed the financial drawbacks of restricting benefits for same-sex couples. The brief defends states’ prerogatives to regulate domestic relations, keeping issues of family and marriage away from the federal government, Kempe said. “States have made different choices about protecting same-sex marriages,” she said. “DOMA is one of the first times that the federal government has weighed in on regulating domestic relations,” Kempe said. Roger Williams Law Professor Jared Goldstein said the brief starts with a “federalist argument that
appeals to both the liberals and the conservatives — a states’ rights argument.” For the federal government to say one state’s marriage laws are valid and another’s are not violates the most basic definition of equality, he said. Wary of making a firm prediction of the trial’s outcome, Goldstein said he has a hard time imagining that five judges would vote against what he called the equal treatment of legally married couples. When DOMA was passed, no same-sex couples were legally married, so equal protection was purely hypothetical, Goldstein said. Now, real couples, married under the laws of their state, are being treated differently. “Labeling DOMA unconstitutional will not cause every state to recognize same-sex marriage, but it is one more step on that road — and a very significant step,” Goldstein said. Supporters / / DOMA page 5
class enrollment choices freely, which is something we do not want to do,” Carey said. The data was compiled by Sasaki Associates and mapped the networks of departments with overlapping student enrollments, Carey said. As students progress in their undergraduate paths and declare concentrations, they might be expected to focus on a few key areas of interest, but the data suggest “areas become, if anything, even more connected,” he said. While certain departments, such as computer science, tend to be a bit more isolated, “the map shows a tremendous number of connections across the entire curriculum,” he said. The committee polled faculty members to incorporate their needs into the report and found that “the strongest academic collaborations were within departments,” Carey said. He displayed a campus map that showed that physical science buildings were the most closely
concentrated on campus, followed by the social sciences. The humanities and arts departments were the most dispersed across campus. Current classroom space received the most unsatisfactory ratings from students who responded to the MyCampus survey, Carey said. “Most of what we’ve seen in the data is affirming what we already knew,” he said. In the report, the committee already listed the need for more flexible classroom space as a pressing concern, but multipurpose space is a complex issue, Carey said. “The more flexible space is, the more compromises you make for it to aptly fit a specific department’s needs,” he said, specifically referencing discussed construction of a concert hall for the Department of Music. A graduate student expressed his concern about facilities, another issue the interim report prioritized in the discussion fol/ / Plans page 3
Forum opens campus discussion on redevelopment Growth in the Jewelry District must account for varied student academic interests, the planning VP said By HANNAH LOEWENTHEIL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Flexible and accessible classroom space, graduate student facilities and expansion into the Jewelry District were among the most salient issues addressed by Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning and policy, in an open discussion about strategic planning Wednesday afternoon. About 25 attendees gathered in List Art Center to hear Carey’s presentation regarding the Committee on Reimagining the Brown Campus and Community’s findings published in its January interim report. Carey then opened the floor for attendees to voice their opinions and concerns about the committee’s future plans. Carey said the committee is focused on determining “the academic
and space needs for the University for the next decade” to decide how to fulfill the University’s academic mission in the most effective manner. In its planning efforts, the committee will look to prioritize expanding facilities for the School of Engineering and the Brown Institute for Brain Science, Carey said. Until these departments are expanded, they are very limited in their research opportunities, he said. A recent analysis revealed that students enroll in varied courses. This exploration of interdisciplinary interests complicates the University’s planning for future use of the Jewelry District, Carey said. Most departments are currently located within a 10-minute walking radius of the Main Green, and moving any department off College Hill would “impede students’ ability to make
The newly created Service Group Funding Board will dole out $200 per group per semester By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Undergraduate Council of Students voted to extend funding to service groups for the first time during its general body meeting Wednesday. Though the Undergraduate Finance Board funds Category 1, 2 and 3 student groups, it has historically refrained from funding groups dedicated to service. The code change establishes a Service Group Funding Board independent of UFB that provides $200 of baseline funding to service groups each semester “to further their missions.” Service groups may apply for supplemental funding if they find $200 insufficient. The board is “another UFB for service groups,” said Alexander Kaplan ’14, UCS student activities chair, who drafted and presented the code changes along with Sam Gilman ’15, UCS treasurer. “We didn’t want to burden UFB with this,” he said. The board will comprise two UCS members, two UFB members, one chair nominated from the Swearer Center for Public Service, four service group leaders and one alternate service group leader. Service groups must meet four criteria to qualify for funding from the board, ac/ / UCS page 2