April 24, 2013

Daily

Herald

THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 58

INSIDE

Page 3

Skyfall

The ceiling in a Slater Hall room collapsed on a student

This story, the third in a four-part series, explores the disciplinary and social trials undergone by students who have been accused of sexual assault

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

Frosh first Most faculty said first-years are academically prepared Page 6

Highs and lows Experts debated marijuana legalization at a Janus event today

tomorrow

65 / 49

63 / 41

Warning: This article contains graphic material regarding sexual assault.

Peter, a 2011 graduate of the University, saw his life turned upside down when a woman SILENT he had dated VIOLENCE Part three of four filed a sexual assault complaint against him with the Department of Public Safety in fall 2008.

“I knew the relationship had gotten rocky,” said Peter, whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.

The woman, who was living with several of Peter’s closest friends at the

U. unlikely to divest from coal in May Admins, faculty members and students at Tuesday’s BUCC meeting debated divestment

By MARK VALDEZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Corporation will likely not vote to divest from coal at its meeting in May, “as it will be the first time they will discuss the issue,” said President Christina Paxson at a Brown University Community Council meeting Tuesday.

Trevor Culhane ’15, along with two other members of the Brown Divest Coal Campaign, asked the University to divest from “the top 10 coal burning utilities and the top five coal extraction

SILENT VIOLENCE

Sexual misconduct disciplinary process alienates accused

By KATHERINE CUSUMANO AND TONYA RILEY

Page 5

since 1891

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

companies” at the meeting.

The BUCC also heard presentations from members of the Sustainability Strategic Planning and Advisory Committee and Alpert Medical School Student Senate President Julia Heneghan ’09 MD ’13.

Culhane said “considering the urgency of climate change,” the University should “recognize (its) responsibility as a moral compass and a moral leader” in the divestment campaign.

Tammy Jiang ’16 talked about visiting her home in Brooklyn after Hurricane Sandy last October and attributed coal to worsening climate change.

“There will be more extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy if we don’t take action against climate change,” Jiang said. “Brown would be the first university / / Coal page 3 of this magni-

time she made the accusation, had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder — all of which took a toll on their interactions, he said.

But Peter said he did not know she perceived any of their sexual encounters as assault until she filed the complaint, which did not cite a specific incident.

The voice of the accused perpetrator can remain unheard in discussions of sexual assault on college campuses.

Judicial systems for sexual misconduct at universities must navigate the boundary between attentiveness to alleged victims — who can require a system that supports coming forward — and fairness to accused perpetrators, for whom the trial process also has psychological, social and academic ramifications.

Due process?

Offenses that may result in a “tran-

script remark” or expulsion — such as sexual misconduct — may be brought before the Student Conduct Board, according to the Office of Student Life website.

If found guilty of sexual misconduct, a student may face probation, suspension or expulsion, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services.

The OSL sends an accused student a letter stating a complaint was made against him or her, Klawunn said. The letter outlines the allegations, which indicate a possible violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

Both the accuser and the accused consult with Terry Addison, associate dean for student life, about how the system works, Klawunn said. Both can work with an additional support dean who monitors their academic and emotional progress, Klawunn said.

The SCB comprises 26 University community members. Out of that group, each case is heard by a faculty member, a dean and a student of the same status as the accused perpetrator — undergradu-

By MARIYA BASHKATOVA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After 16 years of failed attempts, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage will come to a decisive vote on the Senate floor today, on the heels of Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee approval. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket, passed the committee by a 7-4 vote yesterday. If the Senate approves the bill without amending it, it will go to Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, who has previously stated that he would sign a same-sex marriage bill into law.

The legislation the committee

CITY & STATE

passed was identical to the same-sex marriage bill the House passed in January. The committee also voted down legislation proposed by Sen. Frank Ciccone, D-Providence, that would have put the issue to a public referendum.

The prospects of the Senate legalizing same-sex marriage look favorable but are not guaranteed. All five of the state’s Republican senators announced yesterday that they would vote in favor of the same-sex marriage bill.

At the vote Tuesday, members of the crowd applauded as William Conley, D-East Providence — thought to be the one swing vote on the committee — walked into the chamber, and they continued to applaud as the other senators filed in. Nesselbush received a standing ovation.

“In the early 1980s, I marched in my first gay pride parade,” Nesselbush said before Monday’s vote. “Now, some 30 years later, I am honored to

Yale: “preponderance of the evidence” Columbia: “preponderance of evidence” Dartmouth: “preponderance of the evidence” Cornell: “preponderance of evidence” Princeton: “clear and persuasive evidence” Harvard: “the Board must be sufficiently persuaded” Penn: “preponderance of the evidence”

ate, graduate or medical, according to the OSL website.

The faculty members are selected by the Faculty Nominating Committee, the deans by Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron / / Assault page 4

After Keeney fire, many Crew team first-years seek housing finds body in river It may be as late as Monday before Jameson House residents can return to their rooms

By MARK VALDEZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Most residents of Jameson House in Keeney Quadrangle remain displaced from their rooms after a fire in the dorm Monday evening.

While no injuries were reported, there was smoke and water damage to the residence hall, The Herald previously reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said a representative from the Providence Fire Department.

Residents in the basement, first and second floors will be allowed to return to their rooms Friday, but those living on the third floor cannot return until Monday, wrote Margaret Klawunn, vice president of campus life and student affairs, in an email to affected residents. There are a total of five floors in Jameson.

Some students have chosen to stay with friends, and the Office of Residential Life is willing to provide additional mattresses and room keys to friends’ rooms, Klawunn wrote.

Those who choose not to stay with a friend can ask for a temporary assignment, she wrote.

Third-floor Jameson resident Elizabeth Stanfield ’16 said she chose to / / Keeney page 2 remain in her

Senate to vote on same-sex marriage bill today All five of Rhode Island’s Republican senators announced they will vote in favor of the legislation

Conduct standards of evidence around the Ivies

be the lead sponsor of the marriage equality bill.”

When the vote was announced just 10 minutes into the meeting, the audience erupted in cheers, applause and hugs.

Josephine O’Connell and Maryellen Butke, whose 12-year-old son Matthew Lannon’s testimony in favor of same-sex marriage at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month went viral on the Internet, arrived at the hearing wearing sashes emblazoned with the words “Bride-to-be.”

O’Connell and Butke, who have been together for 14 years, both said they were “ecstatic” that the legalization bill passed and the referendum bill failed.

O’Connell said Lannon was already asking her at the start of the meeting, “Are you going to have a big wedding or a small wedding?”

“Every day that goes by, there are more and more people who are choosing love,” Butke said.

Butke said she has been coming to the State House for almost 25 years to advocate and listen to hearings. “I remember sitting in these seats and listening to people stand up — who said they were Christian — and spew such hatred,” she said. “I would just cry from the hatred, and now today I can cry from the love and the positivity.”

Sylvia Deluca donned a ‘Bride-tobe’ sash in honor of her daughter, who previously entered a civil union with her partner and will have the opportunity to be legally married if the bill passes in the Senate today, she said.

“I’m very happy for my daughter and her wife,” she said. “Now in the state where she lives, where she works and where we live, we can have a wedding for her. And that’s wonderful.”

“We’ve been fighting for this for a long time, so this is a big step, and we still have a lot of work to do to get the bill passed,” / / Bill page 8

The body, discovered Tuesday afternoon, will be identified sometime today at the earliest

By ELIZABETH KOH FEATURES EDITOR

The body of a man believed to be in his 20s or 30s was found by the men’s crew team in the water by India Point Park Tuesday evening, multiple news outlets reported. Police officers have not yet identified the body, said Detective Mark Sacco of the Providence Police Department.

The body was transported to the state medical examiner around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Providence Journal.

Sacco said the medical examiner will use forensic evidence, including fingerprints and dental records, to identify the body. The police will not receive confirmation of the identity until Wednesday at the earliest, he said.

“We can’t rush to conclusions,” he said.

Sacco said the body “was in the water a while” before it was found, though the exact length of time has not been determined.

At the end of their afternoon rowing practice, members of the crew team saw what they thought was a log in the water as they were rowing back to the Hunter S. Marston Boathouse on the Seekonk River, said Michael Meneses ’14, who was in the boat of students who saw the body.

The body was about a kilometer from the boathouse and about 400 meters from the rowboat, Meneses said.

An assistant coach, who was following team members in a motorboat, told them to continue rowing in and stayed behind to investigate, Meneses said.

Providence Police officers arrived at the scene after rowers saw the coach make a phone call from the water, he added.

2 university news

Sparks fly at same-sex marriage discussion

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

An hour before the panel, the R.I. Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of same-sex marriage

By STEPHEN ARK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Academic experts and religious leaders debated the legalization of same-sex marriage at a heated forum sponsored by The Herald and the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions Tuesday.

Speakers from both the pro- and anti-same-sex marriage perspectives shared the stage with scholars in history and law to discuss their views the same day a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was passed by the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill ­— which faces a vote in the full Senate today­— will be sent to Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 if it clears today’s vote. Chafee has previously indicated he will sign the legislation if it reaches his desk.

Thomas Petri, Catholic priest and a friar in the Order of the Preachers who spoke on behalf of Bishop Thomas Tobin, the head of the Catholic Diocese of Providence, and Celia Wolf-Devine, a writer who previously taught at Stonehill College, argued against same-sex marriage by asserting it is contrary to the societal mission of marriage, which they linked to producing good citizens through childbearing.

Janson Wu, a staff attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, and Associate Rabbi Sarah Mack of Temple Beth-El in Providence both spoke in favor of same-sex marriage. Courtney Cahill, a constitutional law professor at Florida State University, and Professor of History Robert Self delivered commentary on the historical and legal dimensions of the same-sex marriage debate and

/ / Keeney page 1 room despite recommendations to move, because there was no damage on her side of the hallway. After seeing an affected room, Stanfield said “the edging on the wall looked kind of messed up.” A “huge, yellow tube” remains in the hallway to remove the water emitted by sprinklers, she said.

Facilities Management staff members have been working “to dry and dehumidify all residential spaces impacted by the fire, smoke and water,” Klawunn wrote.

Candy Elle ’16 lives two doors down from the room where the fire

gay rights movement. The forum was held in MacMillan 117 and attended by about 100 people.

“If marriage is an emotional union — a solid commitment of love — I will go on the record in favor of gay marriage,” Petri said. “But equating marriage and love is a relatively recent idea.”

Wolf-Devine cited examples of children who claimed to have suffered as a result of having same-sex parents. “This is not a matter of judging individuals,” she said. “Basic heterosexual relationships are best for the children.”

Both Petri and Wolf-Devine were met with criticism from the other panelists and audience members.

Aidan Dunbar ’16 introduced himself as a son of two lesbian parents during the question-and-answer session. He said the panelists opposed to same-sex marriage seemed to imply his family background had “harmed or disadvantaged” him.

“I had an incredible childhood, but this was because I was lucky enough to have parents that loved me,” he told the panel.

Mack offered a defense of samesex marriage on behalf of “religious liberals,” adding that she feels limited in her ability to allow Jewish couples “to sanctify their relationships” because Rhode Island does not permit same-sex marriages.

Wu, who was involved in the 2010 debate to legalize same-sex marriage in New Hampshire and has testified in the Rhode Island Senate hearings on the current legislation, said the lack of legal recognition for samesex marriages has a detrimental effect on families. “What’s important is that real families are being hurt by the law as it is today,” Wu said. “The LBGTQ community has faced much discrimination.”

Cahill laid out the constitutional background for the same-sex mar-

riage debate, citing a line from the U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas that bolstered gay rights, as well as current cases over the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Though Petri said he knows of no sociological studies that suggest children of same-sex couples are worse off than children of heterosexual parents, he said research does show children raised by single parents or step-parents fare worse than children who grow up with a mother and a father.

Some students reacted strongly to the panel’s inclusion of same-sex marriage opponents, whom they accused of using hateful rhetoric.

More than a dozen protesters attended to oppose the invitation of Christopher Plante, the regional director for the National Organization for Marriage. But Director of the Taubman Center Marion Orr announced in his introductory remarks that Plante could not attend and that Wolf-Devine replaced him on the panel.

The protestors carried signs with slogans like “Hate is not debate” and wore strips of gray tape over their mouths to reflect what they called the silencing of their voices. During the question-and-answer session, several students denounced some of the speakers, with one criticizing the event as a whole and saying she had never been more disappointed in Brown.

The historical context of marriage lies at the center of the debate, Self said. “Amidst the many changes in the definition of marriage over the decades, it stands as one of the principal institutions through which states regulate legal obligations,” he said, adding that marriage has been the most powerful institution for earning respectability in American life.

started. She returned to Keeney during a break from work to find people from her floor in a different house in Keeney “in flip-flops and towels.”

Some were crying, she added, and they told her their rooms were flooded.

“When you hear third floor, you don’t think flood,” Elle said. “This doesn’t make sense,” she recalled thinking to herself.

When she reached her hallway, she said she saw “a river of black liquid … sloshing back and forth.”

Police officers told her they needed to control the water before she could enter. When she returned, “the river” was gone, but there were “big puddles

everywhere,” she said. “There were two and half inches of water in my room.”

Elle said the water damage was extensive, particularly to shoes, rugs and dresses on her floor.

Elle was placed in a room in Keeney with a plastic-wrapped mattress.

“Anything is better than what I just walked in on,” she said. “I’m just taking what I can get at this point.”

Jessica Brown ’16, who lives next to the room where the fire started, said she was in her room when she smelled smoke and saw it blow across her window before the alarms went off. “I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to them, but I saw the smoke,” Brown said.

Exiting her room, Brown said she saw smoke coming out of the neighboring door. When she was allowed back into Jameson, she said there was “a disgusting mix of dirt, soot and water in all of the rooms” and “anything on the floor was soaked.”

Brown said she passed by the room next door and saw the “whole back wall (was) charred.” Brown spent the night in the Archibald House lounge in a “pseudo-sleepover” with other residents.

Many students offered different forms of assistance — rooms, sleeping bags, phone chargers — on the Class of 2016 Facebook page after the students were displaced.

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university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

THIS WEEK IN HIGHER ED

BY MATHIAS HELLER UNIVERSIT Y NE WS EDITOR

Princeton’s provost to succeed Tilghman as president Princeton Provost Christopher Eisgruber will take office July 1 as the university’s 20th president, presidential search committee leaders announced Sunday.

Eisgruber, who has served as the school’s provost for nearly nine years, will succeed Shirley Tilghman, who is retiring after 12 years as Princeton’s first female president.

Eisgruber is a leader who “cares passionately about teaching and research of the highest quality,” said Kathryn Hall, board of trustees and search committee chair, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.

Also a professor of public affairs at Princeton, Eisgruber received a bachelor’s degree in physics from the university in 1983, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and worked as a law clerk for then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. As a constitutional scholar, Eisgruber taught at New York University Law School and is now a member of the academic advisory board of Coursera, the massive open online course site.

“As an undergraduate, faculty member and provost, I have developed a heartfelt appreciation for Princeton’s distinctive mission as a great research university with an unmatched commitment to liberal arts education,” Eisgruber said, adding that he believes Tilghman’s presidency has made the university “more vibrant, energetic and inclusive than ever,” the Chronicle reported.

Columbia moves toward creating honor code The Columbia College Student Council voted Sunday to endorse the creation of an honor code to bolster academic integrity among undergraduates, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported Monday.

The council’s resolution, which stated that Columbia is the only Ivy League institution other than Harvard without an honor code, called for the code’s establishment in light of a “significant rise in reported cases of academic dishonesty in recent years.” If enacted, the new policy would force all incoming undergraduates to recite an honor pledge during convocation, and the academic integrity code could also be printed in blue books used for exams, the Spectator reported.

The pledge does not need approval from administrators before taking effect this fall, but council members have two years to discuss and examine the policy during a pilot period, the Spectator reported.

Harvard cancels Visitas weekend amid bombing lockdown Harvard administrators canceled the university’s annual weekend for admitted students — known as Visitas — due to the public safety lockdown in the greater Boston area on Friday, the Harvard Crimson reported at the time.

Visitas, Harvard’s equivalent of A Day on College Hill, was slated to run last weekend. But Faculty of Arts and Sciences Spokesman Jeff Neal informed prospective students in an email Friday that the lockdown, which was precipitated by law enforcement officials’ search for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, caused Visitas’ cancellation. Harvard has no plans to reschedule Visitas, Neal wrote.

While Visitas’ cancellation means many admitted students will not be able to visit Harvard before making their college decisions, admission experts doubt this will decrease Harvard’s admission yield rate this year, the Yale Daily News reported Tuesday.

Harvard Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William Fitzsimmons said the university may extend the May 1 deadline for admitted students to decide whether they will accept their offers, adding that other Ivy League admission offices have contacted him about extending the deadline, the Daily News reported.

/ / Coal page 1 tude in size and prestige to divest from these coal companies.”

Paxson formed an ad hoc committee of the Corporation after the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies released its recommendation that the University divest from the 15 coal companies. The ad hoc committee will meet with students from the campaign Friday and report to the Corporation in May. Eric Suuberg, professor of engineering, said the University would be sending “a peculiar mixed message” if it divested.

“We’re saying on the one hand that this is an evil, and on the other hand we’re benefiting from the existence of that industry and the very companies we’re

saying we should divest from,” Suuberg said, referring to Rhode Island’s use of coal for electrical power.

Chris Powell, director of sustainable energy and environmental initiatives, said the University’s electrical supplier, TransCanada, “has one of the lowest coal percentages.”

The University uses 3.7 percent coal “of our fuel mix from electricity that we get from TransCanada,” Powell added.

Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 said he doesn’t think divesting will achieve the long-term goal of the Brown Divest Coal campaign to combat climate change.

“I’m concerned it’s a more symbolic strategy than a substantial strategy that the problem deserves,” Schlissel said. He asked the group members whether they have considered focusing their efforts “on

Ceiling collapses in Slater Hall

The incident is unlikely to alter inspection practices in the future, due to the singularity of the event

By ALBERT ANDERSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A student was struck when a portion of the ceiling in her dorm room collapsed on her as she slept last week, but she was not seriously injured.

At 7:30 a.m. Friday, the ceiling facade of Slater Hall 403 fell onto Ramya Mahalingam ’14. The rubble, which was composed of plaster and sheetrock, fell from a downward-sloping segment of ceiling.

Mahalingam sustained a soft tissue bruise to her head above her right ear and three other minor bruises to her knee, leg and arm. She was struck by the falling debris while she slept and awoke with head pain and a ringing in her ear.

“I remember the sound, but I don’t remember what happened visually. I sat up, and I was surrounded by rubble, plaster and sheetrock,” Mahalingam said. “I was really confused.”

Mahalingam’s roommate, Bridget Nixon ’14, said she awoke to a deafening crash. She quickly called the Department of Facilities Management, which then alerted the Department of Public Safety. DPS officers arrived quickly, along with Facilities Management workers who immediately began to remove rubble from the room and collect dirty clothes to be dry-cleaned.

Though most objects in the room were covered in dirt, nothing was permanently damaged, Mahalingam said.

DPS called Emergency Medical Services, which determined that Mahalingam’s injuries were not severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. Health Services later diagnosed her bruised head and ran cognitive function tests. Based on the results, it is unlikely she has a concussion, Mahalingam said.

Later that morning, the Office of Residential Life contacted Mahalingam to facilitate a room change: She and Nixon will reside in Young Orchard for the remainder of the semester.

Mahalingam said she was mostly satisfied with Facilities Management’s response. “Once they got there, they handled (the situation) relatively well,” she said.

But she said she was dismayed that she has not yet received help moving her things. “It’s emotionally very difficult for me to go back inside,” she said.

“A lot of it is just shock: All of this is very disruptive to the things I would normally have been doing.”

Mahalingam said Psychological Services diagnosed her with an acute stress reaction, a condition that often arises after traumatic events.

Nixon said she would like to see more thorough room checks to prevent accidents like this in the future. “It’s pretty scary to have a whole section of your wall fall on your roommate,” she added.

Paul Armas, director of maintenance operations for Facilities Management, said Facilities Management has completed a full and thorough inspection of all Slater rooms since the incident, and that corrective maintenance of the damaged room is in progress. He said the collapse was most likely caused by separation of the plaster from the wall strips due to settling or cracking over time.

Armas said the incident is unlikely

to alter inspection practices in the future. “This is not a common occurrence that would trigger us to do what is beyond the corrective actions that we’ve done at this point,” he said. Room inspections are conducted once a year during summer break, with preventive maintenance done periodically throughout the year, Armas added.

Mahalingam said she had reported a crack in the ceiling, along with other cracks in the room, on her room condition report at the beginning of the year. But she said she thought little of it afterward, given the propensity for such cracks in older dorms. Slater was built in 1879.

“This being an Ivy League university, and us paying so much to be in these dorms, it really doesn’t make sense for things like this to just happen,” Mahalingam said.

She declined to comment on whether she is planning to take legal action against the University.

elected officials that can actually make laws that influence all companies.”

Daniel Sherrell ’13.5 said the Brown Divest Coal Campaign aims “to send a strong symbolic signal to start eroding the social license of the fossil fuel industry that has allowed it with a good deal of impunity to prevent the legislators from taking serious action.” He added that fossil fuel companies have the financial resources to lobby Congress “to make sure that this industry perpetuates itself.”

Culhane asked Paxson to allow BUCC to vote on an endorsement for divestment. But Paxson said “formal votes are rare” and BUCC meetings are “for conversation and idea generation, not to formally endorse or not endorse” recommendations.

The Sustainability Strategic Planning

and Advisory Committee also presented its interim report to BUCC. In its presentation, the committee recommended creating an EcoDistrict to enable “strategic and centralized” sustainability efforts.

An EcoDistrict is “a conceptual framework for planning … and maintaining sustainable solutions at a district level within a community … considering water, transportation, air and energy in decisions beyond the level of the building, but at the level of the campus and the community,” said Kai Morrell ’11, outreach coordinator for Facilities Management.

The interim report also recommended that the University add sustainability to its liberal learning goals.

“We’ll work on the details of each of the recommendations,” Schlissel said. “I

think they’re all worth pursuing.”

Heneghan spoke on behalf of the Medical School Student Senate and provided an overview of what the organization does. Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, asked Heneghan what the University could do to facilitate more involvement with the Senate.

Anne Fausto-Sterling, professor of biology, said the differences in undergraduate and medical student schedules makes it difficult for interaction to happen.

“I can tell you it has had a huge negative effect … on collaboration of medical students with campus faculty and campus undergraduates,” FaustoSterling said.

Tuesday’s meeting was BUCC’s last of the semester.

COURTESY OF RAMYA MAHALINGAM

A ceiling in a Slater Hall room fell on Ramya Mahalingam ’14 as she slept, causing her minor injuries. Slater Hall was built in 1879.

4 silent violence / / Assault page 1 and the students by the Undergraduate Council of Students, said Yolanda Castillo-Appollonio, associate dean for student life.

After they are approved by UCS and the OSL, undergraduates on the board are taught about the judicial process, the cases they may face and the sensitive nature of student conduct hearings, said Anthony White ’13, UCS president.

Before the 2010-11 academic year, when the University last revised its student conduct procedures, accused perpetrators could choose to undergo a hearing in front of one administrator or

derance in determining guilt for sexual misconduct cases. The letter is related to federal Title IX codes, which are designed to preserve gender equity in higher education.

Universities that receive federal funding are required to enforce Title IX policies, but how they incorporate the standard of preponderance varies, Creeley said.

At Princeton, the Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline hearing the case must be presented with “clear and persuasive” evidence according to the university’s website. Harvard’s Administrative Board must be “sufficiently persuaded” of guilt in disciplinary hearings,

“She never gave a date, a time, a place, a ‘how.’

She just said that things got aggressive at times.”

Peter Accused perpetrator of sexual assault

the SCB, which had a greater number of members. This made it harder for the SCB to maintain confidentiality, so most students chose administrative hearings, Klawunn said.

Peter said he planned to go before the SCB instead of an individual administrator because he said he did not trust one person to handle the case. But Peter’s accuser ultimately did not follow through with the charges, and the case was never brought to hearing.

Adam Goldstein, an attorney at the Student Press Law Center, said panels can still be an unfair trial mechanism because they lack guidance from a judge.

Jacy, a former undergraduate who was expelled his sophomore year and whose last name has been withheld to maintain confidentiality, said he felt the voices of adult members of the board overshadowed the student’s.

“I wish the student had been more of an influential force since they have such a valuable perspective, being a student and trying students,” Jacy said.

At the beginning of his sophomore year, Jacy learned a woman he dated during his first year had accused him of sexual harassment, reporting that after she rejected his advances one night, he had verbally harassed her and masturbated in the bed they were sharing, he said.

Guilty until proven innocent The SCB uses a “preponderance of evidence” standard to determine guilt in sexual misconduct cases, Klawunn said.

Preponderance means evidence demonstrates anything greater than a 50 percent chance of guilt, said Will Creeley, director of legal and public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Sexual assault complaints often lack sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard for criminal courts, Klawunn said.

In 2011, the U.S. Departmet of Education released a statement, known as a “Dear Colleague” letter, calling on colleges and universities to use prepon-

SILENT VIOLENCE

A four-part series

according to its website.

Before the “Dear Colleague” letter, schools could choose their own internal regulations for determining guilt, but Brown has always used the preponderance standard, Klawunn said.

The letter was meant to make sexual assault cases easier to prosecute but did not ask whether universities were equipped to try cases, Goldstein said.

It made colleges the primary source of adjudication, rather than encouraging them to work with the police.

The preponderance standard requires so little evidence it is virtually meaningless, Peter said.

Peter said his accuser did not report any specific facts of her alleged assault to the University.

“She never gave a date, a time, a place, a ‘how,’” he said. “She just said that things got aggressive at times.”

Jacob, whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality, was assaulted by a male student at the beginning of his first year at the University. He said because his account of the incident differed from his perpetrator’s, the hearing took an approach of “we know something happened, we need to figure out exactly what.” The accused perpetrator agreed nonconsensual sexual contact had occurred, but his account of the specifics differed from Jacob’s.

“We’re going on the students, what their perception and what their truth is,” said Associate Athletic Director Carolan Norris. Norris has worked with accused perpetrators and alleged victims of student conduct violations, including sexual misconduct, for 10 years.

No contact In some cases, the accused perpetrator may be moved out of a residence hall or away from campus entirely.

“If there is a concern about the safety of the community, we can do an emergency removal before a hearing takes place,” Klawunn said, adding that this is not a common occurrence.

Jacy said he was asked to move into

off-campus University-owned housing the same day he found out about the accusation, though he was not informed of what the accusation entailed. Within the same week, the University bought him a plane ticket home during the investigation, he said.

Students on either side can request a no-contact order in consultation with administrators in the OSL, CastilloAppollonio said. The duration of the order, which prohibits involved parties from communicating in person, over the phone or online, varies on a case-by-case basis, she said. The student who requested the order can come forward when he or she feels it is no longer necessary, she said.

Peter filed for a no-contact order after he met with Addison to discuss the complaint. Shortly after, his accuser also requested one.

Peter said because his accuser was so enmeshed in his friend group, it was difficult to avoid her. If Peter arrived at a social gathering where she was already present, he would have to leave.

Seeking counsel After the OSL decides a sexual assault case will go to hearing, students receive information about the process and are asked to select an adviser from a list provided to them, said Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center.

Though students are presented with the list of advisers, they may also choose a person with whom they are more intimately acquainted, Klawunn said. A chosen adviser must be “a full-time faculty or staff member” and cannot be an attorney, according to the OSL website.

Because student conduct hearings examine violations of the internal code of conduct and the respondent’s status within the University, attorneys are not allowed to speak on behalf of either party, said Allen Ward, senior associate dean for student life.

“We don’t want attorneys to start running the University process,” Klawunn said.

The Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union has a number of concerns about due process in the University system, including its limitations on students’ use of lawyers, but the University’s status as a private institution means these concerns do not violate the U.S. Constitution, said Steve Brown, executive director of the R.I. ACLU. But students often hire attorneys to advise them on what they should not say in a University hearing because it could affect a criminal trial, said Gretchen Willis, director of dining services, who has worked as an adviser for 10 years. The evidence provided in an SCB hearing can be subpoenaed if formal charges are filed in state court, Klawunn added.

If a student accused of a capital or life offense cannot afford an attorney, that person can consult with Len O’Brien ’68, an attorney who advises Brown students for free. O’Brien can help students find attorneys who will take their cases pro bono, Klawunn said.

After hearing about the DPS com-

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

plaint, Peter contacted Michael Burch, a former assistant wrestling coach and Peter’s coach at the time, to talk about how to respond. Burch was also William McCormick III’s adviser during the highly publicized sexual misconduct complaint filed against him in 2006.

Advisers assist students with preparing witnesses and other forms of evidence for the hearing, Cohee said.

The advisers on the OSL list undergo annual training, which incorporates lessons on the conduct code, the judicial process and what kind of cases may be brought up, Klawunn said.

This training is carried out by deans, the General Counsel’s office, Health Education staff members and the sexual assault prevention coordinator, and it is the same for advocates of alleged victims and advisers of accused perpetrators, Klawunn added.

Most advisers have worked at the University for a long time and are familiar with the system, Norris said.

But advisers selected outside the prepared list have not undergone such training — while no person goes into a hearing completely blind, these people only meet with Addison to discuss the process, Klawunn said.

Burch said he received no effective training — the policies and links provided by the OSL intended to guide him were vague, he added.

“I remember emailing asking for policies about my role, and they were really at a loss,” he said.

When Peter’s ex-girlfriend brought charges against him, Burch advised him to respond with a slander complaint because Peter maintained his innocence, Peter said.

Peter said he briefly consulted with an attorney but never needed to hire one himself.

“I wasn’t going to win anything,” he

“Every witness who came in would say something like, ‘Oh, this girl told me what happened. I think Jacy is a terrible person. I think he should be removed from campus,’” he said, adding that he felt the discussion focused on his character more than on the facts of the case.

Per University policy, both the complainant and respondent may appeal hearing results regarding sexual assault.

Before the policy was revised two years ago, only the respondent could appeal the SCB’s decision, Ward said.

Into the courts Though less frequent, cases of sexual assault are sometimes prosecuted by outside authorities. When an assailant is criminally charged, the Providence Police Department puts out an arrest warrant for the suspect, said Chris Rotella, a detective with the Providence Police Special Victims Unit.

There are three levels of charges for sexual assault — first-degree, seconddegree and third-degree. Penetration is a first-degree, capital offense, for which reason the accused is denied bail, he said.

If there is insufficient evidence to immediately make an arrest, detectives speak with both parties and use their discretion to determine if charges can be brought, Rotella said. Suspects can go to hearing any time within 10 days of being arrested.

Cohee said it is difficult to get a case accepted by the Attorney General’s office for trial.

If students are found guilty of sexual misconduct, they can be suspended or expelled from the University.

If suspended, a student must petition to return to the University after a given amount of time, often with additional terms including counseling, Klawunn said.

If a perpetrator returns to campus fol-

“That’s where the line gets blurred for them — that maybe they don’t understand, or it’s not really rape, it’s a hookup gone wrong.”

Sandy Malone, Coordinator of Prevention Education at Day One Rhode Island

said. “The only thing I ever wanted was that written apology and retraction of the charge.”

Navigating the hearing Though his case ultimately never went to the SCB, Peter said he was excited by the prospect of a hearing because it could finally bring closure to the case.

“All I wanted was a firm resolution,” Peter said. “I wanted results.”

An accused student is allowed one in-person character witness at a hearing, but he or she can have others submit written statements defending his or her personality, Ward said. Other witnesses can include those who may have information about the case, Ward added. There is no limit on non-character witnesses.

“It was just a popularity contest,” Jacy said of his hearing.

This four-part series will investigate sexual assault at Brown, examining campus culture, the reporting and disciplinary processes for both victims and alleged perpetrators and the psychological, social and academic effects on those who have experienced or been accused of sexual misconduct. Read the entire series online at thebdh.org/assault.

Monday: Despite a sex-positive culture on campus, dialogues about sexual assault and rape are often limited. This story examines the culture surrounding sex, consent and assault on campus, detailing its prevalence nationally and at Brown.

Tuesday: Victims of sexual assault have the opportunity to report allegations to the University or the Department of Public Safety, as well as to seek counsel through Psychological Services. This story examines victims’ experiences and the statistical underreporting of sexual assault on campus.

Wednesday: Accused perpetrators of sexual assault must also navigate a complex University judicial process and social fallout. This story examines the proceedings of a sexual misconduct hearing and explores the stories of accused students.

Thursday: Sexual assault has long-term psychological and social ramifications. This story examines how victims cope with their experiences beyond their immediate aftermaths.

lowing a suspension, the charge remains confidential, but the victim is notified of his or her return, she said.

Though Rotella has dealt with false accusations, few come from college students, he said.

People falsely claim sexual assault no more than 2 percent of the time, said Rebecca Loya, post-doctoral research associate in public policy.

A gray area In cases of sexual assault, the parties are usually acquainted, Rotella said.

“That’s where the line gets blurred for them — that maybe they don’t understand, or it’s not really rape, it’s a hookup gone wrong,” said Sandy Malone, coordinator of prevention education at Day One Rhode Island, a sexual assault advocacy nonprofit serving Rhode Island.

“It sort of brings in that really uncomfortable gray area of maybe for me it was a sexual assault, but for him it was just hooking up,” said Anna, whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.

During her first week at the University, Anna was pushed by a sophomore male to have sex with him, and when she refused, to give him oral sex. She said she thinks the student still does not know she considers their encounter an assault.

Accusations of sexual assault profoundly affect those charged, said Belinda / / Assault page 5 Johnson, direc-

university news 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Poll: First-years come prepared for academic success Professors said Brown first-years are consistently equipped to adapt to college learning

By SONIA PHENE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A majority of faculty members find firstyear students prepared for college-level academics, with 23 percent responding that first-years were “very prepared” and 50 percent responding that they were “somewhat prepared” in a Herald faculty poll conducted earlier this month.

Professor perceptions John Stein, senior lecturer in neuroscience who teaches NEUR 0100: “The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience” and BIOL 0200: “The Foundation of Living Systems,” said his first-year students are “obviously very bright.”

He added that there is a “high bar” at Brown, with material in some courses like biology and chemistry taught in one semester, despite being taught over an entire year at other institutions.

Faculty members who have not taught at other schools “may not understand how bad it can get,” said Rose McDermott, professor of political science who teaches POLS 0400: “Introduction to International Politics.”

Having taught at other institutions such as the University of California at Santa Barbara, Cornell and Harvard, McDermott said she found Brown undergraduates to be “extremely well-prepared and best (she has) ever taught.”

First-year students may lack some prior knowledge in social sciences specifically, due to little emphasis on such subjects in high school, said Russel Church, professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences.

“I don’t think that the students have a great deal of knowledge of psychology in general, but they have a lot of competence to learn it,” he said, adding that he has found students in his first-year seminar, CLPS 0050I: “Art and Science of Learning,” to be very well-prepared.

Many faculty members said work ethic and motivation are the most important to helping first-year students succeed.

Dan Katz, lecturer in mathematics,

/ / Diabetes page 12 could be dangerous,” Luo said.

James Shapiro, director of the islet transplant program at the University of Alberta, said he is optimistic that “co-transplantation” will be transferred from the lab to a clinical setting. Shapiro helped develop the standard method for islet transplantation known as the “Edmonton Protocol.” Last year, he and his team performed 66 islet transplantations.

/ / Assault page 4 tor of Psychological Services.

Accused perpetrators of sexual assault — like any student — have the same access to Psych Services as their accusers do.

“It’s very anxious on both sides of whatever the issue is,” Norris said.

“They’re concerned about how it’s going to affect their education at Brown.”

Peter said being accused of sexual assault changed how his friends related to and perceived him.

“All of the sudden, the guys who used

who teaches MATH 0090: “Introductory Calculus Part I” and MATH 0100: “Introductory Calculus Part II” and oversees the calculus program, said students who do work beyond the requirements are more likely to succeed.

“One of the biggest mistakes students make is that they choose to skip the first optional problems, and then later in the semester find they are in over their heads,” he said.

Stein also said motivation is important, noting that though there are no weekly assessments in NEUR 0010, students should keep up with the reading in order to succeed.

Robert Pelcovits, professor of physics who teaches PHYS 0070: “Analytical Mechanics,” said students who take advantage of optional sections tend to benefit.

Preparedness over time First-year preparedness has been consistent throughout some faculty members’ careers at Brown, they said.

Pelcovits said students he has taught recently have been equally as prepared as those he taught in the same introductory physics course 30 years ago.

“I would say the generations are comparable in their ability to master sophisticated material,” he said, adding that the only difference is that students are now much more reliant on their calculators for computations.

Howard Chudacoff, professor of American history and urban studies, said he has not noticed any change in first-year preparedness, but he questioned whether University efforts to increase first-year preparedness are necessary.

“The question is, ‘Why does the Dean of the College think first-years aren’t prepared?’” he said. “Why have they developed a bunch of programs to deal with this ‘lack of preparedness’?” he said, citing examples such as the increase in writing requirements and constant communication between deans and firstyear students.

Students speak Many students said they felt wellprepared for college.

Gabrielle Hick ’16, who attended a small all-girls private school in Canada, said her high school adequately prepared her for studying in college.

Shapiro confirmed the difficulty of islet sustainability — 80 to 90 percent of his patients require multiple transplants, he said.

Transplants keep most of Shapiro’s patients off insulin for three to five years, and when they begin using insulin posttransplant, they are better able to control their blood sugar, he said. “Being able to improve the quality of the (islets) and being able to transform the cells into insulin-producing cells is a major advance,” Shapiro said. to be my friends ... I could no longer call them,” Peter said, adding that former friends called him “f***ing rapist.”

Before his accuser filed charges, Peter said one of her roommates, who was also his friend, confronted him saying, “I hear you raped our roommate, you’re not welcome in our house anymore.”

“I could never say, ‘Hey, is anybody looking out for me?’” Peter said.

SCB hearings and sexual assault accusations more generally take a profound toll on those involved. The final installment in this series examines the longterm impact of sexual assault on victims.

How prepared do you find first-years to be for academics at Brown?

23%

Very prepared

50%

Somewhat prepared

4%

No opinion

12%

Somewhat unprepared Very unprepared 1% Not familiar enough to answer

10% 0

10

20

30

Percentage of faculty

40

50

GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

Angela Guo ’16, who attended a large public school, said her high school “fostered an environment of ‘just be yourself ’” that was helpful in encouraging academic exploration.

Fletcher Bell ’16, who said he attended a small public high school that was “not very diverse,” did not learn “specific skills that translated into college” but instead gained useful habits like participating in class, he said.

Some students said they wished writing skills were more emphasized in high school.

“Coming from a public high school, writing essays is very mechanical,” Bell said. “You don’t progress much as a writer

because you turn in things and get them back without personal attention.”

Particularly in English classes, “Knowing what my professor was looking for is something I’ve learned more and more being here,” Hick said.

“It is difficult to gauge the expectation at the beginning of a social science or humanities course,” Hick said. “You really need to do an essay, and then get feedback or participate in discussion, and figure out what to say.”

Students said background knowledge was not critical for success.

Hick said that taking the time to do work for class is important, like completing assigned reading.

“Your own personal degree of interest and motivation determines your success,” Guo said. “You don’t have to naturally be incredibly talented in a class.”

Methodology: Questionnaires were sent to the email accounts of faculty members and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail April 9.

Only faculty members that teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students were invited to respond, and 120 responses were recorded out of a population of 713.

The poll has a 8.7 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence.

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

6 university news

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Speakers debate consequences, benefits of legalizing marijuana The speakers challenged myths about the drug’s use and its potential for legalization in the U.S.

By MAGGIE LIVINGSTONE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Two leading experts on marijuana legalization squared off Thursday on the implications, merits and economic effects of legalizing the substance in a debate hosted by the Janus Political Union Debates, a sub-group of the Janus Forum.

Alex Friedland ’15, fellows director of the Janus Forum, moderated the debate and began by asking the two speakers to present 15-minute opening remarks.

Aaron Houston, executive director of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy and decade-long proponent of marijuana legalization, said illegality has created a stigma around marijuana use. He said the majority of marijuana users in the United States are “silenced,” but the country is now at a “tipping point” for discussion about legalization.

Houston repeatedly said young people are being “locked in cages” for marijuana possession, an aspect of the criminal system that needs reform.

Houston also cited the benefits of being able to regulate the market for marijuana if the substance were legalized, adding that the underground market is currently largely controlled

by drug cartels.

“We can tax it, regulate it and control it, like alcohol, and take profits away from those people,” Houston said.

Kevin Sabet, former senior adviser to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and Houston’s opponent in the debate, agreed that the criminal processing of marijuana possession needed improvement, but said legalization is “a step too far.”

Though “controlling something in the black market on its face sounds appealing,” the feasibility of this would be “a lot more complicated and scary,” Sabet said. If marijuana were legal, it would become cheaper and therefore easier to obtain, especially for young people, he said. Because marijuana is much easier for vendors to grow than alcohol or tobacco, these dealers could more easily avoid paying taxes on the substance, he said.

Sabet also emphasized the capitalization and advertising market that would stem from marijuana’s legalization. He compared the potential marijuana advertising industry to that of tobacco in the 1980s, when companies’ advertising campaigns directly targeted youths. He added that there are “eight times as many liquor outlets in poorer communities of color,” and these groups would be targeted as well.

Friedland asked Houston to discuss health concerns, pointing to studies that link prolonged marijuana use from a young age to lower IQs and schizophrenia.

Houston said alcohol and tobacco were much more dangerous than marijuana and questioned the validity of marijuana’s connection to schizophrenia.

“The (Drug Enforcement Administration) said in 1989 that marijuana is one of the therapeutically safest substances known to mankind,” Houston said.

Thirty minutes were allotted at the end of the debate for questions from the approximately 30-person audience. Audience member Benjamin Koatz ’16 asked Sabet why he thought a black market for marijuana would be less harmful than a legalized, regulated market.

Sabet responded that if marijuana were legalized, the black market would exclusively target young people. He added that “when a drug is normalized,” it is more difficult to conduct education and prevention programs.

Audience members posed questions to both speakers about how personal liberty fit into the discussion around marijuana legalization.

Houston said the continued war against marijuana use has been an “assault” on personal liberty. He reiterated that many young people are arrested and — in rare cases — charged with felonies for small possessions.

Sabet emphasized that “when your behavior affects other people,” the drug is no longer safe, citing a statistic that confirms driving under the influence of marijuana is the second highest cause of car-related accidents

HERALD FILE PHOTO

After marijuana was legalized in Colorado and Washington last November, debate has renewed around reforming national policy. in the United States, after incidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol.

Sabet said the vast majority of marijuana users are not arrested, and less than 0.1 percent of inmates are in state prison for smoking marijuana.

Because the use of marijuana may affect other people, not legalizing the drug does not infringe on personal liberty, he said.

Maya Manning ’14, an audience

member, said she supported legalizing marijuana use before attending the debate, but after listening she is now the “closest” she has been to “swinging the other way.”

“The psychological aspect of doing something that is illegal concerned me initially, so I supported legalization,” Manning said. “But the idea of capitalism and advertising taking a hold of this is horrifying.”

NE WS IN BRIEF U. to extend ombudsperson services The University will grant all unionized staff members access to the ombudsperson, reversing a previous Faculty Executive Committee proposal from last month, wrote Paul Mancini, University director of labor and employee relations, in an email made available to The Herald.

“I have been informed that the University will be extending the services of the ombudsperson to unionized staff,” Mancini wrote in an email to Karen McAninch ’74, a business agent for the United Service and Allied Workers of Rhode Island chapter.

The decision alters an FEC recommendation from last month that excluded union members from ombudsperson access but expanded it for undergraduates, graduate students and nonunionized staffers, The Herald reported in April.

Approximately 550 employees — one-fifth of University staffers — are union members, McAninch said, adding that this group includes dining, facilities, public safety and library employees.

The ombudsperson purview will extend to all members of the community no later than this fall, said Ruth Rosenberg, University ombudsperson. This change departs from the previous timeline, which said the expansion would happen by the 2014-15 school year, The Herald previously reported.

The decision is still tentative as there has yet to be a formal announcement, Rosenberg said.

Currently, Rosenberg meets with post-doctoral students and faculty members to discuss issues including workplace problems and academic disputes.

The proposed changes would allow unionized employees to seek the services of either the ombudsperson or the shop steward, McAninch said.

Unionized employees should reach out to the union shop steward rather than the ombudsperson with workplace grievance issues, McAninch said.

“One concern … is that what if a manager hears that you went to the ombudsperson?,” McAninch said, adding that this could present an issue with the current managerial oversight.

Most other peer institutions offer ombudsperson service to unionized employees, Rosenberg said.

— Max Schindler

university news 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Poll: Faculty members name Graduate School as preferred U. priority Over 15 percent of the faculty said financial aid should be prioritized, a Herald poll indicated

By SARAH PERELMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Nearly half of faculty members would like to see the Graduate School as the University’s top-priority project in the coming years, according to a poll conducted by The Herald earlier this month.

Over 45 percent of faculty members chose the Grad School in the poll.

Around 16 percent of faculty members stated that financial aid should be prioritized, about 14 percent chose faculty diversity and roughly 5 percent selected the School of Engineering. The remaining one-fifth checked “other.”

The Grad School “has appeal across all departments, across all disciplines,” and it should receive more attention from the University, said Iris Bahar, professor of engineering and vice chair of the Faculty Executive Committee. FEC members have discussed the importance of better stipends and office space for graduate students as primary concerns, but they would also like to improve some of the research facilities and laboratories, Bahar said.

“The faculty leadership have been actively showing an interest in the levels of support for graduate students” and comparing current resources with students’ needs, said Matthew Lyddon GS, president of the Graduate Student Council. “I don’t think I’m surprised (by) the faculty support of the Graduate School” reflected in the poll, he said.

Lyddon said better stipends and more summer support for graduate students are areas in which the University should improve, especially if it wishes to continue attracting the best applicants.

Many faculty members said their own research is another reason they want the University to emphasize the Grad School.

“Most people become faculty because they are interested in research, and the

Graduate School is the part of the University that’s most hooked into research,” said Nathaniel Baum-Snow, associate professor of economics.

As the University strives to become a stronger research-based institution, continuing to improve the Grad School is important, said Undergraduate Council of Students President Anthony White ’13.

“I definitely expected them to prioritize the Graduate School,” he said.

Many students and professors said strengthening the Grad School confers advantages on the institution and on undergraduates, but others worried that too heavy a focus could detract from the undergraduate experience.

Bolstering the Grad School is beneficial to undergraduates because it affords them more research opportunities, White said. “A lot of undergraduates don’t realize the relationship between” the two, he added.

Attracting talented graduate students provides advantages for undergraduates because graduate students can become teaching assistants and allow for larger enrollments in popular classes, Lyddon said. Graduate students can also act as mentors for undergraduates, he added.

Lung-Hua Hu, senior lecturer in East Asian studies, said she was surprised at the high percentage of faculty that prioritized the Grad School, adding that having more TAs teach could take away from Brown’s reputation for fostering strong professor-student relationships.

She said she would like the University to prioritize faculty diversity, which would help accommodate the growing number of students interested in various aspects of Asian studies.

“In the long term, strengthening the graduate program is going to be a good thing,” said Pheakdey Son ’15. He said it will be necessary for Brown to stay competitive as a top school, though it could take away from the undergraduate experience.

Catherine Jeong ’15 said the University should establish a law school or business school if it wishes to become competitive in graduate education, but

that other issues — such as faculty salaries and recruitment — are more pressing right now.

The top concern for most undergraduates is financial aid and expanding need-blind admission, White said. In a Herald spring 2012 poll, nearly threequarters of students said they approved of the University expanding its graduate and professional programs. But in another question, about 38 percent of students said the most important issue for the new University president to focus on was increasing financial aid — far greater than the share of students who chose any other option.

Most faculty members support expanding financial aid, Bahar said, but may not have selected it as their top focus because “it doesn’t touch them as directly as it touches students — especially undergraduates.” She added that in her opinion, the University has made many great strides in need-blind admission and may need to turn its attention toward development in other areas.

Roughly equal percentages of humanities, sciences and social sciences professors said the University should prioritize the Grad School, though discipline seemed to influence faculty members’ likelihood of selecting each of the other categories.

In the Herald poll, a higher proportion of humanities professors than sciences or social sciences professors listed financial aid as a top priority. White attributed the results to the greater emphasis on research in the sciences and on undergraduate teaching in the humanities.

Hu said she has noticed that in the

What project should the University prioritize in the coming years?

Other 20.4%

Financial aid 15.7%

Faculty diversity 13.9%

School of Engineering 4.6%

The Graduate School 45.4% GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

Departments of East Asian Studies and South Asian Studies, language teachers are often more concerned with faculty diversity, while those who teach literature or more research-based disciplines tend to discuss growth of the Grad School.

No professors outside of the sciences responded that they favored prioritizing the School of Engineering, according to the poll. Since engineering is just one facet of the University, it makes sense that people directly involved would be the ones to want it prioritized, Bahar said.

Emily Toomey ’15, an engineering concentrator, said she was surprised there was not more faculty interest in improving the School of Engineering, especially since it is the most popular intended concentration for incoming first-years. The school is making great

headway in expanding, she said, adding that she hopes people outside of engineering are excited as well.

Hu listed faculty diversity as her top priority but said the School of Engineering it is a boon to the University, even if it requires extra funds from the University to get established.

Methodology: Questionnaires were sent to the email accounts of faculty members and advertised on the faculty Morning Mail April 9.

Only faculty that teach, advise or interact with undergraduate students were invited to respond, and 120 responses were recorded out of a population of 713. The poll has a 8.7 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence.

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

8 university news / / Bill page 1 said Seth Magaziner ’06, treasurer of Marriage Equality Rhode Island.

Nesselbush told The Herald that legalizing same-sex marriage has gained significant momentum in recent years along with a shift in public opinion.

Legislators have changed their minds on the issue after listening to testimony and hearing from constituents, she said. The bill’s religious protections — which allow religious figures and organizations to refuse services to same-sex couples on religious grounds — have also made it more appealing to legislators, she added.

“I feel very hopeful. I think it has great chances of passing,” Nesselbush told The Herald. “I don’t count my chickens before they’re hatched, so to speak, so I will leave it at that.”

www.browndailyherald.com

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

NE WS IN BRIEF Seniors selected for Phi Beta Kappa One hundred and two seniors were elected April 17 to the Rhode Island Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Chapter Administrator Mary Jo Foley wrote in an email to The Herald.

Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and gaining membership constitutes one of the most prestigious undergraduate awards.

The Brown chapter was founded in 1830 and is the seventholdest of the 270 existing chapters. Seniors who are inducted must have completed at least 28 courses — with at least 23 grades of A or S with distinction — in their first seven semesters at the University, with at least two-fifths of courses in the arts, humanities, “pure mathematics” or social sciences, according to the Brown chapter’s website. The following members of the class of 2013 were inducted last week: Stephen Donald Albright Heidi Beth Alpert John Connor Barnhart Jonathan Daniel Bateman, a former Herald sports photo editor Adam Simon Bear Rachel Adler Bishop Robert Matthew Black Thomas Marshall Bloom Nicole Alexandra Boucher, a former Herald managing editor Jane Helen Brendlinger Alexandra Lynne Brown Ian David Brownstein Anthony Hoa Bui Katherine Leigh Butera, a former Herald contributing writer Allison Skakel Chernov Aaron Michael Clayton-Dunn Kelsey Marie Collins Michael Chase Culler Katherine Rachel DeAngelis, a former Herald sports staff writer Caroline Elizabeth Dell Eleanor Lyn DiBiasio Emma Katherine Dixon Megan Elizabeth Dosch Devin Patrick Finzer Sarah Lynn Forman, a former Herald staff writer Benjamin Robert Freeman Miriam B. Furst, a former Herald staff writer Daniel Steven Gitelman Emmet Gabriel Golden-Marx David Louis Granberg Zachary Lawson Greenberg Sarah McCarthy Grimm Jenny Gu Kaan Tolga Gunay Rebecca Ann Haumann Drew Thomas Heckman Lucas Francisco Husted, a Herald opinions editor In-Jee Jeong Abigail Glicksman Kerson, a former Herald staff writer Isabel Khoo Emily Rowan Kirkland, a former Herald contributing writer Kristina Marie Klara, a Herald contributing writer Allen Phillips Kramer Natasha Raj Kumar Philip Hoi Wa Lai Deborah Lai Molly Kim Lao Benjamin Patrick Lee Benjamin Theodore LeVeque Anna Charlotte Lillkung, a former Herald staff writer

Dorothy Marie Lutz, a Herald opinions columnist Markus Maier Benjamin Pietro Marcus, a former Herald opinions columnist Sean A. Maroongroge Eliza Suzanne Marshall Patrick Nash Meehan Jonathan Philip Millstein Katherine Elizabeth Monks, a former Herald senior staff writer Adam Mitchell Morgenlander Tanya Minh Thu Nguyen, a former Herald opinions columnist Kathy Mai Khanh Nguyen Kurt David Ostrow Grace McGill Palmer Anuj Dilip Patel Rakesh Patel, a Herald data science contributor Ana-Irma I. Patete Nicholas Edward Petersdorf Stephen James Rickli Natalie Yanzi Ring Ramon Antonio Rodriguez Amitte Gail Rosenfeld Elizabeth Sally Rothman Zachary Rothstein-Dowden Madeline Diane Sall Samantha Fara Sanders Tina V. Sankhla Rachel Ann Schwartz Sidney Scott Katherine Johannet Siegel Aaron Russell Slan Paige Alexandra Smith Sophie Brooke Spiegel Amelia M. Stanton Francis Abel Suh Eric Pung Sun Guy Mandelstam Tabachnick Micah Solomon Thanhauser Tanayott Thaweethai Alyssa Raven Thomas Anna Constance Tifft Benson Howard Tucker Elizabeth Mary Vasily, a former Herald video editor Natalie Anne Villacorta, a former Herald senior editor Jeremy Royale Wagner Andrew James White Daniel Lee Wilkofsky Christopher Todd Williams, a former Herald sports staff writer Adam Daniel Wyron Yilong Yang Zuhal Zeynep Yildirim Inni Youh, a former Herald staff writer Eric William Young — Mathias Heller

features 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Mehta ’13 spearheads program to combat anemia in India The Swearer Center is among several groups helping to fund Mehta’s philanthropic efforts

By MARIA BUGANE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shortness of breath, weakness and chest pains plagued Rajvi Mehta ’13 during her sophomore year. After being diagnosed with a genetic disposition to anemia, or thallasimia minor, she decided to research the condition.

Her family history of anemia and its associated conditions drove Mehta to further investigate the issue back home in India, and she learned that about 80 percent of fetal mortalities are caused by anemia, she said. She applied to and was accepted for a Swearer Center scholarship and in the summer of 2011 she founded Let’s Be Well Red, an initiative to combat and spread awareness about anemia in India.

Raising the bar Mehta began conducting anemia tests for over 1,500 women in the slums of Mumbai under the guidance of the Family Planning Association of India and the Nargis Dutt Charitable Trust during the summer of 2011. She discovered the women’s iron deficiency could be easily mitigated by changing their eating habits.

“Although these women were really receptive to changing their diet, they were looking for a simple solution to

their problem,” Mehta said. She decided a nutritional bar with the recommended amount of iron was the most practical solution. Mehta looked to the popular Indian delicacy “chikki” as a model for the nutritional bar but substituted some of its unhealthy ingredients — rice puffs and peanuts — with healthier options that included the recommended amount of iron. The result was the nutritional bar “GudNeSs.” Each capitalized letter stands for a separate ingredient in the bar, Mehta wrote in an email to The Herald. “Gud” stands for the Hindi word for jaggery, or sugarcane extract. The “N” stands for nuts and nachani, an Indian grain, and the “S” stands for the seeds in the bar, including sesame seeds and flax seeds.

Mehta’s initial goal was to “fill in the gaps with Mumbai’s government programs on combating anemia,” where she found there was a lack of awareness, she said. The government had previously distributed iron pills to combat the blood deficiency but never explained why the pills were necessary or what anemia was, Mehta added.

A bar without par Mehta wrote a post for the Behind the Science Newsletter of the Division of Biology and Medicine in September 2011, which helped attract attention to

the organization. When Carlota Pereda ’15 read the post in an email from her adviser, she felt an instant connection to the project, she said.

“I had anemia for about a year and a half in high school, and it was really bad,” Pereda said. “I couldn’t go to class. I had absolutely no energy.”

Pereda got in touch with Mehta and they began working together, she said.

Mehta and Pereda faced some challenges getting the project off the ground, such as figuring out how a small initiative could penetrate the market in India.

Pereda received funding from the Swearer Center to travel to Mumbai in the summer of 2012 to find a solution.

During her trip, she launched the Health Scouts, a program through which she trains high school students to learn and teach about anemia, spread awareness about the cause and introduce the bar into the Mumbai market. The students are currently coming up with creative ways to advertise the bar, which is outsourced by the Indian food company MTD Foods Private Limited.

Currently, 96 students from various Mumbai high schools participate in the Health Scouts. They now help sell bars at a slightly higher price to schools that are financially better off, using the money generated to subsidize bars for needier schools.

“We charge people just the amount of money that is needed to create the bar,” Pereda said.

Spreading the GudNeSs To continue educating people about anemia at Brown and expanding the initiative in India, Let’s Be Well Red has welcomed new members.

Mehta and Pereda held an information session at the beginning of the year and selected seven volunteers through an application and interview process, they both said. The members are now helping to spread awareness about anemia by selling a nutritional bar similar to “GudNeSs” called “Felicious.” The alternate bar has slightly different ingredients, such as vanilla and white chocolate. Mehta and Pereda wanted a name that appealed to students here, they said. An ad for the new bar features the similarly named music video “Fergalicious,” by Fergie.

“I really love it,” said volunteer Nimita Uberoi ’15. “I feel like through our work at Brown we have already started making a difference.”

Let’s Be Well Red has collaborated with the South Asian Students Association and the Brown International Association by selling bars at their events, Mehta said.

The organization hopes to continue collaborating with larger groups at Brown, Pereda said.

“The impact will be huge,” she said.

“If every person buys the equivalent of one bar, four people can have a bar back in India.”

Let’s Be Well Red also aims to work with Brown Dining Services, Mehta said,

adding that she hopes to sell the Felicious bars at eateries such as Little Jo’s and the Blue Room.

“Dining Services has been talking to a group of students who asked us to introduce this product in the Campus Eateries,” Director of Retail Dining Jaques Larue wrote in an email to The Herald. “However, at this point, Dining Services has not entered in any kind of business partnership.”

“I definitely think (the bars) would be successful at Brown because it is a healthy option,” Uberoi said. “It will be especially popular with the vegan and vegetarian crowd.”

Let’s Be Well Red is also raising funds to keep up with rising demands in Mumbai, whose high schools are now ordering up to 30,000 bars a month, Mehta said. The ideal solution would be to raise enough money to afford the machinery to produce the bars themselves, she added.

Mehta said she hopes the Mumbai government will help fund the initiative.

“If we are able to get the Indian government on board (in Mumbai) we can produce up to 300,000 bars a day,” Mehta said. The government’s support would allow the needed amount of bars to be distributed to students on a daily basis, she added.

Next summer, some of the volunteers will travel to India to train the Health Scouts, and the group plans to expand to other cities near Mumbai, Mehta said.

Controversial speakers continue to spur engaging U. discussion From Malcolm X to Ron Paul, visiting speakers can bring mixed reviews, tension and debate to campus

By CHAD SIMON STAFF WRITER

Speakers with controversial viewpoints who hail from diverse corners of the world have long been coming to Brown to expose students to perspectives outside their comfort zones. From civil rights activists to world leaders and presidential candidates, renowned figures have delivered lectures that have sparked student dialogue and continued discussion of contentious topics of the time.

Polarizing politics On May 12, 1961, Malcolm X addressed a captivated audience in Sayles Hall, where he voiced his trademark view, characterized by a Herald report from the time as arguing that “the only solution to the American race problem is complete and total separation of the black and white races.”

During a question-and-answer session following the lecture, one student asked, “What can the cult of the black Muslims do for someone who has already improved his own social, moral and economic state?” according to the Herald article. Malcolm X responded with vigor, “Nothing, it can do nothing for you,” spurring bursts of laughter from the audience.

Malcolm X’s talk at Brown was one of several hundred he gave on a nationwide college tour. The crowd reactions varied depending on the composition of the audience at each destination, The Herald reported at the time.

“Gentiles generally view my remarks with a background of Americanism, fairly objectively, but Jews seem to be more subjective, worrying about how the movement will affect them,” Malcolm

X said during his speech, The Herald reported.

Concern about potentially volatile student reactions has prompted the University to consider increasing security for high-profile speakers. When Pervez Musharraf, the former president of Pakistan, agreed to lecture at the University in 2009, his controversial presidency generated great student interest and heightened levels of security, The Herald reported at the time. Andrew Chapin ’10, thenpresident of the Brown Lecture Board, said the Department of Public Safety, the U.S. State Department and Musharraf ’s personal security team all worked together to ensure the event ran smoothly, The Herald reported.

Though the event operated according to plan, video recordings of the lecture were not allowed under the terms of Musharraf’s contract with Lecture Board.

“Ensuring the safety of the speaker ... is something that is considered part of the process of selecting speakers,” said David O’Connell ’16, a Lecture Board member.

Pie in the face of protest A student-run organization, Lecture Board aims to invite speakers that “students will be interested in,” according to its mission statement. Controversy most often arises “when there are outspoken students that attend the event who do not align their views with the speaker,” O’Connell said. At times, “their aggression can be a little overbearing,” he added.

In recent years, Brown has hosted numerous controversial lecturers, sometimes with unexpected results.

As Thomas Friedman, an American columnist and journalist who writes for the New York Times, began a lecture on environmentalism in April 2008, a female

audience member bolted out of her frontrow seat to throw a Cool-Whip cream pie into his face. Immediately following her actions, a male accomplice scattered pamphlets outlining their motivation and listing their objections to Friedman’s approach to being “green,” which included “his sickeningly cheery applaud for free market capitalism’s conquest of the planet,” The Herald reported at the time.

Though Friedman was unharmed and relatively uninterrupted — save for a quick 10-minute face-washing recess — such an incident exposed challenges for security to ensure a safe environment in which future speakers can peacefully exchange thoughts and opinions.

“The University has protest policies,” said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations.

“If someone’s coming and there’s a group that’s protesting, we want to ensure that there’s a place for that protest to occur that doesn’t disturb the free exchange of ideas.”

At a panel about same-sex marriage in Rhode Island hosted Tuesday by the The Herald and the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, several students opposing the inclusion of certain speakers against same-sex marriage stood in the back of MacMillan 117 with protest signs and tape over their mouths.

Open for debate Last Wednesday, the Lecture Board hosted former Congressman Ron Paul, who spoke about his skepticism of large government and his opposition to war.

“We were well aware of the level of controversy that Ron Paul would bring, but we felt the students in attendance would be respectful,” O’Connell said.

Students voiced disagreement with Paul’s “homophobic and dehumanizing comments,” O’Connell said, especially

those “regarding his preference that the gay population would just keep to themselves.” To counter hostility from some audience members, Paul then acknowledged that “nobody, himself included, is perfect,” O’Connell said.

Paul is not the first speaker to come to Brown who has been criticized for espousing discriminatory beliefs. “Every group has an incentive when they’re bringing in a speaker to bring someone engaging who will attract a large crowd, and that sometimes lends itself to controversial speakers,” said Jeanne Jeong ’12, a former Janus Forum Steering Committee director.

The Janus Forum is an organization associated with the Political Theory Project, which “seeks to inspire open-minded debate on relevant political, social and economic issues,” according to its website.

In November 2011, the group invited Glenn Greenwald, an American political journalist, and former Bush administration member John Waters to debate drug decriminalization policies in the United States and Portugal.

Controversial political topics sometimes agitate audience members who

have differing personal ideologies. After Nonie Darwish, an Egyptian-American human rights activist, delivered a lecture at Brown in 2007, students attacked her views and criticized her lack of credentials, The Herald reported at the time.

One student said he only attended this event to “embarrass the people who brought (Darwish) here,” The Herald reported.

Despite such heated responses, some students saw the event as an opportunity, Becky Mer ’10 told The Herald at the time. “The dialogue that took place tonight is a sign of student body interest, and I would love this to be translated into further dialogue, greater understanding and possible solutions,” she told The Herald after Darwish’s lecture.

It is important to have a variety of viewpoints on a campus, Quinn said, “where an individual can engage in the full exchange of ideas in a civil and thoughtful way,” she said.

“It’s useful to challenge our thoughts and perspectives with perspectives that may be different from our own,” she said. “That’s part of the role of higher education.”

10

editors’ note & letter

EDITORS’ NOTE

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

EDITORIAL CARTOON b y a a n c h a l s a r a f

At a Tuesday panel about the legalization of same-sex marriage cosponsored by The Herald and the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, several speakers espoused controversial views regarding same-sex marriage, both as a subject currently on the forefront of discussion in Rhode Island and a general issue.

The Herald is a forum committed to the free exchange of ideas.

Though panelists may have expressed views unappealing to many, their voices represent perspectives that are influential in the immediate debate regarding legalizing same-sex marriage in the state and across the nation. To ignore those voices would present an incomplete picture of the discourse that is influencing events such as today’s state Senate vote on same-sex marriage.

Inviting any individual to comment, whether on a panel or in an article, is not an endorsement of that person’s views. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that the person’s opinions and constitute an influential component of the public discussion. Especially in a university community so committed to discourse, gaining perspective on all sides of an argument is essential.

Some comments made during the panel devolved into personal attacks, which runs counter to Herald standards. The Herald strives to encourage informed discourse in the Brown community, whether surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage or other topics of discussion. We invite continued input in emails to herald@browndailyherald.com, letters to the editor to letters@browndailyherald.com and comments on our website.

Editors’ notes are written by The Herald’s editors-in-chief.

LE T TER TO THE EDITOR

Marathon suspect search used racial profiling To the Editor: Today, for the first time, I am afraid because of the color of my skin. The Boston Marathon bombings and the zealous search for its perpetrators have made me realize that as much as the United States claims to be a progressive and all-inclusive nation, it really isn’t.

Since 9/11, I have seen evidence of racial profiling and the impact it can have on my life. I have seen it in the way my older brother must shave before going on a flight.

Most alarmingly, I have seen it in the months my parents contemplated changing our last name because they feared it sounded too Muslim, despite the fact that we are Hindus.

Americans seem to have accepted this attitude as a way to keep our country safer. It is this attitude that made it

seem okay to tackle an injured Saudi Arabian man running away Monday and allowed a man to feel justified in punching a Palestinian woman in Medford, Mass. This tendency led to erroneous reports that missing student Sunil Tripathi was responsible for the bombing, reports that put his family and friends in even greater emotional turmoil.

It is wrong to associate those who appear to be members of Islam with terrorism. And it is an even greater crime to act on those associations. Despite the great strides the United States has made in racial equality, we still have a long way to go. Today, I realized that racism is alive and well in all of the United States.

Divya Sahajwalla ’15

CL ARIFIC ATION

An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Victims of sexual assault confront challenges of reporting,” April 23) stated that the Student Conduct Board has 14 members. The Board has 14 members that deal with undergraduate cases, but it has 26 members to address undergraduate, graduate and medical student cases.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

t h e b row n da i ly h e r a l d Editors-in-Chief Lucy Feldman Shefali Luthra

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“It’s pretty scary to have a whole section of your wall fall on your roommate.”

— Bridget Nixon ’14 See ceiling on page 3.

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opinions 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Knowing my friend’s net worth doesn’t increase mine ELIZABETH FUERBACHER Opinions Columnist Money talks, and BS walks. We have all heard this popular truism expressing the power of someone’s wealth, and frankly, I think it holds true. To this statement I would like to add a corollary — that talking about someone’s money is BS. In The Herald and through conversations with friends at Brown, I cannot count the number of times I have seen or heard speculation about a peer’s net worth or pointed references to someone’s spending habits. This sort of third-party financial profiling is distasteful and pointless.

Furthermore, I believe it widens the alleged degree of separation between more privileged students and those of lesser means.

Though I have not witnessed such a blatant wedge, this sentiment was evident enough to have framed the April 2012 “Money Matters” series in The Herald. Let’s stop describing someone as “rich” or talking about the color of his or her American Express card. Aside from that person and his or her accountants, you’ll never know the number of dollars to his or her name. And even if you do, knowing that net worth doesn’t increase yours.

Since the 1980s — when television shows such as “Dynasty” and movies like “Wall Street” illustrated personal extravagance and the benefits of having high net worth — Americans’ preoccupation with materialism and status has reportedly grown. Psycholo-

gy research supports the view that “Millenials,” or people born after 1982, feel attaining monetary and reputational goals bears more consequence than the realization of objectives concerning one’s community. I am not here to pass moral judgment on that phenomenon, as I am admittedly guilty of inordinately elevating my professional aspirations or relishing a self-indulgent trip to the mall — that is, an authentic mall in New Jersey or New York, not the boring shopping center in downtown Providence.

tendencies to speculate about income obviate the moral lessons we are taught.

Regardless of the vanity perpetuated by such assessments of people, these exercises are futile. Why should I care about what someone else has? That knowledge does nothing for me in the way of filling my brain with practical or stimulating information.

Furthermore, any “estimates” of a friend’s or his family’s riches are round guesses at best. Just because someone lives in a $5 million dollar mansion or drives a Ferrari does

Perhaps most ironically, heavy attention paid to another party’s finances is often cultivated by the outside observers rather than the personal possessors of wealth.

Regardless of what has transpired in terms of how strongly one emphasizes his personal possessions, I believe a more robust interest in others’ material goods and relative affluence has also manifested itself in our society. From Forbes’ annual list of billionaires to websites such as Celebritynetworth, many media outlets exist to satiate this odd desire to know someone else’s net worth. It also permeates conversations about our peers, as I have often heard fellow students attaching a friend’s name to a restrictive clause such as, “and he or she is very wealthy.” For a culture in which we are supposed to judge people on personal rather than financial worth, these

not unequivocally signify high net worth or one’s residual assets once creditors’ claims are subtracted. Sure, there are plenty of genuinely wealthy people walking around sporting designer bags and pricey jewelry. But there are just as many people who are flush with cash yet pay for dinner using the mundane green card rather than the slick Centurion for which they are eligible. Accurately trying to pinpoint a person’s net worth based on external appearances and lifestyle anecdotes is like setting a price target for the stock of a company using a rough sketch of the firm’s activities without examining its financial statements.

People should be judged on their accomplishments, character and empathy. Describing friends with traits that enrich their souls rather than their bank accounts is a more captivating way to paint a picture of someone. Doing so pays more homage to a person’s nature and talents. It is easier to foster friendships from shared personality traits than to undermine them on account of perceived financial differences. Moreover, having the right grade point average to obtain a prestigious internship warrants more praise than does the right DNA to secure an impressive inheritance. The process of how a friend made a lucrative trade provides more interesting dinner conversation than the house she could buy with those earnings.

Perhaps most ironically, heavy attention paid to another party’s finances is often cultivated by the outsider observers rather than the personal possessors of wealth.

This article is not attacking a fixation with money — I think it is an important element of life, and the profits or commissions one generates often measure success in one’s professional field. Yet if we want to fixate on high net worth, we should focus on ways to grow our own fortunes should financial success be a personal priority. Time is money, but spending time thinking about someone else’s money won’t earn you anything extra.

Elizabeth Fuerbacher ’14 listened to “The Apprentice” theme song “For the Love of Money” while writing this column.

She can be reached at elizabeth_fuerbacher@brown.edu.

The bogus strategic planning process DANIEL MORAFF Opinions Columnist President Christina Paxson’s strategic planning process is fatally flawed. It was flawed from the beginning, and any recommendations born out of this process should be taken with a massive grain of salt.

First off, the big idea behind strategic planning was that all groups at Brown would be represented. Again and again, administrators at Brown have made major decisions behind closed doors. Supposedly, with strategic planning, that would all change. On that score, the process is a failure. Administrators claim the committees are representative. They’re not. Two groups, students and staff, are not represented on these committees.

Compared to the staff, students are the lucky ones. Non-managerial staff members have been completely shunned. They have no representation on multiple committees.

It’s as if they don’t even exist. They have long been represented on other campus committees, but to the strategic planning process they may as well be vapor. Apparently, to the president, they are not a real part of this university in the way everyone else is. There is virtually no value in a process that treats entire groups as non-persons and decides that their perspective isn’t worth hearing.

But students don’t have it much better. Generally, whenever the Undergraduate Council of Students appoints people to

the mostly unimportant committees over which it has jurisdiction, it advertises out the position. Interested students can apply, and UCS makes the final call. It’s not ideal, but it’s as close to a democratic process as we get around here.

So it’s kind of strange that when it came time for UCS to make appointments that actually mattered, they did not advertise.

There was no open process, no email blast from UCS President Anthony White ’13.

They literally picked their friends. Council members picked people they knew, White confirmed in an email to The Herald. Peo-

ning.

Just two weeks ago, the University announced a $160 million building campaign for the School of Engineering, with extensive new construction. Over the last month, the administration has been claiming — incorrectly — that we cannot afford to provide universal need-blind admissions. The destruction of the Gate and the construction of a new dining hall, in a culmination of years of wrongheaded policy, had been previously planned. These decisions have all been made outside of this process, making it hard for any student to

There is virtually no value in a process that treats entire groups as nonpersons.

ple in the social circles of student government kids do not “represent” student opinion. This isn’t Paxson’s fault. She couldn’t have predicted misconduct on the part of UCS. It is, however, a grave flaw in the process, shutting out a huge chunk of the student body from day one.

So there’s the first problem. The committees are not representative and should not be treated as such. This issue has been raised with administrators, to no avail.

The second problem is that the president seems to have already made up her mind about major policy decisions, regardless of the outcome of strategic plan-

believe their input actually matters.

All of these policies fall under the jurisdiction of strategic planning committees, none of which have issued their final report.

This could have been an opportunity for a serious process to determine the University’s future. As seen by the outpouring of support for better financial aid, for universal need-blind and for reducing family contributions, students want the University to be more strongly committed to financial aid. Many of us want the University to support its workers. The University seems to care more about its things than its peo-

ple, and this could have been an opportunity for a much-needed course correction.

Instead, it’s a show. It’s a show the administration is putting on to give the impression that Paxson’s policies have been informed by an open, democratic process.

But of course they haven’t. She is already committing to the same old mistakes — growing and growing, pouring millions of dollars into our stuff while neglecting our people. The administration is too impatient to even pretend to consider the committees’ final recommendations.

This isn’t to denigrate the people serving on these committees. They have done some good work and collected some useful data, and bear no responsibility for the fatal flaws in the process. The final committee reports may well include useful information, although certain committees, in particular the Committee for Reimagining the Campus and Community, are making ominous signs of more building-centric policy. Due to the broken planning process, their actual recommendations should carry very little weight.

The UCS president predicted last month that “when strategic planning becomes a part of her legacy, that’s when the cult of Paxson will begin.” I can’t think of a less inspiring cult origin story than the strategic planning process. If Paxson is actually committed to listening to the community, she should bring students and staff into the process and reject the outcomes of strategic planning.

Daniel Moraff ’14 can be reached at daniel_moraff@brown.edu.

daily herald science & research THE BROWN

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Social media use may lead to poor grades Researchers found that high social media use correlates with low GPAs among college women STAFF WRITER

DAVID DECKEY / HERALD

Women who spent more time reading magazines, watching television and using social networking showed lower academic performance. wrote in the study.

But the study did not find a direct link between social media use and academic performance. “You can’t infer causality from our study because we have no experimental manipulation,” said lead author Jennifer Walsh, assistant professor in the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at the Miriam Hospital. But researchers did control for past academic performance and demographic factors, she added. “We do think this is stronger evidence than just measuring the two things and saying that they are correlated,” Walsh said.

The researchers also found the use of some types of social media has beneficial effects, like helping adolescents establish a sense of identity and build networking skills. The study’s authors also noted that some forms of social media, like reading books and newspapers, did not correlate with lower academic performance.

The researchers chose to focus exclusively on first-year women after noticing potential trends in media use in a larger pool of data from a hospital study on first-year women’s health, Walsh said.

“We collected a lot of data from women about their substance abuse,

their physical activity, their sexual health.

And we noticed how much media these college women were using,” Walsh said.

“We also realized that there hadn’t really been any recent comprehensive study of college media use.”

Some students found the study’s definition of social media different from their own.

“I always thought of social media as something where I put something out there, not as something I was reading for pleasure,” said Nick McGurk ’16.

Taylor DeRosa ’16 said she does not think the time she spends using social media affects her academic performance.

“It’s that I need to use the time when I’m not using social media to work,” she said.

Many students also wanted to know more information about other variables that may have influenced the women in the study. “Twelve hours a day of social media use surprises me,” said Emma Strother ’15. “But I think other factors — like stress — contribute more to difficulties maintaining a GPA.” The team of researchers hopes to conduct another study on men’s social media use in the future in order to compare the results, Walsh said.

U. researchers extend life of pancreatic cells New pancreatic cells may allow doctors to treat diabetes patients with a single transplant

By STEVEN MICHAEL STAFF WRITER

Patients with Type 1 diabetes may someday be treated with a single transplantation of pancreatic cells, rather than having to continually monitor their blood sugar levels. A study conducted by an Alpert Medical School student identified a successful way to increase the longevity of these cells in a mouse model.

The findings were published in the journal Transplantation last month.

Researchers co-cultured islets — insulin-producing cells found in the pancreas — with human bone marrow stem cells and injected them into diabetic mice with ineffective immune systems, said John Luo MD ’13, a research associate at Roger Williams Medical Center and lead author of the paper.

Patients with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin naturally and therefore cannot regulate their blood sugar without treatment. Islet transplantation is one possible treatment, but the current

BY SAHIL LUTHRA, SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR

U. launches study of HPV vaccine to treat anal cancer

By RILEY DAVIS

Many college students could not imagine a day without updating their Twitter feeds or Facebook statuses, but according to a recent study led by researchers at the Miriam Hospital, using social media may impair academic performance.

The study was published online in the journal Emerging Adulthood last month.

Unlike in past studies, Miriam Hospital researchers expanded the definition of social media to include “new media” like texting and social networking. They also included “traditional media,” like magazines and books.

Researchers tracked female first-year college students’ use of 11 forms of social media including television, movies, music, the Internet and video games over the course of an academic year and found that they spend nearly 12 hours a day using social media on average. To collect their data, researchers administered surveys to nearly 500 first-year women at a northeastern university about their weekly media use. At the end of each semester, the women also reported their GPAs. The study found a correlation between lower GPAs and higher social media use.

Researchers found that different types of media use correlated with different reported academic problems.

For example, women who spent more time watching television and reading magazines reported lower academic confidence, while those who spent more time on social networking sites reported spending less time on academics, the study found.

Both academic confidence and academic behaviors may be mediating factors that affect GPA, the researchers

SCIENCE & RESEARCH ROUNDUP

process is inefficient, Luo said. Mice that received islet transplants using the current technique survived for 40 days on average. But mice who received transplants that included both islets and bone marrow stem cells survived an average of 130 days, according to the paper.

Over three months, blood sugar levels in mice with normal islets remained flat while blood sugar levels of mice with islets grown in bone marrow significantly decreased, Luo said.

Type 1 diabetes patients who struggle with regulating their blood sugar levels with insulin injection have received islet transplantations for 20 years, Luo said.

But a single islet transplantation often requires two to three deceased pancreas donors, and patients usually need at least two transplants, he added. The current study shows that bone marrow stem cells increase the longevity of islets in an animal model.

Though islets account for only 5 to 10 percent of the mass of the pancreas, “replacing the small population of islets is difficult to sustain both in vivo and in vitro,” Luo said. The two-year survival rate for islets in humans is 30 percent.

Immune rejection or a lack of supportive environment might explain the challenge of sustaining islets, he said. The

study focused on creating a supportive environment for islets with human bone marrow, but Luo called the immune system a “huge concern.” Using immunodeficient mice in the experiment prevented a negative immune response to the islets.

In 2007, Luo and his collaborators published a paper detailing how bone marrow stem cells kept human islets alive for six months in cell cultures — the amount of time required for an approach to be considered effective, Luo said. The 2007 study prompted the team to continue their research and the lab at Roger Williams to designate the research a “flagship” project, he said.

“The next step is to look at the mechanisms. How do you explain the cell mechanisms, and what are the pathways involved?” Luo asked, adding that bone marrow stem cells may stimulate islet growth or prevent islet death.

The basis of these experiments “stems from a lot of serendipity,” Luo said. “We had access to human bone marrow, and we had access to islets.”

Luo said clinical trials for patients who are candidates for islet transplantation could occur within two years. “The ultimate goal is to get rid of insulin injections, which / / Diabetes page 5

The University’s Oncology Research Group has begun a clinical trial for a vaccine aimed to combat anal cancer.

The vaccine, developed by biotechnology company Advaxis, targets the Human Papilloma Virus and is being tested to treat a variety of HPV-associated diseases, including anal cancer, according to an Advaxis press release.

At least 80 percent of anal cancer cases are associated with HPV, according to the HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation’s website. The vaccine causes immune cells to attack cancer cells with an HPV target, according to the release.

The University’s research group will test the vaccine on 25 anal cancer patients to evaluate its safety, side effects and effectiveness after six months. During the study, the vaccine will be used in conjunction with radiation and chemotherapy, according to the release.

Farming practice associated with economic developments Double cropping — the practice of reusing crop land within a single year — has been associated with economic growth for rural citizens of the western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, according to a new study by University researchers.

The findings, published Monday in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, resulted from a collaboration between the University’s sociology and geological sciences departments.

Professor of Geological Sciences John Mustard and his students examined satellite images of Mato Grosso from 2000 to 2001 and from 2010 to 2011, examining changes in greenness over each of the year-long periods, according to a University press release. Two green peaks in a year indicated that a particular region had been double-cropped.

Associate Professor of Sociology Leah VanWey and her students then compared these findings with measures of economic growth, according to the release. While single cropping was not associated with increased economic gains, double cropping was associated with higher Gross Domestic Product, higher median incomes, better education and improvements in public sanitation.

The authors said in the study they have not established a causal relationship between double cropping and economic growth. VanWey’s team is currently working to identify what makes double cropping effective, according to the release.

Moon study raises questions about crater formation New research from the University’s department of geological sciences suggests mineral structure may be preserved in the formation of lunar craters. The findings, published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, challenge the current understanding of the process of impact cratering.

During the formation of a crater, the force of the impact may result in a pool of melted rock. Geologists long assumed this process would mix together all the different types of minerals in the area, according to a University press release. By the time the rock resolidified, previously distinct mineral types would be melded together.

Using imaging data from the spectrometer M3 — which circled the moon in 2008 and 2009 — the researchers analyzed how light of different wavelengths reflected off the surface of the Copernicus crater. Analysis of light absorption revealed the presence of two distinct types of rock, one of which bore resemblance to the pre-crater minerology, according to the release.

“The takeaway here is that impact melt deposits aren’t bland,” said lead author Deepak Dhingra GS in the release. “The implication is that we don’t understand the impact cratering process quite as well as we thought.”

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