Thursday, September 26, 2013

Page 1

Daily

Herald

THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 77

Faculty members voice few opinions on strategic plan Many faculty members have not reviewed the draft of the plan since it was released last week By KIKI BARNES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Faculty members interviewed expressed no strong opinions about President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan draft, which was released to the community last Wednesday. The plan will be presented and discussed at Tuesday’s faculty meeting before being voted on by the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body ­— during its meeting Oct. 24-26, just over four weeks from now. The 11-page document addresses many faculty-related issues, including incentivizing research, reforming sabbatical policies, growing the number of faculty members and increasing faculty diversity.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

“I haven’t had a chance to read the strategic plan yet,” wrote Nancy Jacobs, associate professor of Africana studies and history and chair of the Committee for Faculty Equity and Diversity, in an email to The Herald. Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies Harold Roth expressed similar sentiments. “I’ve been too busy to read (the plan),” he wrote in an email to The Herald, adding, “I would imagine others are in the same boat.” Professor of Political Science and Urban Studies and Vice Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee James Morone said he would be interested to hear more faculty feedback about the plan, to which he contributed input during last year’s planning process. Though Paxson held a forum Tuesday to solicit feedback from students, faculty members and staff members, no faculty members voiced opinions at the event. But those who worked on the plan » See FACULTY, page 5

UCS, student group leaders analyze Paxson’s plan

FA L L I N G O U T

The Council expressed concerns that the plan does not emphasize financial aid or advising By MAXINE JOSELOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER

ASHLEY SO / HERALD

Students enjoyed the last legs of summer weather by studying and playing games on the Main Green.

Cohen begins settlement talks with federal prosecutors A deal could include charges against both the Corporation trustee and his hedge fund By ELI OKUN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Corporation Trustee Steven Cohen P’08 P’16 could find a way out of his legal troubles, as he has begun negotiations with federal prosecutors to reach a potential settlement of the charges against his hedge fund and himself, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday. The talks are still in initial stages. Sources with knowledge of the case told the New York Times that Cohen’s hedge fund, SAC Capital

Advisors LP, could have to pay up to $2 billion and plead guilty to settle. Prosecutors brought a criminal suit against SAC in July, charging the firm with four counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud. Investigators have been examining possible alleged insider trading at SAC for years — eight employees have been implicated in improper trading schemes, and four have pled guilty. Cohen was personally charged in a civil suit this summer for allegedly

“failing to supervise” two of the eight accused SAC employees. Both of those employees will stand trial in the next few months. If found guilty, Cohen could be banned from the securities industry. The potential settlement would be expected to encompass both the fund’s criminal charges and Cohen’s civil charges, the Times and Bloomberg Businessweek reported. SAC’s lawyers initially approached New York prosecutors to suggest the possibility of settling, Bloomberg reported. Though most outside investors have pulled funds from SAC this year, prompting some speculation

about the firm’s demise, top Wall Street banks have helped keep it afloat through continued trading and financing. A settlement might provide a route for SAC to stay in business. If reached, this would not be SAC’s first settlement: The fund paid out $616 million to the government in March to resolve two civil cases against individual employees. In various statements, Cohen has denied all the charges against him and SAC. In the past, the University has not commented on whether the charges against SAC and Cohen could affect his Corporation membership.

Members of the Undergraduate Council of Students critiqued President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan at Wednesday’s UCS general body meeting, saying the plan does not mention advising, does not prioritize financial aid and emphasizes graduate programs over the undergraduate experience. Council members and student group leaders — including leaders of Brown for Financial Aid and the Brown Conversation — split into small groups and shared opinions about the strategic plan, which Paxson released to the community last Wednesday. The Council will compile the input from the small group discussions into a “student feedback report,” which it will present to Paxson and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15, said UCS President Todd Harris ’14.5. He added that Paxson and Schlissel will be guests at the Council’s general body meeting next week. The plan’s lack of emphasis on advising services — which Harris made a key tenet of his presidential agenda — emerged as a major topic of discussion. “There needs to be more attention to advising, because it wasn’t mentioned,” said Heather Sabel ’17, adding that the strategic plan should have included specific improvements to advising, like allowing undergraduates » See COUNCIL, page 4

With revisions in place, environmental program looks to grow Leadership will expand the environmental faculty and aim to strengthen advising By MOLLY SCHULSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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The Brown Plus One program facilitates graduate level studies while abroad

Corvese ’15 calls for a break in the cycle of blame between “millenials” and older generations

Newlon ’14 defends Teach for America, citing a new study

UNIVERSITY NEWS, 2

COMMENTARY, 7

COMMENTARY, 7

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KATIE LEIBOWITZ / HERALD

The Urban Environmental Laboratory currently houses the Center for Environmental Studies. CES will focus on revising the environmental studies and environmental sciences curricula.

Environmental studies and human impact on nature were highlighted as one of seven key “integrative themes” for the University’s next decade in President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, released last week. But changes are already underway at the Center for Environmental Studies: With a new leadership team, the center is working to expand its faculty, adjust to recent

curriculum changes and improve advising and cohesiveness under new leadership. In May, Dov Sax, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Kurt Teichert, senior lecturer in CES, were named the center’s director and associate director, respectively. Their primary goal this year is to begin implementation of the University’s new environmental curriculum, Sax said. The Committee to Review the Environmental Studies Concentration recommended changes last semester to the environmental studies and environmental science concentrations. These originally included increasing » See CES, page 3 t o d ay

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Thursday, September 26, 2013 by The Brown Daily Herald - Issuu